Gunsfreddy2003

Top advice - many thanks. [quote name='Silent Fly' post='735430' date='Feb 4 2010, 07:35 PM']1. Connect the booster as the first pedal 2. Switch it off 3. Set everything with your GB 4. unplug the GB, plug the in Fender JB 5. Turn on the booster 6. Set the booster so that the Fender sounds (volume and effects) like the GB From now on, use the GB with the booster switched off and the Fender with the booster on.[/quote]

Opted for the Catalinbread Serrano Picoso from Higgie in the end - hope it does what I need it to do now?!!

One of my personal favourites is the bass solo in the cover of Overjoyed by Stanley Clarke - mind you the guitar solo that follows ain't that bad either!!

Hey no problem at all - no offence taken. I think your pedals look fantastic but I am just trying to stem the leaking cash flow at the moment. Mark [quote name='Silent Fly' post='733995' date='Feb 3 2010, 01:08 PM']I am sorry Gunsfreddy2003 if I sounded a little bit aggressive - it wasn't my intention. It is very nice pedal - I'm sure you'll like it. [/quote]

Ha ha! Good solution! [quote name='longtimefred' post='733990' date='Feb 3 2010, 01:06 PM']Have a look at the Tech 21 Bass Deluxe pedal. Its rather expencive but it does EVERYTHING!!!! I was gonna get one of these to even out the difference between my Stingray and my Jazz, but in the end just sold the Jazz![/quote]

I appreciate all of the feedback from everyone on this thread and have simply tried to look at all options before making any impulse purchase. If your Blue Dragon is the best option then I have no problem in stumping up the cash for it but just want to be 100% sure first. Higgie has kindly given me an offer on his Catalinbread Serrano Picoso and I am looking into that as an option too now! [quote name='Silent Fly' post='733778' date='Feb 3 2010, 09:35 AM']I see a little bit of a problem here... You are not keen on adjusting the signal of GB. The best way to avoid this is use a high quality booster when you use the other bass (Fender JB). It will not change the tone of the GB or the Fender JB. However, you are not keen in spending the money needed to buy a high quality pedal. The second best option is use a passive attenuator pedal (EHX Signal Pad). It is inexpensive and has no impact on the GB tone. You don’t like it because it "[i]adjust the signal on the GB[/i]". I run out of suggestions... [/quote]

I have a 1974 jazz bass and it is light and quick and a joy to play. I think that it is difficult to say that everything from x year to x year was not good - there will always be the odd exception to that theory. [quote name='BB2000' post='733644' date='Feb 2 2010, 11:54 PM']QA deteriated from the early 70's until early 80's (70/71/72 Fenders are generally OK). In addition very heavy (cheap) ash was often used for ash bodies at this time, instead of the expensive swamp ash used earlier (14lb jazz basses are not unknown). Fender brought in Bob Schultz in the early eighties. He brought in former collegues from Yamaha who essentially retrained the Fender production staff. Quality improved drastically at this point - Fenders from the early 80's are generally pretty nice. Current instruments are as well made as they have ever been.[/quote]

Doesn't the EHX signal pad cut signal rather than boost it? Not keen to adjust the signal on the GB TBH! [quote name='Silent Fly' post='733409' date='Feb 2 2010, 08:12 PM'] I entirely understand. The simpler, more transparent and cheaper way to achieve what you need is the EHX signal pad. If you want a really transparent booster I suggest you wait and buy something that doesn't compromises the sound of your basses. There are a lot of "clean" boosters on the market, unfortunately the majority of them represents a problem more than a solution. I don't know the electronics of the GB but are you sure there isn't a trim pot to control the gain?[/quote]

Interesting - I had never looked at it that way before. I think what I really meant in my post is that I am having to buy something here just to get levels right and that is not terribly exciting! [quote name='Silent Fly' post='733251' date='Feb 2 2010, 06:16 PM']In my experience, it actually makes more sense spend money in a clean device than in a filter (or in a pedal that alters the tone). Total transparency is more difficult to achieve than any other effect. It requires perfect circuit and PCB design, good assembly and the best components. I use the same quality standards for everything I build but I could easily get away with simpler (and cheaper) solutions with a filter or a distortion pedal. For a clean pedal if there is something that is not perfect it can be heard – at least I can. [/quote]

I definitely do not want any colouration to my tone that would be really bad! Typically I can't find an MXR for less than £70 at the moment and having just spent the money on a bass I am not keen to shell out that much on a pedal which has no other perceived benefits than making the signal louder and hopefully making my effects work as they do with my other bass! Now if it was another filter or something exciting then I would definitely find the money!! Mark [quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='733077' date='Feb 2 2010, 04:04 PM']the lpb is not a clean boost. it definitely adds something to your tone. Whether you like that or not is totally subjective. the mxr i mentioned earlier is stil probably your best bet if a clean boost is what you're after. They come up regularly on ebay as well as on forums such as this. It's not unusual to find one secondhand for about £40 or perhaps less. Where the LPB can be found new for around £30, it comes back to the colouration issue.[/quote]

