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Uncompressed Tubey Mild Transparent OD?
- Thread starter donahue
- Start date
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- Tags
- fat od transparent
I think the mild, tubey OD thing might be the most subjective of all "which pedal" discussions. I've tried most listed out of boredom and curiosity. The three I liked most were the Grizzly, Barbershop and full sized TC Spark. I started with a Barbershop and after a lot of flipping landed back on the Barbershop. I just love the character of the breakup and its sensitivity responds perfectly to my basses and playing style. I've never had issues with the kazoo sound so I think that's another example of personal rig and style playing a huge part in how you experience a pedal. Spark was similar but with a slightly different type of breakup. Grizzly was awesome but a few things... some of them silly/petty. If purchasing them all used, which I HIGHLY recommend, It's $60 more than the Barbershop and $100+ more than the Spark. It's bigger. The lighting and graphics are not my style. I also found the knobs moved too easily and its sweet spot, for me, was small, so it might get bumped and then I have to fix it.
The only real solution is to try a pedal and move on if it doesn't quite do it for you. I'd start cheap and try the Spark and then maybe a Barbershop and so on.
Edit, I love and miss the suppa phat phuk/ phat phuk b. I didn't think of it as tubey necessarily but it's a rad pedal. And Wren and Cuff graphics are great.
The only real solution is to try a pedal and move on if it doesn't quite do it for you. I'd start cheap and try the Spark and then maybe a Barbershop and so on.
Edit, I love and miss the suppa phat phuk/ phat phuk b. I didn't think of it as tubey necessarily but it's a rad pedal. And Wren and Cuff graphics are great.
This thread has more than exceeded my expectations! So much knowledge and great advice here. Thank you all who contribute in a positive way. My wording and descriptions were/are vague and confusing I know. Just trying to find some magic in a box as I'm sure most of you try to do.
I'll try to respond to a few comments.
I'll start by saying I'm a set it and forget it guy. When I get a pedal I try to find its best sound/setting imo and focus on its greatest strength. If that strength works for my style and music projects I keep the pedal set there and use it for that. That being said, I have some great pedals on my board that would surely work great as mild od, but I don't use them for that and don't want to be twisting knobs for different needs all the time. For example, I have a VMT but have it set pretty brash for goosing some other pedals and it sounds phenomenal for that so those settings will stay. I also have an MBD but mild od would be a waste of that pedal imo for my needs. I want a dedicated pedal only used for mild od goodness. I'm going to make a list of all mentioned pedals tonight and check them out, but so far, the Spark (one knobber or 4 knobber?) and the Barbershop seem like a pretty good place to start. I also realized I have a GMP that's currently not assigned, so I'm going to see what kind of low od tones I can get out of that beast as well.
Keep the suggestions and discussion going. I'm having fun
I'll try to respond to a few comments.
I'll start by saying I'm a set it and forget it guy. When I get a pedal I try to find its best sound/setting imo and focus on its greatest strength. If that strength works for my style and music projects I keep the pedal set there and use it for that. That being said, I have some great pedals on my board that would surely work great as mild od, but I don't use them for that and don't want to be twisting knobs for different needs all the time. For example, I have a VMT but have it set pretty brash for goosing some other pedals and it sounds phenomenal for that so those settings will stay. I also have an MBD but mild od would be a waste of that pedal imo for my needs. I want a dedicated pedal only used for mild od goodness. I'm going to make a list of all mentioned pedals tonight and check them out, but so far, the Spark (one knobber or 4 knobber?) and the Barbershop seem like a pretty good place to start. I also realized I have a GMP that's currently not assigned, so I'm going to see what kind of low od tones I can get out of that beast as well.
Keep the suggestions and discussion going. I'm having fun
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Yeah, I’ve tried a number of Betas, and they just lack any sort of definition and get completely lost in a band mix.
Yes, I was searcing same thing as you, must have was not losing low end and not coloring sound... I couldn't believe it but TC got it, can't understand why people don't know more about it.
Here is my video with P bass and flats
And here is with Thunderbird and rounds
Yes. The one knob pedal is called Spark Mini.
The Spark Booster is fantastic, although inappropriately named.
For transparent, uncompressed OD I consistently hear the TCE Spark, Fairfield Barbershop, and Grizzly come up. I've only had the Barbershop and it was tubey in feel and clipping response (esp with sag turned down/up), but didn't impart a baked-in EQ curve.
Way Huge Pork Loin. I had it side by side with a VMT and thought it was better. Got the same tones with more balls and more versatile.
This thread has more than exceeded my expectations! So much knowledge and great advice here. Thank you all who contribute in a positive way. My wording and descriptions were/are vague and confusing I know. Just trying to find some magic in a box as I'm sure most of you try to do.
I'll try to respond to a few comments.
