Digitech XBD Bass Driver

[The JoZ]

Someone requested a review for this, so here we go.

The Pedal:
The X-Series Bass Driver is an Overdrive/Distortion pedal that does more than simply create overdrive or distortion, as I will detail

Specs:
The pedal has a four knob matrix, as follows

Level - The overall loudness of the effects, when turned on. Does not effect clean signal level

Tone - Surprisingly, helps shape your tone. From what I've heard, it sounds like a treble boost/cut to me; turned all the way to the right, you get a crisper sound, turned all the way to the left, you get muddier, and less clear.

Blend - Determines the level of the distortion/OD mixed with the clean signal

Morph - This is what makes the pedal so great. This knob allows you to choose between three different distortion sounds, modeled after three different stompboxes. Thus, this pedal is like a multieffects, but for a single effect, in this case, distortion.

The Distortion:

Using the Morph knob, you can determine just what kind of distortion sounds you get. Toward the left side of the spectrum, you get a lighter, 'dirtier' distortion. Around the middle of the spectrum, it gets thicker, and fatter, until, at the near-full to full positions, you get all-out fuzz. I can't state enough how great this feature is, because it gives you a large range of distortion to choose from. Combine this with the ability to mix the wet/dry signal, the and play with the tone knob, the sounds you can get out of this thing are virtually limitless.

Now, I have played with similar distortion pedals...such as the Boss ODB 3, and the Ibanez PD7. Honestly, neither pedal comes close to the sounds that this pedal can give. The PD7 has very few settings, and even when you mess with them, the distortion sound remains pretty much the same, with tiny, minor differences. I did not get the chance to mess with the Boss as much, but I was not impressed when I did. I've heard the sounds of the Big Muff, and even that does not impress me. I don't know about settings or anything on it, because I've never played on one myself, so don't hold that against me

Overall:
This is my only recommendation when it comes to bass distortion. This one just simply gives you so many options when it comes to shaping your tone, it isn't funny. Combine the tone shaping power of this, plus your amp, plus your bass if you have active EQ...you'll find your signature tone in no time

Rating





Special Offer: Go buy one now, at 79.99 USD, get a rebate for 20 bucks from digitech. A 60 dollar distortion pedal that does it all? Nuff said [/Digitech Endorsee]

[Bass+Fingers+Amp=Groove]

maby when i have the money i will check it out, my BP200 does the trick for now.

[The JoZ]

For anyone interested:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/6/thejozmusic.htm

I did a demo of the pedal here.

Level and Blend were kept at the 12 o'clock positions, meaning about midway for both. Tone was kept at full to the right, because that's what I like, and the Morph knob went like this

Almost full left : 12 o'clock : Full right

The last one, the fuzz demo, doesn't sound as full because the blend knob is only at halfway, but there is still a difference

[Alma]

thanx for that man, helped out a lot

cheers

[gaslight]

This pedal is awesome.

Belie' that.

[bmxinbassist]

woo, im gettin that pedal, i have the money but the site im getting it from is not responding at the moment, i cant wait
thanks for the review, i was thinking of buying this for ages

[billtus]

i want this one now as i currently have a 10 year old $20 pedal that was intended for guitar, go figure

[Lumberjacker]

Thanks for the review.

[bmxinbassist]

wow, i got the pedal today, its soo good, ive been playing for ages, definatelly worth it

[blizzard]

io just got it as well its soo good. I wish i got it earlier

[Ich Habe Sheisse]

Well, shit. JoZ was right, this pedal owns all over you. I got mine for $50 used. Well, if you consider absolutely perfect condition used. I did get to use it a couple times before I bought it, it belonged to my guitarist's older brother and I finally just paid him in cash on the spot. This thing really just dominates every other distortion I have ever heard, besides maybe Chris Squire's. There is no sound you can't achieve with this thing. Nasty Cliff noise, SVT overdrive, Wolstenhome's fuzz, it's all there. I just can't wait to get a good wah, then the Tim Bob will be nailed.

Amazing work, DigiTech!

[Chopsta]

i bought one a couple days ago.. didnt come in yet.. i tried it at the store too.. its top knotch..

[Esp Griffyn]

my brother got one of those just after Christmas. Great pedal.

