Death By Audio Basswar vs Dunlop MXR M85 Bass Distortion
The Death By Audio Basswar and the Dunlop MXR M85 Bass Distortion are both pedals sharing high gain. The Death By Audio Basswar leans aggressive and saturated. The Dunlop MXR M85 Bass Distortion leans transparent and mid-forward.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.36% — somewhat different
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Genres both listings are associated with.- Metal
- Rock
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- high gain
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$159.99via Reverb
The Death By Audio BassWar is a bass-specific distortion pedal from the Brooklyn boutique manufacturer, delivering aggressive, high-gain distortion character specifically voiced for the bass guitar frequency range. Provides intense, harmonically saturated distortion with the low-end weight and definition appropriate for aggressive bass in heavy rock and metal contexts. Part of the Death By Audio Brooklyn boutique lineup of extreme and creative effects. Made in Brooklyn, New York by Death By Audio.
The MXR M85 Bass Distortion is a bass-specific distortion pedal from MXR by Jim Dunlop, designed to deliver high-gain distortion for electric bass while preserving low-end clarity and the clean bass fundamental through a wet/dry blend control. The M85 features two independent clipping modes, a dedicated blend control for mixing distorted signal with clean bass signal in any ratio, and a mid-boost control. The wet/dry blend is the critical practical feature, preventing the distortion circuit from eliminating the bass fundamental that full distortion engagement typically removes. The M85 covers classic rock bass grit through to modern metal bass distortion.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Classic Rock
- Punk
- aggressive
- saturated
- tight
- transparent
- mid-forward
- gritty
- full