overdirve for bass

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hey!
im looking for a schematic of a bass overdirve, natural sounding, a one which wouldnt ruin the natural sound and punch of the bass. i also need a simple schematic since i dont have any previous experience with this issue! i wonder if you maybe know of one that can suit my needs. i couldnt find anything in google :bawling:

thanks a lot!
 
Overdrive for Bass

jolabook,

My first suggestion would be to look for a used Bass distortion pedal (DOD makes them as well as many other manufacturers)

If you cannot find any used or you feel you must build your own, I would suggest reading up on active filtering. To make a bass guitar distortion box correctly you must seperate the low frequencies from the high frequencies (I suggest setting a crossover point around 100 to 200Hz), very similar to a two way speaker. This will keep the low frequencies from sounding "muddy". Apply the distortion effect to the high frequencies only and then mix the low frequency signal back into the distorted high frequency signal. You can also apply makeup gain to the low frequencies so the overall output level is the same. This is not a trivial task but is the best solution to not lose the definition of the low end.

The other option is to use JFETs. This requires a little more work than using op-amps.

Regards,
Sean
 
TucsonSean, is it possible for you to refer me to a schematic or instruction for such an overdrive you mentioned above where the High and Low Frequencies are split and overdrive only applied to the high frequencies...?

jolabook, did you find anything interesting in your searches? ...any information is MORE THAN WELCOME!
I want to (learn how to and) build my own overdrive for my bass. I feel this is best cuz understanding how it works allows me to make mods and get the exact tone I want...
 
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