Phaedrus

Did I miss something earlier in the thread? GG aren't even listing the L410 today, let alone at £400. Mark

It's a good job I don't have a lot of money . . . I've been using another bassist's rig for rehearsals (SVT400 (IIRC), 1x15 & 4x10), Morley guitar wah (completely saps all bottom end), Dod distortion (OK fuzz tone, but signal level disappears when engaged), a chorus (can't remember), MXR Blowtorch (meh), Aphex Bass Xciter (definitely makes a difference to tone, very good). It's got me re-thinking what I might do. After I posted the first post in this thread, I sort of drifted towards getting an EHX Bass Blogger for big dirt, a Bass Xciter for tone, a Punch Factory compressor, an Ibanez Weeping Demon wah, and a T-Rex Sweeper chorus, along with my VXL. But when doing Chelsea Dagger last Tuesday, none of the pedals in the other bassist's set-up gave me the right sound (and what a great tone it is, eh?), so I whipped out my VXL & after less than a minute tinkering, we were all enthusing big-time over my tone - it was perfect: gritty, a little clanky, thick & full, and properly trouser flapping. The VXL can give [b][i]great[/i][/b] tones. I also came to another thought: the Shape function of the VXL gives a better sounding boost in tone than the Bass Xciter, IMO. In fairness, I haven't tinkered with the Bass Xciter, so I guess it could well match the VXL, but again, when I hit the Shape switch, the band gushed. So I'm now back to considering running: Bass -> DT-10 -> Weeping Demon -> Sweeper -> VXL 1 (ight grit) -> VXL 2 (big dirt) -> amp & PA. Aside from the two distortions two VXLs would give me, I'd also have 2 Shape pedals, rendering the Bass Xciter superfluous. One concern is about the Level control: If I have VXL 1 set as my light-grit, with its level set to match my clean level, and VXL 2 set as my big-dirt, with its level attenuated so as not to cause the problems described in this thread ( [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=69239"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=69239[/url] ), will that still bugger up my levels anyway? Mark

Probably no definitive answer to this (so much possible variation), but do any of you guys have thoughts on what way you'd split your spend on an amp/cab purchase? 50/50? More on the amp? More on the cab? I'm thinking now that even if I force myself to get by with the TNT150 (I DI into our 4000w PA anyway), I couldn't justify spending much more than my €800 on an amp/cab - 3 kids, mortgage, hobby band (albeit with aspirations of doing two pub gigs a week and some functions/weddings), so even if I drew a line in the sand at €1000, I realise that's a relatively limited budget, despite still being a lot of cash. So maybe I'll look at the LH500 & a HyDrive 410? Mark

That's interesting. Should I consider the Barefaced to be a high quality cab, a competitor for Epifani, EBS, Aguilar, etc? I'd place the LH500 as upper entry level, or lower mid-level, so you reckon placing these two together would be fine? I'm not in a position to buy now, so anyone else feel free to fire on. Mark

My TNT150 is only part of what I gig with - I also hook up my old drummer's BLX80, and TBH, I should have said I was looking for an upgrade from the TNT, rather than a replacement for it. I don't want to run out of power on bigger gigs or awkward stages anymore. A 4x10 will have a similar footprint to the TNT, but preferrably a lot lighter. Never heard of Purple Chili. £729 STG = €805, so not really in my range. Nice looking gear though. Am I ok with calling 30kg light? Mark

Hi, I guess from looking at the specs of some 4x10s out there, anything around 30kg should be considered light? I've been aiming to get a Tour 45 & TVX410 early next year (though I also have my eye on the Warwick ProFet 3.3 and Hartke LH500), but have come to hope that I can find a considerably lighter 4x10 for similar money. The 8ohm TVX410 is 44kg, the 4ohm version is 46.6kg (shouldn't less ohms make it lighter . . . ) I'm tired of carrying my TNT150BW around, and I hate asking for help. 30kg-ish 4x10s around the €300 - €400 mark include: Ampeg B-410HE - 32.5kg, 8ohm, €300 GK Backline 410BLX-II - 32kg, 8ohm, €300 Laney RB410 - 31kg, 8ohm, €318 Warwick WCA410-4 Pro - 31kg, 4ohm, €400 Warwick WCA410-8 Pro - 31kg, 8ohm, €400 Other 30kg-ish but more expensive cabs include: Hartke 410 HX Hydrive - 31kg, 8ohm, €600 Tech 21 B410 - 32kg, 8ohm, €700 Warwick WCA411ND - 28kg, 8ohm, €730 Above that kind of money is completely beyond balancing with the kind of money I spend on the rest of the stuff in my life. Is there any point in getting a cab like the Tech 21 B410, with an amp like the Tour 450, ProFet or LH500? Or is there any point in pairing an amp like a TC RH450 with a cab like the Laney RB410 (for example). With a ceiling of €800 to spend, is it possible to get a "good" (reliable, tough & versatile) 300w - 450w amp [i]and[/i] a "good" (again, reliable, tough & versatile) 30kg-ish 4x10 cab? I'm talking new here - I know 2nd hand stuff comes up here all the time, but getting anything from UK to Ireland would probably cancel out any savings. OR . . . Should I be looking at 2x12s? Most seem to be well under 30kg, some closer to 20kg. TC RS212 - 22kg, 8ohm, €600 GK Neo212-II - 23kg, 8ohm, €555 Maybe I'm out of touch, but without having heard it, I'm thinking the TC212 with a Tour 450/ProFet 3.3/LH500 might not cut it against my guitarist's Marshall 100w & 4x12 . . . Mark

