Hey, I am looking for recommendations to achieve a certain sound. I starting jamming with a new group and were going for a 60's garage type of punk. I am just playing directly from bass to amp but was wondering if there is a good pedal to add a little character to the sound we are looking for. I am not familiar with pedals so I dont quite know what is out there, but something maybe with a little distortion. thanks for any help.
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Pedal Help.
- Thread starter stoop
- Start date
Maybe an overdrive pedal or fuzz. How much distortion do you want. Just a little or a lot? Look into overdrive and fuzzes here and on Youtube. Maybe post some examples of the sound you are going for.
I'd go for a light overdrive like the SansAmp Bass Driver combined with a compressor (MXR is a nice choice). Focus on the low end's grit rather than a wild distortion.
Sounds nice, I actually like the rough lo-fi sound of it, I think it fits the overall vibe of the music well.
I'd say some overdrive and occasionally maybe a little fuzz.
Allso I would try to fiddle a little with the EQ to make the bass sound more like 60's recordings, I think the other instruments pretty much nails that sound.
I'd say some overdrive and occasionally maybe a little fuzz.
Allso I would try to fiddle a little with the EQ to make the bass sound more like 60's recordings, I think the other instruments pretty much nails that sound.
I tried the Sansamp - hated it as it was too modern sounding for me and I wanted early '60s-'70s Rock & Roll. Went to the MXR M80 DI + Bass unit.
It can heat up your signal, add some dirt and it has a good DI output for when/if you ever need it someday.
With XLR Out and phantom power, it really fills a lot of needs for now and in the future.
As your first pedal, you can certainly make a lot worse choices, but not many better ones.
One really nice thing is that it has a 'Get Outta Jail' button that can get you a legacy setting if you ever get too far out of whack. Just hit it and you're playing with decent sound again. That's nice.
It can heat up your signal, add some dirt and it has a good DI output for when/if you ever need it someday.
With XLR Out and phantom power, it really fills a lot of needs for now and in the future.
As your first pedal, you can certainly make a lot worse choices, but not many better ones.
One really nice thing is that it has a 'Get Outta Jail' button that can get you a legacy setting if you ever get too far out of whack. Just hit it and you're playing with decent sound again. That's nice.
Liking your songs and your sound!
If the guitars are going to stay that clean I would think maybe you'd be best off keeping it fairly clean too..?
I love the M80 but to my ears it's quite modern too, especially the distortion, which is on the 'metal' side. Likewise I agree that the sansamp is going to be too modern-sounding.
If your bass isn't too high-output, maybe a dirty boost pedal like the Wren and Cuff Phat Phuk B? As well as enhancing your sound overall with a bass and treble boost, it gives you a bit bit of grit and character.
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If you want to go a bit more dirty, something like the Xotic BB Preamp? But I think that would be a bit much with the clean guitars you have at the moment. If the sound on your demos is representative of the sound you are going for, I don't think you really need much.
If the guitars are going to stay that clean I would think maybe you'd be best off keeping it fairly clean too..?
I love the M80 but to my ears it's quite modern too, especially the distortion, which is on the 'metal' side. Likewise I agree that the sansamp is going to be too modern-sounding.
If your bass isn't too high-output, maybe a dirty boost pedal like the Wren and Cuff Phat Phuk B? As well as enhancing your sound overall with a bass and treble boost, it gives you a bit bit of grit and character.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
If you want to go a bit more dirty, something like the Xotic BB Preamp? But I think that would be a bit much with the clean guitars you have at the moment. If the sound on your demos is representative of the sound you are going for, I don't think you really need much.
An outboard preamp pedal like the VT Bass, MXR M80 or the Sansamp BDDI will give you amazing character and tonal warmth if your current tone is lacking in that department. I have an MXR M80 and the preamp is always on no matter what I'm playing. Definitely my workhorse.
Additionally, consider either some overdrive or even fuzz (if you're into that tone) pedals to add some nice grit to your sound and help cut through the mix a little better. I use a Hardwire CM-2 overdrive into a Bass Big Muff Pi fuzz pedal to get a really dirty, gritty tone which works great for my style of music (sludge/stoner). But realistically, an outboard preamp with a drive feature should be more than enough for 90% of bass players out there. If that's the case, Sansamp BDDI and VT Bass are good bets.
Additionally, consider either some overdrive or even fuzz (if you're into that tone) pedals to add some nice grit to your sound and help cut through the mix a little better. I use a Hardwire CM-2 overdrive into a Bass Big Muff Pi fuzz pedal to get a really dirty, gritty tone which works great for my style of music (sludge/stoner). But realistically, an outboard preamp with a drive feature should be more than enough for 90% of bass players out there. If that's the case, Sansamp BDDI and VT Bass are good bets.
I agree that dirty bass can work with clean sounds... It's just that I think the feel of these particular songs would be changed a lot, and not necessarily for the better, with a bass sound that wasn't cleanish...
I know what you mean; I guess it depends how dirty we're talking. I definitely wouldn't recommend a Woolly Mammoth or anything, but something that gives him a bit of B-15 growl would sound nice.
Always nice to have a bit of growl when you dig in! I find with specific 'ampeg sims' (SFT, VT bass) that they can tend to soften my sound a bit. I was recommending Phat Phuk and the Xotic bass BB as they stay nice and firm...
I have on a few occasions played with a Mexican Mariachi group in SoCal, and the sound I wanted was like The Gipsy Kings (LINK: http://grooveshark.com/s/Bamboleo/166v8p?src=5 turn that UP and use some good speakers or phones!), and with the MXR M80, I got it right like it should sound.
The M80 is ALWAYS on.
Listen to the growl here too::: Link Removed
The M80 is magic; I won't be without it. It can go from just a touch of subtle flavor, to outright cranking!
The M80 is ALWAYS on.
Listen to the growl here too::: Link Removed
The M80 is magic; I won't be without it. It can go from just a touch of subtle flavor, to outright cranking!
Thanks for all the replies! Gonna do some more research on these pedals your recomend. I was just chatting with a musician friend who just recenttly saw us play and he thought just a sttraight up big muff would sound great with our songs. Everything is sped up from those recordings, a few people menttioned our sound was a lot like jesus and mary chain. So i may just muff it at our next practise and see how that goes.
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