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overdrive/fuzz quest

#142
i used it with 9V. i know it sounds better with 18V (i've used it that way too, and it has more headroom) but i like it with 9V as well.

BTW, i just received the IE QF2 today. at first i wasn't that crazy about it, and was almost thinking of sending it back, but after playinf with it some more, i have been able to dial it in where it sounds really good now. my biggest complaint is that the copper finish is so dark you can barely read the control panel.
 
#144
Did anyone mention VooDoo Labs Sparkle Drive? I tried alot of fuzz/overdrives,for bass or not,and i like the Sparkle Drive best. Its blend knob is perfect for keeping the low end and has a real tube amp overdive on the top end and mids that kills the VT and Boss ODB! Anyway,if you havent tried one,at least give it a try...Goodluck!
 
#145
i looked into the Sparkle drive, and i think that they're great on guitars, but to me, on a bass they're just another, yet more flexible variation of a tube screamer. it doesn't have a real tube in it, it's just another JRC4558 op amp pedal. the only one that i've tried yet that has an effective blend control is the Iron Ether QF2. for me, most of the blend control pedals sound like a clean bass with a fly buzzing in the background. i like a more cohesive distortion that's part of the sound, which is what a tube amp does when it's breaking up. from the clips that i've heard (and i've been listening to A TON of them) i think the W&C pickle pie B might be one of the best ones with a blend control, but it's just too much of a fuzztone for me. i might get a Pork Loin to check it out, since that seems to be more of what i'm looking for.

that said, i'm seriously considering adding a creation audio labs holy fire to my pedal collection soon. the clips that i've heard show that it's a very dynamic pedal with great touch sensitivity, lots of headroom, and a very 'natural' tube-like overdrive and distortion.

the only other one that i'm interested in at the moment is the mad professor blueberry bass overdrive.
 
#147
johnk_10 said:
IME, the bass and trebel controls are pre-drive since it gets more distorted if you raise their levels and leave the drive level the same.

IMO, the EBS is a more compressed sounding pedal than the SFT or greedtone, especially when you use alot of overdrive. of the three, the EBS seems to be the most capable of being uncolored when not using any overdrive, but only in the 'flat' mode. in the standard and tubesim modes, there is a boost in the midrange, but in those two settings the low end isn't getting clipped so just the mids and highs have overdrive. in the flat mode, the full bandwith is running thru the overdrive, so i find the flat mode to be great when using lower amounts of distortion.

i actually got the EBS to sound exactly like the SFT in the flat mode, but the SFT allows treble and bass boost and cut, whereas the EBS doesn't.
Click to expand...

johnk, this is the EBS Multidrive, not the Metaldrive, correct?

How would you compare the EBS Multidrive to the Iron Ether Oxide? I know there are a lot of differences, but what's your view?

p.s. I use the EBS ValveDrive as an always-on preamp, but not really as an overdrive. Just a little bit of added warmth and grit. Esp. with passive basses.
 
#148
bassboysam said:
The MP was not great, it just turned into fuzz too early.
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well, i like what i've heard of it, even when the blueberry's really distorted. it just has the right kind of distortion for me. i like OD/distortion to be just a little on the chunky side, but not to chunky, buzzy or gated. some of them are too smooth, some are too fizzy, and others too synthy sounding. for decades i've found that a guitar or bass player's taste in OD/distortion is a really specific thing. some people love one type of dirt while others can despise it.


yet another one i was looking at is the Heavy Electronics EL OSO bass distortion. but right now the blueberry and the holy fire are at the top of my list.
 
#149
johnk_10 said:
well, i like what i've heard of it, even when the blueberry's really distorted. it just has the right kind of distortion for me. i like OD/distortion to be just a little on the chunky side, but not to chunky, buzzy or gated. some of them are too smooth, some are too fizzy, and others too synthy sounding. for decades i've found that a guitar or bass player's taste in OD/distortion is a really specific thing. some people love one type of dirt while others can despise it.

yet another one i was looking at is the Heavy Electronics EL OSO bass distortion. but right now the blueberry and the holy fire are at the top of my list.
Click to expand...

Based on what you said then I think you will like the Blueberry. Definitely fat.
 
