The Quest for the Holy Grail of Overdrive (HGO)

[jrbass70]

So I'm having a good time being finicky about my overdrive sound. I play a Fender American Pro II Jazz bass with the bridge pickup slightly rolled off for a bit of a rounder sound - My EQ is sloped down from bass to treble (not too extreme but generally a lower end sound). I'm looking for that big, thick bass sound with clarity

I have been using a subtle amount of drive on my TC MojoMojo and I do like it - the best part is how much it fattens up the D and G strings, but If you add more than just a bit of drive the E string gets really farty quickly and not always in a pleasant way. Lowering the Bass setting on the pedal helps. If not for this issue it would be the perfect pedal for my ears. What else I have tried -

RC Booster - very similar and it does have a lot more room in the overdrive before going all out, but it just doesn't give the same warmth or thickens as the MojoMojo no matter how I configure it.

Darkglass Vintage Microtubes - Not bad but seems to alter sound a bit and also the D and G get fuzzier then I would like, still like the MojoMojo better. However I will say I did like this pedal better on higher overdrive settings. At higher overdrive, the MojoMojo seems to be more of a fuzz pedal, it kind of goes from overdrive to fuzz really fast.

Nux Melvin Lee Davis Preamp - Actually has a nice overdrive on it but larger than I want and don't really need a preamp (Have an MXR M81 which I love for that)

Sansamp BDDI - meh (I know many love it, just didn't do it for me)
Overdrive on my Fender Rumble - don't really like that at all

Love to hear your thoughts - I know everyone has an opinion on overdrives!

 

[gtirard]

Did you try Jad Freer Capo? It's expensive for an overdrive pedal, probably because it's a lot more than that. But I never liked any overdrive pedal until I tried this the Capo. I don't know why, but it just sounds right.

 

[jrbass70]

Has anyone tried this? Blackberry Bass OD (OC-BBBODn)

 

[bassbrad]

The overdrive I turn to most often is the SA Aftershock since I can fine tune the sound to the bass and mix. If I want something simpler but still offers nice control and plenty of low end then the Fuzzrocious L'il Fella is very nice.

 

[klattman]

For overdrive I want it to go completely from clean to a fair amount of drive with finger pressure control. Tough call for most overdrives.
Those that do this for me in order of success

1. Ashdown ctm 15 full tube amp, with internal load and post transformer DI out to another amp, basically like a preamp.

2. Origin effects super vintage (the black panel is just as good but not my kind of character)

3. JF capo (though more modern sounding)

4. Ampeg SGT DI will work with most basses but can’t always dial it in.

5. DSM Humboldt bass simplifier (drive is good but not flexible)

6. Some modelers do okay (two notes opus etc).

I have NOT had luck with more traditional OD pedals etc.

 

[Lammchop93]

TC Spark or Spaceman Saturn VI

 

[fretless Bob]

Vemuram DJ1 gets my vote as favourite drive pedal and it has a boost channel.

It’s the Darryl Jones signature pedal (it does that broken up Jaco thing which is a sound I’ve been chasing forever) as well as a bunch of other really musical and wonderful sounds.

 

[LSMFT6]

Source Audio Aftershock

 

[MynameisMe]

Darkglass Vintage Microtubes

I have this. It's decent. Although I'm going to sell it because I don't use it enough.

Sansamp BDDI

Not specifically an OD pedal.

 

[fourstringdrums]

Genzler 4 on the floor? HPF/LPF, separate drive and clean volumes, 4 different drive "gears". Extremely versatile.

 

[Smurf-o-Deth]

It may, ultimately, not be a drive pedal that gets you what you are looking for, at least if I am understanding you correctly. If you are looking for that sort of studio-sheen, harmonically-rich articulation, you might be better served by one of a few different compressors that also feature a transformer in the audio path. When pushed just right, they will fatten your tone and add harmonic gloss that helps your notes stand out in a mix, without ever needing to venture into farty lows territory. This is what I use my Niche Humboldt for (and my Broughton Studio One, but that’s not something I’d recommend casually, considering the relative rarity of them).

 

[willsellout]

There is no holy grail. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all that…but more specifics would be nice. Do you play in a band or at home for starters. What type of music? Quite a few pedals I own sound great live but not great recorded, and vice versa. Quite a few pedals sound good in certain contexts but not so great in others.

 

[FaithNoMan]

@willsellout sage advice.
And of the ones listed here I love the Vintage Microtubes. It's perfect with a "hi-mid" eq or overdrive fed into it for me. It's warm but has the metallic character I love from Darkglass.(more amplike than the B#K series for sure)

 

[jrbass70]

There is no holy grail. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all that…but more specifics would be nice. Do you play in a band or at home for starters. What type of music? Quite a few pedals I own sound great live but not great recorded, and vice versa. Quite a few pedals sound good in certain contexts but not so great in others.

There is no holy grail. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all that…but more specifics would be nice. Do you play in a band or at home for starters. What type of music? Quite a few pedals I own sound great live but not great recorded, and vice versa. Quite a few pedals sound good in certain contexts but not so great in others.

I hear you - I was just joking really with the holy grail thing. So - I play at home and in about 3 different bands ranging in styles from Funk/Rock/Jazz to Pop/Motown and 90s Grunge. I really don't use the pedal too much in my funk gigs but it comes in handy when playing Motown, some modern pop songs and of course grunge. I don't record all that much and I'm sure that's a whole another world where what sounds good recorded may be different than live but not worrying about that right now.

