JimBobTTD

[quote name='Osiris' timestamp='1491157355' post='3270910'] OK, so not a pedal, but check out the drive channel on the Genzler Magellan 800 amp. Like you, I've been searching for ages for the perfect low gain drive that sounds smooth without low end mush or a nasty fizzy top end. I'd tried some of the pedals on your shortlist but ended up with the Magellan instead I ought to point out that I play fretted basses and round wound strings. Someone mentioned the Tone Hammer earlier and that was the best of the pedals, in my opinion. The Boss BB-1X bass driver sounds titanically crap on every YouTube clip that I saw but was surprisingly good in the flesh for low gain sounds. However, the Genzler is totally very similar to the Tone Hammer but with an additional level of clarity, not brighter but somehow clearer and more refined. When you engage it, there is a subtle eq curve added in too that rolls off some of the high and low end and bumps the mids a touch. My guess is that this would work really well with a fretless. I'm hoping to post a more in depth review of the amp soon. [/quote] Hmm...not my cup of tea in the Premier Guitar demo (https://youtu.be/YzkCtlcffw0) but other demos are out there. For me, much like Japhet, it is not the basic tone of my amp that I dislike, it is just that I want a little extra. I found the GK 500MB Fusion to be a great amp for a warm clean, but I could not push it to a (what I felt to be) musical overdrive. Also, I use a different amp in rehearsals and I have not had the luxury of using my own amp at a gig for quite some time, going straight to the desk and using the house amp for a bit of monitoring. So I was after a good overdrive that would work with my amp (valves in the preamp), a fully solidstate amp and for DI. Thanks for reminding me about the ToneHammer. I shall edit my post above with links to demos of it when I get a bit more time. The one with Norm Stockton was [i]incredibly[/i] brief but he produced a great sound. For the record, I have found a Blueberry and ordered it. I was a bit unsure at first when listening to demos of it, but when it was at its best, it was better than anything else, I felt. More info when it gets here and gets used.

Here is my table of pedals and links to demos (with thanks to everyone here for participating!) Argh! The table has copied over but lost its formatting when posting. Make............................Model............................New Price............................From............................YouTube - with a Precision............................YouTube - with a Jazz Bearfoot.......................Blueberry............................£169............................Joe's.Pedals...................[url="https://youtu.be/13XHY7GlAXo"]https://youtu.be/13XHY7GlAXo[/url].....................[url="https://youtu.be/qEsOlOX993A"]https://youtu.be/qEsOlOX993A[/url] Catalinbread................SFT.....................................$180............................Catalinbread....................[url="https://youtu.be/yIZ0_nPRo1Y"]https://youtu.be/yIZ0_nPRo1Y[/url] COG.Effects................66.Mini................................£130............................COG.Effects....................[url="https://youtu.be/Oiywar9m618"]https://youtu.be/Oiywar9m618[/url].Unsure of bass. 2 mins into demo for low-gain stuff Darkglass....................Vintage.Microtubes............£215............................GuitarGuitar.....................[url="https://youtu.be/-flc87WFeiY"]https://youtu.be/-flc87WFeiY[/url].........................[url="https://youtu.be/LbrskGuZ2uI"]https://youtu.be/LbrskGuZ2uI[/url] Dave.Hall.Amps..........VT-1.EQ.DI.Bass.................£170............................Dave.Hall.Amps......................................................................................[url="https://youtu.be/cYpdDY3dMxo"]https://youtu.be/cYpdDY3dMxo[/url] Electro.Harmonix........Soul.Food...........................£75.............................GuitarGuitar......................[url="https://youtu.be/CTZJX13NHmQ"]https://youtu.be/RMt1qhQkqd4[/url] Fulltone......................Fat.Boost.............................$84............................Amazon.com.....................[url="https://youtu.be/sTKQVMzA0lY"]https://youtu.be/sTKQVMzA0lY[/url].(but.a.poor.demo) Hudson.Electronics...Broadcast............................£155..........................Hudson.Electronics...........[url="https://youtu.be/NaW5emu-MSc"]https://youtu.be/NaW5emu-MSc[/url]....................[url="https://youtu.be/r7_yGtYGU7w"]https://youtu.be/r7_yGtYGU7w[/url] MXR..........................Micro.Amp............................£94............................GuitarGuitar......................Couldn't find any demo that were worth sharing Palmer......................Ubertreiber............................£58............................Thomann...........................[url="https://youtu.be/1x1JisjscAk"]https://youtu.be/1x1JisjscAk[/url]..........................[url="https://youtu.be/GXJfNafgjG8"]https://youtu.be/GXJfNafgjG8[/url]................(First video on an unknown bass) Rodenberg...............GAS.808B............................€170............................Rodenberg........................[url="https://youtu.be/4gSG5Ll44jg"]https://youtu.be/4gSG5Ll44jg[/url].........................................................Video on a Spector P&J Smallsound.Bigsound.Mini...................................$160............................Smallsound.Bigsound......[url="https://youtu.be/1BlU5kbCa70"]https://youtu.be/1BlU5kbCa70[/url] Solid.Gold................Beta.....................................£160............................Thomann...........................[url="https://youtu.be/cYkEqBdQs3w?t=2m8s"]https://youtu.be/cYkEqBdQs3w?t=2m8s[/url].......[url="https://youtu.be/g2jGE5eRm3c"]https://youtu.be/g2jGE5eRm3c[/url] TC.Electronics.........Spark.Booster.....................£109............................GuitarGuitar.......................[url="https://youtu.be/Jf2CoJ5aRJ4"]https://youtu.be/Jf2CoJ5aRJ4[/url] Triton.lab.................FET.Overdrive......................€120............................Tritonlab.............................[url="https://youtu.be/wiekz6YPJpE"]https://youtu.be/wiekz6YPJpE[/url].Video is with other effects Way.Huge...............Pork.Loin..............................£177............................GuitarGuitar.......................[url="https://youtu.be/8PznTzNn0bU"]https://youtu.be/8PznTzNn0bU[/url] Wren.&.Cuff............Phat.Phuk.B.........................$170............................Wren.&.Cuff........................[url="https://youtu.be/Q_ZcaazhecI"]https://youtu.be/Q_ZcaazhecI[/url] Xotic.......................BB.Preamp..........................£203.............................Thomann............................[url="https://youtu.be/at_kXzb0uY4"]https://youtu.be/at_kXzb0uY4[/url]... Prices were sourced from GuitarGuitar, then Thomann, then the maker, then other on 2 April 2017 For the DHA VT1, the price is for the MkII version. MkI has been discontinued

