Bassdirt

Answering a question at LO and posting at basstalk, I said:

A friend asked for his bassist my opinion of the types of and what makes good, cheap 1st bass dirt and I answered as follows and so thought to post it here. Yer mileages will, I am sure, vary. 

What you wanna say is, “fuzz/distortion” and “overdrive” are two different kindsa dirt.
Approximately and subjectively:
Boost is clean and un- to barely colored.
OD is what peeps call “warm” and “on the edge of break up”.
Distortion is “broken up.”
Fuzz is a more compressed distortion, often smoother and it often needs some signal-split to keep the bottom.

Keep in mind that boosting can create overdrive by sending a hot signal into the preamp, overdriving it – usually works best with tube front ends but can work with S/S (that’s the principal of “stacking” pedals, afterall.)

Inexpensive, hip, and better’n the rest is the new (mini) Green Russian Muff – I like it better’n the Bass Muff.

Way Huge Pork Loin, Pickle, Rhino are also good, and very flexible.

Great over the top is the MXR Bass Fuzz.

Nice, warm and more OD is the EHX Hot Tubes, Crayon, etc., and the Black Star Blue OD.

EHX Hot Wax gets good reviews.

There are bass versions of the EHX Soul Food and the Tubescreamer, also.

The key thing with bass dirt is to use pedals that don’t lose low end, unless you are wanting to split the signal.

Some Rat knock-offs and even versions can be good, also, but ya gotta watch the lows.

All the forgoing are under US$100, altho’ you may have to buy used to make that price limit.

I also like the Voodoo Pedals Sparkle Drive.

A good cheap rat is the RatAttack.

Zvex makes great stuff for bass, particularly the Mastrotron and Distrotron, and the Wooly Mammoth is a fave over-the-top, but they are more expensive; there are many decent clones.

Then there’s multi FX – The Zoom MS60B is pretty good and under $100 used.

The Tube Driver, Blue Tube stuff is awesome if ya want the tube sag.

I like the Ashdown pedals, but they are big and heavy.

The Visual Sound Rt66 and Rt66 standalone compressor are excellent, if a little noisy – the stand alone has a lot of gain and seems a overdrive just past boost.

Then there’s Source Audio; the OFD is awesome, and the Aftershock get great reviews, altho’ digital.

Then ya get to boutique stuff …

Vlayman

I should have quit the blues a long time ago, long time ago
I wouldn’t be here, my children, playin’ this lame version of, “The Killin’ Floor”.

 

Anatomy of a dooshie muso ad

Older person’s jam! (40 and over) all instruments (South burbs)
Like to jam with experienced people? I’m holding a jam as soon as there are 3 or more people that respond to this ad. Doesn’t matter what instrument you play – in fact – the more the merrier! Would like to have a cellist for some
old Neil Diamond tunes done as a duo for small venues too!
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On Sat, Oct 26, 2019 at 7:28 PM M.E. V.  wrote:
I might could be interested on bass or guitar
mick: 312-
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On Sat, Oct 26, 2019 at 8:43 PM craigslist 7007841542 wrote:
I play a bit o bass as well. Can you come to Joliet?
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 4:23 PM M.E. V.  wrote:
Yes, I’m in Orland.
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 5:16 PM craigslist 7007841542  wrote:
Great! Come over to Caterpillar Dr 60436 – let me know when
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 7:47 PM M.E. V.  wrote:
do you have a drummer?
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 9:05 PM craigslist 7007841542 wrote:
Yes, I do. 3 right now to choose from
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 10:50 PM M.E. V.  wrote:
Cool!
I’m kinda on vacation this week, just not avail Tues or Sat AM, nor Friday night, but open the rest of the week.
Lemme know when, and if I’m on bass or guitar. ‘-D
mick: 312-
mevvvpc@
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 11:09 PM craigslist 7007841542  wrote:
probably guitar! u do leads?
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 11:17 PM M.E. V.  wrote:
Yep, and that there, whaddyacallit, rhythm stuff, too. ;-D
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On Sun, Oct 27, 2019 at 11:55 PM craigslist 7007841542  wrote:
My name is Darrell – when can u come here
Caterpillar Dr Joliet … call 815 on arrival
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On Mon, Oct 28, 2019 at 12:50 AM M.E. V.  wrote:
As said,  I’m kinda on vacation this week, just not avail Tues or Sat AM, nor Friday night, but open the rest of the week.
Tomorrow for a jam?
When are you and a drummer avail?
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On Mon, Oct 28, 2019 at 9:44 AM craigslist 7007841542 wrote:
I won’t invoke a drummer until “we” (Whoever we will be) have a routine down of at least 10 of the ‘harder’ songs.
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On Mon, Oct 28, 2019 at 11:45 AM M.E. V.  wrote:
Alright, good luck to you then, I’ll pass.
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craigslist 7007841542
12:02 PM (11 minutes ago)
Sounds more like YOU FLUNKED! I have too many drummers anyway

Cheap comps for vox

Posted as an answer at TOMB:

The FMR RNC and, for a few Eastwoods more, the RNLA are pretty great.

I like the dbx160XT a lot, and the 166 is useful on two-mixes (DOD sold a pretty good cooperative version as the 866II).

You can also find more vibey Meek stuff like the VC3 and (preferable) VC3Q and the various MC and SC units cheap. I’d also add the ART VLA II, and some of the Symetrix stuff, altho’ I have to note that while I have such units (dbx, DOD, Meek and Symetrix) without issues they are starting to mebbe getting to need caps and such …

Finally, IMO, the Presonus Eureka is usually available as an absolute steal, a “channel strip”-type with a slightly colored, leaning-clean, pre/comp and EQ.

Vlayman: “Some Blooze*

1. Pull It Off 03:28
2. Ain’t No Heroes 06:28
3. Damn Shame 03:44
4. Some Change 04:00
5. How I Play 03:57

When I told a ol’ friend of many bands about this, he said, “But you don’t play the blues.”

He’s correct – this is some blooze.

released October 12, 2019

Ever’thin’ by yo at FetaCentralRecording DDL, souf of Chi.

Fartwerk by Jose Jones.

No aminals was harmed during the making of this collection, but I did kill a relationship

– OK, two.

Thanx to pinot grigio, seagrams extra dry, tullamore do, evan williams and peychaud.

bandcamp; vlayman;
THD; Geronimo Cowboys;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

scumble: *bad lads*

1. Deina kai Chara 03:36
2. Blood on the Baby 04:01
3. Bad Lads 04:05
4. The Worst Thang 04:07
5. Friend, Luna 03:14

They met on anuvver Planet, dedicated to doing what they wanted, destined to, even, and then they came and they wreaked havoc, and they was knowed as bad lads …

released October 5, 2019

Bad Lad Grankspoine: keys, guitars, horns, percussion, derrangments, sequencing, knife-work
Bad Lad Vlayman: all else and bludgeons

Produced, recorded, mixt, masturd at FetaCentralRecording, DDL Chicago, IL except BLG’s stuff done in London, UK

Fartwerk: a St. Werther’s alum

bandcamp; vlayman;
THD; Geronimo Cowboys;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.