Looking for the right pedal

[98HondaCivic]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a good pedal that will really give me a crunchy, dirty tone. I'm thinking about the Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver, but I would like some second party advice before I shell out $200.

 

I play fingerstyle, and it seems only pickstyle players use the Tech 21 and other similar pedals, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the sound I want.

 

Any advice will be appreciated.

[Bottom End]

I've been using the tech21 for about 4 months now, and I really like it, whether I'm looking for a good mellow fretless tone, or if a want to get crunchy, like King's X style, even playing fingerstyle.

 

It can give you an overdrive sound, but it's not a fuzz/distortion pedal.

 

It's as versatile as you could want, and it really is good for tone shaping. The boost the box gives you does help cut through the mix.

 

I've been playing live for 4 years, and the tech21 was the best investment I've made in that time.

[Michele C.]

Well, I need an overdrive, I will get a SansAmp sounds like I need a car, I will get a BMW. You can't go wrong.

I might add that I really loved an EBS Multidrive which I sold because the band I had at that time did not let me use it.

Today I am playing with a Boss MD-2 that my guitarist is not using anymore (too much distortion). It works well on the bass because it hass a bass control, but you can't get an overdrive from that.

I am also liking the synth effects that I get from a Digitech Bass Synth Wah. Very heavy sounds, but musically useful.

Yesterday I was in a shop checking out an EHX Bass Synth, on a MIM Jazz Bass and a Mark Bass amp. I programmed a little sub octave and some square wave, then played the first few notes from 21st Century Schizoid Man and some youngsters turned towards me delighted, I was a star for a few seconds. Glad to see that they knew some King Crimson.

I really enjoyed the EHX, because it is so controllable in all aspects, but I can get the most useful sounds from my Digitech for the time being. The EHX can have many more sounds and many more nuances, but it will be a serious investment.

For now I will see how my band takes the Digitech.

[The Geoff]

I've found that the 4 band EQ on the Marshall Guv'nor II compensates for loss of bottom end and the overdrive can go from a mild bit of grit to all-out overdrive.

 

G.

[picker]

THe Digitech X series Bass Driver is a really good sounding pedal for a pretty good price. You have to find them used because they don't make 'em anymore, but used they go for peanuts.

[Bass Bastard]

I have both the Sans Amp driver and Boss ODB3 and I get just good old fashion heavy dirty overdrive from the ODB3 and some interesting flexability with more modern distorition/OD tones with the sans amp.

[Mark Schmieder]

You have to be careful with some, but not all, of the Tech21 pedals, as many or most of them also serve as bass drivers and can "surprise" you if plugged into a pre-amp, combo amp, or integrated amp head. I was rather naive with my first one, and did some heavy damage to a guitar practice amp.

 

Their rack-mount PSA-1.1 is pretty versatile and sounds great, but is uber-expensive and is a bit fiddly in ways that one would not expect at that price point. Still, it can get you almost all of those tones, so is the most flexible solution.

 

I recently picked up the Aguilar Octamizer, which is theoretically an octaver but has a sweep function that can serve as a very musical fuzz tone when turned all the way to the right. It might be worth considering if a fuzz tone is what you're going for.

 

In terms of overdrive (as opposed to distortion or fuzz), I recently purchased the Maxon OD9PRO+, as I knew it would work well on both guitar and bass. I am extremely happy with this pedal, as it has a wider usable range than most, before breaking up or otherwise becoming unpleasant.

 

I haven't yet found a distortion pedal that works well on bass, after several decades of looking. The closest would be that rack-mount PSA-1.1 from Tech21. But now that I can get a good fuzz tone from the Aguilar Octamizer, I think I'm done. :-)

[98HondaCivic]

I actually own an EHX Bass Big Muff Pi for fuzz, I should have stated I has looking for an Overdrive pedal. I will strongly consider the Boss ODB-3 and the Digitech X Series, thanks for the help guys.

 

Btw, Bass Bastard, your band sounds pretty awesome. Like Kyuss meets Queens of the Stone Age.

[kenfxj]

Bass Bastard, are you familiar with the Mothman Bass?

[Michele C.]

Ah, if you have a Big Muff, the EBS might be exactly all that can be distorted below Big Muff level. It has a drive knob that controls gain - I think - not the mix of clean and distorted sound.

[Mark Schmieder]

If it's overdrive you're looking for, then you should definitely consider the Maxon pedals, or the more expensive Analogman equivalents, as they do the best job of maintaining the integrity of the bass signal (though not specifically advertised as bass overdrive pedals).

 

There's a big difference between OD, Fuzz, and Distortion. And if you want to go rack-mount, you can always hunt down a used SWR Interstellar Overdrive (or whatever it was called).

[Bass Bastard]

That mothman bass is insane... definately add a visual element to the show! I would worry about the tone versus my Stingray but style... over the top lol

 

Thanks for the props 98!

 

On our first CD our engineer used a tech 21 sansamp plugin to got the OD tones and on stage for a long time I just used the yellow OB3... so I am a fan of both. I tried about 20 pedals and sold them before I settled on the 2 I have so it is a quest from hell.

[98HondaCivic]

You've convinced me. After much study of the tones, and even further study of my financial situation, I've decided on the Boss ODB-3.

 

Thanks for the help guys.