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Tube amp overdrive: Can it be replicated with pedals?

What can I use to get that overdrive tone.

  • A booster pedal (give example)

    Votes: 1 2.0%

  • An overdrive pedal (give example)

    Votes: 39 78.0%

  • Other (elaborate)

    Votes: 10 20.0%
  • Total voters
    50
I

Irtemed

Apr 6, 2009
99
0
www.youtube.com
#1
Okay, so here's the deal. My Walkabout Scout 12" was clearly forged by gods. When I play it loudly, I have natural tube compression. But when I turn the gain up, warm, rich, fat, thick, fuzzy tube overdrive comes out of my amp. And it is fantastic. Here's a sample, in it my chain goes:
Lakland 44-02 > Mesa Walkabout > Direct Out > M-Audio Firewire Solo

Mesa Overdrive

But the reason this is in the effects section is because as much as I love this tone, I can't turn it off without messing with my gain and volume knob a bunch.

So my question to all you lovely talkbass folk is: Is their a way to put something on the pedalboard to make my amp alternate between clean and overdrive? Perhaps a booster? Could a booster make my amp sound like that?

If none of that works, what about overdrive pedals? I already have the tubes, so the tube-ism mode on my EBS MultiDrive is pretty much the same as the standard mode, except the top high frequencies are a bit higher than standard mode, so I prefer it on tube-ism for high gain settings. It honestly doesn't sound like tube overdrive anyway. But that's not the point.

The point is, the MultiDrive doesn't get that sound I want for that super thick, fuzzy overdrive. Is there any pedals you guys know of that sounds anything like that? I'd love any suggestions at all.
 
#3
i have 2 Fulltone OCD's, version 2 and version 3, LP/HP switch on LP so I don't lose low end, V3 has more gain and better midrange, but I like the V2 more cause it's a bit fuller sounding especially with flatwounds.
For more agressive style, I use roundwound stings and V3.
OCD, The Best Overdrive for guitar and bass, especially if you use tube amps. ( I use solid state Ampeg, and it's still the best overdrive )
 
#7
I use the Walkabout and had the same quandary. I tried the VT Bass but could never get it to sound right. I think it could work with some rigs, but not mine. Then I picked up the Catalinbread SFT. It takes a little tweaking, because the pedal has quite a wide range of available gain, and can be used as a distortion. But after I had it set right, it was a total "a-ha" moment. I think with a lot of hi-fi rigs, the SFT would sound like crap. But it just seems to blend well with the voicing of the Mesa.
 
#8
You might have to experiment with this one, and many people will recommend XYZ pedals without getting into what you trying to achiefe.

The tone you are getting is the classic tone of a preamp tube getting slammed by too much input. So you may achieve this in two ways.

1. By using a boost pedal as you suggested to increase the gain. This will get you there without messing your gain but you will experience a significant increase and sudden increase in volume. OK for a solo but not OK for regular playing. Pedal I would recommend for this are MXR Micro amp, MXR Line Driver, Fulltone Fat Drive, HBE Bajo Mos. All of these will get you there.

2. You may also get there by using a pedal which mimmics that tone and this will be harder to hit just right. A Pork Loin or Aguilar Agro might do the job. A HOA Rust Ride might also be a great match. The Green Rhino might even be a better match than the Pork Loin because it has that kind of sizzling top and it's a tad more aggressive.

Good luck to you in your quest.
 
#9
Laurent said:
You might have to experiment with this one, and many people will recommend XYZ pedals without getting into what you trying to achiefe.
Click to expand...

+1

I do feel like I've been trying to achieve the same thing with a very similar rig though. :)

I feel like the Agro is more useful as a distortion pedal. It also has a midrange bump that is hard to get rid of. Great if you like it, not if you don't.

I haven't used a Pork Loin, but from what I've heard of it, I think it might be a little too "mushy" for what the OP is after. I tried the Blueberry OD and found this to be the case.

To me, the SFT has a kind of compression ("fatness" if you will) at the attack that just works really well for this particular application.
 
#14
Get yourself a Way Huge Green Rhino! It's a great little pedal: affordable, easy to use, analog, and fairly rugged. Yes it is a guitar overdrive but, it's got this great little 100Hz cut/boost knob that really gives it some authority where it counts. I've had mine for half a year now and it is a permanent fixture on my pedalboard. Everyone who reviews it rates it very highly it's one of those great little pedals that'll do everything you wanted from an overdrive pedal and does it well and on a budget.
 
#15
Your amp only has a tube preamp, and that clip is typical of brittle sounding preamp tube distortion. I've tried the DHA VT1 and EBS Valvedrive and both can achieve a similar sound. A boost will also do the same trick - after all turning up your gain control just boosts the volume going into the tubes. This will result in a volume boost though which may be unwelcome.

A light overdrive or dirty boost is the best bet, giving a slight volume boost to drive the tubes harder but also providing a bit of dirt of it's own.
 
#16
I use the EBS ValveDrive, which has a tube in it, as an "always on" pre-amp. You can get way more overdrive out of it than I usually try for. I use it just to fatten up the tone and give it a little grit. All these terms are kinda subjective, so I don't know if this is what you're going for, but this is a great pedal for me.

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#17
I have already listened to clips of both the English Muff'n and the SFT, and I actually do really like what I heard. I know a shop near me that has the Muff'n, and I'll see if I could try it out there, but I'd have to do more research over the SFT. I'm also looking at the Dave Hall pedals, they look nice.

Another thing is, the valve drive is out of my price range, but I'm afraid that it would do what I want, because the MultiDrive in flat has a similar tone, but i doesn't have anywhere near the same amount of bass, or warmth.
 
#18
12ax7 distortion is not very pleasing, and is no more exciting than a opamp or transistor based distortion.
In fact a well designed opamp or transistor based distortion can sound better or pretty much the same as a 12ax7.

Real compression, and real distortion comes from a pair or quad of beam plate output tubes...6L6 6550 etc, along with the saturation and tone that come from the output transformer they are connected too.

I hate to sound like a purist set on repeat, but since I have heard real tube amps and heard many distortion pedal devices.

Real midrange detail and good compression comes from a tube output section. otherwise high saturation and bucket of bees can be found with hundreds or even thousands of pedals that copy the same existing methods used for the last 30 or so years for pedal type overdrive.

that distortion sound sample sounds like a preamp hitting the supply rail. And sounds like the usual bucket of bees type distortion , with no compression and emphasis in the mids.
You like the sound, then great....but there is better.

Real distortion does amazing things for mids, you only know it when you hear it......then when you do....well in my case.
Then I dont give a #### if the amp weighs 60 to 80 pounds.
Its worth it.
 
#19
I get pretty close to that with a Wounded Paw Attack Goat

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into a VT bass pedal. I bet if you put it in front of your Scout without the VT bass you could dial in that exact sound with the scout set clean. It has that bubbly sound that you have in your video.
 
#20
Well obviously I have to play my amp pretty quietly, since I have already had my downstairs neighbor hit his ceiling with a broom or something. But when I get the opportunity to play it in a band situation, the overdrive sounds much better, as the amp compresses what I play, even peaks from slapping. The overdrive is much cleaner in a band situation, and I think a good tube pedal would do what I want. I've read review on this site, and there are always mixed opinions on any pedal that does a type of distortion, some people will love something, (for example, the Mastotron fuzz) while other people will hate it.
 

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