[quote name='Vinny' timestamp='1490892447' post='3268899'] Quite happy to record the BB-1X on flats if anyone's interested. Don't own a fretless, though. [/quote] Yes please! I shall find good product demos for the others and link them all here. I have had to put my search on hold while I deal with an enormous workload this week.

For future reference, when folks look for fretless overdrive: EHX Soul Food Bearfoot Blueberry Wren & Cuff Phat Phuk B Solid Gold Beta Xotic BB Preamp Darkglass Vintage Microtubes DHA VT-1 Tritonlab FET Overdrive Catalinbread SFT MXR Micro Amp Thanks for the tips, kind people. Please keep them coming! I shall investigate and put up good product demos here when I find them.

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1490544124' post='3265843'] Having children puts a stop to the attendance of one's partner. [/quote] Yup. Last gig of mine that my missus attended, she was 7 months pregnant. It was a really good gig, though, so I'm ok with that.

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1490526433' post='3265659'] Thrash player as a student, now just a bedroom player of thrash. Looks like your predecessor played with fingers: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtqlgpnRPA0"]https://www.youtube....h?v=NtqlgpnRPA0[/url] Had a great listen, really enjoyed it. I play with both a pick and fingers. I prefer fingers from the point of view that there are more dynamics, accents, etc possible, but obviously a pick is easier for stamina / fatigue / injuries. Three fingers is also good if just straight speed is needed, but I'm not too good at playing complex lines with 3. [/quote] Good God....this is great!

I was in a thrash band and I would love to be in one again. Fingers for me. I did a song or two with a pick - Slayer covers - but I am not too good with a pick. Nobody [i]ever [/i]commented on this.

Thank you for your continued support, dannybuoy! (Edit to include that I watched both videos this morning) The first vid at 0:25 is indeed a great sound. This really made me interested. The sound is very useable and pretty much what I have in mind. The second vid at 6 mins or so leaves me less interested, though. It sounds a bit mushy to me. Or something. I don't know. I fear that with flatwounds on, things would be a bit mushier still. Mind you, my brain has been royally fried with all the videos I have watched over the last few days. Perhaps I should start doing demo videos!

