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Warm vintage bass overdrive

loopee

loopee

Supporting Member
May 12, 2009
3,497
5,047
Surrey, B.C. Canada
#1
I play mostly blues and classic rock
I have a GK MBFusion 500 and a LMII

Seriously thinking of changing my overdrive pedal (Xotic BB Preamp and thinking of getting rid of my BDDI also) for a warmer tone and been reading up on TB on several possible choices but getting confused with all the options. Can't try them in store (they don't have them) so have to buy online....don't want to buy 10+ pedals and return 9 of them...too much postage and duty since I'm in Canada....what would you suggest?

My first picks would be

Darglass Vintage Microtubes or B7K (could replace my BDDI)
Catalinbread SFT
Mad Professor Blueberry

some friends suggested the following but I don't know much about them...I've listened to YouTube videos but it's hard to really tell as my headphones are not the best (would rather put my $ on the pedal and not headphones)....and don't want a VT

Empress Germ Drive (or Multidrive but $$)
Barber Small Fry
Wren & Cuff Phat Phuk or Mercy Phuk
(sfx) Micro Red Dragon
Wounded Paw Black Sheep
Wampler Ecstasy Drive
JHS Boost (can't remember the name of the pedal)

Any thoughts and suggestions or experience with these pedals would greatly help me make a decision....thanks
 
#2
I would suggest you to listen to the DHA VT2, really impressive how this pushes my tone to a warm and rich tube tone.

It has 2 chanels with seperate EQ, the first is more dedicated to clean sounds (it's a real tube preamp so if you push it too loud you'll have grit) and the second one has a drive knob added. Yet I never use the distortion capabilities of the second chanel and keep it for growly warm OD.

It has a DI also. Except for the huge size (Tubes makes it quite high),and curious look, it's amazing !
 
#4
Dave the repair guy at Tom Lee on Granville was selling a Darkglass B7K last time I talked to him. He let me try it for a few days and I thought it was a killer warm distortion that did the overdriven tube amp thing exceptionally well. I also have a BB Preamp and found the Darkglass much more subtle and rich.
 
#5
After agonising over it since before it came out, I finally got a Darkglass Vintage, and I love it more than life itself. You want that one. It's the kind of pedal you start finding reasons to turn on, rather than just using where appropriate. It and the B3K are the *only* dirt pedals I've ever used that feel like it's everything I love about my clean signal, but dirty. It's the sound in my head.

And I hear you about not wanting to be buying and returning a bunch of stuff; I'm in Australia, and music retailers over here think 'boutique' is french for shoe.
 
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#6
jeffbonny said:
Dave the repair guy at Tom Lee on Granville was selling a Darkglass B7K last time I talked to him. He let me try it for a few days and I thought it was a killer warm distortion that did the overdriven tube amp thing exceptionally well. I also have a BB Preamp and found the Darkglass much more subtle and rich.
Click to expand...

For me, it does the overdriven tube amp thing better than my overdriven tube amp. We'll throw in a better NOS pre section and see, but that amazed me.
 
#7
I've found the combo of the Markbass Compressore and Vintage Microtubes to be just THE Tube OD I have been looking for.

I have a B7K as well, but haven't had a lot of time with it yet.

I have also used a Tubeworks Blue Tube that is a great warm tube Od as well. I had some trouble with it at first as the output is weak at best. I used a Boss LS2 (line selector) and a LPB (boost) and blended until it sounded great. Once I got the Vintage I couldn't justify 3 pedals, one with 120V power to do the job the Vintage could do, and better.
 
#8
darkglass vintage is probably your best bet for vintage OD. havent had it but ive had a b3k and the build quality/sound was excellent, i'd trust anything they put out sounds fantastic.

personally I was not a big fan of the MP BBBOD or Catalinbread SFT. SFT was too "wooly" for me, everything seemed hairy but lacked definition (unlike my ampeg...). BBBOD I cant really recall but I didnt like it paired with my GK MB500. Im sure the fusion sounds different than the MB, but I really liked the green rhino or your TS of choice. TS based pedals seem like a natural extension to GK amps and their boost circuit to me. I wouldnt consider them too warm though.

Empress Germ Drive (or Multidrive but $$) - multidrive isnt really a warm vintage od, made for combining OD, DIST, and Fuzz for unique distorted tones.
Barber Small Fry - havent tried, but I have tried the LTD SR. Barber is wholly underrated, and though not warm, the LTD SR is one of the more transparent OD's Ive tried even without a blend, and designed for guitar.
Wren & Cuff Phat Phuk or Mercy Phuk - phat phuk b is an awesome full sounding boost, and will push tubes into a beautiful breakup, but like I said its full sounding and not particularly warm. Mercy phuk seems to have too much low end loss for my taste.
(sfx) Micro Red Dragon - havent tried
Wounded Paw Black Sheep - an OD I would love to get my hands on. Versatile, should be able to nail most sounds you want with this.
Wampler Ecstasy Drive - clips on johnk's website http://johnkvintageguitars.homestead.com/Overdrive-Pedals.html
JHS Boost (can't remember the name of the pedal) - Although the Low drive did intrigue me at one point, I probably wouldnt ever buy JHS due to their previous (and possibly currently) blatant use of exact circuits sold as their own takes on pedals. Go for it if you want to though!

do a lot of listening through JohnK's website that i linked. You can find most of those pedals used here or on thegearpage, and if you dont like it flip it. The trouble/hassle is worth it to find to find the perfect sound IMO
 
#10
Wolffgang said:
It's the kind of pedal you start finding reasons to turn on, rather than just using where appropriate. It and the B3K are the *only* dirt pedals I've ever used that feel like it's everything I love about my clean signal, but dirty. It's the sound in my head.
Click to expand...

