JapanAxe

I have built a few pedals (and indeed a few amps!) but it has never occurred to me to try a multi fx, other than perhaps housing the innards of 3 or 4 pedals in a single mahoosive enclosure. The whole digital thing is well outside my comfort zone as a builder. I don’t know any programming but I seem to recall there are some people here who do.

I currently own one (1) bass-specific pedal, which I use as a recording preamp or silent stage solution so I’m not at the front of the queue of people dreaming of bass multi fx. In the past I have used overdrive, phasing, and envelope filter on bass, but the one bass effect I miss is the PWM synth sound on my old Boss ME-8B - do you reckon you can replicate that with decent tracking?

Bumpa-lumpa 

Subdecay Vagabond sold elsewhere.

Dazatronyx Optical Tremolo still available.

Deep thumpin' bumpin'!

Some reasons I have left bands (in no particular order):

• Really didn’t enjoy the gigs;
• Only joined as a dep while they looked for someone permanent, had to remind them of this;
• Joined another band;
• Got fed up carting most of the PA around.

Times I have regretted moving on: 0

Bumperooney!

There would actually be no harm in interested parties suggesting trades, although the chances of coming in with something suitable could be  somewhat remote.

I came to bass from guitar and brought with me the idea that more than one pickup had to be a good thing. I worked my way through various 2-pickup basses until I tried and bought a MIJ Precision. Ps have been home ever since, they just work for me.

Also since then I have had my ears opened to the joys of a single-pickup skinny-string in the form of a Les Paul Junior.

VPF is anathema to me.

VLE is redundant - that’s what passive tone controls are for.

I’m sorry but this thread is making me feel quite nauseous. Single coil pickup mounted right next to the bridge? It’s a BASS guitar goddammit!

*shuffles off clutching well-worn Precision, disturbing small birds nesting in beard*
 

Hope you love it @Beedster!

Behringer Super Fuzz, typically £20-£25. 2 flavours of fuzz plus clean boost, with 2-band EQ.

Presumably you have a sound in your head that you’re trying to get with the equipment you have. Obviously we’re not party to what goes on in your head, but a few points of reference could help - songs, artists, or even genres where that sound can be heard.

I’ve been the guitarist who was apparently playing too loud, except the person saying so was hearing the bass.

I also once told myself not to buy a Dingwall because it wouldn’t look ‘right’ in a country band.

One of us! One of us!

I re-capped and re-valved a friend’s Sound City PA head last year. I can’t say I was over-impressed with the build quality.

I seem to recall them being nicknamed ‘Sounds Sh!tty’ but I think that was unfair, it sounded fine.

Having recently acquired a Walrus Monument I am reluctantly having to clear some space on my pedal shelf. Consequently the following analog tremolo pedals are up for sale (no trades thanks):

(1) Subdecay Vagabond

Offers the choice of Harmonic mode (think brown-panel Fender) or Bias (i.e. amplitude - think black-panel Fender). As well as the usual Speed and Intensity Controls there is Volume (boost or cut) and Drift. The latter either slows down or speeds up the tremolo rate according to the strength of the input signal. The emphasis here is on amp-style tremolo rather than trying to imitate a Univibe! The Intensity control is very powerful, making the pedal capable of everything from subtle wavering to full-on stutter.

Switching is mechanical true bypass, and the status LED flashes in time with the LFO when engaged. Operates from 9-18V DC via a standard Boss-type power adaptor (no battery option).

In excellent condition, boxed with user guide. There is hook velcro on the base but I can remove this and fit small non-slip rubber feet if you prefer.

£125 posted in the UK.

(2) Dazatronyx Optical Tremolo

As far as I know, a unique design, hand-built in Australia. You don't see many over here.

Controls for Rate, Tuning, and Boost. Tuning is kind of like depth but also affects the overall volume, and you the compensate with the Boost to taste. I can't find this exact pedal online - as far as I can tell it is the same circuit as the original big-box versions (see video below), rather than the later small-box model (which features a flashing LED).

Mechanical true bypass switching. Operates from a standard 9V boss-style adaptor or a PP3 battery.

In excellent condition, and just look at that artwork! No box. No velcro, and I will supply a set of rubber feet so that you have that option.

£85 posted in the UK.

