Low(er) gain, dynamic response OD pedal

BaileyMan

BaileyMan

Jan 8, 2012
1,707
2,053
5,116
Oly Pen
#1
I'm using a Catalinbread SFT currently. It generally does what I want. I've had a couple of issues with it and sent it in for repair once. Now it needs a new foot switch as it will sometimes cut the signal out altogether. I can give it another stomp or two and it's fine, but it's pretty annoying and not so convenient at gigs. Should be an easy enough fix for me to do at home, or I'll send it to Catalinbread...again... :-(

One thing I'd like to change about the pedal is the amount of gain it has. I'd like a tubey kind of overdrive with a dynamic response (meaning a softer touch on the strings will produce little to no OD, but when digging in harder, there's a touch of grit). The SFT does this, but if I turn the gain knob past about 8:00 it's too much grit for my taste. Anything over 9:00 is definitely too much overdrive for me. This leads to a very small usable amount of gain control for my needs.

So...what I'd like to know from the OD gurus out here is what other OD pedal would you suggest for me that has a dynamic response with low(er) gain?

I've come across these and have listened to some demos, but they don't always show what I'm wanting to see/hear. Will any of these fit my bill? Other suggestions?

Blueberry Bear Foot
Darkglass Vintage Microtubes
Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop
Dave Hall VT-1 or VT-2
 
#2
Barbershop or Bearfoot BBOD. They are the most touch sensitive low gain OD's I've used.

The Barbershop is more transparent IMO and excels at low gain. The breakup is not as pleasing to my ears if you try to make it do more.

The BBBOD is a darker sounding pedal but has more gain on tap and is more useable at higher gain (still low gain in the grand scheme of things) settings.

I prefer the Barbershop with J basses and the BBBOD with P basses.
 
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#4
Lehle rmi Sonic spark pedal is exactly what you are looking for. The dynamics are incredable on that pedal. When you crank the gain to max, it only has a very mild OD. But enough to give a bit of edge.
 
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#5
Dave W said:
Barbershop or Bearfoot BBOD. They are the most touch sensitive low gain OD's I've used.

The Barbershop is more transparent IMO and excels at low gain. The breakup is not as pleasing to my ears if you try to make it do more.

The BBBOD is a darker sounding pedal but has more gain on tap and is more useable at higher gain (still low gain in the grand scheme of things) settings.

I prefer the Barbershop with J basses and the BBBOD with P basses.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I wanted to say.
 
#6
The Barbershop comes up again and again...I'll have to check it out...

John Kallas over at Overdrive-Pedals also recommended it as his favorite low gain, touch sensitive OD.

I might also need to try the Bearfoot BBOD, also gets recommended a lot.

I think the TC Electronics pedals sound great, and I like the Tone Print technology, but I've heard mixed experiences on reliability. They seem to have a definite lifespan, with not many options other than replacing them. :-( Correct me if I'm wrong...

That Lehle Sonic Spark, sounds great! I'm not sure if it's "exactly" what I'm looking for though...

If I could mod my SFT to have lower gain, I'd probably be pretty happy going that route, especially once I get that foot switch replaced.
 
#7
BaileyMan said:
The Barbershop comes up again and again...I'll have to check it out...

John Kallas over at Overdrive-Pedals also recommended it as his favorite low gain, touch sensitive OD.

I might also need to try the Bearfoot BBOD, also gets recommended a lot.

I think the TC Electronics pedals sound great, and I like the Tone Print technology, but I've heard mixed experiences on reliability. They seem to have a definite lifespan, with not many options other than replacing them. :-( Correct me if I'm wrong...

That Lehle Sonic Spark, sounds great! I'm not sure if it's "exactly" what I'm looking for though...

If I could mod my SFT to have lower gain, I'd probably be pretty happy going that route, especially once I get that foot switch replaced.
Click to expand...

Hmm...never heard of any problems with TC Pedals. I've been using them for years with no issues. I've got about 8 of them now, and they've survived all of my abuse! The Spark is not a Toneprint pedal, as it's 100% analog.
 
