rhysyjob

1 hour ago, Downunderwonder said:

Diabolical is a pretty strong word.

 

Agedhorse was in the thick of it when class D was becoming a thing for bass amps. Genz Benz were getting pushback from ''the market'' along the lines of your critique. So they put the new preamp into a pair of boxes, one of each power stage, A/B and D. Nobody could tell a blind bit of difference.

As I said it’s personal choice, I can tell the difference for sure and for ages I tried to tell myself I couldn’t. Ultimately it’s personal choice, but if work done or power is a function of area under the the output graph it feels like class D are steeper spikes and A/B are more sine waves with greater work done. This may explain the need to lose heat. I’m no expert but I trust my ears. 
 

No right or wrong just personal preference! 😉

20 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

Each to their own and all that, but my TecAmp Puma 500 sounds lovely and warm, and has suited any band situation I've been in.

Light and loud too 🙂

Not knocking anyone else. The fact there are so many flavours means people like them. It’s just not for me personally. 😊✌️

The emergence of class D heads had me very excited! 800 watts in small box light box. No more lugging around huge transformers, great!

Except apart from the easy carry the rest of the story has been pretty erm stinky poo!!

Despite 8 years, five heads and every Eq patten under the sun. I simply cannot get on with the sound at volume. 😬

I”ve tried TC Electronics (BH 550) Aguilar (TH500) Tech 21 (VT) Markbass (Tube 800) and finally Mesa Boogie (D800) and no matter if you put a valve in front of them, a compressor before them, a neo or a ceramic speaker from them, or summon a religious cult behind them. They sound too direct at volume to my ears.

I tried, but I’m going back to my Class A/B happy place! 😊

Nice. I’m quite partial to a nice Spector! 
😊

Pm replied.

For Sale, Mesa Boogie D800 in excellent condition complete with manual bag and all tags. Owned by me from new with little use as lightweight spare for my ABM.

Nick 

Please stop selling such tempting basses about 14 miles away from

me.

It’s weakening what little resolve I have left.

cheers, 

Rhys

See this has now got me singing come on “thunder child” from War of the Worlds. As did your last post about “Stormbringer” coming…..

I need to either stop reading your posts or countering with:

Vigier Passion - Purple Rain

Spector 40th - Blue on Black

Vigier Excess - Behind Blue Eyes

Ricky 4003 - Eat the Rich

🤣🤣🤣🤣

That’s silly money for a Eurobolt with a Tone Pump upgrade! 
 

This won’t be around long! 

10 minutes ago, CJPJ said:

I've had the HX Stomp, Effects, B6, MS-60B, MS70CDR, Boss ME-50b and some of the older Zoom pedals.

 

I've sold them all but the only one I bought again was the HX Effect which, on reflection, I think works for me best. It doesn't have amps and cabs which I don't need, has easy access to the core effects (as you list) and you can program parallel paths and tweak ad-infinitum if you want. The key for me was realising that it was not hard to set up if you give it 30-60 minutes and a YouTube tutorial. I love it now and have everythign I need as I think the quality of the sounds are fabulous.

Thanks that I did see that you’d cycled through these in quick succession so thanks for your advice (along with others on this forum).

so it’s between the HX Effects, Plethora and GX100.

I going to have a good think. And maybe find a shop that has them all (this may take a few weeks)!

5 minutes ago, la bam said:

Tech 21 bass fly rig.

 

Just switch each fx on or off. No flapping through patches etc.

Have you tried the MK2? Any good? 

1 minute ago, la bam said:

Tech 21 bass fly rig.

 

Just switch each fx on or off. No flapping through patches etc.

I had the Mk1 version, not for me tbh I thought the fx were poor.

7 hours ago, jimfist said:

 

It's a tough nut to crack without the cost jumping up into the top tier. That's why I mentioned the HX Effects, or even the PodGo, as well as the Zoom B6. 

