On a bass guitar, bass distortion serves a very specialized function. Although uncommon in cleaner-toned genres like jazz, it is pervasive in rock and harsher genres like metal. In fact, you are almost certainly going to want to spend money on a decent distortion pedal if you are looking to emulate the bass tone of iconic bands like Black Sabbath, Motörhead, and hard rock and roll hall of famers.
You’ve come to the correct spot if you’ve been looking for a bass distortion pedal or studying the effect. You’ll find all the information you need in this article to decide which bass distortion pedal is best for your requirements, as well as six excellent suggestions for certain pedals.
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Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra V2
- Blend: Mixes the clean input signal with the overdriven signal. The clean...
- Attack Switch: Sets the amount of treble content to saturate
- Grunt Switch: Sets the amount of low frequency content to saturate by...
Darkglass, a Finnish manufacturer of bass equipment, has established a reputation for producing high-quality distortion pedals specifically created for American bass players. Their top-of-the-line, feature-rich distortion pedal is the B7K extreme. A clean preamp and EQ section, as well as a flexible and comprehensive overdrive/distortion section with independent footswitches, are included in the package. Eight control knobs and four 3-way dip switches make for a rather crowded control arrangement, but you’ll soon get accustomed to it since it is relatively simple.
By pressing the bypass footswitch to activate the preamp section, you gain access to the master volume control, which lets you adjust the pedal’s output level, the active EQ (bass (+/-12dB@100Hz), low mids (+/-12dB@250/500/1kHz), high mids (+/-12dB@750/1.5/3kHz), and treble (+/-12dB@5kHz), as well as the two dip switches that let you adjust the low and high mid Drive, Level, and Blend knobs are also included when the Distortion footswitch is on, along with the two remaining 3-way dip switches for Attack and Grunt. The Attack switch controls how your distorted signal’s high end responds, either flat, boost, or cut. For the low-end, the Grunt switch performs the same function as the Attack switch.
Drive controls the degree of distortion or overdrive, Level controls the effect’s level, and Blend combines the distorted and dry signals. From slightly overdriven to nearly fuzz-like levels of distortion and sustain, the B7K Ultra delivers a remarkably diverse variety of distortion sounds. Even though they are all more forceful, they all have great voices. Although a little overdrive may not be as smooth as with a bass overdrive pedal specifically designed for that purpose, this one comes close. The extremely distorted tones produced by this pedal sound excellent and have a lot of punch and clarity. You have additional tonal possibilities when you can mix in your dry signal. The cabinet simulator, which you can add to the DI signal with a button on the side of the pedal, is a pleasant feature. The D.I. is clear and transparent (with a ground lift lever on the side). With the 3.5mm headphone jack and 3.5mm aux in, you can practice without disturbing your neighbors while jamming to your favorite songs.
An analog distortion pedal with digital cabinet modeling is called the B7K Ultra. A powerful distortion section is combined with a flexible preamp/active EQ section. You may customize your tone with the EQ, which offers +/-12dB cuts or boosts for the bass, low mids, high mids, and treble. The low mids and high mids each have three center frequencies that can be chosen. You may activate the preamp and distortion sections independently using the two footswitches. You may feed your signal directly into the console or PA system using the DI XLR balanced out. You can practice in solitude thanks to the 3.5mm headphone in and 3.5mm aux-in ports. It simply requires 120mA@9V DC from a PSU.
Anyone seeking for an excellent distortion pedal should consider this pedal! You can obtain ear-shattering distortion from it as well as use it as a transparent preamp to sculpt your clean tone. Despite the fact that there are several knobs, the layout is simple and easy to learn. The B7K Ultra is a wonderful choice for any contemporary music genre that calls for a lot of distortion.
The Swiss Army Knife of distortion pedals is the B7K Ultra. You receive a preamp/EQ, a variety of distortion sounds, a DI, and a tool for practicing. Although it may appear a little on the pricey side, the number of functions it offers makes up for that. This is the Best Bass Distortion Pedal in 2023.
MXR M85 Bass Distortion
- Based on a classic distortion circuit famous for its nasty sound
- Separate Dry and Wet level controls
- Model Number: M85
This MXR pedal is very awesome. They developed the M85 bass distortion pedal in collaboration with Ryan Ratajski, the man behind Fuzzrocious Pedals. The ability to switch between two distortion circuits is what distinguishes this pedal; the Sil setting utilizes silicon diodes to clip your signal, while the LED option use light-emitting diodes to produce the desired distortion. The M85 features a straightforward 4-knob control scheme. The degree of distortion introduced to your signal is controlled by distortion, Tone is a high-frequency roll-off that only affects the distorted signal. Dry controls the level of your dry tone that is added to the output. Wet controls the volume of the distorted signal that is added to the output.
