The Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion is an Ashdown distortion pedal, currently around $117.01. Close alternatives include the Ashdown James LoMenzo Mega Drive and the Boss ODB-3. It pairs well with the Traynor SB112 and the Laney Richter RB4 Bass Combo.
Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion
Ashdown · pedal
The Ashdown James LoMenzo signature bass distortion, part of Ashdown's LoMenzo drive line, is built for bass players who want aggressive overdrive without losing their low end. It applies distortion to a selectable midrange band while leaving the deep bass and high treble largely untouched, and a blend control mixes the distorted signal back with the clean dry bass so the tone stays full and punchy. Voiced from a mild grind to full saturated distortion, it suits hard rock and metal bass tones in the style of James LoMenzo of Megadeth and White Lion. Running into a clean bass amp, it adds growling mid presence that helps bass cut through a dense band mix.
What stands out
“It applies distortion to a selectable midrange band while leaving the deep bass and high treble largely untouched, and a blend control mixes the distorted signal back with the clean dry bass so the tone stays full and punchy”
— from the listing
“Voiced from a mild grind to full saturated distortion, it suits hard rock and metal bass tones in the style of James LoMenzo of Megadeth and White Lion”
— from the listing
“It pairs naturally with and with active or passive basses alike, adding aggressive mid presence for rock and metal”
— from the reviews
“Running into , it adds growling mid presence that helps bass cut through a dense band mix”
— from the listing
“A dynamic blend of wet and dry signals lets you scale from a mild growl to full distortion while retaining articulation”
— from the reviews
Trade-offs
“The most common caveat is that it is a fairly specialized aggressive voice and is , transparent overdrive”
— from the community notes
- bass
- distortion
- aggressive
- mid
- growl
- dry
- grind
- presence
Price updated Oct 25, 2026
Genres the Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion is commonly used in
- Rock
- Hard Rock
- Metal
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion
Traynor SB112
Traynor
33% matchTraynor SB112's own high headroom character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Laney Richter RB4 Bass Combo
Laney
33% matchLaney Richter RB4 Bass Combo leans toward full, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Blackstar Series One 200
Blackstar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run Blackstar Series One 200 after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm
Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W
Hiwatt
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm
Orange Terror Bass
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Orange Terror Bass's warm balances out the bright tone
Orange Little Bass Thing
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Orange Little Bass Thing leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Soldano Astro-20 Combo
Soldano
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Soldano Astro-20 Combo's smooth balances out the bright tone
Pedals that stack with the Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion
Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator
pedal
20% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator after Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
ZVEX Fuzz Factory
Zvex
18% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
ZVEX Fuzz Factory leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it
Comes later in the signal chain
Catalinbread SFT
Catalinbread
16% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)
Where this leans bright, Catalinbread SFT answers back warm
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Ashdown Velvet Compressor
Ashdown
16% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
What Ashdown Velvet Compressor brings here leans toward compressed — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
pedal
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler after Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte
Caroline Guitar Company
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte after Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion in the signal chain, clear of Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive
Solidgoldfx
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Run SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
Caline CP-31 Hot Spice (Black)
Caline
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Caline CP-31 Hot Spice (Black) goes in front of Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion — a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
Behringer BOD400 Bass Overdrive
Behringer
60% similarityShared character: blend, bass, grit
Ashdown Pro-FX Pro Drive
Ashdown
45% similarityShared character: bass, overdrive
Electro-Harmonix Nano Operation Overlord
Electro-Harmonix
43% similarityShared character: treble, hard rock, mix
Boutique & premium upgrades
Dunlop MXR M85 Bass Distortion
Dunlop
57% similarityShared character: blend, grit, metal
Carl Martin Bass Drive
Carl Martin
50% similarityShared character: blend, grit, mix
Ashdown Jmy-dd
Ashdown
50% similarityShared character: grit, bass, distortion
Electronic Audio Experiments Greathammer
Electronic Audio Experiments
44% similarityShared character: hard rock, transparent, bass
Ashdown Triple Shot
Ashdown
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar character
Ashdown James LoMenzo Mega Drive
Ashdown
56% similarityShared character: high end, grit, metal
Boss ODB-3
Boss
56% similarityShared character: blend, grit, presence
Ashdown James LoMenzo HyperDrive
Ashdown
55% similarityShared character: high end, treble, mix
Behringer BDI21
Behringer
51% similarityShared character: blend, presence, treble
Boss BB-1X
Boss
49% similarityShared character: blend, bass, high end
Dunlop Way Huge WM91 Pork & Pickle
Dunlop
47% similarityShared character: blend, single rig, grit
See all alternatives to the Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion?+
The closest matches in character are the Ashdown James LoMenzo Mega Drive, the Boss ODB-3, the Ashdown James LoMenzo HyperDrive. Budget picks: Behringer BOD400 Bass Overdrive, Ashdown Pro-FX Pro Drive, Electro-Harmonix Nano Operation Overlord. Boutique upgrades: Dunlop MXR M85 Bass Distortion, Carl Martin Bass Drive, Ashdown Jmy-dd.
What pairs well with the Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Traynor SB112, Laney Richter RB4 Bass Combo, Blackstar Series One 200 — Traynor SB112's own high headroom character is the real reason this is worth trying.
How much does the Ashdown James LoMenzo KegaDrive Bass Distortion cost?+
Around $117.01 (live listing price, updated Oct 25, 2026).