• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Overdrive, mild distortion pedal?

I'm sorry, what?
Sorry for my bad english. What I tried to say: The pedal needs a mechanical on/off switch, where the switch stays internally in the on or off position. You know the stuff often called true-bypass (but I don't care if its buffered or true so long the buffer is good) Or a push-button with an electric circuit, which remembers the last postion as used in the Behringer BDI21 and I guess in the orignal sansaamps too.

Why? Because I'm lazy and forgetful. ;) The drive will sit in a low-pass loop and needs to be always on. I switch the filter (it's a Link Removed) on, when I need some distortion.

He means he wants/needs a pedal that will always power up in the on state.

- John
Exactly! :thumbsup:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nomogram
The pedal will be placed in the low pass loop of a "Tyler - The Frequency Splitter" pedal from KMA machines.
For me, this sentence is a key part of the whole situation, and I'm not sure people are giving it the attention it deserves while making their suggestions. I don't think this is as simple as "suggesting your favorite overdrive". Since the way the OP will be using it is in a low passed loop, the pedal will ONLY receive low frequencies, which is going to massively change the character of the distortion. The pedals that we like at full range may not work as well in the low passed loop. [...]
At the moment I have set the low-pass filter frequencies kind of high, only cutting off the real highs. The high pass filter is much more important as I use guitar pedals for that part.
[...] I think it would be useful to know a couple of things about OP's settings. At what frequencies are you setting your low/high pass filters, and what's in the high passed loop of Tyler? Also, it would be good to know what kind of clipping the OP is aiming at (farty old scold; something more focused... I know, it's difficult to explain these things with words :rolleyes::laugh:). [...]
The low pass filter sits around 4k I guess, cutting of only the highs at the moment. The high pass filter is set around 400hz cutting off the lows.

The first pedal in the high-pass filter is a noise gate (TC sentry) setup in the four cable method. The high pass gain stage consists out of three guitar pedals:
  • Harley Benton Vintage Overdrive (it's a Ibanez TS9 clone). Gain is set very low, only to get a little bit of grit and saturation.
  • Behringer VT999 Vintage Tube Monster (clone of the Ibanez Invalid Link Removed). Gain is set again quite low. Together with the TS9 clone it's a kind of bluesy tone.
  • Invalid Link Removed. Gain is around 30%. With those pedals before, this imitates a cranked marshall very well.
[...] For example, I love the distortion on the EAE Model feT; it is the kind of bass sound that modern bands use when try to sound old-school (think Rival Sons). But I don't think it would work on a low-passed loop, as the low end would probably get a bit too loose and unfocused (at least for what I like).

On the other hand, the Xotic Bass BB preamp would probably excel in a low passed loop (I love it full-range too), since the kind of clipping is much more focused. Also, the attack of each note gets quite compressed, which I think is really useful in this kind of crossover setup thing, since it helps to keep the low end super tight. To me, the BB preamp compresses in a way that feels really similar to the low side of the Darkglass X series. I love the feel of that compression, especially when chugging away with a pick.

The Pork Loin is another OD that has that kind of compression that I think could work on a low passed loop. It doesn't have nearly as much gain as the BB preamp (or most of the other ODs, for that matter. Is an strictly low gain pedal), and the compression is less apparent; but it's definitely there, and smoothens the note attack nicely. Additionally, it has a "curve" control that allows you to kind of select how much of the low end is going to clip (I have no idea what it actually does, but that's how it sounds to my ears :laugh:), which can be quite useful for the OP's setup.

Regarding those two pedals that the OP suggested, I have no experience with the Soul Food, but I have been using the Bass Juice forever. I'm a big fan of it, but I have inly used it full range, so I'm not sure how it'd work for the OP. It does low gain fairly good, but for me it excels at the medium gain thing (by medium gain I mean when the bass is obviously distorted in a full band mix, but not over the top). I do like the blend feature in this one. I guess it's just a normal blend, but it seems to work well with the character of the distortion. I always run it around 50-50 and (with my setup, to my ears) don't get that horrible to-completely-different-signals thing that people tend to hate on blended distortions. However, the clipping in this pedal feels more grainy and slightly fartier than in the BB preamp or Pork Loin, so I'm not sure how it would work for the OP.

Jeez, that's a lot of writing... :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:

Bottom line: the T-Rex is stupidly cheap! Go for it and see if it works. If you can scrap together some more money, maybe the Xotic bass BB preamp is the one for you.

Whatever you get, rock the s**t out of it! :bassist::bassist::bassist::bassist:

(And report back, I'm really curious about how it turns out. That Frequency Splitter is sooo high on my gas list ;))
Thanks for those suggestions. Never considered the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] and not even heared of the Invalid Link Removed. I will take a closer look onto those pedals.

