Osiris

I'm not a big fan of aggressively bright high frequencies on bass either but I found that once the added treble from the Muscle Comp tone print is dialled back out again, you're left with a great punchy tone that helps to keep everything even with the band. I also backed off the horn in my cab too to help tame it. This isn't a problem for me as the Spectracomp is on all night and I don't change the tone print, but obviously it could become a faff if you plan to switch the pedal on and off as you might need to change eq settings too.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1502386784' post='3351163'] l've just the above pedal (yeah, yet another comp) as an always on effect. Im hoping to use it to even out my pick playing and add a bit of fullness to the upper stings. Just playing the standard covers so i dont need a specific tone out of it, i just need more presence. So im just asking for recommendations based on the existing tone print patches that would be most suitable as a starting block. Cheers for any pointers. i think this one will be a keeper. [/quote] Try giving the Muscle Comp tone print a go, that was created by a pick player (can't remember his name at the minute). Although I'm primarily a finger player these days it's my favourite tone print, I find it punchy and even across all strings. It does have a boost to the high end frequencies which will help accent the pick attack, if that's what you're looking for, but I prefer to eq it back out and it gives me a deep and even tone across the fretboard. Other than backing off the high end a touch my eq is usually flat as you need those upper mids to help make the higher strings sit in the mix.

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1501844405' post='3347728'] Got one on my board you can borrow if you want [/quote] Cheers, Paul

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1501829390' post='3347574'] Here are the two he did for me. The tort guard is so good that people think it's a sticker on the original pick-guard. [/quote] They both look great, I love the Skamite one!

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1501828986' post='3347571'] Tim is a graphic designer by trade and is very good at tweaking ideas to make just what you want, he has a done a couple for me, and I started with just a vague thought in my head both times! He is based in Bedford, so not too far from you Osiris, he makes very good coffee, so well worth a phone call I would say!! [/quote] Cheers, I'll do that!

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1501838385' post='3347654'] Hopefully they would have one in ye olde shoppe to have a go, but if you are near me ever, door is open [/quote] Cheers old chap, I'll give you a shout next time I'm out in the wild west if I haven't already picked something up.

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1501832443' post='3347602'] I demoed the EHX, BOSS and MXR back to back and it wasn't even close. The EHX I found to be quite dark sounding, the BOSS was 'OK' but a bit thin and the MXR sounded awesome. I didn't get the chance to try the stereo options. I never use the flanger and the price tag was way higher but the quality gap was massive. No regrets. I've also found the simple crossover button to be tuned exactly right. It gets the effect right out of the way of the fundamentals - in fact I've discovered that once your strings are a bit worn in, you can hammer away on the E string and then go for a high fill and the chorus just emerges as you play the fill. I think the Boss is digital too - so not really old skool. The MXR is definitely analogue. [/quote][quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1501836438' post='3347631'] There you go Sid, remember the clip I sent you was one setting. Jump down the Rabbit hole and take a chance..... [/quote] Cheers guys, I'll do some more digging and see what I think of the MXR, and hopefully get my hands on one to try. Can't say that what I've heard on YouTube has convinced me that it's the sound I'm after, but we all know that gear sounds much different when you try it for real as opposed to listening to it online.

Does he, or can he, help design the image you want on your scratch plate? Or do you need to supply what you want and he just makes it? I've got an idea in mind but I'm not sure that my graphic design skills are up to much!

[quote name='Zummerbass' timestamp='1501781558' post='3347348'] I bought one recently,first order was returned as it was way too noisey. EH quality control has been the subject of one or two online debates... It has a nice old school sound going on,not a great deal of variety but does what I require of it well. It has a well thought out tone control set up a la Boss Bass chorus pedal which emphasises the effect on the high end and reduces it on the low end. [/quote] Yeah, I appreciate that EHX have had some QA issues over the years, but hopefully they've resolved that by now? The old school vibe is definitely what I'm looking for and from what I've heard on YouTube (duly taken with a pinch of salt) the bass clone does it pretty well.

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1501797548' post='3347485'] Osiris - just get the MXR Bass chorus deluxe like i told you, there will be no disappointment, and i even comes with flange....... [/quote] Cheers Cuzzie but I I had a listen to the MXR but found it a bit too clinical for my medieval tastes. And it's about £100 more than the EHX and the Boss CEB-3, both of which sound more organic and warm to my questionable ears. Plus I have all the flange I can eat on tap

Looking to possibly get a relatively cheap chorus pedal to add to my sparse, boring utilitarian pedal board and like the sound of the bass clone from what I've found online. Anyone used one? What are your thoughts on it? Any known issues with it?

