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overdrive/fuzz quest

#101
fitz420 said:
John, I'd love to offer u a couple suggestions for od as it was your input that got me to buy a streamliner and a Nos 5751. Here's a couple of my favourites that I've gigged extensively and I think would be worth a listen.

Way huge pork loin
Dredgetone angler
Mojohand or tone factor cream pie.
Fuzzrocious dark driving.
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thanks for the suggestions fitz. i appreciate it.
i've had my eye on a couple of those (and i'll have to check out the others). i wish i could just buy every distortion/OD pedal made. the problem is, even if one of them isn't exactly what i'm looking for at a given time, after messing with them, i can usually end up getting a good sound tone and then i have a hard time parting with them.

the only one that i'm sending back that i bought recently is the MXR blowtorch since it was just to fizzy/synthy for me.
 
#102
johnk_10 said:
thanks for the suggestions fitz. i appreciate it.
i've had my eye on a couple of those (and i'll have to check out the others). i wish i could just buy every distortion/OD pedal made. the problem is, even if one of them isn't exactly what i'm looking for at a given time, after messing with them, i can usually end up getting a good sound tone and then i have a hard time parting with them.

the only one that i'm sending back that i bought recently is the MXR blowtorch since it was just to fizzy/synthy for me.
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At one point not long ago I had 2 anglers. I would have let u borrow one if I still did. The angler and pork loin are very transparent imho.....that's generally what I go for. The creampie was the most unique and amplike. I played it with a markbass LMII on only rock stuff to add a dynamic feel. I found it's overdrive to be completely controllable with right hand technique. As I'm typing this I'm wondering why I sold not one but two of those as well.......
 
#104
BTW, i was playing around with my SFT some more today and IMO, it's really a great OD/dist pedal. i actually like it as much as the Greedtone but for different reasons. the Greedtone is just a raw, unbridled, flat out rock box, whereas the the SFT is smoother, kinda like an SVT when when it's cranked.

i'm going to review all of my pedals and post demo soundclips on my website soon.

i also got a bass big muff today, and while it's not the kind of OD i was really looking for (and i already knew that when i bought it), i can see a place for it as a heavy fuzz distortion effect on recordings. i also modded it with the output volume control so the 'dry' control is more useful.
 
#106
johnk_10 said:
just to have one that can go from mild to completely wild, i just ordered a Caroline wave cannon overdrive (i couldn't resist the discounted price on it), and i'm really looking forward to playing around with it.
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Since your still trying stuff out I suggest you try a Fulltone Catalyst. I've been really impressed with it. It has some nice dirty boost/mild overdrive settings (as well as distortion and mild fuzz tones)
 
#107
i have a couple of fulltone pedals, and i really like my old version large box '69, but i didn't care for his bass overdrive that much, and i just sold my large box '70 pedal. i also have an ultimate octave. it works well on guitar but not very well on bass so recently modded it to have a 'bass' optional setting, as well as adding a second voice option for each of the fat/bright switch.

i'm also going to build a couple of my own soon, so my 'fuzz pedal buying spree' is going to have to slow down for a while to give my wallet a rest. ;)
 
#108
just got a new EBS multidrive and IMO, this is an awesome overdrive pedal. i absolutely love it. it's smoother than the greedtone's 'gnarlier' distortion, but can sound like a tube amp breaking up in the 'tubesim' mode. the standard mode is great too, and just a little more midrangy. IMO, the flat mode sounds best when you're barely clipping it since it clips all of the frequencies and the low end can get too distorted if you crank the drive too much.
 
#110
ampegfuzz said:
Just when you think everything is all good and cool.......BAM!!!! A new pedal to throw a wrench in the gears :)
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+1 ;)

yep. i think that the EBS is awesome.

i also got an old clone of a fuzz face/tone bender pedal of mine out, and have been modding it for use with a bass. i already have two Fuzz faces (a stock germanium one and the fulltone '69), and a GGG tonebender clone (i sold my two original 60's ones a few years ago), so i figured this other one could be a 'donor' for a dedicated bass fuzz.

i also ordered the GGG brassmaster kit last night since i used to have one of the originals and liked that one too.

it seems that i just went fuzz crazy ever since i started this thread. :eek:
 
#112
John, you have the best sounding threads on the forum. I'd love to hear you play through the multidrive. It's one of those pedals that I've had my finger on the buy it now button for years but always bought something else instead.
 