I'll start by saying I'm a set it and forget it guy. When I get a pedal I try to find its best sound/setting imo and focus on its greatest strength. If that strength works for my style and music projects I keep the pedal set there and use it for that. That being said, I have some great pedals on my board that would surely work great as mild od, but I don't use them for that and don't want to be twisting knobs for different needs all the time. For example, I have a VMT but have it set pretty brash for goosing some other pedals and it sounds phenomenal for that so those settings will stay. I also have an MBD but mild od would be a waste of that pedal imo for my needs. I want a dedicated pedal only used for mild od goodness. I'm going to make a list of all mentioned pedals tonight and check them out, but so far, the Spark (one knobber or 4 knobber?) and the Barbershop seem like a pretty good place to start. I also realized I have a GMP that's currently not assigned, so I'm going to see what kind of low od tones I can get out of that beast as well.
Add Dr Scientist's The Elements to your list. This pedal is extremely versatile, IMO it can be set up for a light OD as you've described in the OP/subsequent posts. Blend, EQ, selectable clipping and selectable gain stages enable it to do mild. If you don't like that flavour of mild, then you can dial in several other grittier sounds that you can set-&-forget. I'm sure there's something inside it you can use.
Having said that, I've got a Barbershop as well and am looking at getting some form of Blueberry-ish OD.
Did your Earthtone buddy build your Driver with stock specs or did he tweak it for bass?
In GPCB's build notes, it says if the Driver is to be used solely for bass, then C16 (the output cap) can be bumped up in value to let more bass through. Stock C16 is 100n, GPCP suggests bumping up to 220n for bass.
However, the input cap is also listed as 100n, which I think could also be increased to 220n. It's my understanding that input and and output capacitors have a key impact on the bass response of a circuit, and to some degree coupling caps as well.
For the "Bass Driver", I plan to use 220n caps for
C1 (input)
C3 (coupling, stock is 100n)
C16 (output)
Most likely I'll put 'em on a switch so I can select between 100n or 220n .
Had and flipped the Barbershop, Grizzly, and Beta (jfet/germ). Have the Phat Phuk B, Aggie THDI, and Lehle/Basswitch Sonic Spark.
I always want in depth personal reviews when I'm looking at dirt pedals - here's my contribution to the mess of info scattered around this board.
Beta is cool in the videos, but the low end boost on the model I had (cream/red) was pretty intense. It's baked in, so there's no way to really avoid it. I dig it for the motown vibe, but it was not my cup of tea for always-on grit.
Barbershop and Grizzly are definitely touch sensitive. I played both with active and passive basses (active jazz, passive jazz, passive P), and felt that the Grizzly could take the heat from my active bass where the BShop didn't deal quite as well. I think the barbershop sounds sweet, but it did get a little honky/kazoo-ish digging in on my active jazz, and that was without boosting any lows/mids on my jazz. I flipped it because of that, and I felt that it slightly compressed/rolled off some of the lower lows in an undesirable way. Perhaps nothing you would miss (may even welcome it) depending on the sound you're going for, but I definitely noticed it. My hope was for an OD/tube simulator to add harmonics and a bit of thickness or fatness. I thought the barbershop was almost too transparent in that it didn't thicken the way I like. YMMV...
Grizzly was more diverse in the amount and type of grit I could dial in, handled actives like a champ, and the funkulator & hi-cut knobs are cool - if you intend to use them. However, it sounds like you don't want any mid-scooping or major tonal changes, so the bottom two knobs may be unnecessary. I honestly flipped the grizzly because it wasn't doing enough to my tone, given how I was using it. This is just my opinion, but the grizzly simply sounded like a bit of hair or grit "on top" of my standard bass signal, since I was just using a hint of the mid scoop and hi-cut. I don't like rolling off too much high end, and thought the scoop sounded better with slap than fingerstyle. It's a great pedal, but I wanted a bit more character and more of that tubey fatness.
Wren & Cuff PPB - Maybe not top of your list, but this definitely has that magic something. First off - there is only one real demo (from WrenAndCuff) on youtube, and it sounds like he's pushing a tube amp with it. I don't think it's a good representation of what it can do on the more subtle end of the spectrum with a solid state amp. It adds some presence and girth to the entire range of your bass - a little sparkle in the highs, some harmonic thickening across the mids, and some fatness/punch in the lows. The internal trim pot allows you to tweak the way it responds, and the germanium transistor definitely has a sweet spot to it. The way mine is set, I get a tiny bit of breakup if I really dig in on the E string in the first position. Otherwise, it's more sparkly fattening, rather than breakup or distortion - it just makes my bass sound 'bigger' when kicked on (or kept on as it were).
Tons has been written on the Aggie THDI. I love this pedal for grit and tube-emulation. It can run clean, but I think the AGS is where it shines. Using standard EQ settings and super low gain with the AGS, I've been able to dial in some fairly transparent hair/grunt with just a touch of roll-off in the highs. The real revelation was reading this post and trying his last suggested setting ("Here's another trick..."). The THDi is not the most transparent pedal out there by any means, but I really dig the character it imparts. I think everyone hears and describes their ideal "tube tone" a bit differently, and the TH gets close to what I'm looking for. Bonus: I won't claim it sounds the same, but this pedal does a solid impression of a DB751 (minus the 750 watts of MOSFET power kicking you in the chest).
