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Solid Gold FX Beta drive? Anyone playing one?

#161
jumblemind said:
I'm back on the fence. Hairy overdrive, heavy overdrive/fuzzy, tone thickener or fat boost? Beginning of the chain for drive or end of the chain for fattener? The Beta is working well for me in all of these, and I don't need to buy a second one...or do I? :ninja:
Click to expand...

A 2nd one. Ahh let's see...

1. Hairy OD
2. Heavy OD/Fuzzy
3. Tone Thickener
4. Fat Boost

You only need 4 SGFX Betas, Jumblemind, no big deal.

***********

Actually, after reading how well the Beta plays with other pedals in the sandbox, it'd be cool to get a bunch of Beta owners together to see how well the Beta plays with itself.

Oh come now, you KNOW what I mean... Y'all jist git yer miynds outta tha gutturrr...
 
#168
p0k said:
And I don't think it rolls off THAT much highs, just slight. I've been keeping the tone around 3 o'clock and sounds great
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You know, it actually brings out highs in the Ultimate Drive. Not like piercing highs, it accentuates the high crunch and gives it more definition. I was not expecting that, especially since it is simultaneously beefing up the low end. I would have expected it to give more of a wool blanket effect, but it instead lifts the blanket from the UD that I didn't even realize was there. Another testament to the tuning.
 
#169
Feral Feline said:
You only need 4 SGFX Betas, Jumblemind, no big deal.
Click to expand...

Ha, nothing but Beta's on my PT Nano would be hilarious. And probably awesome. :bassist:

I am moving it last in my chain for now, really is making my other effects sound better. I can just crank the gain if I want more distortion for certain songs since the volume isn't spiked too bad when you do this .
 
#170
I have mine last too and it makes my both my B3K and TAFM sound great. Hitting the Phat Phuk B before the Beta is cool because it pushes the Beta into a crunchier area, but also might be a bit much in the low end area since the PPB boosts lows too. I'll have to see how it is in a live setting.
 
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#171
I notice the high roll off more on gigs, which makes sense. Doing home recordings I still get plenty of attack even with tone at noon. I typically run tone at 2 and gain at 1030 as my always on setting at gigs. Maybe fiddle a bit depending on song.
 
#172
Ordered! They hadn't run out of stock at all, turns out it was already in my cart from a few days ago, and it just showed an error when trying to add it again!

Now trying to hold back using this 21% off deal to order a bunch more pedals! Hmm, Diabolik fuzz...
 
#177
Got mine yesterday. Tried it at 18v today - I think it sounds a tiny bit brighter with more clarity, not much change to the overall volume or headroom/breakup. Unlike the SFT which sounds louder with noticeably smoother breakup at 18v.

The Beta has more low end, but for me it's too much bass, and seems to be a bit scooped in the mids whereas the SFT has a certain throaty roar to the lower midrange that the Beta cannot match.

SFT MkI remains king for now!
 
#178
So, played my Beta again today, this time at loud volume with my P-Bass, and it won me over. The Beta's inherent bass boost was a bit too much with my BB, but it sits just right with the P which has a very middy tone.

So, Beta vs 1st gen SFT:

- The Beta has deeper lows and a slight built in bass boost that you can't dial out. This makes even the G string on my P-Bass thump, which it hasn't done before even with the SFT.
- The Beta can take hot basses without farting out no problem. The SFT needs (IMHO) to be run at 18V to give it a bit more headroom, but the Beta is happy at 9V.
- Running the Beta at 18V doesn't change the volume or tone very much, I thought it did increase the clarity though in the upper mids / treble.
- The Beta still keeps it lows and is useable at high gain settings, where the SFT turns to mush.
- The SFT has a lot more midrange presence, the Beta sounds a bit scooped in comparison.

Overall I think I prefer the SFT, but after playing the Beta again today I'm undecided, it depends on the amp/bass/desired tone which I prefer at any particular moment! I'm keeping both for now.
 
#179
Just a matter of time ;)

I would agree with all this, though having never run the SFT at 18v, I think the Beta kills the SFT (at 9v) in all categories except for the Ampeg/tube emulation (which it's not going for, anyway).

As for the lows/mids, did you play it in a live mix yet? The Beta's curve really slots well with guitars/drums IME.
 
#180
finally received my Beta in the mail today

Played it through my LMii and GK Fusion

I think it will make my VMT get sold.....the VMT is way too midrangey though I do like it. The Beta does have bass you can't take out but I always add bass on my pedals so it works for me. Sounds great with the GK but it's absolutely wonderful with the Markbass LMii. It might be slightly mid scooped and though the LMii is slightly mid shy it just sounds fabulous with it. Also tried it with my Red Dragon, and the 2 together sound great. I did manage to get my Xotic BB to sound very similar to the Beta but the Beta is creamier.....all in all I like it but still can't decide which pedals to keep because they all have their "own" great sounds, it just depends what you pair them with (bass, amps or other pedals).....I still prefer my Tube Zone for it's versatility but I'll have to try them out a bit more in the next few weeks and see which stays, the Tube Zone, the Beta, the Xotic BB, the Red Dragon or the VMT....wish I could keep them all.....still have to try different basses through the Beta....only played one Landing with flats and Dark Star pups today.....I did sell the OFD....great pedal but I just couldn't bond with it, too versatile possibly, I prefer simpler pedals...would like to try out the SFT too but I've run out of $$....will have to sell something soon....lol..looking forward to playing it in a mix at the next jam

EDIT: Sold the VMT but kept all the others, can't seem to let any of them go......
 
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