Fran wrote:Anyone tried the Digitech Screamin' Blues?
I'm sure that was based on the Blues Driver.
iirc i was reading around about the blues driver and the screamin blues and the digitech pedal is literally a part for part clone of the boss, but with a potentiometer instead of a resistor for the bass control
Yep, cheaper Blues Driver with a bass knob. Also it was previously one of the old DOD compacts, FX102 Mystic Blues (conceivably found even cheaper)
I thought the DoD Mystic Blues pedal predates the BD-2 but just checked and it was released three years after in 1998.
Your memory is better than mine Paul.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:17 am
by Bacchus
I always liked the blues driver. Do any of the clones fix the splatty decay?
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:38 am
by Doog
I remember my bandmate having one many years ago and it was pretty BRASH. I loved the one on my iOS amp/pedal sim thing.
Would defo try one, I'm way more into clanky brash sounds nowdays and there's a gap in my market
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:41 am
by Fran
I'm tempted to try one of the clones.
A quick browse suggests the Digitech model seems to be the cheapest option. The old Dod pedals seem to have a bit of mojo lately, funny, I can remember when people would throw them into guitar deals. Seemed like everyone owned an unwanted Dod pedal at one time.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 1:10 pm
by Doog
Seems the Digitech has a cab sim out too, which has piqued my interest; I'm always trying to find a 'clean-ish amp in a box' that's small and flexible.
Doesn't help the comparison that this guy's amp sound a bit crummy but oh well:
[youtube][/youtube]
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 2:13 pm
by Fran
Aye, it's really difficult to tell with some of these demos. I think 'brash' is a good way of putting it Doog.
With the gain cranked its that kind of sound I associate with bands like The Wedding Present. The chords are still recognizable but it's starting to get messy.
Like the Bad Monkey, the appealing thing is the more flexible EQ compared to a lot of its competitors.
Back to prices, there was one of these on the Cash Converters site for £23.99 the other day.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:57 pm
by George
I've had the Blues Driver and Screamin Eagle, and while the bass control is great in theory I still prefer the Boss. The Screamin Eagle has a pretty big bass sweep from unusable tinniness to unusable woofiness with a pretty narrow usable section inbetween, and all these usable settings sound more or less the same as a Blues Driver, which gets the bass in the right place for the job as standard, especially when played at loud/band volumes. The Blues Driver also sounds better to me too (not sure why), but they're double the price used, so I'd still recommend people try the Screamin Eagle, for sure.
So yeah, the mojo isn't there as it is with the Bad Monkey, which is maybe more popular because the bass control helps smooth out the classic TS midrange hump, which isn't an issue for the Blues Driver.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 5:46 pm
by stewart
i've got a bad monkey, and had it on my board for a while years ago as an 'always on' type base tone. then i A/B'd it with the v1 danelectro transparent overdrive which pissed all over it, haven't used the BM since.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 6:40 pm
by Fran
Some good points made there.
Them Danos are underrated, I think the Marshall Guvnor and Bluesbreaker II are as well. Both credible overdrives and the BBII has a clean boost mode as well.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:50 pm
by Concretebadger
I tried a Bluesbreaker 2 aaages ago, and really liked it. Whether my opinion on it has changed since then, I'm not sure. I used to know a bass player who used a Jackhammer as his main distortion, and was pretty happy with it.
During the very short time when I had both a Blues Driver and an OD-3, I tried both out side-by-side. From what I remember, both had that annoying "splatty" crackly decay, but the OD-3 wasn't as badly affected. Maybe because it was smoother with more bottom end while the BD-2 was brighter and crunchier? Either way, I thought they were both pretty decent but sold the BD-2 to someone on here not long afterwards and have kept hold of the OD-3 to this day. The "retention" of the lower frequencies makes it decent for bass, and I've yet to find another low-ish gain dirtbox that I prefer for, well, pretty much anything. Many models on the market are variants on the TS circuit, which I don't particularly like.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:37 pm
by BearBoy
Mooer make a clone of a (Keeley modded) BD-2 called the Blues Mood.
They also do a clone of the Marshall Bluesbreaker (think the 1 rather than the 2).
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:44 pm
by dezb1
Think this is worth saying again Fran... Stop fucking about and get an SD-1
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:00 pm
by Bacchus
stewart wrote:i've got a bad monkey, and had it on my board for a while years ago as an 'always on' type base tone. then i A/B'd it with the v1 danelectro transparent overdrive which pissed all over it, haven't used the BM since.
Is that the Timmy one? the sort of gold/metallic beige coloured one?
It's brilliant.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:54 pm
by Fran
dezb1 wrote:Think this is worth saying again Fran... Stop fucking about and get an SD-1
I've got two. One I modded and a stock model.
In truth I've got a load of pedals, but the quest for tone and an inquisitive mind means this is never ending.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:56 pm
by Fran
Bacchus wrote:
stewart wrote:i've got a bad monkey, and had it on my board for a while years ago as an 'always on' type base tone. then i A/B'd it with the v1 danelectro transparent overdrive which pissed all over it, haven't used the BM since.
Is that the Timmy one? the sort of gold/metallic beige coloured one?
It's brilliant.
Yes, the silver/grey one is the Drive model.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:57 pm
by dezb1
Fran wrote:
dezb1 wrote:Think this is worth saying again Fran... Stop fucking about and get an SD-1
I've got two. One I modded and a stock model.
In truth I've got a load of pedals, but the quest for tone and an inquisitive mind means this is never ending.
I've seen some of the pictures...
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:59 pm
by dezb1
Fran wrote:
Bacchus wrote:
stewart wrote:i've got a bad monkey, and had it on my board for a while years ago as an 'always on' type base tone. then i A/B'd it with the v1 danelectro transparent overdrive which pissed all over it, haven't used the BM since.
Is that the Timmy one? the sort of gold/metallic beige coloured one?
It's brilliant.
Yes, the silver/grey one is the Drive model.
I have the silver Drive one and it's great sounding but I don't like the action of the foot switch.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:59 pm
by Fran
Tone...
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:44 pm
by stewart
What did they rip off for the silver Drive one, an OCD or something?
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 12:02 am
by dezb1
stewart wrote:What did they rip off for the silver Drive one, an OCD or something?