SumOne

Squier Fender (x3) Ibanez (x2) Dingwall Sandberg Lakland Hohner Yamaha And a home build - neck and body from northwest guitars. Each good in their own ways.....pizza might be my favourite food, I'd get sick of it if it was all I ever eat though!

I think his Bass is comically big, and Thundercat must be fairly large this guy who is 5'10 pretty much can't play it:

I just got an Atlas and it seems great if you want to nerd out with compression. Good stuff: It sounds good. I've owned quite a few compressors (FEA Opti-Fet, Empress, Markbass, Cali 76 compact, The Warden, MXR, Pigtronix) it is unfortunate I don't still have any to directly compare but it seems in the same league as the best of them, and better than the Helix and Zoom digital compressors. Hook it up to phone/laptop and you can control just about every compression parameter you'll ever want to. It can do things that most compressors can't: It can be pushed to distortion all the way up to sounding like a fuzz pedal, slow swelling noises, fast pumping sort of effects, noise gate, it has look ahead compression, dual compressors that can be parallel or series (with 2x inputs and 2x outputs potentially meaning using it as 2x compressors at different parts of signal chain - I haven't done that yet though), side chain compression.......basically, you name it and it probably can do it. 6x presets and the dials can be assigned and ranges customised per preset. (128 presets accessible via Laptop/phone or if linked via midi) An expression pedal can be added and mapped. Can be used as a parametric and graphic EQ. I've made a preset that uses one of the dials as a mid volume and the 'alt' version of it as the mid frequency point - so it is like adding an EWS BMC pedal. Downsides are mostly hardware: There is no inherent tone or feel to it (perhaps a good thing?). The visual metering isn't as good as the MXR or Empress (but the light changes colour, which is plenty for me). Connected to the Laptop the metering is very good though - live graphs to show input signal and where compression is being applied. It would be great if it had a couple more dials (like the Empress with 6 dials and two switches), 4 isn't quite enough for hands-on control of a full-featured compressor where lots of things can be edited (there are the additional 'alt controls' but using that isn't ideal).....but then again, if it had hands-on control for all of the things available it would be massive and really expensive. The 'alt' controls are fiddly, a small hidden button activates them for a short amount of time while the dials are turned. The problem is, try turning the 'release' alt dial and listening to the change made but turn the dial slightly after timed out and it reverts to 'output' potentially giving a massive volume increase/decrease because of the dials new position. Not good if trying to make 'release' adjustments while listening to how your compression sounds through a cab already at high volume. It's probably best not to think of it like I was as 'how good is it at emulating other compressors'. If you only want a compressor to sound like a Diamond or a Cali 76 etc. then it is probably better to get one and keep things simple, you can emulate them with the Atlas but its real strength is that you can then flick a switch for 5x other presets that could suit other instruments (for me, my 5 string active needs different compression settings to my 4 string passive), or suit slap, or reggae, or pick, or do over the top compression effects, or EQ changes, or sidechain compression etc. If you like gettting into all the details of editing compression and you want 6x different presets of potentially completely different compression then the Atlas is great.

JohnR is my compressor shop! I just received another one from him and again - all is good.

I'm generally snobby against 6 strings! ....but Thundercat is helping to solve that prejudice: (still a bit 'busy' and too many chords and high notes for my usual bass liking though)

Shaken by Mafro, heard on Pete Tong's show. There's been a bit of a move into this kind of heartfet and slightly mournful but danceable house music over the last few years (see also: Djum, Fred again, Joy Orbison).

I got that feeling about the sort of brittle sound too, even EQing the highs down it still felt it. Pehaps it is partly in the mind though as it looks like a cold bit of digital tech that would make sterile sounds, rather than something like a DHA valve pedal which feels like it'll add mojo? The Stomp's retro reel effect was good at giving mild saturation to sort of dampen harshness a bit. Also, I used a FEA Optifet compressor after the Stomp to slightly dampen the highs and I guess add an analogue sort of feel.

The EHX Superego+ is worth considering as it gives a lot more options for what the drone sounds like (and you can do things like layering, and glissando between the drone tones, and 'threshold' so it'll only drone notes over a certain volume), that is useful to make it sound different to the bassline you are playing over the top. Can also add an expression pedal to alter the droning sound. It also works as a pad type synth pedal, and a modulation and delay pedal.

They look like generic modern cool 'boutique' pedal designs. I think the older designs stood out more as Aguilar.

Sell individual pedal to buy multi fx, then sell multi fx to get individual pedals. Repeat forever.

Gregory Isaacs, Mr Cop Uncredited but I'd bet that's Lee Perry on production.

Jim bought a couple of Pedals from me and it all went well with fast payment and good communication.

Tortuga are worth a listen:

I don't think I ever will be 100%. It is like being 100% satisfied a car or house or bike - tastes and needs and technology change over time.

The new Empress Para EQ looks great, but at £399 is about double what I'd pay. https://www.andertons.co.uk/empress-effects/empress-paraeq-mkii-deluxe-parametric-eq-pedal

At least three of my Bass heros from different genres never (or very rarely) changed strings: Robbie Shakespeare, Bernard Edwards, James Jamerson. That's reason enough for me (and the fact I'm lazy!).

Yeah, they still have a certain 80s vibe to the look though that a lot of bands aren't into.

Legator (a brand I'd never heard of) have a headless Bass 'Wreith' that looks like a copy of the Ibanez EHB 1005 MS, right down to the colour options of black and sea foam green. Longer scale lengths at 34"-37" though, and more expensive at £1,466 from Thonmann: Has anyone here played one? I like the idea of the longer scale length than the Ibanez EHB, Dingwall scale but a bit lighter and headless should be good. https://www.thomann.de/gb/legator_wraith_wr5f_bk.htm

New headless & fretless from Ibanez: https://www.ibanez.com/na/products/detail/ehb1005f_1p_01.html

I took that as confirmation that headless can sound as good as normal Basses. Seeing as they are shorter, lighter, better balanced and less likely to knock out of tune they seem the better choice to me. ..... Apart from the thing none of them discussed - the look is just a step away from keytars! I'm not fussed, but a lot of people are, that must limit sales and its probably why not many get made.

Beige Flag

Add this after the OC-2 for some good brown sound:

Music generally sounds funkier when it isn't precicely quantized, I expect Verdine knew what he was doing.