Graham Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 I'm thinking about changing up some pedals, what would you suggest for a light drive to give a more aggressive, but not overly distorted tone? I like to use something more aggressive sounding for Chelsea Dagger, Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor, Enter Sandman etc. Bass Soul Food? Xotic BB Bass? Something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defo Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 Did you think about the MXR deluxe fuzz? It just dials in the fuzz over the higher frequencies and lets you keep the meat of your tone, it's almost like a synth in some ways, I have used mine with an octave pedal for Levin kind of stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 I think the Bass Soul Food is excellent and can easily do the Chelsea Dagger sound. With a P bass that is 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 Bass soul food, dod bass overdrive should both do the trick with a p bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazWills Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 I love the BB preamp, but I wouldn't say it's aggressive... maybe a SS/BS Mini would fit the bill? I would say something RAT based, but that's moving more into distortion and higher gain than you're probably after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 +1 for Bass Soul Food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 6, 2017 Author Share Posted August 6, 2017 Cheers guys......it will be on a J rather than P, but sounds like a Soul Food will fit the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 [quote name='Graham' timestamp='1502045235' post='3348966'] Cheers guys......it will be on a J rather than P, but sounds like a Soul Food will fit the bill. [/quote] Front pickup then 😁 Easy to sell on too if you don't like it. I think you will though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0175westwood29 Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 The Ashdown NM2 is pretty cool can do heavy drive but also just lightly adding some harmonic overtones andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westenra Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Get the source audio aftershock and then you've got distortion/overdrive/fuzz and many more at your disposal. Using the app too you can tone them right down so that they just had a slight edge to your tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 7, 2017 Author Share Posted August 7, 2017 I've actually got a Source Audio Soundblock 2 at the moment, and I really like the tones on offer, but I find the programmable nature of it difficult for live use. I'm not committed to changing, but I do find myself wishing I could make changes to the pedal during a gig without re-programming it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Hartke VXL - cheap as chips, great sound to dial in Two Notes LeBass - more expensive, but well worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 That's why they simplified the new line so that you can treat it just like a standard drive pedal with a 3-way toggle, then only delve deeper into programming and presets if you want to. I was pretty disappointed with both the Aftershock and Bass Soul Food though, I struggled to get a pleasing tone out of either of them. They seem to work very well for others though, so don't write them off! For a Chelsea Dagger type sound I would pull out something with a bit of upper mid clang to it like a VT Bass, Aguilar Agro, or Two Notes Le Bass. If I didn't own those and was starting from scratch though, I think my first port of call would be the Joyo Orange Juice, hard to beat for the price! It's set a bit toooo agressive in the first part of the vid but it demos some more tones later on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq9CDL4Jdyo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 7, 2017 Author Share Posted August 7, 2017 I'm liking the sound of the Joyo, particularly at that price point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 I'd never head of the BSF until i clicked on this thread. Sounds like the one i just ordered will be replacing my Darkglass VMT. I like the VMT but its not quite what i was hoping for. I had the VMTD a while ago and thought that was better. i also upgraded to the Ultra but didnt keep that long as it was a bit overkill. These days i need a bit more distortion, along the same line as what Graham needs, and for similar songs. I do have a VTBass DI which i love, and a Zoom B3n, but i really just want to use one pedal at gigs with as little room to fiddle with as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) If you need more drive than a Darkglass Vintage Ultra the BSF is definitely NOT what you're looking for... The Joyo OJ has MUCH more distortion on tap than the BSF. I'd like to try the Ashdown NM2, but the form factor is a killer for me. Edited August 8, 2017 by Bigwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 What i meant when i said it was overkill was the Ultra was too tempting got keep tweaking. Too many knobs for what i needed. The tone was of course amazing, but i found i would keep tweaking it and it got too distracting. Same goes for the Zoom B3n. I like the simple life so the less knobs the better. With the VMT i just tend to leave it on all the time and only tweak the Vintage knob to suit the song. Recently though ive found i also turn up the Drive quite a bit for a few songs. Thing is i find the VMT to be a bit dark sounding, even with the vintage knob right up. Ive not actually played the BSF yet, but i feel the VMT has to go either way. I can do without the warming effect the VMT gives when used always on. The other option i was looking at was a BK3. I like what i hear in the B3n simulation, but for what the BSF costs ill give that a try first. Im quite new to distortion (as opposed to just warming a head up) and i know ill go through a few boxes before finding the one that suites me. Might as well start at the cheap end. Its from Amazon so i can easily send it back if i dont like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 Quick update. I didn’t like it. Although i only tried it at a very low volume i can tell its not what i was hoping for. It’s nice, but seeing as i already have a VMT and VTBass DI Which both sound much fuller i might as well send it back. Going to try a BK3 next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 If you like the Vintage but want a more brighter sound, the latest version of the VMTD has the attack switch from the B7K, effectively a pre-gain hi-mid boost. But then there is the Pike Vulcan, which sounds like a more aggressive version of the Vintage, which happens to be available to rent from the newly sprung up https://fxpedalrental.com! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) Thanks for the recommendation. Actually I'm not really in love with the VMT, its just that i have it. I think i need to move on to the BK range or use my VTBass DI more. I had the VMTD Ultra but was overwhelmed with all the knobs and although i got some great tones it was too distracting and i kept messing with it. I want something simpler. I think this is more a GAS thing than a real need, so i dont really want to spend much. Edited August 23, 2017 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 [quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1502191564' post='3349855'] I'd like to try the Ashdown NM2, but the form factor is a killer for me. [/quote] I had an Ashdown Lomenzo overdrive, it sounded brilliant (at least it did through a tweeterless cab), but it's footprint was a pain. Particularly as I took the chassis off at one point and found the PCBA was only a small proportion of the pedal, and sparsely populated at that - they could easily get it into a small enclosure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 [quote name='Graham' timestamp='1502278423' post='3350395'] I had an Ashdown Lomenzo overdrive, it sounded brilliant (at least it did through a tweeterless cab), but it's footprint was a pain. Particularly as I took the chassis off at one point and found the PCBA was only a small proportion of the pedal, and sparsely populated at that - they could easily get it into a small enclosure. [/quote] The Ashdown Lomenzo is one of my all time favourite pedals. I've been planning to reverse engineer mine and build a clone in a smaller enclosure for quite a while. It's still on the "to do" list though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 The Catalinbread SFT is very nice. I like mine a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 20, 2017 Author Share Posted August 20, 2017 So, off the back of this thread Ian (Bigwan) sold me his Orange Juice and I used it at last night's gig. It certainly did what I asked for and made my tone a lot more agressive, possibly too much, but I think that's because I had to change settings half way through the gig and didn't get a chance to put it back. I can't get over how small and cheap these are, it seems like a Tech 21 Leeds in a much smaller, cheaper box. I've a Deluxe Big Muff coming in the post this week, so at next weekend's gig I'll have that for the heavy drive and the Orange Juice for the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Glad you got it sorted. I ended up going for a BDDI v2. After about 30secs with it i started to wonder why i ever sold my old one. Although i have the VTBass DI, which is technically better and more versatile, its the BDDI tone i had been missing for the past few years. Now i need something i can use for more dirt, will look in to the Orange Juice as it does look liek a real bargain and i like the idea of the smaller size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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