Tube-amp users: do you use overdrives?

[TTA]

Those of you playing through tube amps or amps with tube pre amps, do you use overdrive pedals as well? Why or why not?

I dual rig with two tube amps. Ampeg for cleans, and a traynor or (guitar) h&k for overdrive.

but i also got a darkglass adam pedal with amazing distortion. Plus it can run a blend of clean and distorted signal… and even send each out via different outputs. Imho tech is finally such that digital is equaling or outperforming tube overdriven tone… and is far more practical and easy to control.

 

[gstaats]

The best answer is it depends. Playing live, one can't beat pedals if both clean tone and grit is needed. It is super easy to have well balanced clean/dirt with pedals. I love the way my B-15R breaks up with EL-34's. Fantastic tone. Not feasible to keep the volume consistent and have cleans and dirt without fiddling with knobs and looking like knob job. To keep the tubes going, even when running DI, I've been playing with these pedals and think I have a good combo. The boost on the compressor is nice as I have it set to level out the volume when using my two main basses. The blackbird preamp does enough to have a good sounding clean/modest dirt and can use it just going DI. Still rolling in different tubes - they make a huge difference in how much of a sweet spot is there for a good sounding overdrive.

 

[Planespotter]

I use a Pike Vulcan or Darkglass Vintage Ultra when I need cleans and overdrive with my bass 400+. Lately I’ve been using a boost to push the front end for a “not clean” sound on everything and it’s very satisfying.

 

[amper]

I'm no longer playing an all-tube amp, but when I was still using my Trace Elliot V-Type rig, I didn't use pedals other than a tuner, and sometimes a compressor, because I didn't need them for my tone. Not that I used an overdriven tone, since I was really after a clean tone, but trust me, if I'd wanted overdrive, the V-Type would deliver.

 

[FunkHead]

I love some dirt into my Traynor YBA-300. I use B3K, & Bearfoot Queen-Bee. It depends on which bass I am playing more than anything.