indiegrungesound

I have no idea if Boss/Roland will do a "Katana" bass range. Then again, I intend to use it as a "guitar amp" after all! I will keep you all posted!

Happy Birthday Basschat! You've been and you are marvellous! B-) \m/ \m/ \m/

Hello everyone! I'm just popping this on here for anyone might be interested. Some of you might be familiar with recent posts I've placed on the "Effects" thread. I play bass in a 3 piece indie rock. In a move that partly is an attempt to give the band a fuller sound, but also due my liking for bands like Slaves, Drenge and to a lesser extent Royal Blood and Honeyblood; I've been working on setting up a bass amp and guitar amp rig. I've done my research via feedback from fellow Basschaters and watching various YouTube videos. I've got the necessary Octave pedals. I've experimented with the band and the available guitar amps at our rehearsal space. And now, I have the amp. I purchased the Boss Katana 50 amp yesterday. I'm going to give you a run down of it's Pros and Cons, based on my initial impressions and usage so far: Pros: It's less than £190 brand new! It's reasonably light and sturdily built. It's a handsome little cab. It's EQ is very straightforward. The onboard effects all sound great, as do the amp emulation settings. So far, it handles bass and guitar nicely! It's LOUD! Having it set on it's lowest wattage output setting of "0.5w" can still conjure up a delightfully cacophonous noise for home practice or recording use! It handles external stomp boxes - in this case a reverb pedal and an octave up pedal - well! Cons: The onboard effects do have certain limitations. The Drive effects (O/D, Distortion, Blues Driver.) are on the same dial as the Modulation one (Chorus, Phaser, Flanger.), so you can't use both at the same time unless you have the separate stomp boxes in the first place. To use the recommended footswitches, you have to buy them separately. Also, the specific 4 way switch pedal made for the Katana amp, the Boss GA-FC, isn't compatible with the 50 watt version of the Katana amp anyway! I've still not tried it out in anger/at higher output settings in a full band setting yet. I hope that it doesn't let me down! :-S The amp tilt feature is a bit flawed. The actual strut/leg is well made. However,it's very fiddly get unscrew. Then, conversely, it is surprisingly easy for it to dislodge itself. The clean amp emulation setting maybe totally impractical live, though I've not had it used on full power yet. Overall, it could still be a good purchase for what I'm aiming for sound wise! I've set up the amp emulation and drive effects in a way that should match the tone of my guitar player's amp and effects. I'll keep you posted on the ongoing developments.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll pop it in "Amps and Cabs".

Hi there! I just wanted some feedback re: a post/topic that I want to put on the site out of general interest and/or those who might be having a similar idea. I'm a bass player in a 3 piece band who is working on bolstering the band's sounds by running my bass through both a bass rig and a guitar amp! I'm a fan of bands like Slaves and Drenge and the set up I'm going for is Royal Blood styled-albeit with budget/size/real life restrictions! After getting my pedals and signal path sorted (You'll be able to see this from my recent posts.(, I've finally got the guitar amp that I was looking for. The question I'm therefore asking is should I post my review in the "Amps & Cabs" thread or the "General Discussion" one?

:-o B-) I've seen old TV footage of an amp like that. Look up R.E.M. playing "Radio Free Europe" on "The Tube" on YouTube. You can see a Trace combo like this one-NOT being used-onstage behind the band. It looks properly AWESOME! I trust it sounds it too!

I have a Nano POG, which is brilliant! I have heard good things about the TC Sub'n'Up too! There are PLENTY of other options too, like the The EHX Pitch Folk, The Behringer Ultra Shifter/Harmoniser, The Boss Harmoniser or-if you can find it-The Mooer Tender Octaver. It all depends on (1) What sound you are looking for. (2) How simple or in depth do want the features of your pedal to be. And (3) How much you can spend. I'm sure you know this already though! If you can try them all, then do so! Hope you have fun finding out!

Cheers Osiris! I'll keep this all in mind if I need to change my amp head!

