One Distortion To Rule Them All

[AvidChuck]

Hi gang---got a few pedals and some great tones, but the Holy Grail tone I'm unable to produce (to my satisfaction) is a distortion tone that sounds like a guitar...like a metal guitar (think Pantera). I can create some great tones with fuzz pedals, but they perform best in slower...drawn out notes. I have a couple of overdrives and distortion pedals as well, but am having trouble producing a tone that's "tight" sounding when playing fast riffs---when playing fast riffs my tone seems to loose the note to note definition I'm looking for. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[saltydude]

Dunwich Volt Thrower

 

[LSMFT6]

Something with a crossover would suit your needs. Maybe the Darkglass X?

 

[bassbrad]

SA Aftershock ended my eternal search, if I cannot create it with Neuro App it don't exist.

 

[bass40hz]

As stated right above this post...the SA After Shock...why rule them all when you can have them all.
Rock on,

 

[AvidChuck]

Thanks for the input...all 3 suggestions are pedals I have not yet tried. You guys ROCK!

 

[cnltb]

I am boring , I still use 4 eyes for this kind of thing. An amazing pedal and not boring in the least!

 

[220_Hz]

Fuzzrocious Demon

 

[GDUBS]

Blower box. Hands down

 

[theunknowndude]

Couldn’t get any aftershock this bribe to do fast tight crazy stuff (could have been my bad playing) but the mbd1 is good for tight and fast, clarity yet grind to each note

 

[DDXdesign]

If you're looking for tight and crunchy then one of the crossover distortions would probably work but you don't have to go all the way to Darkglass. Ashdown Hyperdrive maybe, or even the dirt in the MXR M80 preamp (sounds a little like a mid-distortion which gives it a good xoverish flavor at some EQ settings)!

I really liked the dirt in my B7K Ultra, to be fair, but I didn't love the clean tone at the same EQ and prefer the M80's clean with Color turned on and mids compensated with the knob.

 

[smokinjoe]

+1 for the Darkglass X

 

[AvidChuck]

Thanks for all the input. I listened to YouTube demos of every suggestion, and decided I'd try the Darkglass X7 next...it's on it's way to me. I have to say though, I was also really impressed with the Blower Box too.

 

[FaithNoMan]

Thanks for all the input. I listened to YouTube demos of every suggestion, and decided I'd try the Darkglass X7 next...it's on it's way to me. I have to say though, I was also really impressed with the Blower Box too.

Just like the X and Alpha Omega, the X7 and Blower Box would probably sound great together.

 

[jw23mind]

I tried an Amptweaker Tightmetal Jr Bass awhile back and thought it would be really good for, well, tight metal!
Palm-mute chunky, articulate, & quiet (noise gate) with high gain. At the time I was looking for really fat (slow) fuzz, so I sold it.

 

[Swimming Bird]

+1 for Amptweaker in general. I use the Bass Tightfuzz and it is crazy versatile, can add lows etc. I'm using it as a germ OD with a Bluebeard in the pre loop for a bone crushing 2 channel setup. I use the same setup on guitar, just turning down the low blend.

 

[MCS4]

My personal opinion is that you will never get this tone if you worry too much about preserving your low end or retaining too much of a traditional heavy bass tone. Generally speaking, for a "tight" muted riff on bass you will want the low frequencies to be a bit less prominent and to make sure there is enough mid and treble content for the attack to cut through clearly. You should have a dedicated pedal whose only purpose is to be effective when performing guitar-like riffs, and use a different pedal for more typical bass drive needs.

Personally I currently use a Fuzzrocious Demon for riff purposes, with the gain and EQ knobs at 12 o'clock or higher depending on the bass and other pedals in the chain. With my rig this pedal tightens up the low end and highlights some frequencies in the midrange or treble that is not the most optimal for my typical heavy-bass needs, but it is great for playing palm-muted riffs. However, the Demon doesn't significantly cut actual bass frequencies (it just emphasizes some select frequencies that pierce through the mix) so you can still keep a nice heavy overall band tone.