Baloney Balderdash

Here's my new pedal board, a Harley Benton Spaceship 80 board, that I haven't got around wiring and attaching my pedals to yet, but here they are sitting on the new board as I plan to arrange them (Count on possibly getting it done later today. Also the white goo on some of the knobs is hot glue applied to fixate the settings. Also got a lot of comments on how dirty my pedals seems to be when I posted this picture on TalkBass , so just to get that out of the way: Yes, I stomp on them with my shoes on at band rehearsal, I don't plan to use them as dinner plates, and tend to use my ears when playing music, not my eyes, beside the way that I edited the photo after I shot it to make it look more clear and crisp apparently had the side effect of enhancing the dirt as well, making it look much worse than it really is) : My entire signal chain explained in written form : (*pedals listed in [ red/bold/underline text ] are "always on" effects*) 4 string 28,6" scale Ibanez GSRM20 neck + GSRM20B body Mikro Bass (equipped with an EMG Geezer Butler P pickup, wired directly to the output jack socket, and strung with gauge .090 - .072 - .054 - .040 D'Addario XL nickle plated steel core roundwound strings, tuned in F# standard tuning, 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning) ->> TC Electronic SpectraComp (always on 3 band parallel compression, adding extra punch, snap and bite, but without really affecting my playing dynamics) ->> TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini (always on digital polyphonic octaver, used as an 1 octave up effect mixed with clean bass signal, giving an effect similar to that of an 8 string "octave" bass, with pairs of respectively bass and octave strings) ->> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (always on, parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ={ [Loop A Send] ->> Joyo Orange Juice (always on low gain overdrive, really primarily used to enhance harmonic content, [Tone] set at about 11 o'clock, [Voice] set to boost a wide curve around a 800Hz center frequency about +3dB pre gain stage, always mixed with clean {bass+octave up} signal from parallel effects [Loop B]) ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> (empty effects loop for clean {bass+octave up} signal blend with Orange Juice in effects [Loop A]) ->> [Loop B Return] ([Loop A] + [Loop B] mixed at an about 50/50 ratio) }=>> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ={ [Loop A Send] ->> Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz (Boss FZ-2/Univox Super Fuzz clone, octave fuzz, always mixed with clean {bass+octave up} signal from parallel effects [Loop B]) ->> Joyo Orange Juice (lower medium gain grindy kind of overdrive, always used either stacked into the Metal Zone in front of it, and mixed with the Rat distortion in parallel effects [Loop B], or as a dirty slight "clean" boost mixed with clean {bass+octave up} signal from parallel effects [Loop B]) ->> Boss MT-2 Metal Zone (distortion, used with a relatively low gain setting, always used with the Orange Juice behind it stacked into it, and always used mixed with the Rat distortion in parallel effects [Loop B]) ->> Behringer VP1 Vintage Phaser (EHX Small Stone clone, used in the high feedback and deep sweep mode, always used boosted by the Hotone Trem in front of it, and almost always used mixed with flanger in parallel effects [Loop B]) ->> Hotone Trem (Tremolo with rate and depth at 0, always used to boost either the Behringer phaser placed behind it and make it a bit brighter, since it's a few dB above unity gain when engaged and got a tone control) ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> Mosky Black Rat (RAT clone, in Turbo RAT, LED diode clipping, mode, quite raunchy, fuzz-esque, high gain distortion, always used mixed with the Metal Zone distortion in parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> Monarch MFL-22 (flanger, most often used mixed with phaser in parallel effects [Loop A]) ->> [Loop B Return] ([Loop A] + [Loop B] mixed at an about 55/45 ratio) }=>> Behringer UT100 Ultra Tremolo (almost always used staked into Valeton chorus in front of it) ->> Valeton Aquaflow Vintage Chorus (Boss CE-1 clone, almost always used with the tremolo staked into it) ->> Artec SE-EQ8 (always on 8 band graphic equalizer, settings as follows: [Freq=100Hz LoShlv Boost=+1dB ; Freq=170Hz Q=wide Boost=+1dB ; Freq=280Hz Q=narrow Boost=+3dB ; Freq=500Hz Q=narrow Boost=+2dB ; Freq=800Hz Q=narrow Boost=+1dB ; Freq=1.4kHzHz Q=narrow Boost=+2dB ; Freq=2.3kHz Q=wide Boost=+3dB ; Freq=5kHz HiShlv Cut=-10dB]) ->> Zoom G1Xon (Always on "160 Comp" (emulating a DBX 160A compressor) set to a quite subtle compression, and additionally used for 2 reverb patches, which respectively are as follows: Plate Reverb->HD Hall Reverb->Tape Delay, prominent reverb patch :-: Plate Reverb->HD Hall Reverb->Tape Delay, extremely thick lush reverb patch, used as a reverb pad effect with volume swells) ->> NUX Tape Core Deluxe (Roland Space Echo tape delay emulation) ->> Zoom MS-70CDR (always on 2 x 2 band parametric EQ : [Freq=63Hz Q=4 Boost=+1dB ; Freq=200Hz Q=4 Boost=+1dB ; Freq=400Hz Q=2 Boost=+1dB ; Freq=1kHz Q=4 Boost=+1dB] ->> subtle plate reverb ->> and faux, EQ based, cab sim, consisting of a 2 band parametric EQ set as follows: [Freq=12kHz Q=1 Cut=-18dB ; Freq=20kHz Q=0.5 Cut=-20dB], and additionally used for a lush Church reverb that can be switched on/off) ->> Band rehearsal/jamming/gigging // ->> Home practice / Home recordings : ->> Joyo American Sound (always on clean preamp (gain set to ever so slightly break up when digging in the hardest), a Tech 21 Blonde clone, analog emulation of a Fender type amp, with a wide curve around the center frequency of 400Hz boosted about +3dB, and an about +3dB pre gain stage boost to wide curve around the center frequency of 800Hz) // ->> Band rehearsal/jamming/gigging ->> [Effects Return] (poweramp input) of Peavey Solo Special 112 (160W, solid state guitar combo, with the build in 4 Ohm 12" speaker unit disconnected and instead hooked up to a The Box PA 502 PA speaker) ->> The Box PA 502 (full range PA speaker with 1x 15" + 1.7" high frequency tweeter horn) // ->> Home practice / Home recordings ->> Behringer Eurorack UB1202 (mixer) ->> [ ->> Sennheiser HD 380 Pro (headphones) ]/[ ->> Behringer Tube Ultragain MIC100 (tube preamp) ->> M-Audio Fast Track (sound interface) ->> Reaper (DAW) ] I use this setup for the musical project that currently has my main focus, a bass/vocals and drums/vocals duo that in lack of a better genre definition can be categorized as something like progressive psychedelic stoner/doom rock.