On 05/10/2022 at 18:43, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Spot the Elf.

Elf on the shelf?

Tbh that’s not something I’d want on an amp - too much choice for my liking!

The 19inch width includes the rack mounting brackets. The enclosure itself is 42cm/16½in wide, and the outside dimensions across the rubber feet are 39cm/15¼in, so it could sit firmly on a cab of the latter width with only a small overhang either side.

My preference is for parts in standard notation, with chord symbols, in PDFs. I can then import them into ForScore on my iPad.

It’s pretty rare for this to happen though. More often I get a set list with keys and then transcribe any numbers I don’t already know using Sibelius First, or if I’m lucky I might find a decent transcription online (e.g. tomreadbass.co.uk).

Here's what our very own @Dood  had to say about this model"

On 30/09/2022 at 19:42, yorks5stringer said:

So not a really long stand, just 2 months?

I see what you did there. Actually 9 days.

16 hours ago, BassmanPaul said:

Leaving a tube amp on standby with heaters on but no B+ can lead to 'cathode stripping which damages the tubes.

That actually causes a different problem but I can’t remember what it is. Cathode stripping in guitar amps is a myth that has been propagated since at least the dawn of the Internet.

EDIT: I looked this up and when a cathode is heated but no anode current flows for a long period of time (several hours?), a high-resistance chemical layer can grow between the cathode and its oxide coating. This is known as cathode poisoning.

Incidentally, 2 of my 3 gigging valve guitar amps have no standby. The first thing I do when I walk on stage is switch on the amp's power, and by the time I have checked my tuning and pedal settings it is ready to play.

I set up the breadboard with the make-before-break (shorting) switch and the new cap values. Somewhat disappointed that there is still a click when switching values, and wondering how Stellartone get round this. I've also worked out a way to connect all but the biggest cap between the switch lugs rather than to ground, adding one cap at once in series to reduce the overall capacitance at each detent of the rotary - not sure whether that would be less clicky. I'll spend a bit more time playing with it before I decide whether to try this in my Dingwall or just stick with the traditional tone pot.

Well the stand arrived quicker than expected and there have been no extra charges, so that's a win, cheers all!

I bought this amp a couple of years ago to use in my Bowie tribute but ended up playing second guitar in the band. The amp really brings out the difference between the basses I played through it, and somehow seems to increase the range of their passive tone controls. I have used it on a few gigs and rehearsals, but in the end I prefer the sound of my (rather more expensive) Demeter head. 

Features

Power: 300W RMS  into a load of 2-4ohms. I've found that to be plenty into my BF Super Twin.

Weight: 9kg/20lb. Yep, not a heavyweight, despite the mahoosive toroidal transformer inside.

Rack mountable (2U) or sits firmly on a cab on its rubber feet.

As I understand it, this model has the filters from the HD350 (which people seem to prefer) with the extra features of the HD360 (e.g. light-up push-switches). The facility to make quick comparisons between flat and EQ'd sounds using the Filter switch is handy. This may seem like an odd thing to say, but the thing I liked best about the TC Classic 450 I once owned was the ability to dial in some subtle compression and drive for a vintage-y sound, and then leave it. This amp does that too, but in a much classier package. It also saved me having to put together a pedalboard.

The Comp/Limit circuit comes after the Filter section, so with it engaged, boosting the Bass can change the tonal balance without massively changing the volume, and still lets the fundamentals come through when playing up the dusty end.

Drive is great for adding in some 'fur', in fact at settings below noon it is not a million miles from how my Ampeg PF-50T used to sound when pushed. It goes up into full-on distortion territory if that's your thing.

Character works well to beef up your sound without adding unwanted low-end flub.

For any of you who are dubious about musical equipment built in the Far East, I can tell you this was built in Sweden.

Condition

The amp is in excellent condition and comes with its original shipping box, user manual, and a nice coffee-table book about EBS.

Price

£625 plus delivery £500 delivered UK. You are also welcome to audition it at my place before parting with your money - cash or confirmed bank transfer are fine. I have suitable carry case that could form part of a deal with an in-person buyer only.

Meet-up within an hour's drive is also possible.

I'm not looking for any trades, thanks.

Photos

I love the look of this version's front panel - it has a proper 'Rolls Royce' feel about it!