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recommend me a new distorfuzz

#41
Adamixoye said:
Yeah, not to pile on, but one last comment...I still can't believe the original comment is based on "I heard someone else using it at a shop." I would never criticize a pedal if that was my only experience using it. It's not even in the same realm as personal experience, manufacturer demo videos, or even amateur demo videos.
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Yeah well, if you read my posts you would see I had been listening to demos. Still don't think it sounds good. And if I'm not interested, I'm not interested. Maybe if I heard someone play through it and liked what I was hearing, I would probably ask about it. But so far that hasn't happened.

Sometimes the best way to listen is to hear someone else using it. So you're not playing while listening. I've done that with my own gear when we invite another player get up on a blues gig. Or when I'm doing the house band thing at an open jam. It's cool to be able to hear your own rig in the hands of another player, from different distances or spots around the room, etc.
 
#42
FaithNoMan said:
You may not like the sound of it, but I find that statement laughable, at best. Also, I think the Boss ODB-3 sounds more like "bees in a can" whereas the B3K and B7K have a very metallic attack. Fans of FNM/early Tool and other bands that have that bass tone favor that sound. I know that I was looking for that sound for years, and the closest thing I found was the Rusty Box, but I liked the mids better on the B3K because it didn't mess with my Ric's midrange.
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Yep, Boss ODB-3 is very bees. Already stated it's overused and never sounded good.

Never liked FNM or Tool. Never had any interest in that tone.

BioWeapon said:
I don't know how you couldn't get that the out of a B3K/B7K. Have you heard Nolly of Periphery use it? It's insane distortion. Go see his rig rundown on YouTube and you'll understand.
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Never liked Periphery either. What's a Nolly? :p
 
#43
russpurdy said:
I'll throw in another vote for team awesome fuzz machine. When it's wound up I don't know how anyone could want a more distorted, heavy sound without having absolutely no definition.

I found the key for really heavy tone is to set it so the pre gain distorts the clean signal and blend that in. Distorted clean blend plus fuzz equals awesome.

To the OP, are you thinking of using this super intense sound with a band or on your own? I've always found that the most sick, distorted, heavy bass sounds I dial in at home have to be tones down with my band in order for any I my playing to be recognizable. Same thing with guitar players. Heavy sound on its own becomes muddy when you mix it with more of the same.

And now to make a long post even longer...

My favourite heavy bass tones come from Jay of the band Cancer Bats. He rocks a Fuzzrocious demon most of the time and although it's not super distorted, it sounds incredibly heavy with a guitar player and you can still hear what he's playing. I believe he also uses a b:assmater, attack goat, shredmaster, and hoof from time to time. I have a demon on my board and it took a few jams but I love it now that I have it dialed in.
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More votes for TAFM, ok I'll check into it.

Clean blend is overrated. It just gives you the low end of the multiband sound I dislike so much, the high end being that layered buzz on top of your tone. I like a high gain consolidated tone without the layered sound, i.e. multiband.

What you should really be saying about a pedal with blend is that the pedal isn't good enough to use without the clean blend. I've used several pedals with clean blend, no more than about 10% clean. The Black Arts Pharoah doesn't need clean blend because it lets your low end through. Use a better pedal.

Who plays bass on their own? I need at least a drummer. :D I test drive stuff at home before I bring it to the band room. Once I get it dialed in for live rehearsal at volume, I leave it that way. I like it, my band likes it, sound men seem to love it, and other bass players from the next bands ask me if they can use my rig. That seems pretty ok.
 
#44
Metal Mitch said:
Yeah well, if you read my posts you would see I had been listening to demos. Still don't think it sounds good. And if I'm not interested, I'm not interested. Maybe if I heard someone play through it and liked what I was hearing, I would probably ask about it. But so far that hasn't happened.

Sometimes the best way to listen is to hear someone else using it. So you're not playing while listening. I've done that with my own gear when we invite another player get up on a blues gig. Or when I'm doing the house band thing at an open jam. It's cool to be able to hear your own rig in the hands of another player, from different distances or spots around the room, etc.
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I missed where you said anything about watching video demos specifically for the B3K. You said it sounded like (I'm paraphrasing) an empty box with a light on it. When I commented on that, you told your story about hearing someone else play it in a store. I'm not sure I totally buy what you're saying about demo-ing a pedal by hearing someone else play it instead of yourself, but even if I did, you wouldn't necessarily know what settings they were using (and so far you haven't said you caught a glimpse of those settings).

Again, no one is saying you have to like it. You are even allowed to think it's overhyped or whatever. But your reasoning that it is "transparent" and "subtle" is faulty. Objectively speaking, it's anything but transparent; it might be one of the least transparent OD pedals out there. And it doesn't get into fuzz territory (it's not intended to), so you may think it doesn't have enough gain, but if so you're not being fair to what the pedal is intended to be. At max gain it is a very heavy overdrive, getting into mild distortion territory. I can't imagine anyone would honestly think it's anything remotely resembling "subtle" at max gain (lots of people do use it in a more subtle way, though).
 
