Question pedal help

[AlexBongoCrazy]

Can anyone recommend a good overdrive distortion pedal, not a full on fuzz/distortion but more something to give a bit of drive and power to the sound if you get what I mean as I've never liked having a ton of effects when it comes to bass and rely more on the natural sound of the amp and bass but i would like something just to give a bit of gain.

 

[Lonnystingray]

I currentlu use a Sansamp VT Bass, which is easy to use, and flexible in its possibilities. From a minor 'edge', to (almost) full overdriven Tube warmth..

 

[projectapollo]

The Tech 21 Bass Driver DI box is very popular for this purpose. I have one and really like it. Lots of outputs, too.

 

[AlexBongoCrazy]

yeah plus it's a DI which is something I need too so i think i'm torn between the tech 21 bass driver di and the mxr bass di+

 

[DTG]

Can't go wrong with yech 21. Vt is my new favorite. However I am in wait of the cave passive grunt box !!

 

[AlexBongoCrazy]

while we're talking about pedals, can anyone explain how midi pedals work, i know guys like john myung have huge midi pedals with all their presets programmed in but how exactly does this work, does it just plug into their amp and automatically has the presets from the amp or do you have to do some complicated stuff to set it up with expensive equipment?

 

[oli@bass]

My current favorite for overdrive is the Fulltone Bass Drive Mosfet. Reeeeeeeeeaaaalllly nice overdriven tones... especially with a classic 2 bander (you can turn up the treble and it does not sound harsh) and a bit of the MarkBass VLE filter dialled in.

 

[drTStingray]

Not in the same direction as you're going but my son (who plays a Stingray) is greatly influenced by a bunch of guys called Commerford, Wolstenholme and Flea who use this type of effect - thus he's gone through a number of these pedals and the best one I've heard of them all is the Digitech overdrive/distortion pedal (dark red one) - fantastic sounds and very reasonable price - it works well also because the sounds are good but you can also dial in as much or as little dry sound as you want also. Thus you can thunder through Muse songs with bass as well as stunning overdrive.

 

[Powman]

Big Muff Pi can be in your face. But by using the "dry setting" you can blend in only the amount of drive you need. Similarly, the Tech 21 stuff has a blend control to allow some drive without completely obliterating your beautiful MM tone.

Getting something with a blend control is critical IMHO.

 

[ksandvik]

I've had good experience with the Zoom B2 Sansamp bass emulation mode but VT the real thing is better.

 

[Aussie Mark]

I use a Cave Passive Pedals Grunt for warm, slightly overdriven boost on solid state amps. There are a couple of other members here who are fond of this pedal as well - Craig Young and silverburst.

 

[danny-79]

I'm still a fan of the much over looked Boss ODB-3, if its just a bit of extra gain - natural overdrive you are after this does the job quite nicely an you can pick them up used for next to nothing.

 

[Jimmyb]

while we're talking about pedals, can anyone explain how midi pedals work, i know guys like john myung have huge midi pedals with all their presets programmed in but how exactly does this work, does it just plug into their amp and automatically has the presets from the amp or do you have to do some complicated stuff to set it up with expensive equipment?

Midi is just a way of having things talk to each other. You can have one MIDI footswitch that controls many different options within your equipment.

For instance, you can set preset 56 on your pedal board (for example) to switch an amp setting, use a reverb setting from one piece of outboard gear and a chorus setting from another piece of outboard.

If you're using MIDI keyboards, there is a list of MIDI control codes that have been standardised for that use.

 

[0DDJ0B]

I'm still a fan of the much over looked Boss ODB-3, if its just a bit of extra gain - natural overdrive you are after this does the job quite nicely an you can pick them up used for next to nothing.

I'm with you on that one. I use the ODB-3 b/c you can mix between the dry and dirty signal.
I started using it b/c we are a three piece band and when the guitar player takes a lead I kick it in to fatten the background, a virtual rhythm guitar player if you will.

 

[syciprider]

yeah plus it's a DI which is something I need too so i think i'm torn between the tech 21 bass driver di and the mxr bass di+

I had an MXR but didn't like the distortion. The Tech 21 Bass Driver is a great tool if you are gigging in multiple venues but will color your sound and you can't dial it out. Be sure you are okay with the Ampeg modeling before you buy the SABDDI.

I had a Dave Hall VT1 Std bass that was awesome. Presently I use a Fulltone. It sounds like my bass but distorted.

 

[nurnay]

Loving my VT Bass Deluxe. It's got a great overdrive tone, and you can really customize the tones. Plus, you can program 6 different tones, so if you wanted one very dry, then one a little more, and a little more, etc.

 

[naruki]

Out of topic but were you the one who bought the Blue Dawn HS from Bass Central? I was gonna get it actually but they told me its sold haha. Got the Dargie Delight II instead .

 

[AlexBongoCrazy]

Yes i was sorry but it's a great bass and i'm sure the dargie delight is too. i had a more limited choice because there are only some models that can be sent to france, and i love the blue and bongos and 5 string would have preferred HH to HS though for a bongo, i'm thinking of getting the stingray 5 blue dawn H too one day

I'm also thinking that for pedals i'm leaning more towards the tech 21 stuff seeing as so many people love their stuff and it doubles up as a DI but it is more expensive than the others.

 

[supadave]

This looks like the right place???
I'm after some opinions regarding compressor/sustainer vs limiter/enhancer. I want to even out my pciked notes (not even out my tone!!!) as I am noticing a volume drop on my G and, to a lesser extent, my D string. Before jumping on a pedal-powered cure for this, I'll be getting my pups checked to see they are functioning properly, sitting right etc, but if anybody has suffered this issue and rectified it using one of the aforementioned solutions, I would love to hear their outcome. It seems there are equal arguements on both sides and almost all have been happy with th results of using those pedals. Look forward to your hearing your views.
I accidentally posted this in the guitar section so if I've confused anyone, I apologise.

 

[boogie8008]

That Way Huge Green Rhino mk II is a cool pedal for moderate overdrive. It won't get out of hand distortion/fuzz tones but does really nice warm overdrive. It also has a knob that boosts 100Hz which adds more low end to the signal and helps maintain your bottom end. I have found it sounds best with a pick on both active and passive preamps, however when I boost the treble on my Sterling all the way and play finger style it has a good edge to it.