#8
mmbongo said:
Hmm...never heard of any problems with TC Pedals. I've been using them for years with no issues. I've got about 8 of them now, and they've survived all of my abuse! The Spark is not a Toneprint pedal, as it's 100% analog.
Click to expand...

Cool! The issues I've read about have been with the Tone Print stuff, but glad to hear you've been trouble free for years! The Spark is a contender, especially at $90!
 
#10
I would give the Sonic Spark a try. It's really dynamic. It slays the barber shop and the TC, but the TC is the best bang for the Bucks. There is awesome sale at prymaxe where you can get a good deal on all three of these pedals right now.
 
#11
First thing to try if you can, is run the SFT at 18v. It gives it a bit more headroom, and it might be enough to keep it in your good books!

I had an SFT on my board for years and replaced it with the Bearfoot Blueberry. I never liked the SFT above 9 o'clock on the gain as it went all mushy and killed all the thump in the note attack. Now, the Blueberry is still quite vintage and wooly in nature, but as you turn up the gain it does not overly compress like the SFT. It's everything I wanted the SFT to be and more.

If you want something that sounds almost transparent with the gain down with the slightest 'hair' of drive, the Barbershop is great for that. But pushed beyond that setting it can sound quite nasty (not in a good way), especially if you have a bass with a hot output.

The most touch sensitive OD pedal I've tried is the BB Preamp. Very clean with the gain low and light playing, yet gets very gritty/grainy when you dig in. It's like its own instrument with how you can transition from clean to dirt just with your own fingers.
 
#12
Dave W said:
Barbershop or Bearfoot BBOD. They are the most touch sensitive low gain OD's I've used.

The Barbershop is more transparent IMO and excels at low gain. The breakup is not as pleasing to my ears if you try to make it do more.

The BBBOD is a darker sounding pedal but has more gain on tap and is more useable at higher gain (still low gain in the grand scheme of things) settings.

I prefer the Barbershop with J basses and the BBBOD with P basses.
Click to expand...

Quoted for goodness.

I've not liked the Barbershop clips I've heard particularly at higher gain settings. I do like my BBBOD quite a bit. I think the quoted post has some pretty solid assessment value.
 
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#13
@dannybuoy I am running it with an 18v power supply. Sounds like for a variety of reasons the SFT also wasn't the best choice for you. A seller on Reverb just accepted my offer on a Barbershop. I want to check the others out too, but don't have the money to just start buying a bunch of pedals, but I'd love to spend an afternoon A/B/C/D-ing a bunch of pedals...maybe find a seller with a good return policy???
 
#16
Alright, I have 4 pedals on the way...

Lehle Sonic Spark
TC Electronic Spark Boost
Bearfoot BBBOD
Fairfield Barbershop

Of these 4, I expect to keep one and return the rest...

The only other one I'd like to try is the Catalinbread WIIO, but I'm not chompin' at the bit for another Catalinbread...

Thanks for your input fellas!

I'll post updates with my impressions once I get to checking them out.
 
#17
I dont understand why nobody shouts "grizzly bass!!!!"

It has been my b3k/bbbod/barbershop-and-many-others killer...

Should you use a jbass, then is a no brainer. Will put your sound and tone on another level...
 
#18
Oh man! Another one to consider?!? Soooo many options...I've been mostly playing a P- Bass these days with the OD. If none of these 4 do it for me, I'll check out the grizzly...particularly if it's got a dynamic/touch sensitive response.
 
#19
I'm beyond happy with the Darkglass VMT, it killed my GAS for a low-medium gain overdrive!!

Depending on the output of your bass it really wont start breaking up until 10:00-11:00, I will say though it does boost some midrange but in a good way to my ears, so I wont claim its transparency if that important to you!
 
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#20
mmbongo said:
TC Electronics Spark Booster, kicked the Blueberry (too muddy) and Barbershop (too raspy/thin) right off my board.

Prymaxe has them for $90

TC Electronic Spark Boost
Click to expand...

If you've used the Mojomojo, how would you compare its low-gain OD to the Spark? I have a Mojomojo on the way which I'm hoping to use for subtle overdrive. Wondering if the Spark would be better or different enough to also get one.
 
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