The pedal accurately reproduces a variety of distortion tones. The LED option sounds wide and warm and responds well to playing dynamics while the Sil setting has a more aggressive sound with more harmonics and compression. The M85 is highly adaptable as a distortion pedal, allowing you to quickly tune in both tight and snappy metal bass lines as well as vintage, lo-fi, fuzz-like bass tones.
The M85 is a two-tone generation circuit-equipped, all-analog bass distortion pedal that may be chosen via a switch on the faceplate. Distortion, Tone (affects solely the distorted signal), and separate Wet and Dry knobs to dial in your favorite combination of the clean and distorted signal make up the control arrangement. A genuine bypass ensures that none of your tone is lost when the pedal is turned off, and an internal trim pot is used to modify the LED clipping circuit’s gain. It uses a PSU or a 9V battery to draw 11mA@9V.
Due to its two distinct distortion circuits, the M85 is very flexible, although it is fundamentally a rock pedal. It is simple to use and sounds amazing in both a metal band and a vintage rock context. Take a look at the M85 if you’re searching for an analog bass distortion pedal that’s affordable for what it delivers and is made in the USA; you won’t be disappointed.
One sturdy pedal that is affordable, has two distinct distortion tones, and is formatted for use on a pedalboard. Look no further if you’re seeking for the greatest affordable bass distortion pedal!
Behringer Bass Overdrive BOD400
- Get tube-like distortion, smooth sustain and super-fat tone
- This BEHRINGER product has been designed to compete head to head with...
- Unique Balance control to blend between overdriven and dry bass sound for...
By this point, everyone is aware of what Behringer pedals are all about: bright plastic casings, accurate imitations of iconic effects, and very affordable costs. It would be impossible to tell the difference between the Boss ODB-3 bass overdrive pedal and the BOD400 in an A/B test. The purple plastic shell has a straightforward control arrangement with Level controlling output loudness, Gain controlling degree of overdrive/distortion, Balance blending dry and treated signals, and a 2-band boost/cut EQ for customizing tone.
The variety of wonderful sounds you get is astonishing; the BOD 400 can produce anything from a delicate, creamy overdrive to intense distortion. Unexpectedly low noise levels are seen as well. Compared to other overdrive pedals, it may seem a touch synthetic at certain extreme levels, but it still sounds fine and the tones can still be used as needed.
A purple, rigid plastic casing holds the BOD400. Gain, Level, Balance, and a 2-band boost/cut EQ with High and Low knobs are part of the 5-knob control configuration. It may be powered by a 9V block battery or a normal PSU. There is no need to worry about tone loss since this buffered bypass pedal has a decent buffer. The enclosure may be the only thing to worry about, however the plastic is really incredibly strong and breaks very seldom.
The BOD400 could be the right pedal for you if you need an overdrive pedal for that one riff in the song, if you’re new to pedals and want to check them all out, or if you don’t have a lot of money but yet want a solid overdrive pedal that works well.
Due to its very cheap cost and excellent overdrive tones, the BOD400 analog bass overdrive pedal has gained recognition in the bass player community.
Source Audio Aftershock Bass Distortion
- Dry/Wet Blend Controls; USB; and Free Neuro Apps for iOS
- Bass Distortion Pedal with Tube
- Fuzz Overdrive Engines; Drive
The Aftershock lives up to Source Audio’s reputation for making superb digital pedals and stompboxes. This digital bass distortion pedal has a ton of secret functions and is quite versatile. The Aftershock has four control knobs labeled Drive, Level, Tone, and Clean, a single 3-way dip switch in the center, and a conventional footswitch. At first look, it seems to be a typical distortion pedal. The Drive knob controls the degree of distortion, Level controls the pedal’s total output level, Clean controls how much dry signal you want to add to the output, and Tone controls the distortion effect’s tone. Turn the Tone knob clockwise for brighter sounds and anticlockwise for darker sounds.
You may choose from the three preset distortion sounds—Tube, Heavy, and Fuzz—by using the dip switch. You may access strong distortion sounds with the Heavy option, an overdrive simulation that sounds smooth and creamy, and all the woolly crazy you could want from a fuzz effect with the Fuzz setting. If the Aftershock just offered this, it would already be a fantastic distortion pedal. There’s more, however. You’ll see that it has two 1″ inputs and two 1″ outputs upon closer investigation. These provide you a variety of routing possibilities, ranging from utilizing the extra in/out as an external effects loop to routing one or two instruments into two independent rigs with unique distortion circuits for each. The Aftershock becomes a monster once you see the USB port.
