A time-honored question I know...but I'm looking for a smooth, warm, natural-sounding overdrive pedal for someone (well, me actually) on a tight budget. Don't need to fuzz out or anything, although the option is always nice. Suggestions welcomed!!
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Overdrive Suggestions?
- Thread starter BeowulfKingsley
- Start date
I really like the ibanez ts9b on bass. The clean blend gives a lot of flexibility with a classic pedal sound.
The sans amp bass driver is awesome as well for what it's worth.
The sans amp bass driver is awesome as well for what it's worth.
Find a used Way Huge Pork Loin (they're about 170 new). It's what you're looking for tone wise.
The Hardwire CM-2 isn't that bad either. It's cheaper (100 new) but I didn't like it as much. I felt like it colored the tone too much. I have one but I just use it on guitar.
The Hardwire CM-2 isn't that bad either. It's cheaper (100 new) but I didn't like it as much. I felt like it colored the tone too much. I have one but I just use it on guitar.
If you're on a super tight budget, the digitech bad monkey isn't too bad at all. But the hardwire CM2 apparently makes up for the BM's shortfalls if you can stretch that far.
The Smallsound/Bigsound Mini and Earthquaker Devices Monarch are both great on bass for a natural, warm and dynamic overdrive. Both can go from clean boost, to huge sounding tube grit to fairly intense distortion. The Mini pushes beyond the Monarch into almost fuzz territory with the controls set right. The Monarch is the best old school tube amp sound I've heard in a pedal (it's based on the preamp of an old Orange amp). Both come up used pretty often....
back in the 80's use to run a DOD 250 pre-amp / OD pedal and it was killer. The re-issue's are OK but find the real deal.
Warm and natural sounding? Way Huge Pork Loin is your answer. It's a damn fine piece of equipment. $200 new, usually $110 in the classifieds here.
What is "natural-sounding"? Or smooth or warm? Are you looking for something that beefs up your bass and gives more fullness? I agree with the Pork Loin for that. Or do you want an actual overdrive sound that makes your tone breakup into a) grittyness or b) tube-like compression, or a boost type drive for louder, more cutting tone in certain parts of songs?
Approximately how much is your "tight budget"? It may help narrow down the options.
Just be warned; as a lot of people here have discovered, the hunt for the overdrive you're describing is a slippery slope ...
Just be warned; as a lot of people here have discovered, the hunt for the overdrive you're describing is a slippery slope ...
Catalinbread SFT would be my first choice, followed by the Pork Loin. Two of the best warm, fat overdrives I've ever used.
I have to second the CM2 here on a budget. You can find them used for around $50. It's a great OD pedal and somewhat underrated. There are a few guys I've seen on TB who recommend it though. I'm one of them. Will the person be running this OD through a preamp of any sort? Then id try an ODB3 too. It sounds good through some preamps. Without one though its a little fizzy. I use one a lot but I run it though a B7K. Talk about smooth and grindy.
While I agree that the Hardwire CM2 is a fantastic pedal, I can't say that it's a warm, smooth, fat OD like the OP is looking for. It's more like a souped up tube screamer type of sound.
How about a Green Rhino. Way Huge makes them, as well as the pork loin... I've been considering this myself, rather than buying a sans amp to get a more svt style sound from a cleaner amp. Any love for this option?
This. The Green Rhino and Hardwire CM2 are very similar sounding pedals as well.
Mercy Phuk is the opposite of warm and smooth.
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Catalinbread SFT:
Much warmer and smoother.
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Hardwire CM2 with a light distortion pedal in front of it:
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Hardwire CM2 alone:
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Pork Loin:
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Needless to say, I've been through this same search already. For the price, I personally think the SFT or Pork Loin can't be beat. It took a $300 pedal to replace my SFT.
If you want more grit and less warmth, the Hardwire CM2 is in a class by itself considering the price.
