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JeffTadashi « A great introduction to bass distortion »
Published on 06/12/12 at 12:02The Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive stompbox is a simple, standard, yellow Boss pedal, probably one of the most common (and cheapest) bass overdrive/distortion pedals out there. It takes standard pedal power or a 9 volt battery (just like most Boss single pedals), and it has a 1/4 guitar line input and guitar line output.
UTILIZATION
The stomp pedal on the ODB-3, like most Boss pedals, is wide, large, and extremely durable. These pedals are built like tanks, and they are virtually indestructible. That's one good reason they are the industry standard for guitar pedals. The control knobs are all solid, and the pots behind them never get scratchy.
SOUND QUALITY
There are four main controls on the Boss ODB-3: Level, EQ, Balance, and Gain. Level controls the overall volume output of the pedal, and has no effect on the actual distortion levels of the effect. This is great for balancing your pedal-off sound with the pedal-on sound, so that the volume boost is minimal, or in some cases, there is a moderate volume boost, if the bass player wants to be louder during certain riffs. The EQ control has two knobs (one inside of the other). These control the bass and treble of the sound. If they are set straight up, they are flat, and this allows for both boost and cut of the highs and lows. This allows you to turn up the treble for thicker, more guitar-like distortion sounds, or turn up the bass if the lows are getting lost behind the fuzz. Next, there is a balance control, and this allows the mixing of the dry bass guitar sound with the affected, distorted sound. This is one of the best controls on here, and it allows you to crank up the distortion, if desired, but still retain the clarity of the original sound. This is the control that is missing from most standard guitar overdrive pedals. and what makes most of them unusable for bass. The last knob is the gain control, which controls how much distortion to add to the signal.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, a great little pedal, that is cheap, but simply does it's job, if you ever want to experiment with bass overdrives, fuzzes, and distortions. Check it out!
UTILIZATION
The stomp pedal on the ODB-3, like most Boss pedals, is wide, large, and extremely durable. These pedals are built like tanks, and they are virtually indestructible. That's one good reason they are the industry standard for guitar pedals. The control knobs are all solid, and the pots behind them never get scratchy.
SOUND QUALITY
There are four main controls on the Boss ODB-3: Level, EQ, Balance, and Gain. Level controls the overall volume output of the pedal, and has no effect on the actual distortion levels of the effect. This is great for balancing your pedal-off sound with the pedal-on sound, so that the volume boost is minimal, or in some cases, there is a moderate volume boost, if the bass player wants to be louder during certain riffs. The EQ control has two knobs (one inside of the other). These control the bass and treble of the sound. If they are set straight up, they are flat, and this allows for both boost and cut of the highs and lows. This allows you to turn up the treble for thicker, more guitar-like distortion sounds, or turn up the bass if the lows are getting lost behind the fuzz. Next, there is a balance control, and this allows the mixing of the dry bass guitar sound with the affected, distorted sound. This is one of the best controls on here, and it allows you to crank up the distortion, if desired, but still retain the clarity of the original sound. This is the control that is missing from most standard guitar overdrive pedals. and what makes most of them unusable for bass. The last knob is the gain control, which controls how much distortion to add to the signal.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, a great little pedal, that is cheap, but simply does it's job, if you ever want to experiment with bass overdrives, fuzzes, and distortions. Check it out!