muppethenry Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Any ideas for a good overdrive? Is the Sansamp one any good? Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 So much scope here, sure this topic already came up, have a browse of this forum. Theres a few Sansamps, if its the BDDI its a a useful item whatever. But the drive is pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redzombie Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 The Sansamp Bass Driver ain't bad, but the Sansamp VT Bass is effing blinding. IMO of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Theres hundreds out there - It would help if you could give us a bit more info to work on - How much do you want to spend? Do you want a bit of grind or full on dirt? Is pedal board space an issue? Would you like one that doubled as a D.I? etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 i think it is certainly not all in the title, at all. There are many, many, MANY different types of overdrive and distortion out there. What kind of tone are you after??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muppethenry Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 I want something that really kicks up my tone and the 'growl' of my bass. Something that really adds edge and dirt but not a full blown fuzz (thats another issue; whats the wooly mammoth like...?) or necceserily distortion. Just something that growls when i kick it in and has that more filthy edge. Space on a pedal board isnt a worry for the moment as this will be my first pedal (hopefully of a simple yet effective pedal board that gives me the sounds i want; overdrive/fuzz, compressor (perhaps), octaver and some kinda wah/phasor). Basically sound is more important than size, or pretty much anything else! Not too bothered about it doubling as a DI, whats the bonus? Although one of the PA men i work with said he'd prefer to get a fully clean signal alongside any wet signal i give him so he can mix them himself and not lose any front of house 'presence'! Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Sansamp BDDI is definitely a good start, should be able to score one fairly easily due to the new shiny one coming out and people 'upgrading'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy67 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The Ashdown James Lomenzo hyperdrive is a pretty cool sounding and flexible pedal coupled with the fact that it has tue bypass and a mix mode. [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=210"]http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=210[/url] [url="http://www.imuso.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?StockCode=EG03452"]http://www.imuso.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?StockCode=EG03452[/url] andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan_da_man Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I was after the same thing has the TS and I ended up getting the Blackstar HT-Drive. It has a valve in it which is being pushed when you turn on so you get all that valve goodness. One of the best overdrives I've used in ages. And it's built like a tank too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Well if your not bothered about it doubling as a DI then I may be reluctantly selling my Fulltone BassDrive, PM me if your interested (oooh shameless plug I know ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 [quote name='andy67' post='388214' date='Jan 22 2009, 09:13 AM']The Ashdown James Lomenzo hyperdrive is a pretty cool sounding and flexible pedal coupled with the fact that it has tue bypass and a mix mode. [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=210"]http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=210[/url] [url="http://www.imuso.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?StockCode=EG03452"]http://www.imuso.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?StockCode=EG03452[/url] andy[/quote] +1 for the James Lomenzo. In spite of the metal connection with Mr Lomenzo, its a really versatile pedal, and exceptionally good value. I also like the Hartke VXL Bass Attack - nice sounds but the big down side is that the EQ section is always engaged, even when you turn the drive off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 (edited) [quote name='muppethenry' post='388147' date='Jan 22 2009, 01:11 AM']I want something that really kicks up my tone and the 'growl' of my bass. Something that really adds edge and dirt but not a full blown fuzz ([b]thats another issue; whats the wooly mammoth like...?[/b]) or necceserily distortion. Just something that growls when i kick it in and has that more filthy edge. Space on a pedal board isnt a worry for the moment as this will be my first pedal (hopefully of a simple yet effective pedal board that gives me the sounds i want; overdrive/fuzz, compressor (perhaps), octaver and some kinda wah/phasor). Basically sound is more important than size, or pretty much anything else! Not too bothered about it doubling as a DI, whats the bonus? Although one of the PA men i work with said he'd prefer to get a fully clean signal alongside any wet signal i give him so he can mix them himself and not lose any front of house 'presence'! Cheers![/quote] Pretty much like the Fuzzface it shares it's circuit with - a bit more bottom end. Edited January 22, 2009 by Musky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 What are we enjoying about the Sansamp VT Bass most? