GremlinAndy

Yeah. I found most combinations of pedals have been ok. However there’s been a couple of times where I’ve been struggling to get a sound to blend well. Everything just falls out the bottom as you mix the two sounds.. Then you hit the phase switch and hey presto, that was the problem all along. You don’t miss it until you need it, and then you understand why it was an important option. (I’m using a gig-rig ‘wetter box’ for loop blending duty. Great, but not cheap)

This does have a phase switch… https://www.brightonion.co.uk/blender-looper/?sku=bopblend1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI87Djuby5_QIVRe7tCh3w7QskEAQYAyABEgIZlvD_BwE £70 plus vat. But tbh, the boss LS2 is a great pedal to have to hand just because it’s quite versatile. I waited until one came up cheap on eBay, within driving distance. I set a search and found one for ‘collection only’ , which limits the amount of buyers, and got it for around £45. (A couple of years ago admittedly). They seem to hold value at around £65 or more so it doesn’t hurt to have one kicking around.

There are some good you tube videos dedicated to that question. I watched them. still a bit uncertain. They do sound different. soundwise: technically they cover the differences in this video. But I feel, not all that well. I hope this helps. I’ve got both, and for me the flanger is more versatile and easier to dial in the sound you’re after.

This is, in part something I know now, but didn’t. …But it’s also about technology moving along. I used to have to learn everything by lifting the arm of the record player back to repeat a section of music, back in the late 70’s when I took up bass. I had to listen to both the record, through speakers, and the bass plugged in. Which wasn’t fun for my loved ones I’m sure. Roll on to now, and I’m practicing to my favourite tunes through headphones …silently (for the neighbours), listening to the perfect balance of original track on iPad, mixed with an awesome tone through pedals and with cab simulation. I’m able to A-B the hard sections, slow them down but keep them in tune… My 17 year old self would have thought this was impossible witchcraft. basically I’m saying I wish my 17 Y.O. self had had access to a Darkglass Elements. I’m might have been more competent! (Probably not). 😜

I’ve been taking music lessons (bass centric) for about 18 months now, and I’m loving it. I’m 63 and wish I’d done this much earlier in life tbh. I primarily wanted to demystify the language of music so that I could at least understand what some of the YouTubers like Rick Beato, David Bennett and Doug Helvering were explaining in their breakdowns of familiar songs. Here I am now, with a modest understanding of the inner workings of it. You might find the subject of ‘voice leading’ interesting. It’s more appropriate for piano because of the physical layout of a keyboard, as opposed to a guitar/bass neck, but I found this video kind of eye opening. (It’s not really 100% about vocals) Don’t get me wrong, hardcore theory is still mostly over my head. …I dunno your level of theory understanding, but for me, watching breakdowns of songs has become a passion. To the point where I barely turn on the telly, and just subscribe to these for my nightly entertainment now. My point is, even after a lifetime of playing by ear, and being a self taught bassist, I‘m getting so much more pleasure from music now I understand the basics of the language. You might start a journey of discovery, like me, by just subscribing to one or more of the guys mentioned above. Kudos to @TKenrick, because it was his post that resonated with me enough to want to share my experiences!

Glad you’re sorted buddy!

I too went for EBS flat patch cables. Highly recommended. They’re small so save space on the board (that’s value in its own right), sound great and are very well made.

I dunno if anyone here is interested, but I thought it might be worth mentioning that there’s a nice Xotic X Blender pedal for sale in the forums atm. what I like about this is that it has EQ pots on it. Not cheap, compared to a Boss, but the EQ functionality might be what someone is looking for. https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/473741-tech-21-xotic-line-6-mxr-keeley-way-huge-tc-electronic/ I have no personal experience of these, but it was something I was looking at until I decided the functionality of the Wetter Box better suited my needs.

I doubt it is for everyone. I tend to be the singer and bassist, (when I’m in a band) so I tend to have to do the talking too. I really needed the ability to just change the balance on the fly without all the bending down. Plus, I’m too old these days for all the bending down. LOL! Definitely worth it for me. (Plus, you can get an LS2 for peanuts from eBay. They come around pretty often.)

Although a bit pricey, I use the Gig Rig ‘Wetter Box’ with an expression pedal. There’s a phase invert switch on the side, and each channel has a volume for matching the output to the input. Nice bit of kit. 👍

Very overkill. Looks great though. I didn’t know they existed until your post. So I learned something. I’ve got a couple of volume pedals so I might try modding one, because it is useful to have a level indicator on a volume like the original example you mentioned.

I wondered what that is. So I looked it up on youtube. this was the next video and might do the job(?). Not cheap, and your foot kind blocks the display.

Very cool. That pedal is my ‘always on’ pedal at the moment just to provide that bit of break-up. I need to try swapping the order around to put it forward in the chain, but that, and the MBD2 are the ones I’ll be sticking with, while the others may vary.

Ok… I’m an old dude (63), playing since 17 …and I’ve never wanted anything other than the clearest, piano string-like bass sound achievable, in my life. …Until ‘22. I discovered that I *do* like a bit of seasoning. I was just ignorant of the possibilities… my search has seen me make a LOT of errors. Blind alleys. And expensive dead ends. But I found my (new) mojo. As you’ll notice, there’s a lot of overdrives. (The “Substance” only arrived this morning, so although I’ve tried it, I’m still in the infancy with it. It’s currently not integrated). There’s probably a lot of redundancy here, …but right now, I have a mix of 4 (or 5) drives plus the comp making my new interesting and tweakable sound. There will have to be a period of ‘rationalisation’ in early ‘23 no doubt. Have a great New Year my bass buddy guy & gals!

My last pedal of ‘22 arrived at the post office just this morning! There’s no way I’m stopping in 23. hi. I’m Andy and I have a gear problem…

Yes. It has an XLR DI out.

It has an XLR type DI output for sending to a desk.

I think they normally just come on when plugged in. Check your power supply. My first one blew the power-input with a 12v supply, although they are supposed to be 9-12v. (Darkglass repaired it for me) It’s got to be a center negative supply, like boss etc. The only button (other than the ground lift ) is the one in the middle of the front, but that’s to switch between cab sims, and for pairing with a Bluetooth device.

Did you look at the Sub n Up? The up sound is quite nice sounding, but I dunno if it’s what you’re after…

Well that unfortunate error for you, is actually great news for everyone else. The Thumpinator is as robust as everyone hoped. I'm glad you got it fixed at a reasonable price. …and thanks for the update!