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Tech 21 Red Ripper or VT Bass?

R

russellmania

Mar 25, 2010
125
1
Brooklyn, NY
#1
My main band is a 3 piece garage/indie/punkish band. I have a bunch of pedals and a Gator pedalboard, but lately I have been playing most gigs plugged straight into my amp.

I really want to start using pedals again, and I think the right gain pedal is the place to start.

I was using a Voodoo Lab sparkle drive and a USA Muff for gain, but never really liked the sound I'd get from either.

I really want the VT Bass for everything it offers, but mostly it will be used live to add some gain and dial in a good sound. On the other hand, The Red Ripper sounds like it will meet my needs and then some, but I want something that I can rely on to cut through.

Has anyone tried/heard the Red Ripper? (Is it even out yet?)

Unfortunately, I don't have the funds for both at this time (though that would be a problem solver).

Also, The guitarist in my band only uses a boost pedal to drive his amp, so It feels a little weird for me to bring out a full pedalboard for bass.
 
#5
vegas532 said:
I have tried the Red Ripper at NAMM. It's a very rich sounding drive /fuzz with a touch of Moog style filter underpinning it...not unlike a Crowther Prunes and Custard on steroids, actually.

Very cool pedal.
Click to expand...

"Moog-style filter" kinda sells me on it. Seems pretty versatile on paper, and I'd like to be able to dial in a variety of OD/Fuzz tones.

I guess I'll wait til it comes out to try it. Looks like its slightly more expensive then the VT bass, but hopefully most stores will stock both.
 
#8
bassman1185 said:
They do two different things. The VT sucks (in my opinion) at doing even medium-gain drive. It is much better at doing mild SVT-style breakup. For that, though, it is amazing.
Click to expand...

I know that they are meant for different things, I just wanted to see which would be better to create the live-sound I'm after, with tweakability. Basically, I was about to pick up a VT bass when I saw the Ripper on the Tech 21 site. Thanks for letting me know that the VT is limited when it comes to gain... I'm definitely leaning towards the ripper because of that, but I'll see when I can actually try one. I love fuzz, and noisy oscillations, but I need to cut through as my part in the band is more Peter Hook meets Joe Lally. It seems the Red Ripper can give me interesting distorted tones while keeping some punch.
 

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