This probably won't go down too well with the recent resurgence in TE popularity, but having owned an SMX rig for several years I found it to be gutless and under powered and almost impossible to get a good sound out of. I bought a new 250 watt SMX combo and extension cab in the early 90's and used it for several years and in that time I pretty much grew to hate everything about it. There's been a lot of talk on here recently about how Trace watts are so much louder than everyone else's. But with 250 watts and two 15" speakers, I always felt like the rig was struggling to keep up with other people I was playing with. The SMX amps had loads of different controls but I just couldn't get a sound that I really liked from it. The pre-amp tube didn't seem to introduce any tonal colour and no matter what I did with the graphic, it still sounded toppy and was unable to deliver the mids and low end with any conviction. On the plus side, it looked great and the dual band compression circuit was really good. I'm not out to rattle any cages here as I know there's plenty of Trace fans still about, but my own experience is very much at odds with the highly regarded reputation that Trace gear has. Maybe mine was just a duff one? Who knows.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1501401028' post='3344397'] Buggered if I can find the SLS head review Dan [/quote] Try this; https://youtu.be/NkHy0fVbtUU 😉

One very happy Magellan 800 owner here. In short, the amp sounds superb and is incredibly versatile, you can get everything from warm, mid rich retro sounds to modern, bright scooped sounds just by using the dual voiced contour control. My band covers stuff from the 60's to contemporary music and the Magellan handles it all with ease, it really is that versatile! In my opinion none of the YouTube videos that I saw do it justice, it sounds so much better 'in the flesh'. Other features in its favour (in my opinion and experience of course!) include; A great, neutral sound with no particular bias towards any frequency range, A simple but sensibly voiced and very usable eq, with frequency centres that are spot on for live work, The sublime drive channel is low gain with a subtle mid-bump eq and delivers a very convincing valve like warmth and just sounds right to me. You could ditch the Bass Soul Food in a flash! Heft. There, I've said it. Yes it's class D, no it doesn't have any valves or a big heavy transformer, but there is a real weight and substance to the tone. No unnecessary bells and whistles, just everything you need. It just sounds right. Here's some thoughts about how I feel it performed against a few of its peers - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/303884-amp-test-drive%3B-aguilar-darkglass-genzler-and-mesa-boogie/

My band plays a wide range of covers from 60's top modern day. I tend to play with a relatively flat eq and make any minor adjustments to playing position and occasionally panning between pickups on my basses that have more than one. I also use a bit of low gain drive, usually so low gain that I doubt anyone actually notices anyway! This gives me a good 'one size fits all' sound (with some subtle variation) that works well with everything. Our guitarist and keys players have dedicated sounds for different songs, so I like to keep the bass tone relatively constant behind them, and it seems to work really well across the board.

I seem to think that Dood is in that part of the country, he teaches so presumably covers soloing? Look him up on the Members tab and drop him a line and see what he says [size=4] [/size]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1500185312' post='3336059'] Release the damn thing already so someone can tell me if it's remotely gigable... I never really liked the signature trace tone of old so I'm not bothered if it sounds nothing like that. [/quote] Same here, I'm curious to know if it can hold its own on an average pub gig as something like this could make for a small back up amp. Likewise, I was never a fan of the TE sound. Having owned a 250 watt SMX rig for years I realised it really wasn't for me. But I'm still curious to see and hear what the Elf has to offer.

Quick update; I whipped up a cable earlier, it's just over a meter long to use from the output of my compressor into the front of my amp. Doesn't appear to be noisy in the slightest even when giving it a good shake about! Did a quick A/B test against a proper instrument cable and there was no notice difference in tone, volume, noise or anything else. [size=4] [/size]

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1499775941' post='3333499'] Well as I said you're probably right in law (and if it came to it you would appear to have a good case). That said, given what has transpired why would you want to? I mean it's not as if the shop is trying to fleece you - in fact they're getting less off you than they might otherwise. If it is a case of sharp practice then it doesn't seem to be a very clever one. I don't think you're being unreasonable in wanting some clarification, but IMHO it comes across as a bit of a storm in a teacup. Not wishing to labour the point, but specifying an acceptable margin up front removes the issue altogether. [/quote] My first thought was that I was being fleeced, but that's possibly just paranoia Wasn't trying to kick up a stink, just merely relaying a seemingly related anecdote to the original posters experience. But yes, agreeing acceptable margins up front sounds like a wise move, albeit one that I clearly hadn't considered at the time