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='677533' date='Dec 8 2009, 09:22 AM'][b][i]The best one is the one that the rest of the guys in your band use[/i] [/b]if you want to be 100% that you are all tuned exactly the same - hence I have a TU-2 and a Pitchblack - ok, so that may be overkill slightly, but the guys in one band all have Pitchblacks and the other band uses TU-2s. Simples!![/quote] I agree with the above in bold italics, so long as it's a good one. I'm sure the TU-2 is fine - it has many fans, and my guitarist has used one for years and likes it. The other guitarist in my band uses the tuner in his GT-8. He's never in tune for long. That's obviously not the GT-8 tuner's fault (probably his guitar's fault - anyone know of a Fender Strat to stay in tune for long?), but it makes me wonder if it's as accurate as stand-alone tuners? I'm really happy my DT-10, I wish I'd known about the black version when I was buying, but I've not seen any reviews claiming that the black one is a better tuner than the aluminium one . . . The DT-10 tracks fast on all 5 strings, it's bright, and has a wider display than the TU-2. Personally, I prefer the DT-10 type of footswitch than the Boss-type footswitch. You know you have one or two (or more if you're lucky) bits of gear that are like your faithful family dog or your 15 year-old car that never misses a beat - that's my DT-10. I never worry about it or doubt it. IMO, trusting your tuner is important, and I do trust my DT-10. I respectfully disagree with the "crappy bypass" comment - I've done many gigs (with and without a sound engineer), running bass -> DT-10 -> other FX -> VXL Bass Attack -> amp/PA, and never personally noticed, nor was told of, any noise issues at all with my signal. The DT-10 is really solid - it feels like you could hit your guitarist with it and it'd still be fine, though to be fair I'm sure that's also true of the TU-2. You probably wouldn't go wrong with either the DT-10 or the TU-2, but if I had to buy a new tuner tomorrow, it'd be the black DT-10. [url="http://www.dv247.com/assets/products/47998_l.jpg"]http://www.dv247.com/assets/products/47998_l.jpg[/url] IMO, anything more expensive than these two is wasting money - is it really likely that your bass will be noticeably more in tune when using a Strobostomp than a DT-10/TU-2? DT-10 is as tough and capable as you need, again IMO. Mark

You get what you pay for, I know, but . . . Do you have to spend LOADS to get a lightweight cab? Come March, I'll be looking at a new head & cab to replace my TNT150BW combo. I probably won't have much more than €800 to spend on both. Judging by the calibre of most cabs discussed already in this thread, I know I'm arriving to the black-tie party in my 94 Corolla, wearing shorts & sandals with this question, but I reckon I'm not alone in needing a light cab [i]and[/i] not having enough disposable cash to get something from Epifani, Tecamp, etc. Heads I'll be considering will be the Peavey Tour 450, Hartke LH500 & Warwick ProFet 3.3/5.2 (also open to other suggestions). I've been pretty sure I want a 4x10, and have been looking at Peavey's TVX410 (44kg), Hartke BXL410 (42kg) & Warwick WCA411Pro (41kg), but these are all way off the mark as far as lightweight cabs go. GK's Backline 410 & Laney's RB410 are both just over 30kg and both cost just over €300, but are either any good? I'd be quite happy to consider other cab cofigurations - 2x12, 2x10 - whatever. We'll be playing mostly rock covers in pubs at the weekends, so power & punch will be important, but we're also aiming to do functions/weddings, and possibly light afternoon pub/hotel gigs, so versatility will be important too, as will reliability/ruggedness. Thanks for any replies, Mark

Well impressed with the sound of the Weeping Demon on bass at 5:50 or so in this clip: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EnKSkaymdA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EnKSkaymdA[/url] Also like the instant wah-on when he steps on the pedal at 4:37 or so. