bottomfeed Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Recently, I find that I need a new Overdrive pedal!...[i] (...NEED! I tell you!)[/i] I want something versatile ... that can go from almost clean boost to almost full on fuzz.. I'm really impressed with what I hear on you tube of the JHS Low drive... but it's pricey at [i]roughly[/i] £126 + postage. I don't really have a great deal to spend on it at the moment.... So that is a consideration.. Anyone had any experience of the Biyang OD-10 Mad Driver Overdrive? Seems the Digitech Bad Monkey has many fans & is also pretty affordable.... any opinions or comparisons of these two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Is the Bad Monkey any good for bass? No loss of bottom end? I've got one (for guitar) never tried it with the basses. The Ibanez PD7 I[i] do[/i] use live isn't that great to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 (edited) [quote name='Rayman' timestamp='1343681442' post='1753710'] Is the Bad Monkey any good for bass? No loss of bottom end? I've got one (for guitar) never tried it with the basses. The Ibanez PD7 I[i] do[/i] use live isn't that great to be honest. [/quote] Actually, I have an Ibanez PD7 & I like what it does, a lot of variety etc.. & a neat box especially with the recessing knobs! ...but The problem I have is... it is [i]soo[/i] [i]noisey[/i] when on my big board with 8 other pedals... Something on there doesn't agree with it... & I need something more true bypass & quiet for that set up. I have a smaller 4 pedal board for different situations... It'll hopefully live there happily in the future... With the Bad Monkey, I've heard it is easy to dial any bottom end loss back with the low eq knob.... Edited July 30, 2012 by bottomfeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 The Bad Monkey does lose a bit of bottom end, though how much that's going to bother you will depend on exactly how much [i]deep[/i] bass you need. The Badder Monkey or SFX's mod will suit if it's likely to be a problem. It doesn't do fuzz though. Sadly there's no simple one-stop overdrive pedal that will suit everyone. Loads of pedals go from mild drive to fuzz, but whether the tone and character of the pedal suits is down to individual taste. Finding the one that works for you is down to trial and error, and for every recommendation of sonic nirvana someone else will say it's rubbish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I'm using an Ashdown James LoMenzo Hyperdrive at the mo and am liking it a lot. It's very versatile will go from bluesy grit to full on meltdown but it is (like all Ashdown pedals) a bit on the large side. Only around £50 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 [quote name='Musky' timestamp='1343682668' post='1753739'] The Bad Monkey does lose a bit of bottom end, though how much that's going to bother you will depend on exactly how much [i]deep[/i] bass you need. The Badder Monkey or SFX's mod will suit if it's likely to be a problem. It doesn't do fuzz though. Sadly there's no simple one-stop overdrive pedal that will suit everyone. Loads of pedals go from mild drive to fuzz, but whether the tone and character of the pedal suits is down to individual taste. Finding the one that works for you is down to trial and error, and for every recommendation of sonic nirvana someone else will say it's rubbish. [/quote] hmmm... interesting, thanks for that... I have a Colorsound bass fuzz for the full on fuzz end, so maybe not such a prob.... how much is that mod likely to cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 It's not small, but it's dead quiet and the best bass overdrive/distortion pedal I owned by a mile and I owned quite a few. If I had more space on my pedal board I would have two of them. One for subtle OD and another one for that Entwistle grind. I couldn't live without it: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFfqWnybHEM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFfqWnybHEM[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1343682945' post='1753748'] I'm using an Ashdown James LoMenzo Hyperdrive at the mo and am liking it a lot. It's very versatile will go from bluesy grit to full on meltdown but it is (like all Ashdown pedals) a bit on the large side. Only around £50 though. [/quote] Beat me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1343682945' post='1753748'] I'm using an Ashdown James LoMenzo Hyperdrive at the mo and am liking it a lot. It's very versatile will go from bluesy grit to full on meltdown but it is (like all Ashdown pedals) a bit on the large side. Only around £50 though. [/quote] [quote name='eddiehoffmann' timestamp='1343683218' post='1753754'] It's not small, but it's dead quiet and the best bass overdrive/distortion pedal I owned by a mile and I owned quite a few. If I had more space on my pedal board I would have two of them. One for subtle OD and another one for that Entwistle grind. I couldn't live without it: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFfqWnybHEM[/media] [/quote] Sounds pretty cool on that demo.... Shame it's such a hoofing great slab of a thing!.... would have to lose a couple to fit it on!.... hmmmm, food for thought though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Yeah, I fancy it too, but I have the Ashdown Envelope filter, and never use it, because it's too ruddy big to fit in my bits box. I might try the Bad Monkey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 (edited) The more I look at this demo of the JHS Low drive, the more I wanna try one!.... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9PGNrBQwdg&feature=related[/media] it's got something sexy going on!.... I'm getting a boner! Edited July 30, 2012 by bottomfeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydye Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1343682945' post='1753748'] I'm using an Ashdown James LoMenzo Hyperdrive at the mo and am liking it a lot. It's very versatile will go from bluesy grit to full on meltdown but it is (like all Ashdown pedals) a bit on the large side. Only around £50 though. [/quote] I have one too, got it on a trade out of interest, it's really good! Way more versatile than others I've tried! It has a wet/dry mix knob that really works and the sound is really sweet too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 [quote name='bottomfeed' timestamp='1343684935' post='1753789'] The more I look at this demo of the JHS Low drive, the more I wanna try one!.... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9PGNrBQwdg&feature=related[/media] it's got something sexy going on!.... I'm getting a boner! [/quote] Sounds amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Jean-Jacques in a box! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 (edited) The mod for the[b] badder monkey [/b]can be done by[b] sfx[/b] at a total cost of £67 (inclusive of the price of a bad monkey!) & the mod looks like a really pro & usable good job.... A stock monkey can be as little as £36[i] (....although there is one for sale on BC for £32)[/i] [url="http://www.sfxsound.co.uk/mainpage.asp?page=badm"]http://www.sfxsound....e.asp?page=badm[/url] The mod sounds tempting.... [size=4][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif]The[b] JHS Low drive[/b] comes i[/font]n [/size][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif]at around £150 inc postage from USA [/font][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif](on ebay)[/font][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif].... unless someone knows of a UK source?[/font] [size=4][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif]Very little info or useful demos for the cheap & cheerful [b][color=#282828]Biyang OD-10 Mad Driver...[/color][/b][color=#282828] anyone ever tried one?[/color][/font][/size] [size=4][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif][color=#282828]The[b] baddy 1 shoe heartbreaker [/b]does some nice things [/color][i][color=#282828](...as far as you can tell from the inadequacies of YouTube research) [/color][/i][color=#282828]Not so [/color][color=#282828]easy to get hold of though.[/color][/font][/size] [size=4][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif][color=#282828]I[/color][color=#282828] like what I hear of the demo of the[b] Ashdown [/b][/color][color=#282828][b] James LoMenzo Hyperdrive[/b] from above... but shame about the massive hoof print! unfortunately, that probably rules it out for me...[/color][/font][/size] [color=#282828][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif]Not heard anyone shouting about Boss etc.... any input from users?[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=tahoma, geneva, sans-serif]Others that sound worthy of investigation are the [/font][/color][b]Wounded paw black sheep, Xotic BB bass preamp[/b] & the[b] zeibek Geminidrive[/b] Just discovered that Digitech do a dedicated [b]Digitech Bass driver overdrive/distortion [/b]too!...[size=3] fo[color=#000000]r £63.00... [/color][/size] Also quite like the classic[b] Ibanez Ts9b Tube Screamer Overdrive [/b]but it's also pricey at £129.... I'm sure there are zillions of others ranging from stock to extreme boutique with exotic paintwork done by a 5 year old & colourful garishly clashing knobs, out there! & like someone mentioned, it's all a very personal thing as to what works for each of us.... But any further input of peoples experiences gratefully received... Edited August 1, 2012 by bottomfeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 The Boss Bass Overdrive has it's fans, but I'm not really one of them. The tone controls are pretty flexible and it's great for aggressive sounds, but it doesn't do what it says on the tin - ie overdrive. To my ears it sounds more like a mild distortion even at it's lowest settings, with an annoying fizz that is always present. But you may love it, many do. If you're looking for something really cheap the Behringer BDI21 is very good (it's a Sansamp clone), but again it doesn't do fuzz. At it's higher settings it's like a cranked valve amp. These can be had used for under £20, and new isn't that much more. It might be worth picking one up s/h and if you don't like it you can sell easily enough for the same kind of money. Though it can be worth hanging on to just for it's DI capabilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazWills Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 a shameless plug, but i have a dredgetone bass angler in the for sale section and it's a fantastic overdrive, goes from super low gain up to cutting rat-like distortion. BB bass preamp would be my pedal of choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I rate the Marshall Guv'Nor 2. Small, cheap, well built and capable of real filth. Also very flexible with Bass, Mid, Treble and 'Deep' knobs. Obviously Gain and Volume too. There's a few on here that also bloody f***ing love the Jackhammer too! Which is even cheaper! