The Amptweaker Bass TightDrive Jr is a bass distortion pedal, one of three bass versions Amptweaker added to its Jr. Distortion series in July 2016 alongside the Bass TightRock Jr and Bass TightMetal Jr. It takes the guitar TightDrive Jr formula and revoices it for bass: the tone and tight controls are shifted down an octave to suit bass and extended-range guitars1.
What it does
The bass voicing is the headline change. Where the guitar Jr pedals tune their tone and tight controls for six strings, the Bass TightDrive Jr shifts both down an octave, so the filtering that keeps a guitar pick attack tight instead works on the lower fundamentals a bass puts out1.
The other key feature is the dry low blend knob. Amptweaker's press release describes it as "a very popular feature from the Bass TightFuzz, which helps maintain" the low end while the distorted signal stays "chunky and tight"1. In practice, that means you can run heavy distortion on top while some of your clean signal carries the low end underneath, a common approach on bass.
The pedal also shares the rest of the Jr series feature set1:
- tight switch
- EQ switch
- noise gate
- dry low blend knob
- true bypass switching
Price and availability
At launch, Premier Guitar's press release listed the Bass TightDrive Jr at $169 street1. MusicRadar reported the three bass Jr pedals as available for $170 each direct from Amptweaker2. The two figures differ by a dollar, so the launch price depended on the seller.
Where it sits in the Amptweaker range
The Bass TightDrive Jr is part of an expansion of Amptweaker's Jr. Distortion series, which added bass versions to the existing guitar pedals1. The bass versions come in mini Phase 90-sized enclosures and keep "the same features as their guitar counterparts," with the bass voicing and blend added1.
The three bass Jr pedals share the same format and feature set, differing mainly in voicing1:
| Pedal | Voicing | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Bass TightDrive Jr | bass, drive voiced like the TightDrive Jr | mini, Phase 90-sized1 |
| Bass TightRock Jr | bass, rock voicing | mini, Phase 90-sized1 |
| Bass TightMetal Jr | bass, metal voicing | mini, Phase 90-sized1 |
Players wanting heavier bass voicings in the same format can look at the Bass TightMetal Jr, and the fuller-size FatMetal line covers bass-friendly tweaks in Amptweaker's larger pedals1.
Videos
MrExcane
Brett Kingman
Amptweaker
Questions
What does the dry low blend knob do on the Bass TightDrive Jr?
It blends some of your clean, dry bass signal back in under the distorted sound. Amptweaker describes it as a way to maintain the low end while the distorted part of the tone stays chunky and tight, which is a common need on bass where a fully distorted signal can lose its fundamental.
How is the Bass TightDrive Jr different from the guitar TightDrive Jr?
The bass version has the same feature set as its guitar counterpart, but the tone and tight controls are shifted down an octave to suit bass and extended-range guitars. The two pedals share the same mini Phase 90-sized enclosure and true bypass switching.
What power does the Bass TightDrive Jr need?
It runs from 9 to 18VDC, with the headroom and dynamics changing across that range, and it can also run from a battery with no tools needed to reach the compartment. It uses true bypass switching.
Sources (2)
- Amptweaker Launches New Bass Jr. Pedal Series, Premier Guitar, 2016-07-01
- Amptweaker unveils trio of new feature-packed Bass Jr effects pedals, MusicRadar, 2016-07-06