You may access a vast array of other settings if you link it to your PC or Mac. You may choose from among the tens of preset distortion kinds and store them to one of the three selector switch positions while editing the “Tube, Heavy, Fuzz” settings. The 2 distinct distortion engines, parametric EQ, Noise gate, filters, routing possibilities, and external control are just a few more features that are available to you.
With two inputs and two outputs, it offers genuine stereo operation. With Drive, Level, Tone, and Clean knobs and a 3-way switch to choose between Tube, Heavy, or Fuzz distortion modes, it features a traditional control layout for a distortion pedal. You may customize the sound of the pedal in a variety of ways using the USB port, which is located on the front side of the device. You may attach external control devices like expression pedals or Source Audio’s Hot Hand Motion Controller through the 3.5mm control input connector. It is contained in a strong shell that is convenient for pedalboards. Only a 9V PSU can provide the Aftershock with power, and it consumes 180mA.
With the additional tweakability when connected to a PC or Mac, the Aftershock is an extremely adaptable distortion pedal, and your possibilities are almost endless. The three basic sounds it delivers out of the box for Overdrive, Distortion, and Fuzz all sound amazing, so you will still get your money’s worth if you are new to distortion pedals and don’t want or need the in-depth capabilities.
One of the market’s most adaptable pedals is the Aftershock. It comes with three great-sounding presets right out of the box, but in order to really use it, you’ll need to spend some time customizing the presets to your tastes. You get hundreds of pedals for the price of one at this pricing. Overall, I would say that this pedal is a great choice. It’s the greatest bass distortion pedal you can get.
Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi Bass Effects Pedal
- Blend allows a player to mix to taste the direct and distorted signals
- Three outputs: a 1/4" effect out, 1/4" direct (buffered dry) out and XLR DI...
- Foot-switchable crossover section with a variable low pass filter on the...
The Big Muff Pi from EHX is a renowned fuzz pedal used by both bassists and guitarists. There have been a few Big Muff Pis designed specifically for bass players throughout its revisions, but none of them had this amount of intricacy and control. It has a dip switch, 2 footswitches, and 7 knobs. The Loudness knob controls the pedal’s output volume. Blend allows you to adjust the wet to dry signal ration to your preferred level. the upper mids and treble are either boosted or reduced, The amount of fuzz you want to add to your signal is regulated by sustain. The toggle switch allows you to choose a -10dB reduction to handle basses with hotter inputs. Gate adjusts the sensitivity of the onboard noise gate, HPF sets the range of the high pass filter, LPF sets the range of the low pass filter.
While the crossover footswitch activates the chosen settings for the high and low pass filters, the bypass footswitch switches the pedal on and off. The Deluxe BBMP is one of the most adaptable distortion pedals on the market thanks to all its tuning ability. With only a little Sustain and more dry than wet signal, you can obtain smooth, overdriven bass tones; with more Sustain, you can get totally saturated, harmonically rich buzzsaw fuzz tones. The Sustain, Tone, and Blend knobs work together to produce a variety of sounds. Given how loud Big Muffs can be, the noise gate on this pedal is a blessing and performs as it should. By adjusting the two filters, you may further your possibilities for tone shaping and, with the flick of a footswitch, switch between two distinct distortion tones.
The Premium Bass The ultimate version of the Big Muff Bass fuzz is Big Muff Pi. It contains 7 control knobs (Volume, Blend, Tone, Sustain, Gate, HPF, and LPF), a -10dB switch, and 2 footswitches. It is constructed in a double-sized cast aluminum housing (Bypass and Crossover). With its 14″ Direct Out, which enables you to pass your dry buffered signal to a second amp or to another effects chain, and its XLR D.I. output, which enables you to send your wet signal straight into a mixing console or recording equipment, it offers you a variety of routing possibilities. It may be powered by a conventional 9V PSU or a 9V battery.
The Deluxe BBMP is designed with fans of fuzz in mind. Although it is a highly flexible and good-sounding pedal, its intricate control scheme may deter beginning bass players (though it shouldn’t). It takes a little while to get used to it and understand what everything does, but once you do, you can start enjoying the tonal benefits. The cost of this fully loaded pedal seems excessively inexpensive given all it delivers. This could be the fuzz pedal for you if you like complete control.
This feature-rich pedal was created as a result of input from bass players over many years. This is the best fuzz pedal available at a very affordable price.