Just discovered this Japanese bass and drums duo, kind of sounds like some odd crossover/fusion between Primus, Mr. Bungle and Captain Beefheart, most of all I guess really a bass and drums only version of Mr. Bungle :

Depends on what kind of distortion your are going for, but something like the Boss LS-2 or EHX Switchblade Pro Deluxe will help making just about any dirt effect suitable for bass, both units allowing for blending in clean signal to retain proper low end and definition of your signal. The Joyo Orange Juice excels in grinding biting low gain overdrive to kind of medium gain distortion, and personally I use one set to a low gain overdrive mixed with clean signal via one of my LS-2 pedals for my basic "clean" tone. For high gain heavy (as in weight, not the musical genre), gutsy and monstrous ballsy fuzz-esque distortion I can warmly recomend some kind of RAT clone that is capable of both regular vintage RAT germanium or silicon diode clipping and LED diode clipping, the latter most often used by bass players as the LED clipping mode tends to retain low end of the signal it is fed with better than the germanium or silicon diode clipping mode, I can warmly recommend the dirt cheap Mosky Black Rat as it seems to retain low end a bit better in both modes than most other RAT based pedals, though the bit more expensive Mooer Black Secret is also an excellent option for this, the latter sounding pretty much identical to respectively the regular Proco RAT and the Turbo RAT, depending on which mode it is set to, again this is assuming you blend in some clean signal via something like the Boss LS-2 or the EHX Switchblade Pro Deluxe to retain proper low end and definition of your tone. Another option is getting the MXR M85 Bass Distortion, which is also a RAT based pedal with both a silicon diode clipping mode and a LED clipping Turbo RAT mode, as well as this pedal got a build in clean signal mix control, making the use of an external effects loop/mixer pedal like the Boos or EHX ones mentioned redundant.

