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Please suggest an OD pedal....

Eatapeach1965

Eatapeach1965

Nov 29, 2013
132
140
#1
I know this is a very subjective request,and I was hesitant to even ask,as I'm sure it's been beaten to death,but I didn't really see it...

I have played guitar for awhile and have tried LOTS of OD's,but don't know how they would translate for bass.

All I want is a simple OD...for a little edge on up to an AC/DC grit,as that would be the heaviest I'd need.

I have a P Bass,into a GB Contour 500 15" speaker.. I play blues to classic rock.

One trick ponies,are welcome... A bass TS9?
 
#3
not a big fan of the TS9 at all

If you like the Tube Screamer vibe check out the Vodoo Lab Sparkle drive (designed for guitar but has a clean blend...works well for bass)

that said

Catalinbread SFT (I love this one)
Black Sheep effects Outlaw OD
Pigtronix Bass Fat Drive
Joyo Ultimate OD (sounds great and is cheap)
Fulltone OCD
MXR M-89 Bass Overdrive
Hao Rust Ride
EBS Multidrive
Darkglass Microtubes B3k (Gets a lot of love around here)
Amptweaker Tight Drive
Digitech Bad Monkey
Boss ODB-3

all good places to start
 
#6
Snakeman1066 said:
not a big fan of the TS9 at all

If you like the Tube Screamer vibe check out the Vodoo Lab Sparkle drive (designed for guitar but has a clean blend work well for bass)

that said

Catalinbread SFT (I love this one)
Black Sheep effects Outlaw OD
Pigtronix Bass Fat Drive
Joyo Ultimate OD (sounds great and is cheap)
Fulltone OCD
MXR M-89 Bass Overdrive
Hao Rust Ride
EBS Multidrive
Darkglass Microtubes B3k (Gets a lot of love around here)
Amptweaker Tight Drive
Digitech Bad Monkey
Boss ODB-3

all places to start
Click to expand...

I have tried many of those for guitar....Definitely be curious how they'd sound for bass.

Loved the OCD..will give that a try along with the Joyo..

jumblemind said:
No such thing as a simple OD for bass :p

I would start with a Joyo Ultimate Drive, or Hardwire CM-2 if you want something more "tubey".
Click to expand...

The Joyo brand is new to me,have heard good things on this forum about them. I Will try one
 
#9
The Joyo is a hot little pedal for $30 or so. It could use a little less high mid for my tastes, but it's not overbearing with the high mids by any means, and it'll do anything from clean boost to raging distortion, though not quite fuzz.
 
#12
Ashdown's James Lomenzo Hyperdrive allows you to dial in a slight edge of grit to your sound. There is a video on Youtube where James sets up the pedal as he likes it, and the first tone he gets is still really articulate but has a bit of 'hair' on it.

Hartke's Bass Attack pedal is also pretty good for this. I'm slowly being converted to mine, which I've had a year and considered a paperweight for most of that time. It really enjoys scooping mid frequencies, so the clean/dirty mix is your friend. You can add a nice 'SVT' edge to your sound, just beware the 'brite' knob!

The simplest solution is to clone a DOD 250 or MXR Distortion + circuit and increase the input and output caps. At low gain settings it will add a bit of hair without getting too wild.
 
#13
Just to add to the confusion...

My current fave is the Xotic BB. My needs are that I DON'T want World-War-3 in a box - I usually want just an absolute minimum of "hair" on the signal, and the BB lets me go all the way down to zero drive, up to more than enough. Also with tone controls and enough grunt to drive power amp if I want.
 
#14
Hardwire CM-2 (Tube Overdrive)

Impossible to beat for the money, goes used for about $50. Destroys any 'under $100' pedal mentioned here...and a bunch of 'over $100' pedals as well.

Keep in mind it's not only the sound you want to get, you want build quality, top notch components, and headroom as well.
 
#15
mmbongo said:
Hardwire CM-2 (Tube Overdrive)

Impossible to beat for the money, goes used for about $50. Destroys any 'under $100' pedal mentioned here...and a bunch of 'over $100' pedals as well.

Keep in mind it's not only the sound you want to get, you want build quality, top notch components, and headroom as well.
Click to expand...

These appear to be the step up from the Bad Monkey. Do they need any mods to retain the low end?
 
#18
kohntarkosz said:
Hartke's Bass Attack pedal is also pretty good for this. I'm slowly being converted to mine, which I've had a year and considered a paperweight for most of that time. It really enjoys scooping mid frequencies, so the clean/dirty mix is your friend. You can add a nice 'SVT' edge to your sound, just beware the 'brite' knob!
Click to expand...
I used to have one (think it got stolen by a visiting relative, though, as I can't find it along with a couple other things), and while I wouldn't call it an SVT edge, combining the clean and dirty through the blend knob does take care of the mid scoop and doesn't seem to dull the intensity of the distortion if you set the blend properly. Might have to pick up another one in the near future, but I'm pretty good for distortion pedals at the moment.
 
#20
jumblemind said:
No such thing as a simple OD for bass :p

I would start with a Joyo Ultimate Drive, or Hardwire CM-2 if you want something more "tubey".
Click to expand...

I was gonna say Ultimate Drive! It was actually designed for guitar, but is spectacular on bass as well. It's a very good, very cheap clone of the Fulltone OCD, but with better low end retention. Got mine for $30 on Amazon. Couldn't pass it up!
 

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