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1490539613' post='3265779'] Agreed that blend is unnecessary here. The Blueberry, Tone Hammer, etc have bags of low end without one... And they work some magic in how they compress and colour the signal which would just be diluted by blending. A blend is necessary for pedals that are mainly about distorted mids (e.g. Darkglass Vintage and Pike Vulcan) or when you have high gain distortion / fuzz and you need to bring back some of the thump to the note attack. [/quote] This might very well be the case. I suppose I have had bad experiences with pedals. But I have also had a bit of trouble with pedals [i]with[/i] blends, too, as it sounds like two very distinct sounds rather than one that is, er, blended.

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1490531157' post='3265704'] You could try one of these, [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8aQExhdSj8[/media] I've got one on my board and love it. It's a very versatile pedal with 2 gain stages which can be blended for a huge range of sounds from very subtle to wild. There is a common misconception that it needs it's own power supply. It doesn't. It has internal electronics which step the voltage up from 9v to 33v so it runs on a standard Boss type supply. It also cancels some buzzing frequencies in my setup. I use it with flatwounds too. [/quote] Thanks - I rather like the sound of that. [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1490533412' post='3265729'] As you appear to like MXR, JimBob, why not add in the Micro-amp to just boost the signal into drive (assuming you`re looking for an always on overdrive that is). [/quote] Thanks! Actually, my first port of call was MXR, but both their overdrive and distortion did not make it beyond the first round in my search. Too hairy...too saturated. But I shall check out the Micro Amp. What I really like about the MXR pedals is their durability and size! [quote name='GisserD' timestamp='1490534376' post='3265733'] I found the end of this sea4ch recently with the creation audio labs grizzly. It adds that "hair" that I was looking for all this time. But it also sounds excellent into the upper overdrive and distortion settings. Even gets quite synth like at the top. Useful low pass and mid cut aswell. There's not much it can't do. Search over [/quote] Thanks - I shall check it out. [quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1490536887' post='3265748'] I very much like the Xotic BB Bass Preamp and the Smallsound Bigsound Mini for low gain OD. Neither have a blend, but I think that is totally redundant on a low gain pedal. However, both have a two band EQ, which I think is much more useful... [/quote] Xotic BB is on my list, actually. I really liked the sound it made. I shall check out the Smallsound Bigsound, too. Thanks for the tip!

[quote name='Kirky' timestamp='1490521512' post='3265603'] The DHA pedals can do low to high gain tube drive. Quite possibly not easy to find in Stockholm though. [/quote] I had one of them. Truth be told, I was not overly keen on it. It was large, heavy and required its own power. The sound was not too impressive either, I found. I wanted to like it, but I did not. The DI stopped functioning properly (and the headphone out was always noisy) and I lost faith in it. [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1490521948' post='3265613'] My go-to pedal to pair with a Precision and flats for low gain drive is the Aguilar Tonehammer. What was it you didn't like about the Blueberry? Cos that would've got my recommendation also! [/quote] It is hard to express what it is I do not like about the Blueberry. I checked it out on your recommendation, but it left me unimpressed, seeming that the sound it provides (which was good) is not the one I am after. I saw the product demos done by Bearfoot and they were all a bit too "hairy" for my liking. The absence of a blend concerns me, too. All the product demos I have heard have told me that my search needs to continue. There are so many pedals out there...I have no problem with a pedal that goes to 11, but my experience is that they do not sound all that good on 1 or 2, which is where I would want to be on the overwhelming majority of the pedals I have seen/heard. The Aguilar seems good, though...really good. A quick look at a demo - this one https://youtu.be/VUdeNZeFK6k?t=5m23s at this point is very close to what I have in my head - says that this is definitely one to consider. Even on full gain, the pedal does not wig out. Thanks for the tip!

Sigh...I'm going a bit mad. I am after a low-gain overdrive. I use flats, fretless and I play rock/blues etc. The current band does everything from Sex Pistols to Iggy and the Stooges to Lenny Kravitz. My current set up is: Bass > Tuner > MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe (with crossover and set low) > MXR Bass Preamp > Amp. Please excuse the cliché abstract terms, but I want the sound to be the same but with a bit more grind/edge/beef. I have spent hours watching demos of pedals on YouTube. They tend to be too high gain from the start and then go further. As such, almost all pedals have been shown to be a bit "too much" for my tastes. However, Norm Stockton did a good (but so terribly brief) demo of an Aguilar Agro that sounded good. No other demo shows it at such low gain, though, and no demos of it in the mix that I could find. No blend, either. So...can anyone point me to a good demo of a low-gain setting of a good overdrive? Ideally one with a blend. If you have experience of it with flatwounds, all the better! I have listened to and not been impressed by: Darkglass BK-3, BK-7 Bearfoot Blueberry Sansamp (which I once owned but hated)

Go for it! It would look fab. I would straighten the control plate on that one, though!