[Charmand G]

Many people ask questions about overdrive and distortion for bass, so I thought it might be helpfull with a review of this one:

Features: 4/5

Level - adjusts signal output, so you don`t get any in- or decrease in volumelevel with or without the pedal turned on.
Tone - Adjusts the frequency of the effects. Turned left, it makes the od/dist more low and introvert. Turned right, it goes hi freq. and od/dist is more visible in the overall sound.
Blend - adjust the mix of dry signal(regular bass sound) and the effect signal.
Morph - switch between several overdrive and distortion effects, or mix them together to make your own sounds. Left: more distortion, right: more fuzzy.

Enough here to make you twist knobs forever. Anything is possible. I only wish there where some way to save settings.

Sound: 3,5/5

Since there is so many sounds you can get with this, any fuzz-, overdrive- or distortion-fanatic will get what he/she wants. If you turn blend to max dry you will have no coloring of the sound, the opposite will clear out much of your bass on high notes. The only thing I have trouble with is getting that hint of overdrive on low notes. Here you will have either nothing, some or alot. For recording purposes you`ll have to be very carefull with putting on too much effects since it`ll show alot. Here, Sans Amp Bass DI might be better.

The amp output doesn`t colour the sound at all, but the CIT-mixer output is really crap. Noisy and tame. If you connect directly into a mixer, use the normal amp output instead.

Portability: 5/5
Fits in any gig-bag or hardcase.

Reliability: 5/5
The knobs are thight, and the shell is heavy-duty. Noting to complain about.


Overall: 4/5

This effectbox is really a pleasure to work with. The variety of tones are wide, and the way you can mix them in any way is great. If I feel like playing a guitarsolo on the bass, I can do it with this one in no time. The only thing that makes it a 4 instead of 5 is the weak mixer-output which is a waste of space.

NOTE: on small amps, your bass sound will loose much of its low end with effects turned "on". Even on my 100w ampeg cab it decreases. But on 300w+ it really makes up for it.

[Led_Zeppelin678]

That pedal is pretty good, but if you want the PERFECT bass distortion, go with this baby:

http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348212

[sg_bassist]

Well, now that I know we can bump old threads for the sake of adding our own reviews... (sorry, I first posted this late at night, and I was on the verge of crashing and burning)

Digitech X-Series Bass Driver:

Features:
Level:Affects the overall loudness of the effects.
Tone:Shapes the tone of the effects.
Blend:Affects how much the distortion effect is mixed with the clean signal.
Morph:Allows you to choose between 3 distinctive overdrive sounds, modelled on 3 different bass distortion/overdrive pedals. Also allows you to blend all the other effects that you've already set on the bass driver for that elusive distortion you're after. Easily the best feature of the pedal.

Review:
Effects-wise, the only thing that the bass driver does is to add distortion to the bass, but it does so very well. With 4 knobs to turn and fiddle around with, a person could easily end up with more distortion effects than he could shake a stick at. Of course, it does take experience before you know exactly how to use the knobs to get that distortion effect that you're after.

By turning the knobs to the left, you'll get a light/dry/soft distortion; perfect if you're looking for the "Metallica's Orion bass solo" sound. By turning them to the right, the distortion gets heavier and fuzzier, which probably is ideal if you like your deep notes to sound, dunno, deep. As I've said before, though, you'll never know your ideal setting until you've gotten enough experience from fiddling around with the knobs. I would know because it took me a few months to find that perfect blend between the soft distortion and fuzzy distortion that I use whenever I play some heavy metal on the bass.

One nagging problem, though: because of the potential computing power in the pedal, batteries will be drained within a few hours. Until, as Digitech claims, there is a battery which can pump out plenty of energy, you're better off powering the pedal from an external power supply; while drum solos are impressive, I highly doubt that there is one long enough to entertain a crowd when you're busy changing the batteries in the various effects pedals.

Durability-wise, it's pretty much as the mini-catalogue claims. I swear that Digitech's pedals are actually made from military-grade metal that are meant for tanks. Dunno if that's true, but if it's not, then Digitech still does deserve top marks for making sturdy, reliable things that do what they're meant to do. Total Quality Management, anyone?

Portability-wise, they're small enough to be stuffed into a gig bag. No problems there, unless there isn't enough space to put it in (especially if you're using a hard-case). If you do have a soft-case, try putting it into side pockets. If that doesn't work, what else are backpacks for?

Enough with my ranting. I would give this a 4.5/5. It may only give a distortion effect, but does a bloody good job at that. It's also built like a tank, and is small enough to fit in a suitable gig bag. Of course, nothing's ever perfect, and the power supply is an area that should be improved. Then again... (damn, ran out of things to say...)

[PsychoTronn]

good review

currently i use a BP200, it has fuz that does the job

[symmetrix]

that pedal is awesome!