One Control Hooker's Green Bass Machine

The One Control Hooker's Green Bass Machine is a mini bass overdrive pedal designed by Bjorn Juhl. Where many overdrive pedals are voiced for guitar first, this one was built for bass: MusicRadar's review found it keeps plenty of bottom end where some guitar overdrive pedals cut bass when engaged¹.

One Control says the pedal is designed to give a modern transistor bass amp more of a valve-amp sound, or the tones of an older transistor model such as a Sunn transistor bass amp¹. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen summed up what it does to a bass tone:

The pedal has since been updated as the Hooker's Green Bass Machine 4K, which One Control describes as having the wide dynamic range of bass tube amps and the ability to pick up subtle expression while adding low end².

A bass overdrive that keeps the low end

Bass players shopping for overdrive often run into pedals voiced for guitar, and MusicRadar notes there are far more pedals designed for guitar than specifically for bass¹. The Hooker's Green Bass Machine takes the opposite approach: the low end stays in the sound, and the original pedal even gives you a way to tune it.

• The original has a trim pot on the side to adjust the bottom end to suit your instrument¹.
• The 4K replaces the trim pot approach with a LOW BOOST knob, which One Control says does its job on heavy tracks using a multi-string bass².
• The 4K has no blend or mixing knobs by design. One Control says it introduced a dynamic amplifier circuit that handles bass signals fully, so a clean blend is not part of the design².

For players used to overdrives that need a blend knob to keep their low string audible, the 4K's approach is different: the circuit itself is meant to carry the full bass signal rather than mixing a clean path back in².

Using it with guitar

Both versions can be used with guitar. One Control says the 4K was originally designed as a bass overdrive but can function as a guitar overdrive, where it creates what the maker calls Bjorn Juhl's trademark solid dark European tones².

Power choice affects the character. The 4K operates at 9V or with up to an 18V adapter, and One Control describes the tradeoff²:

• At 18V, headroom increases and the gain reduces slightly, which the maker says is most effective for solo bass or guitar².
• At 9V, the maker says operation might give a stronger core when used in ensemble or guitar riffs².

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's review of the original focused on its low-end retention and growl, with the Stranglers and Lemmy comparison for the character it adds¹. The review's criticism was about value rather than sound, describing it as comparatively expensive for a Chinese-made mini pedal¹.

Where it sits among bass pedals

The Hooker's Green Bass Machine is one of several One Control pedals aimed at bass players, alongside the Crimson Red Bass Preamp and the Minimal Series Silver Para Bass Buffer. For a wider view of what else sits in this category, see the bass pedals overview.

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