Thanks for the tip! I am trying to narrow it down...Wampler Low Blow, Xotic BB, Catalinbread SFT and I'll add the Bearfoot Blueberry in there, too.

I had an ABM preamp years back that sounded great, so I could be persuaded by this. 18v...this could go on a pedalboard with an adapter thingie.

Interesting! It is on PMT for £369, though...ouch!

Sold mine now. It was gathering dust. The sound was fantastic, but it was heavy and needed its own power supply. If I ever end up in a metal/grind band again and need some great sounds, I shall likely revisit it. Until then, though, I shall look for a nice 9v pedal that is more blues-rock.

[quote name='FretNoMore' timestamp='1488706108' post='3251108'] I'd say the template for my boards have usually been (Wireless) -> Tuner -> Compressor -> (stuff, depending on music) -> Parametric EQ -> Rumble filter -> Preamp/DI [/quote] Mine have been similar. Wireless > Tuner > Dirt > Modulation > Wah > Amp/ DI. I like having a wah at the end of the chain so it wahs the whole signal. Similarly, I like dirt at the beginning so the chorus is on the dirty signal rather than the other way around. Although, right now, my board is Wireless > Tuner > Octave > Chorus > DI. I am on the hunt for a good dirt pedal but I really have no idea what to put in there. Wah is nice, but I only ever use it at home.

How about putting the onboard preamp into a pedal case?

Nice...except for the offset dots on the front of the fingerboard. They totally ruin it for me. If not for them, I would be investigating the prices.

I helped Mark shift even more gear by purchasing his MXR M81 preamp pedal. Sent out quickly, [i]very[/i] well packaged, no problems at all. What a fine fella this fine fella is.

Nah, not roller skating...roller skiing. It is cross-country skiing in warmer months. I was in the early stages of training for a race. Yes, I know...big mistake...won't be doing that again! I shall make sure I get a physio who works with musicians. Thanks for the tips, folks!

Two years! Oh God, no! I have been miserable these last six months. Still, go it must. If it means two years, so be it.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1486908963' post='3235402'] As with all non bass related threads like this, IMO it is best to go back and seek the advice of your doctor or a physiotherapist. While other people may [i]seem[/i] to have a similar problem, everyone is different and what might be good for one, may not be the case for someone else. You say the pain is back with a vengeance...then all the more reason to get it properly checked out. Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear. Hope you get to sorted. [/quote] Fear not - I shall be booking a revisit to the doctor as soon as I can tomorrow. I know that this is tennis elbow and I know that this is something that a medical professional needs to help me solve. [quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1486914546' post='3235466'] In the meantime (while you wait for an appointment) you could try an adjustable neoprene forearm tube. Tightening on the muscle below the elbow can relieve some of the pull on the ligaments. You could also try turning your amp right up and play a lot softer with the right hand, maybe wearing the bass a bit lower and playing with a straighter arm could help too. [/quote] Thanks - I have one of these from earlier. Part of the damage done in the fall was spraining my wrist (as I was, essentially, skiing on concrete, I had skiing sticks on my wrists and my right one was twisted when I fell). I shall put it back on. Lowering the bass...that's a big ask! Nice suggestion...I shall see how it goes. Thanks!

I have been suffering from tennis elbow for about six months. I had a fall whilst out roller-skiing in late August. I landed with my full weight on my right elbow on concrete...with elbow protection, but all that meant was that I did not scratch the skin! Anyway, after numerous trips to the doctor, X-rays, MRI etc I have been diagnosed with tennis elbow which was "probably always there" but manifested itself after the accident. I had cortisone shots in January which basically fixed it, but I travel a lot and, at times when out and about, I just cannot avoid carrying something with in my right hand. It has flared up again and I cannot play bass without it hurting. There are some old threads on here about it, but any more tips on beating it, stories about how you had it, are over it, and are better now than ever before and all that jazz would be much appreciated. Basically, I have just returned from a trip and have played bass for the first time in a couple of weeks and the pain is back with a vengeance. I have had to pull out of my band and I am feeling bummed out in a terrible way.