Plankbadger Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I am a newish bass player. The bass is a four string Ibanez BTB 550 with Bartolini pickups and I use a Little Mark 250 head going into two Ashdown cabs; an ABM 115 Compact II and an ABM 210T Compact. To my ears, the rig sounds killer for cleaner styles of music but it is a rather too polite for heavier ones. I am considering buying/using one of more pedals to rock it up... Behringer BDI 21 Bass Amp Modeller Electro Harmonic OpAmp BigMuff Harley Benton American Harley Benton Ultimate Drive Harley Benton Vintage Overdrive TC Nether octaver. Would one or more of those pedals do a good job or is there another pedal that is a better option? Also, for recording and not live, would a Marshall JMP-1 preamp or Marshall JCM 900 SLX or even a studio compressor (1176 clone) give authentic sounds? Hoping to hear how you guys achieve good rock tone live and studio wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 The Behringer is a good place to start as it is very good value for money, and of very good quality sound wise. It does have a baked in colour to the sound though, as it emulates the more expensive Sansamp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Hey welcome to BC! I'm a bit of a stuck record on this(!) but if you're getting into a particular set of pedals for the first time then you get a ton of choice / opportunity as to see what's likely to work or not work by going for a cheaper multifx - and then you can follow up with a dedicated pedal which will nail the particular sound you're after. Personally I've got a Zoom B1-4 on my board and it also doubles up as a tuner, drum machine and headphone amp (with aux in) - as well as providing a decent selection of dirt options from Darkglass to RAT. The other recommendation if you are going for dedicated pedals is to see if you can pick up decent quality ones up used - that way you shouldn't lose much at all on a resale and means you get to A/B a bunch of pedals without breaking the bank. And one of the helpful things about buying from the BC for sale forums are the feedback threads which can you give you a lot of assurance that you're dealing with genuine folk. Having said all that the HB and Behringer pedals are already incredibly good value! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) I’m a Tech21 fanboy, so I’d say the Behringer BDI 21 is a great place to start and will also cover recording duties. Then, if you like what it does, you could upgrade to a full on BDDI or VTDI. Edited March 20, 2021 by ezbass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Tech21 Steve Harris. It's amazing and very very versatile. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Agree with the BDI21 recommendation as a solid starting point! Also the Zoom B1on / B3n do a pretty damn good emulation of a Sansamp BDDI and Darkglass B7K. For studio use you can record dry and do everything via plugins like Helix Native (which has a free trial!), but a common trick for heavier music is to mix a clean lowpassed compressed signal with a highpassed distorted signal. The Tech21 DP3X and Darkglass X7 can do this trick in one pedal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 12 minutes ago, dannybuoy said: Also the Zoom B1on / B3n do a pretty damn good emulation of a Sansamp BDDI and Darkglass B7K. And just to tie that in with my earlier post the available effects patches on B3N and B1-4 are the pretty much identical. I think the B1-on has been now been discontinued, but still come up used. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 One thing that's not been mentioned yet, is that if you're looking to use a distortion/fuzz/overdrive on your bass, then you need to find one that is specifically for bass use, in other words, it has a "Blend"/"Mix" function on it, Distortion etc. robs the bass of the low end, and so although it'll sound great on it's own, it'll get lost in a band situation. Which is where the "Blend"/"Mix" comes in. You need to keep a certain amount of the clean signal coming through in order to keep the low end. Start at 50% mix, & work from there. Bearing that in mind, the BDI21 is the one to go for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plankbadger Posted March 22, 2021 Author Share Posted March 22, 2021 Thanks for the information everyone, I think I should checkout the Behringer BDI 21 Bass Amp Modeller initially. It is super cheap and doubles as a DI to get things to line level - quite handy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Plankbadger said: Thanks for the information everyone, I think I should checkout the Behringer BDI 21 Bass Amp Modeller initially. It is super cheap and doubles as a DI to get things to line level - quite handy. I wouldn't be too sure about the line level. Even the 'line' on the Sansamp isn't so hot for some pro applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 My guitarist liked my paradriver so much he bought a bdi and that's what he records with. You'd be amazed how good they can sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 On 20/03/2021 at 11:09, ezbass said: I’m a Tech21 fanboy, so I’d say the Behringer BDI 21 is a great place to start and will also cover recording duties. Then, if you like what it does, you could upgrade to a full on BDDI or VTDI. As above. I have too many Tech21 products, all excellent. The most outstanding for me is the Leeds model, I can re-live my youth when I had real Hiwatts :). s the Leeds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 I'd start off with a Zoom B3 (used). Probably get one for around £60. You can then muck about to your heart's content with all manner of effects until you find what you really like and maybe then buy those specific pedals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted March 26, 2021 Share Posted March 26, 2021 I'd start with the Behringer BDI for sure. The best value for money pedal out there. The blend knob is your friend! If you're a fingerstyle player I'd also consider adding an Ashdown Hyperdrive (James Lomenzo signature). Still my favourite pedal after years of trying out all sorts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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