Well, Peavey own the trademark now and has released some new products currently on the market and in production under the Trace Elliot name that are supposed to recreate the classic Trace sound. Also, as I said in my previous post in this thread, old Trace Elliot amps are still a quite common find on the used market, and usually goes for quite reasonable prices too, though, at least here in Denmark, I have noticed the used prices going up lately for these amps. If weight is not an issue (those old Trace Elliot amps tends to weight about a ton) in my opinion no better amps exist, discontinued or currently in production, they sound no short of absolutely amazing, and they punch a good deal above their rated wattage too.

Phenomenal Syd Barrett cover :

The best bass tone I ever had was from an old start/mid 90's 130W SM7GP 1x 15" Trace Elliot combo, which I very much regret being stupid enough to sell at some point. And I've even owned an Ampeg B15S, legendary 60W tube amp (which I regret being stupid enough to let go of as well, but that's a different story), and although that was an amazing amp too I personally prefer the tone that that Trace Elliot amp gave me. As you said it is basically just plug and play and then instant amazement, and damn loud too compared to their rated watts, punch way above their rated power. The downside though to those old Trace amps is that they weight about a ton. But still I seriously ponder on maybe trying to find and buy a used one again at some point. They aren't exactly rare and usually quite reasonably priced too (though I have noted a general tendency for prices seemingly going up lately, at least on the used market here in Denmark).

Word! Yeah, I've always thought Stanley Clarke was a complete hack on a bass too, with his cheap budget short scale custom signature Alembic totally amateur bass. And what was that one hit wonder pop band, The Beads?, who's bass player, I think she was called Paula Marty or something along those lines, played a short scale as well. She looked like a boy too. Who can take musicians like that seriously? I mean seriously, com'on, at least play a proper grown up's instrument. Face it, short scale basses are nothing more than children's toys, and the Earth is and always has been absolutely and completely flat, why I tune all my basses to B#!

Beatiful folk song :

Me utilizing a low gain overdrive, blended with clean signal via one of my Boss LS-2 pedals, as much as to introduce some low gain tube like grid as as an harmonic enhancer, and a TC Electronic SpectraComp, 3 band compressor, as much as a regular compressor as as a tone shaper/enhancer, got me thinking if there are any 3 band preamp/overdrive pedals, with freely selectable frequency crossover points for the 3 bands, that goes all the way from clean to lower medium overdrive for each of the 3 bands, and got a separate unaffected clean signal volume control as well, out there, preferably all analog, and preferably with a character similar to the Tech 21 Oxford/Joyo Orange Juice/Orange amp -esque? Probably a long shot since there would likely be a quite limited market for a pedal with such functionality, probably being too unusual and specific for it to be viable for anyone to make, unless they do custom orders. But if that's the case any idea who might take on such a task, preferably located somewhere in Europe, and what kind of money approximately we could possibly be talking about?

When the black clouds marched across the sky A mother sat awake and a child slept. And an angel´s voice sang in the night´s silence the praise of all the worlds. And the young mother heard an echo Most deeply within her the night´s silent praise: O how the world grew out to every latitude While the little one slept.

Well, I can try, the very basics I would be able to help with at least, but really I just adjusted parameters by qualified guessing from the little knowledge I had/have about how compression works, listened carefully and re-adjusting accordingly until it was spot on right, you know the good old trial and error approach, definitely worth the time it took though. No. I guess that might had been helpful to some, but to me it would have been a completely useless feature, in my opinion nothing beats actually listening when we are talking about tone. Adjusting, listening careful to what those adjustments does and then with a qualified guess adjust further according to what you hear. Though I would wish that TC Electronic would have made a thorough guide to the toneprint editors of each their pedals, cause the very general toneprint editor guide you can download from their homepage is very lacking and frankly completely useless, in that you either already know what they are telling you or you don't have a clue about what they are talking about, and in both cases you are left absolutely no wiser about how to actually use the toneprint editor for the individual pedals.

