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Warm vintage bass overdrive

#21
I have a swell b-peg and a myco three and they are true warm tube vintage sounding pedals. Dynamically they are the best at getting gritty when you dig in, REALLY natural and fat. At the moment I have all my pedals on the board connected to a pedal power 2. The swell and myco are connected to the courtesy outlet and their power supplies are mounted under my board. So only one power cable is going from my board to the strip. I've had a darkglass b7k and it was awesome but IMO it does not even come close to my tube pedals. YMMV
 
#23
Wolffgang said:
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.
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Yeah, I don't think a tube pedal can survive on a 9v. Tube make nothing easy but it worth the pain especially if your band are all direct like mine. The attack and character of the pedal is awesome!
 
#27
Thanks for all the great info TussinBot.....I'll check out that link asap....did you try the B7K?

I'm getting closer to a choice thanks to everyone's great responses.....

LP

TussinBot. said:
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
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#28
thanks jumblemind.....have you tried the B7K? I'm now thinking I should get the VMT.....I'll check out Fairfield also.....Myco is to much $$ (but nice)

jumblemind said:
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.
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#29
Yes, I have the DHA VT1 EQ and like it a lot but I'm building a smaller board and need smaller pedals.....

thanks

Adrisss said:
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 !
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#30
I have weight and size restrictions so I can't use a tube head no matter how much I'd like to, neither will the EBS Valvedrive work for me.....I need small pedals....I know I'm asking for a lot and putting restrictions on myself but I have no choice....thanks for the suggestions though....

LP

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.
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#31
No....how would I know this? Never heard of it before and Dr. Scientist is also Canadian? I've just heard about that one just a few days ago, did not read up on it yet......I'll look it up, thanks

LP

liveburning274 said:
You must know that the Fairfield Curcuitry Barbershop is right in the alley your wanting for a 1/3 of what the Darkglass cost.....YOU MUST KNOW THIS!!!
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#32
thanks Westhunter413....

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.
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#35
I use the B7K and it is absolutely wonderful for, what I think, for duplicating a warm overdrive. I use it as an always on. I had the vintage for a few days too but thought it was a little too warm for my tastes, was looking for something with a little more bite, so I returned it and got the B7K. But the vintage may be right up your alley. I have also heard that the Catlinbread SFT is pretty awesome for warm tubey overdrive. I have never used one but I'd have to believe the general consensus. A lot is relative to your rig though too. I would grab the vintage back in a second now becausue I think the B7K can push it in the direction I'd like it to go. EBS Valvedrive too. Food for thought.
 
#36
i do not hear big difference between my PBDDI and my ampeg v4b. but i did spend some 15-20 minutes tweaking it to sound like flat EQ V4B.

on the other hand - there are tubes and.... tubes - ymmv.
 
#37
loopee said:
No....how would I know this? Never heard of it before and Dr. Scientist is also Canadian? I've just heard about that one just a few days ago, did not read up on it yet......I'll look it up, thanks

LP
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Watch this video - the Barbershop is the first pedal he uses (so you don't have to watch all 20+ minutes unless you want to...but go ahead if you have time, you can also hear how awesome the other Fairfield pedals are, I especially like the Four Eyes Fuzz as well).

Anyway, this video is especially interesting for you because this guy *also* uses a B7K in it. He alternates between the two a little, and also cascades the B7K into the Barbershop for a bit. It should give you a sense as to what 2 of the pedals you are looking at sound like.

 
#38
loopee said:
thanks jumblemind.....have you tried the B7K? I'm now thinking I should get the VMT.....I'll check out Fairfield also.....Myco is to much $$ (but nice)
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I haven't tried the B7K. I only need a small part of what it does, and that part is covered much more in depth by the VMT.

I haven't tried the Barbershop, either, but if you listen to about the 5 minute mark on that video linked above, you can hear a trait that is very common in overdrive pedals. It's touch sensitive to the point of getting almost farty when hit with extra gain from digging into the strings hard. That clip sounded a lot like my experience with the Catalinbread SFT and a few other overdrives I've had. This would really get me really lost in my band's mix, especially without a clean blend option. Tonewise, it does sound super warm and fat when he's not hitting too hard, and the overdrive has a nice organic crunch.
 
#40
I've just bought a VMT from a TB member today....I'll give it a try

Thank you all for your great info....I'll leave the thread opened until I receive the pedal to put in a short review and find out if it fits my requirements

Now onto finding out more about the Mooer Bass Sweeper......(rubbing hands together) lol
 

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