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 That JHS sounds amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 [quote name='lojo' timestamp='1343815483' post='1755534'] That JHS sounds amazing [/quote] It does indeed. The thing is, they all sound great on the promo videos on youtube. It's the whole point of them really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I have the Digitech Bass Driver, which I got from VoodooSnake on here. I had been searching desperately for just the right overdrive pedal and failing, until someone on here (sorry, the name has completely escaped me) did a review of the Digitech and completely slated it. Out of interest I did a Youtube search for it and liked what I heard. It has several really cool sounds, but you have to be careful because everything inbetween sounds a bit nasty, and not in a good way. My biggest problem with it is that I daren't touch the Tone knob, turning it up more than a touch makes it sound really digital and artificial, but I like the sound of it turned all the way down, so it's not a [i]really[/i] a problem for me. Oddly it sounds ace with a Guitar through it with the Tone knob turned up. I also like the demos of the Lomenzo Hyperdrive, but the sounds I like from it, in the demos, I can get from the Digitech. I'd say it's well worth checking out if you can get a decent amount of time to try it out before you buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 (edited) BB pre amp is great and allows you to balnce the tone well with other things as it is boost and cut. Currently enjoying what its doing with my p bass. I found, and you may not give a damn , is that while one pedal can maybe cover a low gain or moderate gain we would rather have two pedals that do each sound equally well cause we love to buy gear. I've happily loaned guys on here a pedal to see if it was what they were after during quiet, non-giging times but I'm busy over August. If you're still thinking about a BB pre amp gimme a shout and I can bounce it your way for a few days near the end of the month. Edited August 4, 2012 by krispn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 (edited) [quote name='krispn' timestamp='1344073479' post='1759358'] BB pre amp is great and allows you to balnce the tone well with other things as it is boost and cut. Currently enjoying what its doing with my p bass. I found, and you may not give a damn , is that while one pedal can maybe cover a low gain or moderate gain we would rather have two pedals that do each sound equally well cause we love to buy gear. I've happily loaned guys on here a pedal to see if it was what they were after during quiet, non-giging times but I'm busy over August. If you're still thinking about a BB pre amp gimme a shout and I can bounce it your way for a few days near the end of the month. [/quote] A generous offer sir! ....BB pre amp does sound like a possible contender...... After trying out a few different options, I'm finding that the pre amp route is maybe what I'm after..... sansamp, tonehammer, M-80 etc, rather than overdrive... [i] (if only they weren't all in massive boxes!)[/i] although I still like the idea of that JHS low drive! ....[i].I may just do something rash.... in the name of gas!! [/i] Edited August 15, 2012 by bottomfeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomfeed Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Thought I'd update this thread...... I've tried the[b] Bad Monkey[/b][i] (thanks to Matthew)[/i] ... for the money, a great value pedal.. Although for my needs, not a great deal of tonal variety. Also the[b] Catalinbread SFT[/b][i] (extra thanks to Nick, for letting me have it for such a long time!)[/i] Wasn't sure of this to start with, but when comparing with others, it really shines! very adjustable & the dynamic response makes it very usable... I've just got hold of the [b]JHS Low Drive v2 [/b]today....[i] Those Youtube demos seduced me somewhat![/i] ...& I'd managed to strike a good deal with Toneworld in Manchester. It's good..... but compared with the SFT it doesn't have the variety & dynamic response... if it had separate bass & treble controls, I'd probably still consider it.... Tried them all against my[b] Ibanez Phat Hed[/b], which continues to have value to me despite the fact that the dirt of it is quite buzzy end! The separate Low & High EQ knobs & the 'clean' setting are very usable.. Didn't get to try the Xotic BB bass preamp or the Dredgetone Angler...[i] (thanks for the offers, though)[/i] My conclusion is I definitely need bass & treble tone controls, so the Low Drive is going back... & will be replaced with the[b] Catalinbread SFT [/b] I could experiment with the BB bass preamp, but a new one of those is just that bit more expensive..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydye Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I'm considering selling my Lomenzo Hyperdrive (got on a trade from Charic recently) if that interests you at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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