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Which Overdrive Pedal?

Solarmist

Solarmist

Jul 24, 2007
5,800
2,319
near Mt. Rainier
#1
Hey guys - I've been doing a ton of research on OD pedals, and I hope you pro's can help me out?
I've done a lot of searches here, and read almost all of them, but a lot of them date back a ways so I was after some new insight.

I've got an ODB3 at the moment, but I really don't care for it - it doesn't sound like an OD (to me), and it has so much gain (even when it's all the way off); it's just not what I'm after. With that being said - here's my list that I think I have it narrowed down to - so can you give me the pros & cons?

Nothing (too) subtle, no fuzz, but with a little grit.

Fulltone OCD (the one I'm leaning towards because of the HP/LP filter switch, and I like the way it sounded in the Youtube demos, but you know how that goes)
MXR GT OD
MXR Torino
Pigtronix FAT Drive
Boss BB 1X (I'm a bit leery of Boss because of the ODB3 I have)

Thank you so much guys - I'm just not sure what to do. :unsure:
 
#2
Odd choices there...are those all guitar pedals?

The only pedal I've personally owned from that list is the OCD, which I did not care for because of the low end loss. I think the others on your list are probably not used for bass for the same reasons. The only exception might be the Pigtronix IF you're looking at the bass version. That would be a fine choice.

You didn't state a budget, but from those others I'll assume $120-ish?

Some good choices around that range that sound fantastic on bass:

Hardwire Tube Overdrive CM-2
Way Huge Pork Loin
MXR Bass Distortion
EXH Bass Soul Food
TC Electronic Spark Booster
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive
 
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#4
I think you should add a DOD 250 to that list. The OCD is a great circuit for bass OD but does suffer the low end loss. Their are plenty clones of this pedal that are tuned more towards bass if you are really digging that flavor of OD. Otherwise you could always run it with a clean blend.
 
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#5
^ Thanks for the your list MMbongo; I'll certainly do more research now. Someone recently posted that you shouldn't worry about whether the pedal is marketed as a guitar pedal or bass pedal, but rather how it sounds with bass - so I'm just not sure. I plan on spending $100-$150 maybe a little more. I was also looking at the Bearfoot BB; I can go $200 if it's really worth it, but I'd rather keep it around $150 or less.

Have you used all the pedals you've mentioned? Which is the more aggressive un-subtle, tubie, no fuzz, and a little grit ones of the bunch?

The TC is an OD - I thought it was just a booster(?) BTW their MojoMojo OD is on sale for $50 - I love TC pedals, but there must have been a reason for the price drop.
 
#6
Solarmist said:
^ Thanks for the your list MMbongo; I'll certainly do more research now. Someone recently posted that you shouldn't worry about whether the pedal is marketed as a guitar pedal or bass pedal, but rather how it sounds with bass - so I'm just not sure. I plan on spending $100-$150 maybe a little more. I was also looking at the Bearfoot BB; I can go $200 if it's really worth it, but I'd rather keep it around $150 or less.

Have you used all the pedals you've mentioned? Which is the more aggressive un-subtle, tubie, no fuzz, and a little grit ones of the bunch?

The TC is an OD - I thought it was just a booster(?) BTW their MojoMojo OD is on sale for $50 - I love TC pedals, but there must have been a reason for the price drop.
Click to expand...
TC was bought by Behringer. I'm assuming that's the culprit of the price drop.
 
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#8
Solarmist said:
^ Thanks for the your list MMbongo; I'll certainly do more research now. Someone recently posted that you shouldn't worry about whether the pedal is marketed as a guitar pedal or bass pedal, but rather how it sounds with bass - so I'm just not sure. I plan on spending $100-$150 maybe a little more. I was also looking at the Bearfoot BB; I can go $200 if it's really worth it, but I'd rather keep it around $150 or less.

Have you used all the pedals you've mentioned? Which is the more aggressive un-subtle, tubie, no fuzz, and a little grit ones of the bunch?

The TC is an OD - I thought it was just a booster(?) BTW their MojoMojo OD is on sale for $50 - I love TC pedals, but there must have been a reason for the price drop.
Click to expand...


Well both statements are true....kinda. It's true you shouldn't worry if the pedal is a 'guitar' pedal as long as it sounds good on bass. Problem is, many guitar pedals cut out the low end by design. On a guitar overdrive you don't want a big fat bloated bottom end. Some 'guitar' pedals don't cut the low end and will sound fine on bass. Pork Loin, Sparkle Drive, and Hardwire are good examples of that.

All the ones on my list I either currently own or have owned in the past.

Your other question is kinda hard, because usually a 'tubey' sounding overdrive is not agressive or unsuble and has a bit of fizz to it. Barbershop and Bearfoot BB would be in that class..tubey, not aggressive, more subtle.

If you want something more aggressive with more grit, the MXR Bass Distortion.

The best overall of all worlds is probably the Hardwire Tube Overdrive considering the dirt cheap price.

The TC Spark is a booster/overdrive which sounds more along the lines of the Barbershop and Blueberry but with more bottom end on tap. The MojoMojo is more fuzzy than most mentioned here, and I've got another one on order now that they are $50!
 
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#9
Idiotbox Blower Box
Mr Black Thunderclaw

Both of these are great bass choices because the Idiotbox is made for bass and the Mr. Black has a bass and treble boost. Bass boost is particularly important with bass overdrive because as my boy mmbongo correctly pointed out, most guitar pedals cut a hefty amount of bass from the signal, and while it may sound great practicing in the bedroom, your tone can dissapear live with a dedicated GT overdrive.
 
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#16
moody said:
It isn't a straight clone, from all accounts it's bassier.
Click to expand...

Which makes it all the better for bass!

moody said:
I will say that I have found the Ultimate drive a bit much for my use. It works fine but it isn't right for what I am doing.
Click to expand...

Yeah it can get really dirty, too much for me at it's highest gain settings. I typically use it with the gain set around 10 o'clock.
 
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#19
Thanks for all the great replies guys! I have little experience with OD's, and you guys are a big help ... special thanks to mmbongo (he always helps me out) :thumbsup:
It looks like I have more reading/research to do, and I'm going to check out the pedals mentioned.

Q: Do you guys have sound samples of the CM-2, TC Spark Booster, Pork Loin, and the Sparkle Drive or can elaborate a bit on them?

Q: Is the OCD a guitar pedal? I only liked it because of how it sounded in a Youtube demo, but that doesn't mean it will sound good through my bass/amp.

Also I didn't want an OD that sounds like my ODB3 ... too harsh even at it's lowest settings.
 
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