They seem to be the only mid-range market contenders that have all of the basic tools (to include synths). Only the B6 has XLR output, if that matters.

The Line 6 products all share the same modeling and a fairly vast list of available effects, as well as robust editing capabilities within the effects.

I've settled on the B6 for the moment because I really don't need a ton of bells and whistles, and can reasonably work around the 4 button format (stomps or patch banks).

I do have my eye on the HX Effects, though, but wonder if Line 6 will be introducing an updated product Line as the Helix format has been around for quite some time.

I was kind of thinking the same about the Helix line, it’s 2 1/2 years since I sold mine and I thought it was mid life then. Despite all the distractions of previous study I wish I’d got another more into the setting up of effects chains editing etc.

On one hand the Plethora seems easy, but I wonder if it’s too limited.

The B6 seems tidy but I I’m not sure I warm to it and I’d like parallel processing. DI out is not an issue as i always use an amp (with a DI).

The attraction of the Boss is its new and at the start of its lifecycle, updates will follow, editing can be done via I pad/phone and Bluetooth. 
 

I’m starting to feel that at some point I’ll just say screw it and pick the one that is at the top of the list that moment! 

12 hours ago, jimfist said:

 

The GX-100 has some great features. No synth modules, though, so you'd have to concoct them using octaves, filters and fuzzes.

I've said before on the GX-100 thread: if it had an XLR output and some basic synth stuff, I'd have gotten in on the pre-order discount.

 

That’s got me thinking again..

I’m a bit late to this post, but having read the announcement I have to say that in all the years of buying basses, Vigier have impressed me the most. I am so glad to have bought my Passion and Excess when I did! 
 

I’ve also got for say thanks to Matt (Mattbass6) for getting me into them by selling me his Purple Excess5!  
 

Superbe, Patrice! 

Ok folks I’ve been having a nose around and well what about a Boss GX-100? Lots of boss bass fx and touch screen so hopefully if I can use a iPhone - iPad etc I’m hoping it’s just patience and time! 😊

16 minutes ago, jimfist said:

 

Can you give us an specific idea of the types of sounds you need for octave, harmonizer, synth? (Links to songs or pedal demos?)

As I'm on the B6 right now (and own the B3n, owned the B3), I can help you sort out whether it's up to the task for these items.

I've created some octave, synth, and harmonizer patches with the B6 that I'm happy with, but no idea if it's your cup of tea.

 

Pitch shifted harmonizer stuff is a really subjective thing with multi-fx pedals. Some do it better than others, and the more you spend, the better it tends to be.

Fractal Audio gear  (the latest iterations FM3, FM9) have made great strides with their pitch shifting according to posts in their forum. Top dollar stuff, though.

I think prevailing wisdom is that dedicated pedals do pitch shifting (Digitech) & synth (Source Audio) effects very well. Middle-of-the-market multi-fx is a coin toss.

That said, I'm finding the B6 to have plenty good to offer in this department, though there are some things to avoid and tricks to getting these sounds to behave.

 

Perhaps someone familiar with Boss or Line 6 Helix pedals can chime in on this issue.

No Probs my needs are quite simple. I’ll try to put it as I see it! 😊

3:1 Compressor nothing too overly squishy.

Chorus of Duff, Mckagen GNR era

Octave with a side of Palladino, note OC2 sounding than Digital POG type tones

Flanger ala Lynott, no Alibi required

Synth from Deep(er) Underground 

Harmony (3-5-7-9) another white line? generally for power chord type stuff under guitar solos. 
 
That’s about it.

Things I don’t need.

Billy Sheehan Remingtone…. Love the player less fussed on the tone.

Bad Horsie Pitchshifting Whammy.

Envelope Filters - tried them, don’t like them - bass playing sacrilege? Probably!  
DJent….. no

Thanks for your help all  

1 hour ago, grelum said:

I have a Rocktron B200 which I never got on with and am thinking of selling on. Its a beast -solidly built but I confess the interface confuses me after using my Zoom B1Xon for about 5 years now. I saw a couple of models in Japan on the Bay going for in excess of £250 (see screenshot). If you are interested please message me for a more sensible price.

