What´s the best distortion for bass?

Started by markusw, April 07, 2004, 10:03:32 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

markusw

Hi, all. I have tried a tube screamer modded for bass (thanks to tonepad and amz!) and its sound quite interesting with my 5-string, but now I want something different. Any suggestions?

SaBer

For just a little bit of grit I think you can get a great growl with no frequency cutting at all. Just plain old simple diodes in the feed-back-loop. Turn up the gain and you'll get a horrible sound, but with low gain levels I think it's the best way to go. I'm still in the search for a good high-gain bass-distortion...
There are 10 kinds of people in this world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Chris S

The deluxe Bazz Fuss at Runoffgroove sounds great. I built one for my bands bassplayer.

runmikeyrun

I made a Buzz Boz, two bazz fuss circuits in series.  The site claims there's an octave effect but damned if i could hear it.

Anyhow, i used two 2n5088 configured in a darlington arrangement for each half of the circuit and led's as the clippers.  You could use something with a lower threshold for more grit but the led's really let a lot of the bass frequencies through.  At max gain i get a tone similar to Geddy Lee's in "Rush- different stages live" album.

Actually I have a sound clip from my website... It's a pretty horrid mp3 but it will give you an idea of the distortion you'll get out of it.  I also use a 5 string bass, and the pedal was set to full gain:

http://www.vmsrecords.com/dissolute/serial%20purpose.mp3

best of luck.
Mike
Bassist for Foul Spirits
Head tinkerer at Torch Effects
Instagram: @torcheffects

Likes: old motorcycles, old music
Dislikes: old women

B Tremblay

Quote from: runmikeyrunThe site claims there's an octave effect but damned if i could hear it.

Anyhow, i used two 2n5088 configured in a darlington arrangement for each half of the circuit and led's as the clippers.

By substituting LEDs and transistors, the octave effect may be lost.  Use the parts Christian specifies for best results.
B Tremblay
runoffgroove.com

downweverything

i think its hard to beat a boss odb-3 but i have never seen a schematic...does anybody have one.... also the fuzz of an acoustic 360 is pretty cool if you have a blend pot added in

markusw

Thanks to all for your suggestions!!
I think the acoustic 360 is a little too complicated right now. Probably I will try the buzz box.

Two more questions:

1. where can I find the schematics (layout) for the Buzz box?

2. Has everyone tried to play a bass through a Tube driver?


markusw


niftydog

man do I wish I had a circuit for it... but my all time fav would have to be the "Prunes & Custard Harmonic Generator & Intermodulator"
niftydog
Shrimp down the pants!!!
“It also sounded something like the movement of furniture, which He
hadn't even created yet, and He was not so pleased.” God (aka Tony Levin)

nofretsplz

RODENTRODENTRODENTRODENTRODENT!!!!!

I've used a Vox Valvetone (basically a TS) and a few weeks ago I found an old Rat for cheap. It's no accident that a whole generation of grunge bass players swear by this pedal! I can get just a tiny growl, all the way up to sustaineac chainsaw fuzz....

The most important feature for the bassist is that the Rat (Rodent) gives some very clear harmonics and highs, without taking away *any* of the bottom. Perfect for making the bass cut thru the mix live. Just try a Vintage Rat in the store, then go home and build a Rodent. You will freak out!

Hope this helps,
James

Greg Moss

For more modern high gain bass distortion, I recommend  some of the overdrives designed for modern/nu-metal guitar, particularly the Danelectro Fab-Tone.  Others have had luck witht he boss metal zone pedals.  I have found the boss bass overdrive a little tame for my tastes, but that's good too.  I liked the overdrive characteristic of the the rat on bass, but I did think it was a little lossy on the sub-lows.  Check ou the paralooper on moosapotamus' page:

http://www.moosapotamus.com

it opens up a lot of bass fuzz options....[/url]

markusw

Thanks again for your helpful suggestions!!!

Looks like I will have to check several distortions. Actually a multi-distortion stompbox would be great.

Grocha

runmikeyrun,
  Hi, can you post once more de sample? I know that is a old topic, but i´ll build the deluxe bazz fuss and the sound sample is very welcome !

Thanks, and excuse my english

ambulancevoice

Open Your Mouth, Heres Your Money

sfr

I find any distortion box that doesn't seriously cut out the low end is fine, and then just tack a graphic EQ on the end of that to get your tone back sounding like a bass, and switch 'em both with a bypass box.  (Of course, this method requires you to have a bass graphic EQ pedal kicking around for no particular reason.  I honestly have no idea where this one in my house came from, to tell the truth.)
sent from my orbital space station.

black mariah

Quote from: Grocha on April 02, 2007, 01:27:14 AM
runmikeyrun,
  Hi, can you post once more de sample? I know that is a old topic, but i´ll build the deluxe bazz fuss and the sound sample is very welcome !

Thanks, and excuse my english

There are some Bazz Fuss clips here: http://home-wrecker.com/salvo.html

Bernardduur

I've tried way too much pedals right now on my bass........ and haven't really found THAT pedal yet.

Best advice ever on bass: clean blend! Add a clean blend to any distortion / OD pedal to make it sound way better on bass. It evens out the frequency loss, opens up the sound and makes it way more usefull.

My own signal path: clean blend with EHX microsynth, EHX Hot Tubes (old version)

Awesome tone!
Am learning something new every day here

SquareLight | MySpace account

Laus

haven't found the perfect OD yet...will I ever? Is there a perfect OD for bass? I tried some things:
Bazz Fuzz, Big Muff, ODB-3, TS-clone(Bassdrive/LowRide), Minibooster, Flipster

All quite nice but not it. For the hard works I use the ODB3 because of the high sharp grit which sounds like a good fart on the low B. The TS clone is much softer clipping (Ge diode, should try a led next), the biggest failure I made there is the tone control, I really need a separate bass/highs EQ in it, and still an 18V adapter. Flipster is perfect for lower OD settings, nice bit dirty and warm. When it clips harder, it's horrible.

Next things to do will be a hard clipping setup with a rat or such. I'm also going to breadbord a dual Minibooster with a Flipster tonestack, could work out, maybe with some hard clipping diodes. In have a paralooper (Lender) so can easily try guitar OD's.
Damn I love my pedals...

herr.satz

I use a Red Llama/Tube Sound Fuzz hybrid with modified cap values as a bass distortion/overdrive and I love it. Have a bazz fuss too but even with the drive knob I find it too full on.