[quote name='Osiris' timestamp='1493232146' post='3286807'] The Spectracomp is a superb little compressor. The default tone print seemed to have a bit of a bloated mid range to my ear (it didn't sound anything like the one in my old RH 450 amp, unfortunately) but there are some great tone prints available on the TC site that should cover pretty much any type of compression you're looking for.[/quote] Hi Osiris. You've peaked my curiosity with this! I use the Spectracomp all the time on my BH500. It gives me the kind of loud, punchy sound I like without having to turn my volume up! I have toyed with the idea of getting the pedal if I had to sell/trade up my amp. Are you saying the pedal is better to use than it's onboard amp form?

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1493239072' post='3286877'] I had a Rowin Octopus long enough to realise it was a piece of crap. [/quote] Sadly, never a truer word spoken! I don't know if I just got a duff one, but I just couldn't get the sound I wanted to hear from it. I ended up taking it back to Dawson's & exchanged it for the superior Oceanverb pedal (I think it's made in the same Chinese factory as-as well as being a copy of-Mooer's Shimverb pedal.).

No worries Prime! I think that it's going to be a case of trial and error once I get the Katana amp. Thanks again for the advice! It's very much appreciated!

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1492669087' post='3282068'] why run bass boost on the me50b when you need to reduce it further down the line? [/quote] Good evening Mr Bazztard! That's a fair question, which I'm happy to elaborate on. I use the Bottom Boost on the ME-50B on a couple of songs in my band. This previously has been as part of a standard 3 piece rock band line up, so it gives the bass a bit of extra "umphh" when required. It IS a bit counterproductive if I'm sending a treble heavy/octave up signal to a guitar amp. Thankfully, due to the advice I heeded from Prime_BASS on this feed, I sorted that issue out by switching the order of my pedals around. The bass now, as suggested, goes in the EHX Nano POG. The dry output is then sent to the ME-50B and then the bass amp. The effect out output then is sent into the guitar amp on full "Octave up". This means the Bass Boost only goes through the bass amp, thus leaving the guitar feed/signal to be more trebled! Hope that makes sense! This type of effects and bi-amping experimentation is still new to an aging indie kid like me (It is damn good fun though!!:-))!

Just wanted to post an update to thank Prime BASS for his advice. Running the Nano POG at the start of the chain works brilliantly! :-) Cheers again!

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1491944788' post='3276735'] Nano pog first in the chain will perform better, i.e tracking. Personally would have some dry in there to make it sound more natural. I would then EQ the low frequencies out. A touch of reverb will give it some air that won't be too noticeable at practice but in a big room and recorded will make a nice difference. Trick is to make it sound like a natural string rather than a synthy octave up [/quote] Thanks Prime! That thought did cross my mind. I must say that tracking hasn't been a problem with the POG (As I've said in prior posts, I LOVE the pedal!). I will try using the POG'S Dry Channel at my next rehearsal. Now, I have a question regarding mention the EQ pedal option. Does it matter if the EQ pedal, if purchased, is a standard one or a bass specific one going into the guitar amp? I only ask because I've seen a 2nd hand Boss Bass EQ pedal in a local Cash Generators which MIGHT be useful!

Thanks gentlemen! That sounds fairly sensible. I've also had feedback from a mate I know in a 2 piece band who plays guitar and bass through a Fender Hot Rod Deville combo. he did say I could use a compressor in the guitar amp signal chain, but he didn't think much of those made by Boss strangely enough! Thinking more about it, there are LOTS of variables to consider. Firstly, my guitar signal path goes like this: Bass - Boss ME50B (With Limiter switched on permanently. Overdrive, Bottom Boost and occasional Wah effects used.) - Nano POG (Octave up on full; Dry & Sub Octave off.) - Line Selector (Used as a Mute/Killswitch, as the guitar amp isn't on all the time through every song. Volume to amp not on full.) - Reverb pedal (Set as a Spring reverb. No idea if this will be permanent, used or useful yet.) - Amp. I also think the type of guitar amp I'll be using will have a big say too. The amp that gave me concerns was a Fender Performer 100 Solid State combo that was in use at our rehearsal room. The speaker sounded like it was flapping after a couple of hours work. Then again, it's an old amp, so maybe it's already been through the wars as it were. I was thinking of getting one of the new Boss Katana combos (VERY well priced, sound OK on various YouTube demos & they have in built distortion effects.); a Fender Super Champ (Used on an "Sound like Royal Blood" YouTube video by Andertons.) or a Fender Bassbreaker (Laurie Vincent from Slaves uses these amps currently, which sound great live and on record!). I could also POSSIBLY do a Josh Homme a la Kyuss and get a guitar head and play it through a bass cab(s). Overall, I think the EQ pedal might be a good bet! Is there anything else I might have overlooked?