Lehle Basswitch Sonic Spark. Worth a mention if you want lots of harmonic 'richness', added punch, and don't need anything significant in terms of distortion. Ed Friedland has a great demo on it - I will say that even with headphones, the video doesn't fully display the sparkle and fatness you get from it in person. The lower Intensity/EQ knobs can do a lot on their own and have a pretty wide range. If you keep things on the deeper side and don't go crazy with the intensity, you can then use the enhance to bump up the amount of harmonic content and dial in your desired amount of punch/presence. It can get a little bright if you crank the "enhance" and/or roll the 'eq' knob toward "bright", but it's manageable by rolling off the treble/tone control on either your bass or amp.
Have fun...
I always want in depth personal reviews when I'm looking at dirt pedals - here's my contribution to the mess of info scattered around this board.
Beta is cool in the videos, but the low end boost on the model I had (cream/red) was pretty intense. It's baked in, so there's no way to really avoid it. I dig it for the motown vibe, but it was not my cup of tea for always-on grit.
Barbershop and Grizzly are definitely touch sensitive. I played both with active and passive basses (active jazz, passive jazz, passive P), and felt that the Grizzly could take the heat from my active bass where the BShop didn't deal quite as well. I think the barbershop sounds sweet, but it did get a little honky/kazoo-ish digging in on my active jazz, and that was without boosting any lows/mids on my jazz. I flipped it because of that, and I felt that it slightly compressed/rolled off some of the lower lows in an undesirable way. Perhaps nothing you would miss (may even welcome it) depending on the sound you're going for, but I definitely noticed it. My hope was for an OD/tube simulator to add harmonics and a bit of thickness or fatness. I thought the barbershop was almost too transparent in that it didn't thicken the way I like. YMMV...
Grizzly was more diverse in the amount and type of grit I could dial in, handled actives like a champ, and the funkulator & hi-cut knobs are cool - if you intend to use them. However, it sounds like you don't want any mid-scooping or major tonal changes, so the bottom two knobs may be unnecessary. I honestly flipped the grizzly because it wasn't doing enough to my tone, given how I was using it. This is just my opinion, but the grizzly simply sounded like a bit of hair or grit "on top" of my standard bass signal, since I was just using a hint of the mid scoop and hi-cut. I don't like rolling off too much high end, and thought the scoop sounded better with slap than fingerstyle. It's a great pedal, but I wanted a bit more character and more of that tubey fatness.
Wren & Cuff PPB - Maybe not top of your list, but this definitely has that magic something. First off - there is only one real demo (from WrenAndCuff) on youtube, and it sounds like he's pushing a tube amp with it. I don't think it's a good representation of what it can do on the more subtle end of the spectrum with a solid state amp. It adds some presence and girth to the entire range of your bass - a little sparkle in the highs, some harmonic thickening across the mids, and some fatness/punch in the lows. The internal trim pot allows you to tweak the way it responds, and the germanium transistor definitely has a sweet spot to it. The way mine is set, I get a tiny bit of breakup if I really dig in on the E string in the first position. Otherwise, it's more sparkly fattening, rather than breakup or distortion - it just makes my bass sound 'bigger' when kicked on (or kept on as it were).
Tons has been written on the Aggie THDI. I love this pedal for grit and tube-emulation. It can run clean, but I think the AGS is where it shines. Using standard EQ settings and super low gain with the AGS, I've been able to dial in some fairly transparent hair/grunt with just a touch of roll-off in the highs. The real revelation was reading this post and trying his last suggested setting ("Here's another trick..."). The THDi is not the most transparent pedal out there by any means, but I really dig the character it imparts. I think everyone hears and describes their ideal "tube tone" a bit differently, and the TH gets close to what I'm looking for. Bonus: I won't claim it sounds the same, but this pedal does a solid impression of a DB751 (minus the 750 watts of MOSFET power kicking you in the chest).
Lehle Basswitch Sonic Spark. Worth a mention if you want lots of harmonic 'richness', added punch, and don't need anything significant in terms of distortion. Ed Friedland has a great demo on it - I will say that even with headphones, the video doesn't fully display the sparkle and fatness you get from it in person. The lower Intensity/EQ knobs can do a lot on their own and have a pretty wide range. If you keep things on the deeper side and don't go crazy with the intensity, you can then use the enhance to bump up the amount of harmonic content and dial in your desired amount of punch/presence. It can get a little bright if you crank the "enhance" and/or roll the 'eq' knob toward "bright", but it's manageable by rolling off the treble/tone control on either your bass or amp.
Have fun...
Agreed, however a lot of OD pedals can compress your signal to the point of losing dynamic response from your bass. I'm assuming the OP meant something that doesn't interfere with his playing dynamics. That does exist.
I love my Electronic Audio Experiments Dagger and my Adventure Audio Glacial Zenith.
The Dagger has less color to it. The downside is that the version that's available is silicon only (I have a prototype). When John puts out a no diode version get one. One of the absolute best drive pedals around.....or find a Longsword. That has the clipping options.
The Glacial Zenith is also incredible. It has limited eq, however it works beautifully on bass. This one is based on a Tubescreamer circuit. That means it has a bit of a mid bump that adds a bit of it's own color. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I do. Absolutely love it. Beautiful sound and super dynamic.
Both impart very little compression and are super dynamic, even at 9v.