This is a good summary of my experience.

I've tried the BB Bass Preamp, Catalinbread SFT, and Sansamp BDDI, and the VMT nails the warm tube sound without sounding artificial. Took me a bit to get used to it and realize that, as I was so accustomed to pedals completely altering my sound.
 
#12
I have owned a BDDI, MPBBOD, and SFT. None of them were to my liking. The OD from the BBOD and SFT were very spitty. I wanted to hear the overdriven tube head sound. I replaced my VT Deluxe with the B7K this winter, and haven't looked back. I have also played and LOVED the Swell B-Pro. If the MYCO three is anything like it, I would suggest ordering one. It is true tube overdrive, not some simulation. I will have one someday.
 
#14
Darkglass Vintage, rolls off highs with great lows and perfect for what you want.
EBS ValveDrive, mids scooped unless you use extreme EQing very fat overdrive.
Darkglass B3k/B7k, not what you want. More modern and bitty in the highs.
Rusty Box, shrill highs but you can dial them out. Will fatten tone.
VT bass, adds high mids that can't be removed. Not what you want.
Myco Three, everything you have dreamed about.

If money is no object I would defiantly go with the Myco. But for what you want the Vintage is the next best.

Just my opinion but I have owned all and still own most for comparison. Good luck with the never ending search.
 
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#15
zwkoch said:
I have owned a BDDI, MPBBOD, and SFT. None of them were to my liking. The OD from the BBOD and SFT were very spitty. I wanted to hear the overdriven tube head sound. I replaced my VT Deluxe with the B7K this winter, and haven't looked back. I have also played and LOVED the Swell B-Pro. If the MYCO three is anything like it, I would suggest ordering one. It is true tube overdrive, not some simulation. I will have one someday.
Click to expand...

So with you on the SFT; I have a Gator G-Bus with mostly 9v outs and a few 18v, the fact that the SFT takes 18v is the only reason it stays on my board. I have tried to get a sound I liked out of that thing for about 2 years now, through an Ashdown ABM stack, a streamliner with a fridge, and now my Ashdown CTM tube head and fEarful stack, and it has almost never sounded good. I've tried so hard to love it.

So if you ignore the obviously right answer of getting the Vintage, please, please don't get one of those.
 
#16
Laurent said:
I don't think any of the pedal listed here will do what you want.
A tube head is what you are looking for.
Short of that I would look at an EBS Valvedrive.
Click to expand...

To be completely fair about my love of Darkglass, I've only used the Vintage with an all-tube head, and have only used the B3K with that and a streamliner, which sounds so much like my all-tube head, that it's a little depressing.

I love the grit and grind I can get out of them a lot more than I like the head's natural OD, but without the tubes I can't say for certain how it would sound.
 
#19
Weshunter413 said:
Darkglass Vintage, rolls off highs with great lows and perfect for what you want.
EBS ValveDrive, mids scooped unless you use extreme EQing very fat overdrive.
Darkglass B3k/B7k, not what you want. More modern and bitty in the highs.
Rusty Box, shrill highs but you can dial them out. Will fatten tone.
VT bass, adds high mids that can't be removed. Not what you want.
Myco Three, everything you have dreamed about.

If money is no object I would defiantly go with the Myco. But for what you want the Vintage is the next best.

Just my opinion but I have owned all and still own most for comparison. Good luck with the never ending search.
Click to expand...

Listening to a few clips of the Myco, I can definitely see what you like about it, and having 2 seperate levels of gain in the one pedal sounds super handy; that's how I tend to use my Darkglass', but I'm sure this one pedal comes in at less than $550 :P.

The only negatives to me would be the 12 volt power (I'm a lazy neat freak, and like the run everything off my power brick), the preamp tube might make me a little nervous for durability (in a head, a pre tube will last more or less forever, but I'm *not* gentle with my board >.>), and that it looks a little generic. I also really love what Darkglass does with the level controls, insofar as the pedals have a dry/wet blend, and a level control that only affects the wet signal, which to me has translated to ODs that I can tweak mid-song without worrying about levelling. Maybe I'm just ham-fisted like that, but I always give myself volume spikes trying to do that otherwise. Obviously, just my opinion, and unique to my situation for the most part.

It's mind-boggling how many *good* ODs there are out there these days, without even looking to the selection our thin-stringed cousins have.
 
#20
Wolffgang said:
After agonising over it since before it came out, I finally got a Darkglass Vintage, and I love it more than life itself. You want that one. It's the kind of pedal you start finding reasons to turn on... .
Click to expand...



THIS.
the rumors are true..its everything its cracked up to be and more.
Awesome..awesome.very awesome.
and im NOT a pedal guy.
I DO NOT like crazy distorted bass "tone".
this pedalgoes from a clean meaty to warm tube drive..even up to (what i would consider useable distortion.)

I am officially a darkglass fanboy. These guys know what friggin time it is , ill tell ya what.

ymmv..(but not likely). ;)
 

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