One dirt pedal to rule them all? Guitar/Bass/Cello

[Jopn]

I just got a cello with a pickup, and my guitar and bass pedalboards have been in disarray for at least a year now. So I'm building a simple grab n go board with tuner/comp/dirt/delay.

What would you guys suggest for a good dirt pedal that does medium OD -> medium distortion that can double duty both on guitar and bass? My guitar amp is solid state (but in my defense, it's the Johnny Greenwood Fender 85) so nothing that's tone relies heavily on overdriving the amp's preamp (klon, TS, etc.). The input signal will also be buffered, if that makes a difference (it shouldn't as I'm not getting into fuzzface territory!).

So... thoughts?

[matmosphere]

Not sure exactly what would fit the bill but I totally want to here how a cello sounds with a violet rams head Muff now. 

[Jopn]

Not sure exactly what would fit the bill but I totally want to here how a cello sounds with a violet rams head Muff now. 

Ok yes, that does sound awesome. Maybe I'll build my dirt pedal in a 1590bb and slip a fuzz into there too

[somnif]

For a mix of OD and distortion,  there are waaaaaay too many options for a quick answer. But for playing well across several instruments,  I'd wager simpler is better, perhaps something like the DOD250/MXR Distortion+

[jimilee]

Green Russian, big bass overdrive, or Buick bass overdrive. Also, a unicorn tears klon are my favs for bass. You could throw a switch for the input cap if you wanted to have it be switchable for bass or guitar.


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[Jopn]

Ohhh, I like the suggestion of a Dist+! I could quickly breadboard that and mess with the values and components until I'm happy.

And putting in switches for input/output caps is definitely on the radar!

[BrianS]

Bugg (a member on here) might still have some Thermionic boards (BEOD) and it's a great distortion pedal.

[somnif]

One thing to note about the DOD250/Dist+ is that the gain knob is also essentially a tone control, such that at low gain you have a more bassy response, and high gain a more trebly one.

This means it can be a bit fiddly with some instruments at some settings. My LP loves the little dirtbox, but it gets a bit shrill with my tele, for example. This can usually be rectified by playing with your amp's settings a bit, and isn't a deal killer of course, but you may want to be aware of it.

An alternative could be to use a circuit with some built in EQ function. The Marshall Guv'nor/Drivemaster is a place I could suggest looking, goes from a nice barely-warm OD sound, to a fairly high gain distortion sound.(The Shredmaster is also in the same family, but tends to run a bit hotter and has a more aggressive clipping stage so it doesn't cleanup quite as well. Alternatively the Bluesbreaker is also part of this group but is quite low gain and really works best when doubled-up ala King of Tone style).

Given the differing characters between a guitar, a bass, and a cello I'd say having a bit of extra control can't hurt. I'm personally fond of Aion's Drivemaster board (the Equinox) as I like shoving ridiculous numbers of knobs in 1590B sized enclosures

[matmosphere]

i agree the drivemaster would be a good place to start.

[Jopn]

Ah, good call on the EQ section! See... I knew you guys were smart, despite what the other forums say

Holy smokes Aion Electronics has exploded since I've browsed there last! I bought a few boards from him when he first launched with 5(?) projects. I'll probably put in an order for a few with him now too!

[cajone5]

DAM Ezekiel?

[midwayfair]

If I had to split the difference between a bass and a guitar for medium distortion, I'd probably use the slow Loris. Z

I mostly prefer amp emulators but those aren't usually good for both instruments.

[Droogie]

Have you checked out the BYOC Crown Jewel? Very versatile with a parametric midrange, clipping options and selectable boost modules. I built one on vero w/out boost and it's fantastic.

No affiliation on my part with BYOC, btw, IYKWIM.

[NFX]

ic muff, mad professor blue delay, dyna comp

[culturejam]

Not sure exactly what would fit the bill but I totally want to here how a cello sounds with a violet rams head Muff now. 

Maybe it sounds like a Violin Ram's Head??