Thanks for the info - sounds good. I would need to put one at the start of my effects chain as I need it to impact on how the envelope filters open up. Does it colour your tone much? [quote name='basshead56' post='732797' date='Feb 2 2010, 12:22 PM']I use one all the time. I have it at the end of the loop, before the amp. At its most basic, it is a gain booster that fattens up and compensates for any signal loss along the the chain (greta if using moe than 4 pedals, or effects with wave manipulation or dist.) Just set the level u want after your chain and you´re way. I have a slightly modded one I got on Evilbay and It´s great.[/quote]

I have discussed this with EBS Freak who has quite a few GB's and he said that he had tried to this and got in a real mess by doing so! Surely it is not impossible to boost the jazz signal to the same level? Mark [quote name='chris_b' post='732794' date='Feb 2 2010, 12:19 PM']You're trying to raise the output of your Jazz to match the GB. The simplest option I think is to lower the volume of your GB to match the output of the Jazz?[/quote]

No - have you used one? [quote name='basshead56' post='732730' date='Feb 2 2010, 11:45 AM']Considered an EHX LPB-1?[/quote]

Met up with Geoff today and have to say that he was a pleasure to deal with. Quick, efficient and polite communications and an all round decent chap. Would highly recommend to others. Mark

Bought Karl's 1974/75 jazz bass last weekend and he was a top man to deal with. Great communication, advice and no pressure to buy. Very highly recommended to others and another fine ambassador for this great forum. Mark

Amen to that - and that is why GB's are so good. [quote name='jake_tenfloors' post='729206' date='Jan 29 2010, 08:58 PM']Plus, you will only get a GB preamp in a GB bass. No other way to get one![/quote]

Did you notice any tone colouration? [quote name='BurritoBass' post='728957' date='Jan 29 2010, 05:26 PM']Plus one on the MXR Micro amp. A great pure boost[/quote]

Not a chance!! The tone from the jazz is lovely and it is nice to have some difference from the GB - nice as the sound from that one is. [quote name='cheddatom' post='728933' date='Jan 29 2010, 04:58 PM']Maybe you could get the same pre-amp from your GB to put in your jazz?[/quote]

What price does the Blue Dragon go for? [quote name='Silent Fly' post='728898' date='Jan 29 2010, 04:34 PM']As you can imagine, it is difficult for me give you a totaly unpartial advice. I would recomend you a [url="http://www.sfxsound.co.uk/mainpage.asp?page=blue_dragon"][sfx] Blue Dragon[/url] Alternatively, you could use a [url="http://www.sfxsound.co.uk/mainpage.asp?page=micro_eq"][sfx] Micro-EQ[/url]. With the tone controls flat it is an excellent booster. You can also use it to compensate the tone difference between GB and JB. If you are not keen on [sfx] products, there are a lot of pedals that can give you clean boost - it depends if already have some preference and how much money you are ready to spend.[/quote]

Yeah I think that is exactly what is happening. I am not keen to lower the signal of the GB as it works fine and I have never had a problem with it or the pedals before. I am highly unlikely to swap between the two basses at one gig so it would make sense to boost the signal from the jazz. Appreciate the comment on the MXR - what would you recommend instead? [quote name='Silent Fly' post='728872' date='Jan 29 2010, 04:15 PM']Envelope filters are driven by the signal level. If you set them with with GB, the Fender JB is likely to be too weak to make the filter move. You could use the [url="http://www.ehx.com/products/signal-pad"]EHX signal pad[/url] to lower the signal of the GB to the same level of the JB. Alternatively, you could use a booster when you use the JB. In my experience the MXR Micro Amp is not entirely transparent - especially at the lower frequencies but some people like it.[/quote]

OK anyone know of one for sale on the forum or where I can get one at a sensible price? [quote name='cheddatom' post='728865' date='Jan 29 2010, 04:08 PM']yeh if a pedal is fine with a loud bass, and not fine with a quite bass, then sticking a booster before the pedal should even out the difference.[/quote]

Well I am assuming that that is the problem?? They work fine with the GB but when you switch basses it is like they are stuck in the bottom end frequencies and need more gain at the current settings to sweep through the frequencies. [quote name='cheddatom' post='728842' date='Jan 29 2010, 03:55 PM']If all you need is extra gain, and you put the micro amp before your filters, yeh it will help.[/quote]

Do you know if this will help with opening up the envelope filters too? [quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='728823' date='Jan 29 2010, 03:42 PM']mxr micro amp? good solid clean boost[/quote]