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I've had a number of overdrives, and have tried lots out, cos it's a really essential part of my tone. There's lots of types for many different circumstances. In terms of bang for buck, I'd definitely say go and try the Ashdown pedals. I never liked the valve overdrive on their amps, but these are actually very versatile. The standard Bass Drive pedal is one that I've gone for, and for a specific reason: it allows you to distort the lows and highs separately, and balance between them, so you can keep the low end a little cleaner than the top end. This really works well. The Ashdown Lomenzo takes a slightly different approach, and allows you to select a specific frequency band and only send this to the distortion circuit - again you can maintain cleaner low end and just distort in the area of 2-3kHz to add your grit. I would say both of these pedals work really well for different situations and are both well worth a try. Only down side to these is they're really big, but if pedal board space isn't an issue then no worries. I also have an EBS Valve Drive, which I love for it's vintage tone, but does have a few down sides. The sound can get so 'old school valvey-ness' that it compresses the top end a little too much and you end up feeling like you lose your definition when you kick it in. Also, there's so much bottom end in these units it's ridiculous (which is great, as most distortions suck out a lot of bottom end) but in some cases it can feel a bit overwhelming, and there isn't any way to actually remove bottom end (you can add some in though). This overdrive works best when you're just tickling the input and it's clipping quite softly - it's REALLY warms up the signal, and adds a little bit of natural valve compression, and for this reason I leave it on all the time and roll off a bit of bottom on the amp. It's the most authentic vintage 'valverator' pedal I've tried, but definitely a matter of taste. I have also tried the EBS multidrive, but wasn't quite as impressed at that. I also have a Sansamp BDDI, but I don't like using the drive circuitry very much as I think it sounds crap and muddy - others will disagree, guess it's a matter of taste - give it a try. I just use it for my DI to front of house to make it sound more like an amp (why can't engineers just stick a mic on the bass cab!!!). Also this pedal does have a habit of making all basses sound very similar ( but in a kind of good way). I've used Blackstar pedals a fair bit. These sound fantastic on guitar, and they can sound nice on bass if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of low end. I wasn't, and so I passed it by, but I was very close to buying one. Definitely give them a try. Used a Boss ODB-3 a fair bit when I was younger cos it was all I could afford. It sounded brittle and crap on 99% of rigs I put it through, but I do remember one recording session where I put it through this fairly small Trace Elliot practice amp, and when recorded it sounded absolutely MASSIVE! Weird! So I guess in certain situations i might sound ok, but I'd steer clear of it to be honest. I thought it sounded very artificial. Anyway - hope all that gives you some ideas! Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redzombie Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 [quote name='Toasted' post='389362' date='Jan 23 2009, 10:16 AM']What are we enjoying about the Sansamp VT Bass most? [/quote] For lack of a better term, I enjoy it's "OMPH!" the most. But seriously, other than doing a great SVT impersonation with the character knob anywhere between 9 and 12 o'clock (B15 too at other settings supposedly, but I've never played one), my favourite 3 things about it would be - Drive - Does none or extremely subtle, all the way to something resembling a fully cranked tube amp. All this without having to damage the foundations of the building (unless you want to), losing any bottom end (that I've noticed anyway), or sounding like anything that may come out of one's backside after a build up of gasses. I A/B'd mine with my BDDI at rehersal the other night, the BDDI just sounds horribly light and farty in comparison. The word "castrated" came to mind when using the BDDI, and "COJONES" when playing through the VT Bass. Mids - Cut 'em, crank 'em, leave 'em somewhere in the middle. They're all there to do whatever you please with. Versatility - Sounds great going into the front of an amp as a regular stomp box or as I normally use it, into the effects loop return as a preamp. Will turn a cheapo, crap amp into something quite useable when used in the latter way IMO. Oh and it's tiny as far as preamps generally seem to go, just stick it in yr gig bag and run it straight into the PA or the cheapo amp at yr next jam night. Downsides - If you don't like Ampegs, you won't like this. No multi-preset programmable version... yet. Has a red LED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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