As I turned the Tight control up, the low end
decreased steadily and the midrange slowly
started to creep out, along with sharper
high-end frequencies. For a standard guitar,
this feature would probably be most useful
for adding sting to notes in a lead passage,
but with bass it offers a whole new world
of texture. Hard rock and metal bassists are
often left out in the cold in the final mix, and
their lines are often hard to hear. The Tight
control allowed me to adjust exactly where I
sat in the mix with my band, whether or not I wanted a really fat, rounded tone à la Jack
Bruce, or a more aggressive, punchy one in
the vein of Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister. I
was astonished at how much influence that
control had over my tone, and it was really
fun digging in and seeing how far it would
take me. It was as if I could choose my own
voicing for the pedal. If the low end wasn’t
present enough, all I had to do was turn it
up on the amp. Having the Tight control up
too high did create some feedback, though.
Carefully balancing the Gain and Tight controls,
in tandem with not dialing in too much
low end on the amp, helped keep the feedback
in check.
Looping
Brown also included another cool feature
from the original TightDrive: an effects
loop. I saw this as a way to revisit effects
I’d unsuccessfully tried in the past, such as
octave or auto-wah devices that can sound
too weak on their own. Placing them in the
Bass TightDrive’s effects loop really helped
emphasize their special colors. As on the
guitar TightDrive, a switch lets you select
whether you want the loop before the pedal’s
first preamp stage or after its final output
stage. This option really helps if you’re using
a time-based effect, such as chorus, and want
it to sound clearer by placing it after the
TightDrive’s circuitry.
The Final Mojo
For bassists looking to cover a lot of sonic
ground, the Bass TightDrive is a magnificent
choice. The foundation of great bass overdrive
tones is there, along with plenty of gain, if
that’s what you need. Having an effects loop
opens a lot of creative doors, especially for
players who have never experimented with
one before. With its great sound, tonal versatility,
and rugged construction, the Amptweaker
Bass TightDrive is a clear winner.
Buy if...
you’re looking for a highly versatile,
great sounding bass overdrive
that lets you choose where
you sit in the mix.
Skip if...
bass fuzz is more of your thing.
Rating...
