YehItsRyan Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I have had a look at a few distortion pedals and so far the electro harmonix big muff pi and boss odb-3 seem to be jumping out at me as the best ones. I am after a really chunky distortion/overdrive sound that can cut through two guitars without straining. Could I both these pedals and use them side by side or would I be better of with another type of pedal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 If you want a Big Muff have a look at the Bass specific model.It's a good pedal...much better than the Boss if you ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) I'd quickly discard any notions about the ODB-3 (urgh). Big Muff can get some really good sounds. I'd personally recomment you try the Ashdown Hyperdrive (James Lomenzo signature thingy). It is very good, and quite cheap too which is a pleasant surprise. Edited April 26, 2011 by mcnach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.i.stein Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) i always found that the bass big muff pi got lost in the mix somewhat, but that doesn't mean it won't suit your gear, (everyones' gear reacts differently). the Ashdown James Lomenzo distortion seems to get a lot of praise for results/value, and i recently saw a demo of it on here. might be worth a quick search. i've been through a number of different options, have tried and traded a few, so i guess there is no one correct option. just try and trade on here. i've yet to find anyone on here i can't trust. edit: mcnach beat me to it. here we go : Edited April 25, 2011 by phil.i.stein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 The Way Huge Swollen Pickle has been getting a good shout on here recently. Chunk System brown dog looks good too, but the one that has me interested is the Monolith Lodestone (on looks alone). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pietruszka Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 [quote name='Doddy' post='1210992' date='Apr 25 2011, 04:26 PM']If you want a Big Muff have a look at the Bass specific model.It's a good pedal...much better than the Boss if you ask me.[/quote] Good call. Excellent pedal these. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.i.stein Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) [quote name='xgsjx' post='1211054' date='Apr 25 2011, 05:43 PM']The Way Huge Swollen Pickle has been getting a good shout on here recently. Chunk System brown dog looks good too, but the one that has me interested is the Monolith Lodestone (on looks alone).[/quote] the WHSP is another one i tried, but didn't get on with, although it was much more tweakable than the ehx muff. but, since trading it, i've heard that messing with the internal trimpot can yield much better results, so i probably messed up. it could just be the high output of my MM Sterling. however, i'm happy with an LS-2 blend of VT bass (@ subtle crunch level) and the devi-ever soda-meiser for insane balls-out mayhem. whatever works,,, Edited April 25, 2011 by phil.i.stein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_frog Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 +1 for the Lomenzo Good value Range of distortion levels available And a blend knob to avoid the bass getting sucked out of your sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EskimoBassist Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 The Bass Big Muff is a very good pedal, especially for the price. The ODB-3 is an interesting one; gets a lot of bashing but there are some things that it can do VERY WELL. It has a very good clean blend and thanks to a powerful 2 band eq it can ADD low-end, a strange phenomenon where dirt pedals are concerned. I used one almost exclusively for my overdrive sound for over 2 years and it served me faithfully, in fact I still get it out for some studio stuff. Set with the blend on the dry side and the gain on the low side you'll get a nice sound, but that doesn't mean I don't prefer my Fulltone Bass Drive, which now sits pride of place on my board instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absentmindeduk Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='EskimoBassist' post='1212440' date='Apr 27 2011, 11:27 AM']The Bass Big Muff is a very good pedal, especially for the price. The ODB-3 is an interesting one; gets a lot of bashing but there are some things that it can do VERY WELL. It has a very good clean blend and thanks to a powerful 2 band eq it can ADD low-end, a strange phenomenon where dirt pedals are concerned. I used one almost exclusively for my overdrive sound for over 2 years and it served me faithfully, in fact I still get it out for some studio stuff. Set with the blend on the dry side and the gain on the low side you'll get a nice sound, but that doesn't mean I don't prefer my Fulltone Bass Drive, which now sits pride of place on my board instead.[/quote] I must say, I had an ODB-3 and it just didnt do it for me... I got shot of it on EBay in the end. Used with an active bass, I found it just added an unusable 'crackly' sort of sound to the top rather than a nice fuzz. I'd go for the Muff if those are the 2 choices. Thought I haven't had a go, Ive heard a lot of good things about the Sansamp Bass Drivers... Worth a shout, though they're a bit on the expensive side! Andy, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 If we're talking about overdrive i would go for a Fulltone Bassdrive Mosfet or the new Ibanez Tubescreamer TS9B but i'm on the lookout for an incomming pedal from 3Leaf that should suit my drive needs, from the description i've got from Spencer. For Fuzz the EHX BBM is a very good and cheap pedal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassnut62 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Catalinbread SFT is freakin A - it's like adding a very powerful drive channel to your amp, works especially well pushing a valve amp Extreme distortion: try Wooly Mammoth or Copilot Fx pedal that sounds like a laser gun; can't remember it's name. Also The Goose looks nice Wren & Cuff Pickle Pie B looks good too I believe both these last two have blend knobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumbo Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) Are there any bass players whose tone you'd like to emulate a bit? I find that's a good