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The perfect OD pedal ?
- Thread starter CassiusRegular
- Start date
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- Tags
- bass pedal od transparent
after the same 2-3 yr search ... i think my most versatile OD out of the 3 i've settled on is my ;
Dr Scientist ' the elements ' ... many sound opts , filters , tone controls , and the much needed Mix knob ... but the magic is that the Mix knob has a volume pedal jack ... !!! mix in more or less preferred dirt sound on the fly as needed/wanted ..
that is stage 2 in my pedals ... stage 1 = Eden GlowPlug w/5751 ... stage 3 = Way Huge Pork loin w/mod
Dr Scientist ' the elements ' ... many sound opts , filters , tone controls , and the much needed Mix knob ... but the magic is that the Mix knob has a volume pedal jack ... !!! mix in more or less preferred dirt sound on the fly as needed/wanted ..
that is stage 2 in my pedals ... stage 1 = Eden GlowPlug w/5751 ... stage 3 = Way Huge Pork loin w/mod
Pork Loin is my go to for this. Sounds great on pretty much all settings. Mine is modded to JohnK specs. It's a simple one cap mod. It's my favorite all around OD that just works, and is readily available.
+1 for the Way Huge Pork Loin (w/ John K mod).
You're describing the Xotic BB perfectly here--seriously, it ticks all those boxes and then some.
+1 for Pork Loin here too. Really loved it when I had it.
I want to recommend Sansamp's Bass Driver Deluxe. I totally get that you are very picky about your tone. With the Bass Driver Deluxe you can dial in the tones for your need. I really love it. Plus you get 6 presets! So it's basicly your personal studio. Which is also kind of true, because the DI tone is so sweet I use it for recording too. You instantly have the live tone in the studio. Especially when you reamp it afterwards.
I want to recommend Sansamp's Bass Driver Deluxe. I totally get that you are very picky about your tone. With the Bass Driver Deluxe you can dial in the tones for your need. I really love it. Plus you get 6 presets! So it's basicly your personal studio. Which is also kind of true, because the DI tone is so sweet I use it for recording too. You instantly have the live tone in the studio. Especially when you reamp it afterwards.
Honestly, it isn't "boutique," but I absolutely LOVE my MXR Bass Overdrive. It gets PLENTY distorted and is super warm and tube-y. I love the thing. Huge staple of my tone.
I had Barbershop before. Too much kazzooo. Got Aftershock instead and very happy so far!
The Mini does always have some compression, but it can be *almost* entirely dialed out through judicious use of the bias and gain knobs. That said, if a person wants no compression in their drive at all, the Mini is not the way to go. It does sound amazing though, one of my favourite overdrive pedals of all time.
Azure Drive is an excellent choice as well, gorgeous drive tones and so flexible.
Darkglass pedals are the polar opposite of transparent. People may like their sound, but it is anything but transparent, it has a signature sound that gets imposed upon anything run through it.
Every answer to bass distortion is "Verellen Meatsmoke"
Why not try a booster rather than an OD? I'd try an ehx lpb-1 (linear eq boost, so little coloration) a wren and cuff phat phuk b (colored boost) or some variation of an echoplex booster. Basically use it to slam your preamp and get your amps natural overdrive on demand.
The only issue I can see with that is with such a high powered amp it might give you a big volume jump if your amp isn't compressing.
As far as OD goes though check out the catalin bread sft I think it is. Basically a b15 flavored od. My perfect bass overdrive has actually been the fuzzrocious cat tail. Ive got the 2nd distortion mod with the clipping switch so I can set up the D1 knob for a mild grind and the D2 for a full out fuzz. The 1 and 2 knobs also let you tailor the clipping on the high and low end for some real neat combinations. As mild or wild as you want I can't recommend this pedal enough
The only issue I can see with that is with such a high powered amp it might give you a big volume jump if your amp isn't compressing.
As far as OD goes though check out the catalin bread sft I think it is. Basically a b15 flavored od. My perfect bass overdrive has actually been the fuzzrocious cat tail. Ive got the 2nd distortion mod with the clipping switch so I can set up the D1 knob for a mild grind and the D2 for a full out fuzz. The 1 and 2 knobs also let you tailor the clipping on the high and low end for some real neat combinations. As mild or wild as you want I can't recommend this pedal enough
Spendy but hands down the best overall versatile OD is the Free The Tone Bass Blaster 2.
I've literally tried almost every bass OD, Dist and Fuzz on the market across the past 20+ years.
I've literally tried almost every bass OD, Dist and Fuzz on the market across the past 20+ years.
Just wanted to offer that all the JohnK sound clips are on his SoundCloud page, in case you can't find them as stated in the OP's main post.
Grizzly keeps showing up on my radar. Might have to take that plunge.
B3/7k suggestions always show up and always seem weird to me because I couldn't get the 7 to work for me. Agreed, it's not transparent. I think users tend to give scooped tones more credit for being "transparent" vs. mid boosted tones. I have to assume the way to make it transparent must be low gain with judicious clean blend, the frequencies that do distort most noticeably accent the clean sound. I also think higher level signal going into it could be an issue. After all, if Alex Webster uses a pre to reduce the gain going into his 3, there must be a reason. Maybe my bass pickup is too hot. YMMV. It's clearly popular, so it must work for many users.
I generally find my bass level can be an issue going into the dirt boxes. I'm finding a pre where I cut the lows and overall level helps bring out some nicer overdrive characteristics in the BBBOD and Blower I have. I briefly had a BDPG, and found similar interaction results.
Pick/pluck attack seems to play an important part. I'm not a "all in the hands" guy, but I'll admit lots of stuff can be tweaked with technique.
A more neutral BBBOD meets the Barbershop without the kazoo would be pretty nice. The One Control Hooker's Green seems like it might do that, but I know some respected TB members have been underwhelmed by that box.
I recently picked up a SA Aftershock. The thing I like most about it is the lower gain voices and settings. However, I'm really wanting a different higher gain voice, so I'll probably flip it soon. I need to tweak a few more things in the app, but my gut says it is nice but not nice enough for a permanent place in my limited arsenal.
I think what I'm after is similar to my Blower, but with less scoop and a flatter response, just to give you an idea of my goals with my P and Spector Euro 5LX.
Aside from the Grizzly, I'm eyeing the Rusty Box.
Interesting. The mini is a strong contender on my "next pedal" list.