Anyway I'm looking really mostly for a subtle overdrive that just thickens everything up. As I said the TC MojoMojo really does it well - no other pedal I have tried makes the D and G sound so thick without adding a lot of actual distortion. However, the E string really starts farting out once I start pushing the drive up past 10o'clock. The Vintage Microtubes had the opposite problem (loved the sound of the E and A strings but the D/G got way too fuzzy quickly). From time to time I'll add more dirt (for example if I'm playing Alice in Chains).

Honestly, the TC MojoMojo works but you know it's fun to see if there is something out there that would be my own personal holy grail!

 

[capnjagg]

Are you testing these all in a mix or just solo? That’s a big distinction, because sometimes what works solo doesn’t work in a mix, and vice versa.

Edit: Looks like you hit send before I did! Have you checked out the MojoMojo’s cousin the TC Spark (full version, not the boost)? It seems to add a nice certain something to the tone, I think it’s worth a look. I had the same issues with the MojoMojo as you, decent in lower drive settings, to fizzy as you turned it up. It ended up being replaced with a Tech 21 YYZ, which I absolutely love, but I also play P basses so not sure if it’ll be too “Geddy” for with a J. If that ever crapped the bed, I might be looking for a Way Huge Pork Loin myself. Or maybe something modeled after an Orange, Matt Sharp’s Pinkerton tone is my absolutely favorite J bass tone, lovely and thick.

 

[Killing Floor]

Earth Drive is still pretty awesome. Blackstone. Bluesbreakers, the Wampler Pantheon is a good BB.
Personal preference is a boost to slam your amp. Sex Drive for me. So many options. Too many of the most popular circuit types aren’t great for bass.
There’s no best. But I’d question the math pan of anybody who doesn’t like what I like.

 

[Aidenn7]

 

[el murdoque]

Has anyone tried this? Blackberry Bass OD (OC-BBBODn)

I use a Jazz setup with the neck pickup favored, and I have worn flats on there to get more thump and less ring.

My holy grail overdrives (for the moment) are:

-BJFe Blueberry (BBBOD). I can't say how the original handmade version compares to the OneControl version, but it is a great device. It adds some excitement in the midrange that is hard to describe, but feels like it makes the drive sit perfectly in a mix.

-Audio Kitchen Fake Plastic Trees. This pedal is simply amazing. It looks simple, but has a lot going on. There are multiple sweet spots for multiple applications - so far this is the only pedal where I would not find 'my' settings and stick to them in a matter of half an hour.

-Lehle RMI Basswitch Sonic Spark. It can do a very subtle drive that is very pleasing on the ear, and it feels just right on your fingertips

-Xotic BB Bass Preamp. Very dynamic, very pleasing sound that feels natural and organic.

Honorable mention goes to the Fuzzrocious BDPG. Run any dirt pedal of choice into that one to take a fat sound and make it a FAT sound.

 

[Phe]

Have you tried an eq before your Mojomojo? Push the lower mids, back off the bass, maybe?

 

[micguy]

So I'm having a good time being finicky about my overdrive sound.
Love to hear your thoughts - I know everyone has an opinion on overdrives!

I've been on the same quest for....a decade. I've tried the stuff you're mentioned, and a lot more. I'm not sure I'll ever really get "there".

I've spent a lot of money on over drives, and shipping back overdrives that just son't cut it. The ones that have stuck around are:

Genzler 4 on the floor - this was mo favorite for a while, but right now it's not my favorite flavor - that happnes from time to time.

Pike Vulcan. Yes, there was a bit of controversy over this, but when you come right down to it, Darkglass's stuff is generally voiced to edgy for me, except for the Vintage Microtubes, which isn't edgy enough (too middy). The Vulcan is the "Goldilocks" in this family of overdrives - it fits just where I want it to (for that style of overdrive).

Greer Lightspeed - for the subtle, hint of breakup, more felt than heard, this one is (right now) on one of my boards.

MojoHand DMBL - not something you hear about around here, this has a nice, subtle amount of mid push, works well not pushed very hard, and it supports a low B very well (you can even add low end compared to the clean signal, should you want that. It and the Lightspeed sound "ampish" while not blending anything.

Origin DCX Bass. The way I've used this, it's pretty darn clean, but not completely clean. There is a feel thing that it has that's pretty cool. Pretty sure noone in the audience will notice it, though - very subtle. It has nice treble and bass controls - good for gametime decisions about minor tone tweaks at a gig - my main EQ is locked down at home, and never gets messed with on the gig.

J Rockett Blue Note - does the subtle thing very well also.

At this moment, I have a Damnation Audio Dirtfixer I just got - not an overdrive, but a bypass/mixer pedal that allows you to blend clean or clean low end with a dirty mid/treble from an overdrive. I've experimented a tiny bit with it, but due to a big gig coming up this weekend (I'm focusing on practicing more than experimenting with gear - what a concept) , I'm saving the real trials until next week. I have a couple "transparent-ish" guitar overdrive pedals that I'll try with it. From a few quick trials, it appears that the challenge with this is the low mids - where things end up blended from both the clean and dirty paths, you get to pick from normal or inverted polarity, and neither (because of all the phase shift going on in both paths) is "correct" - it's a matter of whether you like the result or not. Not sure if this will be a big snag or not - time will tell.