place to start when looking for drive pedals. What kind of band are you playing in? The Big Muff and ODB-3 are very different pedals. You'd do well to try these out as you'll see how different they are instantly both in terms of sound and the controls. I haven't tried out many drive pedals, at least not compared to some of the folks on here, but I've been very happy with my Fulltone Bassdrive. It's a versatile drive pedal, from old school grunt to quite full on gain. I find the separate boost switch very handy. Recently I've been very impressed with demos I've head of the Catalinbread SFT, but I'm yet to try one out. [url="http://www.catalinbread.com/SFT.html"]http://www.catalinbread.com/SFT.html[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGPV4SBeF2k&feature=channel_page"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGPV4SBeF2k...re=channel_page[/url] Edited May 1, 2011 by thumbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Yeah, +1 for anything 'muff' Some people hate the tone stack, but I think it works really well, dead easy to set up. Tried an ODB3 years ago, and couldn't get a decent sound out of it (for what I wanted). The muffs just sing with all that sustain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragglefart Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Anyone have any thoughts on the MXR M181 Bass Blowtorch? I like the look of the Fender Sublime pedal too, but again, no reccommendations here, it seems. Trying to decide between those two and a bass Big Muff. I have the Little Big Muff and find it lacks... [i]something[/i], fancy having a go with something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumbo Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) [quote name='fragglefart' post='1217749' date='May 2 2011, 05:04 PM']Anyone have any thoughts on the MXR M181 Bass Blowtorch? I like the look of the Fender Sublime pedal too, but again, no reccommendations here, it seems. Trying to decide between those two and a bass Big Muff. I have the Little Big Muff and find it lacks... [i]something[/i], fancy having a go with something else.[/quote] The Bass Blowtorch has a very apt name as it can do some pretty full on searing distortion. It offers a lot of control over the distortion tone, although the one I tried was a bit on the noisy side with unwanted hum. I think there's quite a few peeps on the forum that use the Blowtorch, it might be worth having a search and PM'ing for some opinions from people that have used the pedal a lot. It's worth bearing in mind that the Blowtorch is a distortion whereas the other 2 pedals you mentioned are fuzz. They're quite different beasts. Edited May 2, 2011 by thumbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt on your Bass? Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I wouldnt say the bowtorch was distoerion. It can do it reasonably well, but id say its predominantly a fuzz, and a synthy kinda fuzz. At that. You can coax some muse esque type tones out of it. Versatile, has a clean blend, but powered at 18v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deej Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 +1 to the above. Blowtorch is definitely a fuzz, no doubt. I prefer a muff type for my go-to fuzz, but nothing beats a blowtorch for synth sounds with an octave behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KERMITNT Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 [url="http://www.telegun.com/eshop/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=2&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=29"]http://www.telegun.com/eshop/index.php?pag...t&Itemid=29[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilco Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Bass Big Muff Pi everytime for me. Whatever you eventually get & [i]if your set up allows[/i], put it between your bass & amp instrument input. Run any other effects separately through your effects loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 [quote name='Wilco' post='1218539' date='May 3 2011, 01:08 PM']Bass Big Muff Pi everytime for me. Whatever you eventually get & [i]if your set up allows[/i], put it between your bass & amp instrument input. Run any other effects separately through your effects loop.[/quote] Or you could run them all between your bass and amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EskimoBassist Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 [quote name='Doddy' post='1219631' date='May 4 2011, 10:53 AM']Or you could run them all between your bass and amp.[/quote] +1 I've never really seen the point of putting effects pedals through the effects loop on an amp, especially for bass. Bass Big Muff works perfectly inline with my other effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 No, I understand the point of reverb and delay etc in the effects loop, but only really if you have a very high gain sound. 99% of bass amps probably aren't dirty enough to justify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilco Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 [quote name='EskimoBassist' post='1219682' date='May 4 2011, 11:44 AM']+1 I've never really seen the point of putting effects pedals through the effects loop on an amp, especially for bass. Bass Big Muff works perfectly inline with my other effects.[/quote] I spent pretty much a whole day swapping things around on my rig &, by quite some margin, the set up I suggested sounded best across all my pedals. Not that i'll take any credit for it, as i was only testing out stuff that i read on t'internet!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 [quote name='EskimoBassist' post='1219682' date='May 4 2011, 11:44 AM']+1 I've never really seen the point of putting effects pedals through the effects loop on an amp, especially for bass. Bass Big Muff works perfectly inline with my other effects.[/quote] well, if you use the FX loop you put effects after the preamp. That means you apply the effect before all the tone shaping... whether you like it better after or before the preamp is a personal matter... but you get a different sound. A bit like the eternal "wah before or after distortion"? The correct answer is: whatever you like teh sound of better. They *do* sound different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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