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Overdrive/distortion pedals that will make me stand out!

lkngro

lkngro

Feb 4, 2010
388
3
Hockessin, Delaware, USA
#1
I thought all was well with my rig. Keyword being "thought". I was loving my BOSS ODB-3 pedal for fuzz/distortion sounds until my band did our first recordings. In the recordings, it sounds way too fizzy and doesn't have any balls. Also, as soon as I turn it on, I sink right into the mix and it just sounds like static, especially when my guitarist is also playing with distortion.

So the question is, what distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedal has enough balls to make me stand out while still being fairly defined?
 
#3
i would disagree with the bass big muff suggestion, based solely on the fact that this, as well as most other stock muffs, have a mid scoop that will get you buried in a live mix. i gigged one extensively before switching. if fuzz is your thing look for something without the mid scoop or at least the ability to add mids to it. examples if you like muffs, blackout effectors musket, earthbound supercollider (later version), grey stache, really any muff variant with mid control.

if you're looking for od's that wont get lost in the mix i'd recommend the dredgetone bass angler, the xotic bb, the barber ltd sr, the catalinbread sft, or the voodoolabs sparkle drive, to name a few. i have owned all of the above, as well as most of the fuzzes i recommend (excluding the stache), so i'm not just name dropping here. i have used all of the od's in at least 10 shows a piece and stuck with the angler.
 
#6
The Way Huge Electronics Swollen Pickle has great definition and articulation. It has tons of tones and should be perfect for the studio. Finally it is easy to find and relatively inexpensive.

Many pedals recommended on this board are hard to find, very expensive or subject to long waiting times.

Sure the Grey Stache sounds very impressive and I am on that waiting list too but not everybody has the luxury of waiting 6 to 8 weeks +.
 
#8
The Take Flight Pedals Goose has been a good one for me. It's holding itself up in the mix really well with the band. It's got a lot of surprises under its hood too, including a blend knob and a side-mounted oscillation knob too. Definitely worth a look at.
 
#11
lkngro said:
It seems like alot of guys are suggesting guitar pedals (Way Huge Swollen Pickle, OCD, Voodoolabs Sparkle Drive). Are these pedals that keep an appropriate amount of low end for bass?
Click to expand...

The Goose holds a good amount of low end, adjusted to your taste with the blend knob. That's actually why I have it right now; I'm demo'ing it and making a video using it with bass for the gents to have.
 
#12
The mix of the album is not necessarily indicative of how you sound live, it's indicative of how the mixer chose to make you sound. A guitar heavy mix can make any bass sound thin.

That said, I agree with recommendations for mild overdrives with a good mid bump. I still really like my Fulltone Bassdrive, but opinions vary.
 
#14
the voodoo labs is a ts808 variant so naturally mid humpy. it has a clean blend so if you want to dial a mix of the effected signal with your signal you will loose no low end. it lasted longer on my board than any other OD, roughly 1 year, so about 110 shows. it is a light OD, however, it does the tubey growly thing very well, but it doesn't do balls out distortion.....thats what a distortion/fuzz pedal is for, imho.

someone mentioned that some of the pedals are hard to find. i tried not to recommend anything hard to find. in fact i buy mostly from the b/s/t forums here. the musket is very easy to find for around $120. the dredgetone angler is back into production and sold at pedalgeek for $140. the sft is everywhere. just because they are boutique doesn't mean hard to find.....your local GC probably won't carry them, however.
 
#15
Ok.
My goto pedals are a Katana Sound Supper Bass Fuzz [has blend and yes it is the ****] and a Mellowtone Hi Five for added grit.

I also use a Fuzzhugger Great wall [really punchy] too.

These work "for me" and I'm done looking ATM. I sugest that you take the time and dig up clips of every pedal suggested in this thread and see what you want.... other then the Bass Big Muff for it is the twilight of dirt pedals....;)
 
#16
Katanasound Super Bass Fuzz
Wounded Paw Attack Goat
Dredge-Tone Angler
Malekko B:Assmaster
Black Cat Bass Octave Fuzz

You couldn't bury these pedals in a mix if you tried. Well, unless you turned the volume all the way down. That reminds me: I should have kept the Goat. Oh well.
 
#18
Wounded Paw rules. I foolishly sold both fuzzes I had from them. :rollno:

I once had a new rule put in place: only sell pedals you DISLIKE. Good thing I shipped off my Octron just yesterday. :eyebrow:
 
#19
As mentioned above, the problem with your recording was probably not your choice of pedal, but the use of the pedal's EQ, the EQ on your amp, the mixing board, compression, and all the other things done during a recording. In short, if the producer/engineer knew what he was doing you would have sounded great. If you like how your rig, including that pedal, sound live and you don't get lost there, then don't worry about it and use a different studio next time...

-JV
 

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