NPD: TC Electronics Röttweiler

[Dave Sloven]

Pickup a TC Electronics Röttweiler distortion pedal yesterday, strictly for my bass amp. I did try it on my Peavey 6534+, but like every other distortion pedal I've tried it was complete overkill on the lead channel and I didn't like it as much as my lead channel sound when played through the clean channel.  It might be good through the clean channel of the Peavey Classic 30 though.

Trying it on bass today I was able to get a much grarlier distortion out of my Peavey Mark VIII bass amp than I got with the distortion circuit of the MXR M-80. I turned the distortion circuit on the MXR off completely together with the 'color' switch and just used the EQ to boost the mids a bit.  Very deep, growly distorted sound, no discernible bottom-end loss.

Also the SD Quarter Pound pickups and Hipshot brass high mass bridge seem to have fattened the sound up somewhat.  Open strings sustain well, trailing off until inaudible around 40 seconds later.  Given that's half a song in my current band that's no real use there, but I am looking to start up a much doomier sounding Amebix type band playing bass.



EDIT:

I watched this video before deciding to take a punt on it for $80 (as-new second-hand).  The settings you see in my photo above give a more 'sensible' sound than on this video, however.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKuCql_5rmM

[Dave Sloven]

I had this working okay last night through the clean channel of my Peavey Classic 30, but lack of headroom and a gainy pedal meant that I had to wind the volume pot back to 3 for it to be listenable.

That gives some idea of the amount of BALLS that my BKP Stockholm has!

Works great on solid state amps though, and the SD QPs in my Jazz just made it sound fatter, because there are no tubes to overdrive in my Mark VIII amp

[CommonCourtesy]

This was on the list of pedals I tried out when looking around for an overdrive for rehearsal rooms with borrowed backline, and backup for gigs. I didn't like it, was far too gnarly and fizzy, and lacked warmth for me. Ended up going for the Wampler Triple Wreck which was miles better in my opinion.

(This was used into a clean amp and not to boost a tube amp by the way).

[Dave Sloven]

The guy who sold it to me said that it is better for guitar when combined with a compressor.

As I have a compressor I tried this and it seems to be true: you place the compressor before the distortion in that case. On my 6534+ I found it was not much good until I used it through a Boss LS-2 set to mix mode with the Rottweiler mixed down relative to the dry signal.  Then it added that edge but did not overpower the amp.

I have also used it on bass, with a Peavey solid state bass amp, and found it to be great.  On that amp I use the built-in compressor on the amp all the time anyway.  I am also going to try adding in some dry (but not as much) for bass via the LS-2

I really just got it for the bass, and I think it sounds great there, much as the EHX Metal Muff sounds better on bass than on guitar, but I generally think the Rottweiler has a superior sound to the Metal Muff.

[CommonCourtesy]

The guy in the shop where I looked at didn't say anything to me haha.

I knew straight away I didn't like it, so unplugged it straight away and tried other pedals. The Plexi was the other pedal I had in mind but the Triple Wreck owned them both.

Maybe for another guitar, style or amp I could've got on with it, I was using a Les Paul into an Orange combo.

[Dave Sloven]

The Wampler Triple Wreck is very expensive ... I got  this pedal second-hand for $80!  On the bass with the wet/dry mix via an LS-2 I can get it working very well.  I don't know as if I'd pay $150-200 for it new

[CommonCourtesy]

It is expensive but well worth the money! Sounds better than the amp distortion on most amps I get loaned to use.