CameronJ

There's an upgraded MTD Saratoga 5 (Jazz style but sexier) going for a very good price here at the moment. Definitely worth a look.

I think you'll find that, regardless of neck dimensions, either a Sandberg or a Maruszczyk will blow a Fender out of the water. I don't say this particularly as a Fender hater, but as an appreciator of the level of craftsmanship that goes into the Sandy and the Marusz instruments!

Nice - was a bit of a bargain if I remember correctly?

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1505754225' post='3374056'] Agreed, and I think I do a good job of that with my MXR Bass Octave pedal. But I fall short when I introduce overdrive or distortion. Blue [/quote] What OD/distortion are you using, Blue?

Is this the one I saw for sale on eBay a little while ago?

Sybil always did have good taste.

... *evil laugh*

*evil laugh*

I've already PMd Al on the matter but for anyone else who's in doubt, the Filter Twin has no volume drop when engaged and if anything slightly boosts your signal. Worry not!

Bloody hell. Some people need to get their heads examined!

If, like me, you get "your sound" from a your pedals and bass more than from your amp, the MXR M81 Bass Preamp (not to be confused with the MXR M80 Bass DI) is perfect. Its basic sound is transparent, no grind or growl really, but its magic lies in the fact it's a standard MXR pedal size (i.e. Smaller than a LOT of other bass DIs - and it has mid knob with sweepable frequency so you can dial it in just how you like. XLR output and 1/4 inch output on board.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1505675891' post='3373522'] Because the MXR has a clean blend, it helps retain all of your low end, which is what a LPF would typically do. Agreed, a band-pass with no clean blend would be a bit pants. To be fair, the MXR can do a lot more than 'quacky sounds', they're the sounds I really dislike from envelope filters actually, that whole generic slap funk filter sound. I use it to get nice slow and low vowel sounds. Si [/quote] Simon has nailed it here.

Smells to me as though lashings of Google Translate have been applied.

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1505653610' post='3373354'] So MXR is band pass, whereas SA Manta, Aggie FT (and 3 Leaf Proton) are all all low pass? Or am I simplifying things too much here?! [/quote] As a general rule assume that, if bass players use it, it's running in low pass. The MXR is a fairly uncommon exception to that rule. Some are switchable low/band pass which gives you the choice.

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1505649298' post='3373312'] Sounds like a perfect time to have a compressor (or limiter) in the chain (probably after the filter pedal) then to protect the cabs against volume spikes? Was this just an issue on the MXR or have you found it on other filters as well? I'm guessing probably not an issue on the more "polite" Aggie FT [/quote] It can be a problem on pretty much any analogue filter pedal to be honest. My Fwonkbeta can put out huge peaks, especially with the "Fwonk" knob turned up. I've just found the Filter Twin to be one of the most well behaved filters I've come across in this regard. A compressor will definitely help.

I should add that the Filter Twin compared to the MXR could be seen as more "polite" sounding. On the MXR you can definitely get more of a punch/snap which at certain settings can really pound your speakers with its massive volume spikes. Filter Twin - warmer, smoother MXR - brighter, peakier

Do it Peter, FXPedalRental have one in stock... [quote name='foxyFuze' timestamp='1505572161' post='3372938'] Bloody hell, something else I need to buy! Does it actually track well down to the low E?? [/quote] It seems to track a low E, but I can't reeeeally tell at that pitch as my headphones are just producing an I distinct rumble. Anything but the meatiest of PAs would struggle to produce that properly. I wish your cabs good luck! Starts to glitch out on sustained notes at that pitch which is to be expected but it'll take the low E for staccato notes. Even when it glitches it seems to do so in a fairly smooth way which doesn't sound as harsh as some other octavers. It may well be the best tracking analog octave pedal in my arsenal - and I have about 5 of them at the moment!

Brilliant.

[quote name='GisserD' timestamp='1505545919' post='3372667'] The manta has no threshold so was difficult to dial in with different basses and just never sounded as fat as I'd like. [/quote] True, the lack of threshold could be an issue for certain basses. I only tend to use it with one of mine so I hadn't actually noticed the lack of threshold control until you said it! And I do agree to an extent re: fatness. My analog filters are much fatter but the Manta does nice things to the highs and mids which make it react in a lovely way with my Bass Chorus Deluxe running after it in crossover mode.