As I tune my main 4 string Ibanez Mikro Bass, which has a just 28,6" scale length, in F# standard tuning, 2 half steps above regular 4 string E standard tuning, I use a set made out of single strings, the 2 middle strings actually being guitar strings threaded through the cut off ball ends of bass strings, after much experimentation settling for a gauge .090 - .072 - .054 - .040 set, calculated via the D'Addario String Tension Pro online string tension calculator the low F# string having a tension at about 25 lbs and the remaining strings just about 29 lbs each. So I was thinking taking a shot at ordering a custom set of Newtone strings next time, and as far as I can tell from the description it seems like the Diamond line nickle plated steel hex core roundwounds would suit my preferences the best (I would very much like to keep approximately the same measurements as above). Now I actually love the sound I get from the D'Addario XL strings I use, and didn't like the tone of the NYXL strings when I tried them, so my question is how does the Newtone Diamond series strings compare to D'Addario XL strings. I mean both in terms of tone, longevity, tension, stiffness and feel in general? I calculated that with VAT and import taxes a custom Newtone set like this will end up costing me just about the same as if I ordered single string D'Addario XL strings. A longer lifetime would be a big sales point for me.

The old solid state Trace Elliot amps are known to be capable of sounding much louder than what their rated watts suggest. I guess that just means they were conservatively rated (as in rated lower than their actual capabilities), not that the actual amount of watts they put out somehow magically sound louder. I had no issues whatsoever of hearing myself or being heard by the others with my old SMGP7 130W 1x 15" solid state Trace Elliot over a loud guitarist and hard hitting drummer at band rehearsals with a hard rocking power trio, and that was with the master volume of the combo set just around the 10 o'clock position, if you took out your earplugs it literally hurt badly in your ears.

The TC Electronic SpectraComp does not act like a limiter, it acts exactly according to how you dial it in in the Toneprint editor, making it one of the most flexible and dare I say greatest compressors out there. That is unless you ignore it's biggest strength and just stick to the stock toneprint. Admittedly non of the premade templates or artist toneprints for this pedal was to my liking, but bothering to actually thoroughly dial in my setting exactly to how I liked them using the Toneprint editor got me just that, a compressor that sounded exactly like I wanted it to. I am extremely satisfied with mine. You could claim just about every pedal on the market to be absolute RUBBISH if you refuse to use 90% of the adjustable parameters it offers, that however is on you, not the pedal. Though I agree the EHX Black Finger is great too, but for completely different reasons.

So today a new EMG Geezer Butler P pickup arrived with the mail service and I have just installed it, tested and adjusted it properly this evening. The old one from a P/J Geezer Butler set had developed an issue, from previously being dead quiet it suddenly begun to hum slightly when my skin was not being in contact with the bridge ground, and I tracked down the issue to being the lower pole piece of the pair under the D string. Whenever I touched that pole piece it would start making crackling noises, now this wouldn't be much of an issue in it self, but I assume the culprit, rather than being that that pole piece somehow having lost ground connection, was caused by the pole piece actually somehow having come slightly in touch with the hot circuit of the pickup, since I have also lately been suffering from unexplainable sudden rather drastic tone changes, one moment my tone sounding absolutely awesome, well articulated, and super snappy and punchy, the other really thin and anemic, and then suddenly muddy and unclear, and after going through my setup having ruled out everything else as being the possible course. Well, good new's is it seems like my spontaneous tone changing issue has indeed been solved, and in return my setup is almost dead quiet, even without my skin being in contact with the bridge ground, just like before my old Geezer P pickup suddenly went faulty. I suspect the issue might have been caused one of the times I soldered or de-soldered the pickups, perhaps leaving the heat from the solder iron on a bit too long, when I was experimenting with using a DiMarzio Model P pickup instead, that while also sounding awesome, very full, ballsy and punchy, wasn't quite as dynamically responsive, articulated and clear sounding as the Geezer, why I went back to that. Here the new Geezer P is, installed in my main Ibanez GSRM20 neck + GSRM20B body Mikro Bass, wired directly to the output jack socket (yes, I swapped the stock barrel type jack socket out for a regular front mounted one. And yes, the strings are rather thin for a bass. It is gauge .090 - .072 -.054 - 0.40 strings, tuned to F# standard tuning, as in 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning) : Sounds absolutely as awesome as I knew it would.