Thanks for the offer but not for me. 👍

Thanks I’m very sparring with effects generally so tend to keep a compressor on and the stomp in chorus, boost, octave and harmony as needed to be honest.

Anything intuitive is generally my preference as I’m not into deep editing.  

Hi All, 

Im in the market for a Bass Multieffects unit I can take to practice and gigs but I’m a bit of a novice/lazy/confused on programming.

Historically I bought a Helix and never got to grips with it (however in my defence I was in the middle of a Masters at the time).

My needs are quite simple, compressor, chorus, flanger, octave and maybe a bit harmoniser/synth (that tracks).

What I absolutely don’t want is something that I cannot standardise volume on easily. 
 

Im somewhere near the Zoom B6 or the TC Electronic Plethora.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated.  

I have the 4string version in the same finish and it’s a stunning bass.

As for Bongo’s with a small chip on the tip of the headstock, pretty much guaranteed to happen unless it spends its life under a bed. 

Ok excuse the uneducated question. But does the b6 do

parallel processing? 

Pm sent

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

Initial thoughts on the B6:

Firstly my fx background. Used Zoom and Boss multi effects since the 90s. Have pedals of all types and monetary value and have had Helix Stomp, HXFX, and Zooms; B1on, MS60B, B3, and B1-Four.

Caveat - only used through headphones for an hour and a half.

 

It's a thing of beauty. The pictures don't do it credit. While everyone else produces near identical machines, or apes the Line6 range, Zoom as ever, do their own thing. It's the stealth bomber of multi effects. With bright coloured lights. So not really that stealthy.

 

Touch screen. I've read sniffy reviews from folk who haven't tried it telling the world that the touch screen was rubbish. Seems to do everything I want it to, as and when I want. 🤷‍♂️

 

Ease of use. With all modern tech one expects a learning curve. I managed to scroll through various boards and patches, alter effect parameters, set up my own board, rename it and promptly save a different board over it by accident. All in about 20 minutes working from the pedal not the computer software.

 

Working from the pedal has to be easy for me because it's only in a band situation I really know how well I've programmed a patch. I don't have a computer at gigs and at present only IOS is supported via the optional Bluetooth. It is extremely simple to adjust. Really, really simple. And having real life, overall tone and volume knobs right there is just great.

 

Silent running? Well that depends. My upper frequency detection system has been lost or replaced with some tinnitus so I simply don't hear the highest noise.

I found it to be utterly silent. Unless I plumbed in a high gain distortion followed by a flanger and reverb - but then show me any set up with those pedals which is silent! And there's a noise gate if you want it anyway.

 

Why Zoom? Isn't it just a plastic toy compared with the real deal Line 6 stuff?

I didn't compare it with Line 6 to be fair. I chose it in preference to a variety of other multi effects because it has the effects I like and none of the others had all of them. It doesn't restrict me to one of each type of effect as some others do, it doesn't do parallel but the effects all seem to have mix options so that's fine, I know and like the brand. Oh and of four Line 6 products I've owned two have broken on me. None of my Zooms ever has.

 

Is it any good though? Yes. So far I'm very pleased. The synth sounds are ace, the envelope filter is ace, the drives are ace, the Trace Elliot amp sim is ace, the harmony pedal effect is ace, the pitch shift seemed less warbly than on the earlier Zooms but I didn't play with it for long. I see there's a setting for a whammy type shift which I will try with my expression pedal. It sounded pretty good as a standalone octave up.

 

What else does it do? It's an audio interface for my computer. It comes with free Cubase activation code.

 

More thorough review to follow when I've learned how not to lose the patches I create 🤦. Including side by side comparison with other pedals.

Many thanks for taking the time to post this Stew. 😊

That’s a whole lot of Spector niceness right there! 😍