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1499770966' post='3333447'] As to the amp, there are a number of potential issues there that you haven't made clear. When selling gear on commission sales I always specify an acceptable margin - "accept offers within x% of the listed price" kind of thing. Technically you're probably correct, but ask yourself 'would I have accepted the offer if I'd been selling it privately?'. If the answer is anywhere close to a 'yes' then with all due respect what's the beef? [/quote] No problem, hopefully this will help to clarify your points; We didn't discuss acceptable margins or possible offers as I was assured it would go for the price that was suggested to me, and from that I'd get my 80% cut. It was discussed as though it was a done deal. In answer to the question 'would I have accepted the offer if I'd been selling it privately?' then the answer is yes as I still ended up with more money than I had initially expected for the old amp. The 'beef', is more of a feeling of ambivalence. Yes, I did end up with more than I was expecting from a private sale, which is obviously good, but I was also assured that I was going to get a set price, but the actual amount received was less £30 than that. I had been given a receipt for the agreed amount so just assumed that that was what was coming to me once the amp had sold. Am I being unreasonable? Is the receipt in any way legally binding? I wasn't asked if I was prepared to let the amp go for the lower price, and I don't know if it is their right to sell it at whatever price they want or whether they were obliged to check with me first? And that's the bit that galls me. If it is their prerogative to sell used items on other peoples behalf for whatever price they want, regardless of what has been agreed, and I'm ignorant of this fact then fair enough that is entirely my fault. So in summary, I got more than I expected, but didn't receive the agreed figure that I assumed I was going to. I genuinely don't know and would appreciate any clarification as to my rights, if any, in this situation.

I had a similar issue with Bass Direct a few months back. They took in my old amp to sell on my behalf (not as part exchange as I was told that I'd get more money if they were to sell it for me) to off set the cost of a new one I'd bought from them. Anyway, the amount that I'd get was agreed* and I was given a receipt for the old amp and the agreed sale price. *I was told that they they charge 20% for this service, so obviously I was to get less than the full sale price but my share of the money was still a reasonable price. The amp sold about a month later (I had to chase up my money from them about 3 weeks later, but that's another story) but when the money hit my account, it was £30 less than the figure that was originally agreed. I emailed to query this and was told something along the lines of "the amp sold for less than we expected which is why you have got less than the agreed price". I replied to that to say that I would have like to have been consulted about selling the amp at a lower price, but I didn't get a response. Now, I'm not sure where I stand on this. Were they within their rights to sell my amp for a lower price? Was it still legally/technically my amp? Does anyone here know the legalities of this situation? Ultimately, I still ended up with more money than I was expecting from the sale of the amp which was good, but the episode still left a sour taste in my mouth.

Hey Paul, see if you can find an old Dod Octoplus. I had one years ago and it tracked much better than the Boss (can't remember which model it was now) that I had at the same time. The Boss did both 1 and 2 octaves down whereas the Dod only did 1 octave down, but to be honest 99% of the time when you use it, you'll only really need 1 octave down on bass anyway! There's also a really good octave model (can't remember the name of that either!) on the Zoom MS-60B. You can pick those up used for around £50 ish.

Thanks for the helpful insight, folks. It sounds to me that the sensible thing to do is to whip up a cable or 2 and see how they perform in regards to any potential unwanted noise. The worst case scenario is that i end up having to buy a new cable so it's hardly the end of the world

Long story short, I need a new cable and looking through my box of odds and sods I found a suitable length of microphone cable - [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/van-damme-yellow-tour-grade-classic-xke-microphone-cable-priced-per-metre-n64dl"]Van Damme 268-025-040 classic microphone cable[/url]. I've also got some spare Neutrik 1/4 inch jacks too. Can I make up a lead to use between the bass and amp with the above mic cable (and possibly another when using my pedal board)? If it's OK to do it, how would I wire it up as it has 3 inner cores (2 shielded and one that isn't) compared to the usual 2 of a regular instrument cable? Is there any reason why this would be a bad idea?