#150
chuck3 said:
johnk, this is the EBS Multidrive, not the Metaldrive, correct?
Click to expand...

yep, it's the multidrive. i've found that if you push the drive too hard, it can get too compressed, but with the three voices (tubesim,standard and flat) dialing a great OD tone is pretty easy.

chuck3 said:
How would you compare the EBS Multidrive to the Iron Ether Oxide? I know there are a lot of differences, but what's your view?
Click to expand...

i almost bought an IE Oxide, but after thinking about it, i went with their QF2. to me, the oxide is really cool, but it's more of an 'effect' since it has the gated settings and, to me it's dirt is more of a distortion/fuzz than an OD. i'll probably end up getting one anyway, once i get a few of the ones at the top of my list.

BTW, i've been playing around with the QF2 alot more and at first it thought that there was only one or, at the most, two settings that i really liked (it's a crazy pedal with aALOT of controls) but i've been able to dial in quite a few different flavors of dirt that i really like, with all the variables it can be a bit frustrating and you can lose your focus/objective, but it sure can be punchy. the blend knobs isn't exactly a blend since it changes depending how the 4 fuzzes are set.

i'll try and post some clips of it tomorrow.
 
#152
So I got the Greedtone and it sounds great but the input impedance is to low. It basically sounds just like my Red Llama/Tube Sound Fuzz with less highs. It's not worth 6 times what my pedal cost me to build so its going back. But it really is the best sounding CMOS overdrive I have ever played.

Now I got to try me a B3K.
 
#153
Fellow grit-lovers! Anyone ever tried a Mesa Boogie Bottle Rocket?

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Out_of _Production/V-1-BottleRocket/V-1BottleRocket.html

I have had one for years and used it frequently, especially to record as a fuzz channel for some dirt to mix in. It has always seemed a bit too buttoned up for my tastes but I am curious if anyone else digs it. I initially bought it about 10 yrs ago to combat the bass drop in fuzz mode (it has a bass and treble boost.) Thoughts?
 
#154
father of fires said:
So I got the Greedtone and it sounds great but the input impedance is to low. It basically sounds just like my Red Llama/Tube Sound Fuzz with less highs. It's not worth 6 times what my pedal cost me to build so its going back. But it really is the best sounding CMOS overdrive I have ever played.

Now I got to try me a B3K.
Click to expand...

wow. less highs? i think the greedtone is actually pretty bright.

i was thinking about getting a B3K too, but i have a feeling that it's too scooped sounding for me.

BTW, i was running the SFT on 18V last night and it's ALOT louder that way, but i actually prefer the sound of its distortion when running it on 9V.
 
#155
father of fires said:
So I got the Greedtone and it sounds great but the input impedance is to low. It basically sounds just like my Red Llama/Tube Sound Fuzz with less highs. It's not worth 6 times what my pedal cost me to build so its going back. But it really is the best sounding CMOS overdrive I have ever played.
Click to expand...

which clone kit did you build?
i have GGG one but i never got around to building it up yet.
 
#156
johnk_10 said:
which clone kit did you build?
i have GGG one but i never got around to building it up yet.
Click to expand...

It's the GGG kit. I have some issues with it that I've always meant to remedy. The Greedtone tone made some nice changes but there is more I want to do such as higher input impedance and and adjustable input sensitivity.

I've been designing my own bass distortions for a while so I have a lot of ideas and mods worth trying.
 
#158
father of fires said:
It's the GGG kit. I have some issues with it that I've always meant to remedy. The Greedtone tone made some nice changes but there is more I want to do such as higher input impedance and and adjustable input sensitivity.

I've been designing my own bass distortions for a while so I have a lot of ideas and mods worth trying.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info!
i was thinking that when i build mine that i'm going to change the cap and resistor values (and add the 1M resistors to the input and output jacks like the GT has), to see if i can make it sound more similar to it. i'm thinking i'm going to do the adjustable input sensitivity mod to mine too. hopefully i can buld it up tonight.
 
#159
I've built the GGG Red Llama kit in the past, and I've found it to be a pretty good bass overdrive in stock form. I sold it a while back though, but overall the GGG kits are great. I've got a TSF on my breadboard right now, and I've been experimenting with the caps values. Very interesting what caps have an effect on the overall tone.

An overdrive that really surprised me is the Digitech Hardwire CM-2. I got one for my birthday a while back, and it's probably the best tube screamer-based overdrive I've ever owned or built. Very transparent with lots of lows, and a wide range of (useful) gain settings.
 

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