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OT - recommendations for fx pedals
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Bit off-topic, but I know there are a few bassists on here....
Can anyone recommend a good overdrive/distortion pedal suitable for putting a bass guitar through?
I’ve got a Boss multi fx thing, but it keeps going loopy, getting stuck and switching itself off halfway through a song.
I’m looking for a simple, single pedal. Not looking for proper heavy metal distortion, but something to add a bit of crunch/grit so I sound like Lemmy.
Comments
there's literally like a million of them out there. I played around with the Behringer Vintage Tube Monster VT999 and though it was a great value for $49. I probably would have kept it, if I didn't already have a quieter/more expensive one.
EHX blogger had a very nice drive (the fuzz was thin)
I'm a fan of the Zoom MS-100BT. It's not the easiest to use, but once you've spent the time to build a collection of good presets, you'll just use these.
This thing can sound amazing. I also own an Eventide H9 and for some FX, it's really "close enough". The Zoom also offers amps and cabinet simulations well suited to bass guitar.
The StompShare app is free on the AppStore, and because the MS-100BT is not officially available anymore, all IAP effects are freebies now!
an outstanding pedal (current product line) is the BOSS ME50B, a true classic.
Features the best digital compressor in that format and allows a very detailed tailoring of the tone by adding just a tiny (!) bit of auto wah. The Sansamp (emulation of an emulation) named Bass Driver is a nice setting for small amounts of distortion.
It's easy to program cause whatever you dial on the surface can be stored with a tap.
(the only device I regret to have sold)
@Monzo - I'm not sure about Lemmy's tone specifically, but what have you tried? The Sans-Amp DI boxes provide a nice grit that while not to my tastes, a lot of players dig. Do you run a blend of the dry signal at all, or are you just plugging into the pedal and rocking out? For that, my first thought is something like the old Boss DS-1 (or whatever it was) Distortion.
Myself, I'm a fan of fuzz bass so I have a Sovtek Big Muff Pi from the 90's, and between that and the overdrive on my Genzler amp I get what I need.
BTW - I was considering doing come bass-centric videos on the channel. Would anyone here be interested if I did some? Just curious - don't want to derail Monzo's thread.
I remember getting some fat bass through an MXR Distortion+. That was quite a few years ago though...
I love my Rat Pro Co distortion on bass. Gritty without the fuzz.
Distortion knob: 9:00
Filter knob: 1:00
Volume knob: 2:00
Badass on a Fender P through anything.
...and it’s indestructible.
+1 for the Rat!
I ran a Casio CZ-101 through a Rat and a delay. People thought I was playing guitar!
Another vote for the Rat.
The bass player in my band uses a cheap Marshall governor and it sounds awesome and has a decent eq in it
Thanks for the replies guys, I’ll check a few demo vids from those suggestions.
He got that sound by using just the treble pickup on his Rickenbacker and custom Marshall head. I’m playing through a Marshall in rehearsals, but for gigs I’ll be using my own Orange combo. It’s a lovely clean amp, but for some tracks I need a gravelly dirty sound, and since we sound a bit Hawkwind on some tracks, the Lemmy sound fits in nicely.
I’m getting the sound I want through the Boss multi fx, but it’s really unreliable (and bulky).
A nice little single pedal I can stick in my pocket would do the job nicely, and a few gooduns in the thread recommendations.
honorable ot mention: CZ 101 rules
Sansamp Bass Driver, Rat and Muff are the most common single pedals for bass - matter of taste
I'm putting the bass through a Boss (guitar) ME-50 at the moment, and the overdrive/distortion section has settings (amongst others) for: Guv, Rat, Muff and Face, so I'm guessing these reference the single pedals. I tend to just use the first OD-1 overdrive option though, as this gives plenty of crunch without the fuzz.
I noticed you mentioned the BOSS ME50B, which I guess is the bass version of the one I'm using. I'd be happy with that, but I'm worried it'd have the same issue as the one I've got - the power switch at the back seems a bit dodgy, and this seems to affect the whole unit sometimes.
Ah, I have a CZ-1, never will sell that. So I like to ask about the really expensive CZ touch app. Do you know of an cheaper alternative app that I can use to control my CZ-1 with by any chance.?
Bass pedal = Moog MF Drive
EHX Bass Soul Food is quite nice, and it’s cheap! The Zvex Basstortion is a bit pricier but was designed to sound and behave like an overloaded Ampeg SVT — might fit the bill for you?