#45
Metal Mitch said:
More votes for TAFM, ok I'll check into it.

Clean blend is overrated. It just gives you the low end of the multiband sound I dislike so much, the high end being that layered buzz on top of your tone. I like a high gain consolidated tone without the layered sound, i.e. multiband.

What you should really be saying about a pedal with blend is that the pedal isn't good enough to use without the clean blend. I've used several pedals with clean blend, no more than about 10% clean. The Black Arts Pharoah doesn't need clean blend because it lets your low end through. Use a better pedal.

Who plays bass on their own? I need at least a drummer. :D I test drive stuff at home before I bring it to the band room. Once I get it dialed in for live rehearsal at volume, I leave it that way. I like it, my band likes it, sound men seem to love it, and other bass players from the next bands ask me if they can use my rig. That seems pretty ok.
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The TAFM's blend is a little different. Although there are several different versions in existence I can describe mine at least. It must have a really low input impedance, as if you plug a passive bass straight in, the clean blend portion has all the highs and high mids rolled off. If you use an active bass or have another buffer before it however, then the clean blend is full range. For me, the TAFM sounds best with a passive bass straight in, set to low gain squelchy vintage fuzz.

Also, don't write off clean blends - I agree that the pedal should be able to retain enough low end in the first place, and I like my mild overdrive 100% wet. But the problem is heavy distortion and fuzz over compress the signal so you lose all the punch. A teeny tiny bit of clean blend can bring back some dynamics. A lowpassed clean blend (like on the OFD and Amptweaker pedals) will help avoid the 'two sounds playing at once' that some dislike, but a full range blend is better at bringing out the growl when you dig in.
 
#46
dannybuoy said:
The TAFM's blend is a little different. Although there are several different versions in existence I can describe mine at least. It must have a really low input impedance, as if you plug a passive bass straight in, the clean blend portion has all the highs and high mids rolled off. If you use an active bass or have another buffer before it however, then the clean blend is full range. For me, the TAFM sounds best with a passive bass straight in, set to low gain squelchy vintage fuzz.

Also, don't write off clean blends - I agree that the pedal should be able to retain enough low end in the first place, and I like my mild overdrive 100% wet. But the problem is heavy distortion and fuzz over compress the signal so you lose all the punch. A teeny tiny bit of clean blend can bring back some dynamics. A lowpassed clean blend (like on the OFD and Amptweaker pedals) will help avoid the 'two sounds playing at once' that some dislike, but a full range blend is better at bringing out the growl when you dig in.
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That's interesting, I never considered a lowpass vs fullrange blend control. The two should sound different. Maybe it could be specified by the builder for better clarity.
 
#47
Metal Mitch said:
That's interesting, I never considered a lowpass vs fullrange blend control. The two should sound different. Maybe it could be specified by the builder for better clarity.
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Amptweaker specifies somewhere that theirs is a low-passed signal only. The OFD you can pick one or the other (low-passed vs. full). I think in most cases it's unfiltered unless otherwise specified.
 
#48
Adamixoye said:
I missed where you said anything about watching video demos specifically for the B3K. You said it sounded like (I'm paraphrasing) an empty box with a light on it. When I commented on that, you told your story about hearing someone else play it in a store. I'm not sure I totally buy what you're saying about demo-ing a pedal by hearing someone else play it instead of yourself, but even if I did, you wouldn't necessarily know what settings they were using (and so far you haven't said you caught a glimpse of those settings).
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Actually I walked over to him and looked over his shoulder to see what it was and what the settings were. Still couldn't hear any drive whatsoever out of the thing, so yes I wrote it off. And I don't really need to spell it out for you. I'm responding in order to be nice. While you seem intent on being an @$$ about this.

Adamixoye said:
Again, no one is saying you have to like it. You are even allowed to think it's overhyped or whatever. But your reasoning that it is "transparent" and "subtle" is faulty. Objectively speaking, it's anything but transparent; it might be one of the least transparent OD pedals out there. And it doesn't get into fuzz territory (it's not intended to), so you may think it doesn't have enough gain, but if so you're not being fair to what the pedal is intended to be. At max gain it is a very heavy overdrive, getting into mild distortion territory. I can't imagine anyone would honestly think it's anything remotely resembling "subtle" at max gain (lots of people do use it in a more subtle way, though).
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Actually YOU are saying I have to like it because my reasoning is faulty and I'm not being fair to the design intent. The fact is I'm not reasoning, and I'm not interested in being fair. I'm just using my ears.
 
#49
Metal Mitch said:
Actually I walked over to him and looked over his shoulder to see what it was and what the settings were. Still couldn't hear any drive whatsoever out of the thing, so yes I wrote it off. And I don't really need to spell it out for you. I'm responding in order to be nice. While you seem intent on being an @$$ about this.