Furthermore I will test the T-Rex Bass Juice for sure.
 
For me, the Source Audio Aftershock is a one stop shop for most of my dirt needs. It's not able to model more exotic boutique dirt pedals like a Mastotron or Doom fuzzes. The gated fuzz is great and very convincing Darkglass models. However...for generic overdrive, muff, rat type of models...it nails them perfectly. There's 3 patches available on the front panel switch and three more using the extended red mode. So six presets from the panel. Pop the unit into the deep dive editor and there's a massive array of dirt models and available, a 4 band EQ and a routing options for cascading models...plus it's one of the few stereo dirt pedals available. The app / software editor also allows you to swap out the 6 presets or permanently alter the preset's settings too. Plug it into a Neuro hub and midi controller and you have access to 128 patches. It's an amazing pedal and one of the few digital dirt pedals that sounds all analogue.
 
Last edited:
The shiftline buzz is the answer.

Buzz_1024.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex_H
I personally love the EHX Soul Food pedals. I got the guitar one as a throw-in with something else I was buying. I liked it so much, I got the bass one at the first opportunity. It's just a beautiful but subtle sound, in my opinion. It's probably my favorite pedal I own.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex_H
The low pass filter sits around 4k I guess, cutting of only the highs at the moment. The high pass filter is set around 400hz cutting off the lows.

Ok, with a cut-off frequency that high you can more or less consider that the distortion is going to be full range. Most of my cabs don't have much response over 4k! :laugh:

One think that you may consider is getting a distortion with some kind of EQ capabilities. Since there is some much overlap between you low and high-passed loops above 400hz, you may have a perceived decrease in low end (below those 400hz). Bosting the lows on the distortion assigned to the low-passed loop could help to mitigate that. That is, of course, assuming this is not exactly what you are looking for... ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex_H
Yeah, that thing came to my mind too. But it felt like kind of overkill. Furthermore my NeuroHub is already connected to five SA pedals. I would have to figure out, how to manage more then five SA pedals.
View attachment 3701630
You have a sweet layout of SA pedals. There's rumours that there's a new Multiwave coming later this year...maybe a combination of the old Multwave and Aftershock with it's own internal bank of 120 presets (aka the C4's hardware).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex_H
Ok, with a cut-off frequency that high you can more or less consider that the distortion is going to be full range. Most of my cabs don't have much response over 4k! :laugh:

One think that you may consider is getting a distortion with some kind of EQ capabilities. Since there is some much overlap between you low and high-passed loops above 400hz, you may have a perceived decrease in low end (below those 400hz). Bosting the lows on the distortion assigned to the low-passed loop could help to mitigate that. That is, of course, assuming this is not exactly what you are looking for... ;)
I just took a closer look. That 4k was only a rough guess. It's in fact more like 1k. I just turned the filter up until it sounded right.

You have a sweet layout of SA pedals. There's rumours that there's a new Multiwave coming later this year...maybe a combination of the old Multwave and Aftershock with it's own internal bank of 120 presets (aka the C4's hardware).
That is good to hear and sad for my gear acquisition syndrome. :D
 
+1 on the Bass Soul Food.
It's a great mild OD for some top-end grit, but I find it works best with either a thicker OD or a preamp in front, pushing more mid-range into it. Then it can get properly hairy if you want it to.
I'm more than happy with mine.

Peace,
SoundSupport
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex_H
I like the Two Notes LeBass. I use two pedals these days. An Eventide H9 ( had 2 but seemed kinda overkill in my cover band) and a Two Notes Le Bass. By connecting the pedals together and controlling them with a small midi controller I can call up 5 different settings on the Two Notes and program any of those settings to any given effect I use from the H9. I tried the pre/post thing on the H9 but for what I'm playing it just seems everything so far has sounded better with the H9 into the LeBass. I haven't found anything that makes that big of a difference going post Le Bass. Midi really opened up the possibilities using just the two pedals together. The looper pedal I use for tracks or the occasional jamming looping fun stuff but it's mainly a glorious mp3 player.IMG_20200209_100121.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex_H
Lots of options - I find the Green Russian reissue sounds like a nice creamy overdrive when the sustain is dialed low, and no need for a blend knob as there's lots of low end. It stays switched on or off when you cut power.

So too does the VT bass, which is what I use as an always on pedal, with a bit of hair.

Both are dynamic pedals, meaning the more you dig in the more hair you put on it.

Add a diamond comp at the end with Comp at noon, EQ dialed down, and Volume dialed to taste, and that's my board in a nut shell.