#113
kringle77 said:
John, you have the best sounding threads on the forum. I'd love to hear you play through the multidrive. It's one of those pedals that I've had my finger on the buy it now button for years but always bought something else instead.
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thanks!
yeah, the EBS was one of the first ones that i was looking at too, but somehow i got sidetracked with so many others out there. i'm really glad that i got it now. i'll try to post a clip of it comparing it to the SFT, or the greedtone.
 
#114
I'm very interested in seeing which pedal you end up liking the most, John!

I had an SFT but sold it because all of the basses I had at the time were either active or had a fairly hot output. I'd like to try one again now that I have my P-bass.

My two favorites right now are both by Ryan (Fuzzrocious). Rat Tail and custom Mail Order Muff. Both are very different beasts, but versatile with all of my basses and even my guitars. There are, however, so many pedals I haven't tried (for example, some of the pedals you've been enjoying).
 
#115
The Bass VT2 is one that I really like and it would be almost perfect if it didn't compress so much when you turn up the gain alittle. Thats the only problem with it. I have a swell B-peg on order that is supposed to be less compressed but, we'll see. The best od sound I have gotten is using the VT in one channel of my SM9.2 with some lows trimmed off and blended with the other channel clean with some highs trimmed off. I find that the sound is much more coherant and "together" when you roll the highs off the clean sound. You hear more of the character of the OD, which is really the point anyway. Im going to try gigging with that setup until the swell arrives. My trusty, always on OD has been the sparkle drive. I've been using it for at least 10 years and even though it's not perfect, it does add something to my sound that helps me cut through better, although you don't really hear the overdrive with the band.
 
#116
kringle77 said:
The Bass VT2 is one that I really like and it would be almost perfect if it didn't compress so much when you turn up the gain alittle. Thats the only problem with it. I have a swell B-peg on order that is supposed to be less compressed but, we'll see. The best od sound I have gotten is using the VT in one channel of my SM9.2 with some lows trimmed off and blended with the other channel clean with some highs trimmed off. I find that the sound is much more coherant and "together" when you roll the highs off the clean sound. You hear more of the character of the OD, which is really the point anyway. Im going to try gigging with that setup until the swell arrives. My trusty, always on OD has been the sparkle drive. I've been using it for at least 10 years and even though it's not perfect, it does add something to my sound that helps me cut through better, although you don't really hear the overdrive with the band.
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i agree the best OD for me, especially with a tube amp, has been the Sparkle Drive. It just hits all the right frequencies. i'm really thinking that i need to get one again. I really like the Oh See Demon, and to a slightly lesser extent the Dark Driving, but they really don't push a tube amp in the same way the Sparkle Drive does. The "problem" with the SD is that when I play live my rig is usually DI (speaker level) and the SD sounds harsh through the PA without the speaker in the signal...
 
#119
I actually think that I like the EBS the best overall. Could you do a clip with the ebs fingerstyle and maybe a few different gains? I'd really appreciate it and will probably end up trying one myself. Thanks, and keep it up. Your sound samples are better and more honest than anything else out there. I really need to get a good recorder to post some tones.
 
#120
The Greedtone seems to have a little extra sass in a usable frequency. Dunno, prob my fave of the bunch. It's always hard to tell w distortion until you get it sitting in a track how it melds with everything. You may be wise by covering all possible scenarios!

Tho John, I have to say, that Fulltone 69 from way back in the thread has a thing; It's got some punch and bass to it that is unique... maybe not as flashy as some of the others but has some really good muscle. The Greedtone may be a Navy Seal but the Fulltone is Sgt. Rock!

Love this thread.
 

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