Good evening Basschaters! I'm once again coming to you for some pedal and amp advice. I recently purchased an Electro Harmonix Nano POG pedal to use to send an octave up signal through a guitar amp. Originally, it was for a 2 piece side project band a la Royal Blood/Slaves/(First album)Drenge. However, it is most likely going to be implemented in my main band, which is an indie rock/classic rock 3 piece(I'm effectively now bassist and rhythm guitarist for the band, as I'll be playing bass through bass amp and a soon to be purchased guitar combo.)! Therefore, I'd like to ask you all about the bass signal going through to the guitar amp. Basses aren't really supposed to be played through guitar amps, so I just wanted to know if I just need to switch to the bass EQ on a guitar amp to Zero whilst boosting the Treble and/or Mids. Or do I need to get a compressor, limiter or noise suppressor pedal to place in the signal chain to the guitar amp. If it makes matters easier, my signal path is my bass (Either an Ibanez SR300 or Steinberger XT Spirit) into a Boss ME-50B. The Boss has Stereo outputs. One goes straight into a bass amp. The other goes via my Nano POG, into a Behringer AB100 Instrument/Amp Selector(Boss Line Selector copy)pedal-with signal volume no more than 75%-as a killswitch, into a guitar amp(A Reverb/Spring Reverb pedal has also been placed in the chain before the amp, but I don't know if this is going to be used permanently, if at all.)! I await, look forward to and appreciate any advice you can give! Thanks in advance!

I stopped using my Boss ME-50B in early 2009 after it effectively got me fired from a band. I used it again for an audition in May/June 2015 & it got me hired! I also use it in my current band. It's a belting piece of kit!

I couldn't get the Rowin Octopus to get a good sound for me. Just bought a Nano POG, which I think is brilliant!

[quote name='azfatboy' timestamp='1489698990' post='3259125'] Gonna suggest you look at the EHX PitchFork instead of the Nano POG. Cheaper and a LOT of extra features to play with. I have a PitchFork and a POG 2. I had to get the POG2 because like you, I am addicted to trying to reproduce Mike Kerr's sound. Frankly, both EHX's sound the same to me. And for the price compared to the micro/nano POG, I just love having the extra features on the PF. It is a blast to play around with. But back to RB, I also have the Harmonist (only 1 for now) and even the same Gretsch Jr Jet. Now I don't have a Strymon Flint or ZVex Mastotron (yet), but I don't think either pedal is likely to be a magic cure. I have several OD/fuzz/distortion pedals (as well as Trem/Rev on the second guitar chain to simulate the Strymon) that I've been layering in there--even tried running it into a Marshall DSL for extra grit, and unfortunately, to me, the octave up is still synthy. I can't seem to dial it out. So if you figure it out, with whatever pedal you settle on, please pass it on! :-) [/quote] Thanks for your feedback good sir! I DID consider the Pitchfork. Unfortunately, by the time I've read your post, I'd already bitten the bullet and purchased the Micro POG! Having taken the time to trial it instore and at home, I'm very pleased with it! It's tracking is smooth, the octave shifts aren't out of key like the Rowin Octopus was and-to my ears-works beautifully with overdrive on my boss ME-50B or having my guitar amp distorted (It's only through a Hi-Watt practice amp mind, but by God it's fun! B-)). Also, I was happy to so without any extra features that The Pitchfork has. And it wasn't quite as dear as I thought it was going to be (£172 + £5 for a daisy chain adaptor extension lead, which is still under £180 AND-if my memory serves me right-cheaper than just the pedal at Dawsons.). This purchase could prove to be very useful indeed. Thanks again for all the feedback folks!:-)

Thanks for the feedback regarding how the Boss OC-2/OC-3 works! I think I might do a bit more research on TC Electronic's Sub'n'Up first too. But it's looking more likely that I might end up pulling the trigger on a Nano POG!

