I’m not looking for grindy or gritty. Just a warm-up with a light touch of breakup that responds when I dig in. I’d also like to be able to mix clean signal and effected signal to taste. Suggestions? Thanks!
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Warm and subtle overdrive - pedal suggestions?
- Thread starter zippydog
- Start date
No clean blend, but I'll always suggest the Spaceman Saturn VI.
Excellent light overdrive.
No clean blend needed, IMO.
The Way Huge Pork & Pickle has a "clean" blend, but it's not a dry blend. The clean side is flavored, apparently based on the Neve 1073 console. The clean side can actually clip on its own. Running it at a bit higher voltage, like 12V, helps out.
Excellent light overdrive.
No clean blend needed, IMO.
The Way Huge Pork & Pickle has a "clean" blend, but it's not a dry blend. The clean side is flavored, apparently based on the Neve 1073 console. The clean side can actually clip on its own. Running it at a bit higher voltage, like 12V, helps out.
I’m a big fan of the DOD 250. Mine has been modded with the mojo mod (grey spec). Very touch sensitive and a some what smooth taper into breakup.
As well, a lot of people seem to really like the Spaceman Saturn on bass. I personally haven’t tried it but many have suggested it for that particular application.
Also there is the Damnation Audio MBD-2, I’ve used it more as a tone shaper with dirt but it can do a really nice low gain drive if needed, extremely versatile pedal.
fairfield barbershop or bearfoot blueberry, both are great
Are you going to be running this overdrive into a solid state or tube head? Edit: according to your profile, you use a Genzler Magellan 800, is that correct?
If you want to keep it in the Genzler vain, you may want to check out the 4 On the Floor. 
The MBD-2 is certainly versatile, but even at low gain settings, I would not call it warm. It has a crunchy and scooped character. It does play nicely with solid state amplification, though.
Both are very different, but both could definitely meet the stated goal of warm, light breakup (and sound nothing alike in the process). The Barbershop is very transparent, where the Blueberry (and its derivatives, like the Blackberry) has a dark, greasy character that is inherent to the sound.
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Around here "warm and subtle" is often synonymous with "Southampton fifth gear," or at least it was for a while. No blend on that guy though. I think you'd find that it's fairly transparent, and doesn't color the tone enough to necessitate a blend.
Believe it or not, The EHX Bass Soul Food sounds like what you are looking for. Under $125 and shockingly good. Most everyone runs it with the treble near all of the way down
For a very light breakup OD take a look at the Way Huge pork loin. Also has a clean blend and can be very subtle.
Two Notes Le Bass. I use it in cold fusion mode 90% of the time for just a little tube breakup. Very touch sensitive and it keeps the low end better than any other Distortion/OD pedal I've used. Very natural sounding, and can do crazy or clean as well.
Check out the Crazy Tubes Locomotive. Clean blend, tube based, very subtle barely there to very dirty. Sounds to be just what you are looking for.
Boss BB-1X has blend, can do a little drive and doesn't kill the lows
- Sep 26, 2005
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The full format spark will do this.
I searched for a long time including trying many many of the “hot names” until I found the spark.
Warm as you want, subtle as you want, and very keenly priced.
I searched for a long time including trying many many of the “hot names” until I found the spark.
Warm as you want, subtle as you want, and very keenly priced.
Get a Boss LS2 and then you can use any OD (plus any other effect) and blend it with your clean signal. This was a game changer for me. I have in loop B a TC Sparkplug into a Broughton Fliptop or SV Pre to get a number of different OD sounds. My clean signal is Loop A. Mix to taste