Actually YOU are saying I have to like it because my reasoning is faulty and I'm not being fair to the design intent. The fact is I'm not reasoning, and I'm not interested in being fair. I'm just using my ears.
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I'm not sure how claiming you are being "nice" and calling me a name in the next sentence is all that consistent. I haven't called you any names. Have I extended this conversation beyond its usefulness, and maybe I should let it go? Perhaps. But I don't feel I've said anything remotely objectionable, I've only continued to make my point and have a back and forth, and you have continued to answer my posts. I'm writing this time because (a) you directly insulted me and (b) are now putting words in my mouth.

I felt that, while you may have not meant it to be so, your original comment about Darkglass was inflammatory. Saying that people who like it are a bunch of "fanboys" (I refuse to use your spelling), calling it "subtle and sophisticated" in an ironic/sarcastic sense, and that it's a "light on an empty box" is more or less calling it a fraudulent product. Darkglass doesn't need me or anyone else to defend them, they have plenty of business both from amateurs and pros. But I at least felt it worthwhile to point out that hardly anyone else thinks Darkglass is "transparent."

I don't know if it's worth trying to convince you that I'm not saying you have to like it. I'm really, really not. Perhaps the point I am trying to make is too "subtle and sophisticated," as you would say. It's like food. Imagine if you said you felt Food X had no salt and was not spicy enough. You can feel that way, but one can also measure salt and spice content and these are not purely subjective things. By analogy, I was merely pointing out objective measures of the salt content and the Scoville scale---not saying you had to like it. Pretty much everyone agrees that the Darkglass (B#K and Vintage series) is not transparent but has a baked-in EQ to it (and the builders are on this forum and can confirm it), and I've never heard anyone say that they couldn't hear the drive (assuming they wanted to and set the dials accordingly).

People do have different ears just as people have different tastes, yes; but there are still objective measures of certain elements to it. And if 99% of people say one thing, and there are objective explanations (like the builders being able to confirm that the circuit imparts a non-transparent EQ curve), then is it not reasonable to question the person who is saying otherwise? Occam's Razor would suggest it's reasonable to be skeptical of what your ears are hearing, or what the dials on the pedal were, rather than assuming everyone ELSE is wrong.

TL;DR if you hadn't been initially inflammatory, I might have dropped this a while ago. Please don't call me names; I haven't called you names. Everyone has different ears but it doesn't mean every perception is equally valid. You truly don't have to like it (whether you believe that's what I mean or not), but calling it "transparent" and "subtle" is objectively off the mark.
 
#50
Someone should post a video of the Darkglass stuff so OP can be sure that he saw the right pedal. I don't own a single DG pedal, but can say confidently that its some of the best dirt I've ever heard. The B3k and Duality are on my short list for sure. And my sound is based heavily on various gnarly dirt boxes, none of which involve any transparency.
 
#51
#53
FaithNoMan said:
I think the OP just doesn't like the DG sound.

But this is pretty hilarious.
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I think the OP just doesn't know what he's talking about. And I honestly don't mean for that to be inflammatory; it just is what it is.

There are any number of great demo videos on all of Darkglass's individual pedals. MrExcane's alone are very thorough and extensive. And they certainly show that there's nothing "subtle" or "transparent" about the nature of any Darkglass sound/effect.

Anyway, moving on... Not all ears are created equal.
 
#54
Cloverfield said:
There are any number of great demo videos on all of Darkglass's individual pedals. MrExcane's alone are very thorough and extensive. And they certainly show that there's nothing "subtle" or "transparent" about the nature of any Darkglass sound/effect.
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I feel there is some transparency in that my Ric sounds like it was born to be played through my B3K.
 
#55
I think the easiest thing here is for the OP to actually watch proper demos of the B3K instead of going off some random guy in a shop. If you have already I apologize, but until you do, you are potentially missing out. Some of the demos online don't really show this pedal with settings that are good for metal. It is quite versatile and alot of peole like it's lower drive tones. This thing is the most metal sounding bass overdrive I have ever heard, but if it isn't your sound, that's fair.

Check out Mr. Excane's channel on youtube, he is a dirt aficionado, and if the Darkglass stuff isn't your flavour, I guarantee you will find something perfect for you there.

Cheers
 
#56
In light of the last several posts, I want to reiterate that I'm not telling the OP what he should/shouldn't like. I will comment if someone claims the sky is green, I'm not telling him he has to like blue.
 
#57
Adamixoye said:
In light of the last several posts, I want to reiterate that I'm not telling the OP what he should/shouldn't like. I will comment if someone claims the sky is green, I'm not telling him he has to like blue.
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Right. I'm not saying the OP has to like Darkglass pedals -- frankly, I could care less -- but it would at least be nice to get the impression that the pedals themselves were actually accurately assessed sonically.
 
#60
So I'm not sure I totally understood, tonally, what exactly the OP is going for. But I'll throw out the Empress Heavy, which is super-high gain, has no blend but keeps the low end (and can change the low-end character with the "Weight" control), and lots of control over the mids for either cut or boost (I assume a mid-boost is what's meant by "throaty"). It may not have quite the really bright, top-end sizzle of some other pedals, but it's still a ton of gain. And considering he doesn't like Darkglass/FNM/Tool, then maybe that's a positive (you can't get a very "metallic" sound out of it).
 

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