Ta for the feedback folks To clarify why I've been looking for an octave pedal, in an earlier thread on here, I stated that I wanted to experiment with a guitar amp & bass amp set up a la Royal Blood/Slaves/Drenge. I have a Boss ME-50B pedal, which has stereo outputs. The planned guitar output would have the octave pedal on the up setting permanently, but switched on & off by a line selector pedal. I DID look for a Mooer Tender Octaver, but none of the music shops I've looked at in Manchester stock them. I actually purchased a Rowin Octopus pedal, assuming it was a Mooer clone/copy (£45 as opposed to £178 for a Nano POG.). It sounded awful! The octave up setting was too synthy AND sounded as if it was half a step out of tune-with iffy tracking(I swapped it for a Reverb pedal for my six string, which is brilliant sounding!)! So basically, the options I have are as follows: (1) Boss OC-2/OC-3 Super Octave: I saw 1 of these in a second hand shop as well as full price in Dawson's & PMT. Not quite sure how it'd work mind of if it does octave up. (2) Behringer US600 Ultra Shifter/Harmoniser: Renowned Boss Clone of the FS-6 Harmoniser. I've seen YouTube demos where it's only slightly lags behind a Micro POG in quality/tracking. Will be cheaper, but I can't find it in stock in any of the shops I've been to. (3) EHX Nano POG: Bite the bullet and go for the still dear but cheapest legit POG pedal. It's got clearly laid out dials/controls and should therefore do the job it's made for. (4) EHX Octavix: Now I know this is a curveball option, as it's actually a Hendrixesque Fuzz pedal. However, it appears to have an octave up switch, so I'm tempted to try this. It's also £90-£100 cheaper than the Nano POG! Just so you all know, I'm not discounting the TC Electronic Sub'n'Up of the Earthquake Devices Tentacle. I just haven't seen them in any of the shops nearby and I assume they'll be over £100 (Happy to be told otherwise!).

Can anyone help recommend any Octave Up pedals that are cheaper than the EHX Micro POG?

[quote name='6feet7' timestamp='1484253725' post='3214133'] I wouldn't be without my Boss ME50B. Just like a load of Boss pedals stuck together. Good old fashioned buttons and knobs and no complicated programming. [/quote] +1 for the Boss ME-50B! Had mine for about 12 years. Good selection of sounds and features. It's built like a tank too!

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1488802789' post='3251838'] There's brightonion too. [url="http://www.brightonion.co.uk/active-aby-pedal-with-leds/"]A/B[/url] and [url="http://www.brightonion.co.uk/products/Mono-Latching-Kill-Switch.html"]killswitches[/url] My favorite for any pedal board routing such as this. If you'd like to be able to kill both, I don't know of a pedal that would do that. Most a/b switches do A or B, some obviously also do A and B. I can't think of any that offer a 'none' output. Be simple enough to do a kill switch before the a/b I suppose. I know you want to be able to mute both, but honestly I wonder if it's worth the hassle. There are so many ways to split a signal without a dedicated a/b, and then just put a volume pedal in the guitar amp feed? [/quote] Thanks Jack! I will just clarify my idea by saying the bass feed would be on most/all of the time at this stage of planning.

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1488655565' post='3250878'] Make sure to get a powered/buffered/isolated/whatevertheywanttocallit if you're splitting the signal rather than using it as two inputs. . I had a Fender Micro ABY that was great but passive only iirc. Or if you're already using the me-50b anyway you could get a passive kill switch to mute the guitar amp feed. [/quote] I did think about that as an option actually. My initial thoughts about sticking with an ABY box were this though: (1) I only know about 1 muting/kill switch pedal-The EHX chill Switch. I think TC Electronic might do one as well, but I'm not 100% sure. (2) The aforementioned pedal may be dearer that the EHX Switchblade+. (3) I want to have the option of muting the bass amp feed/signal, so the ABY pedal seems to be the best way offer that option. Thanks for the feedback though, as it's given me a potentially good idea as I work on building this pedal rig!