@theinvisibleman I have that CZ-Touch app and it's really worth the price (in my case a no-brainer because the synth had worn up to useless buttons).
But it's a great control interface, no fancy look, but the handling is smooth and responsive.
@MonzoPro the ME50B (bass version) is very different from it's guitar cousin, probably it's just the control unit that's identical. The presets were not very convincing, but it's easy to tweak (and you already know it's mode of operation).
But it's fairly expensive to 'just add some grit' to the tone in a live setup.
On the other hand the compressor can be very useful to make your instrument sit better within the band context and you may quickly recall settings, either pre-adjusted for certain location types or for song parts.
I was quite surprised by it's raw input audio quality - it was just a tiny bit below one of my vintage Telefunken studio units. That's why I sold it... underestimating it's versatility.
Powersupply/connections are a constant (or the most common) source of trouble.
Sometimes it's the connector itself, sometimes it's the power regulation.
It can be misleading sometimes, so it may not be the switch itself, but the wallwart.
Iirc Boss included a cable guide to prevent over-tension on the back, but the switch itself is an easy replacement.
Possibly I experience similiar issues atm with an Audient ID22, considered 'studio grade' and priced accordingly. Wtf.
The plug seems worn and one can hear the regulation inside act wierd by acoustic noise from the box. In a more complex device (like yours) that may lead to CPU glitches, leaving processing in the middle of nowhere.
I have to disagree, 32 euro for an app that has no midi learn so you cannot use a midi controller and the only function is to send sysex to one specific hardware unit is way overpriced. I wish someone else would make an app that could be used to send sysex for many different hardware devices at a reasonable price.
let's not hijack this topic and refer to Coffeeshopped and Midi Quest threads instead
That’s good info there thanks. I’m not using an official psu, and the issues only seem to happen in our rehearsal space, so that could be the source of the problem. I’ll do a bit of testing at home, and maybe try a different psu.
Agreed
Zoom B1Xon an inexpensive multi fx, good for synth's as well.
Definitely try the Sansamp line, like the Sansamp SVT pedal, for classic rock n roll grind/grit on bass.
I love the Rat, but it will cut bass, by design unless it is modded. It's just part of the Ratty sound. It would be cool if they made a version where you had a seperate blend for lows/subs, in with the middy Rat sound.
The Big Muff is great, plenty of lows, but it is full blown distortion. The Zvex woolly mammoth is a great industrial, stoner metal type distortion.
(OT: Kinda funny that the CZ app is cheaper than CZ touch
I second the MXR as a more subtle distortion than others, its similar to an overdrive.
Rat can be pretty intense, its my choice for barking 303 lines.
DOD Grunge is pretty good for full bass but its also pretty heavy.
The Big Muff I find kind of funny because it doesn't matter what sound goes in, the same fuzz sound comes out.
@MonzoPro
Did you decide on a pedal? If so, which one(s)?
Tech 21 vt bass. Ampeg sounds galore and the gain will give you plenty of what you want. It’s one pedal I will never sell, just sounds great going into an amp and direct.
I just got the valeton dapper bass as well, which has compressor, amp sim (which can definitely be set to get grit and distortion), envelope filter, octave, and chorus, all individually switchable and it’s pretty small. It replaced the zoom b1on on my board.
One you might really dig is the Xvive bass squeezer, they are about $30 on Amazon in the US, not sure what they go for on your side of the pond but it is one of the nano sized pedals and the demo videos sound cool, it has an overdrive circuit built in, which sounds like what you want more than distortion.
Hope that helps!
I’ve been sidetracked by a Mk3 Maschine controller!
Actually I’m getting a really good sound from the Boss (guitar) ME-50 i was using, and as I had my bass serviced a few weeks back (about 30 years of fretboard gunk removed, new strings, pickups fixed etc.) it’s giving me just the sound I was after - a proper Lemmy/Stranglers growl.
I still need to get a smaller pedal for the job, but I’m in two minds about the band thing at the moment, so I’ll carry on with the Boss for now and see how it goes.
Thanks for the other suggestions guys, will go through these today.
Yes thank you. Just watched a vid for the Tech 21 vt bass, and that demonstrated exactly the tone I’m after and getting with the Boss - that Stranglers/Motörhead growl. If I stick with the band then that might do the job.
You won’t regret that purchase. There’s also a version that has a DI built in and a v2 of the standard pedal that I think has the speaker sim defeatable, or maybe it has a speaker sim, I don’t remember. I have the original version and use a separate DI.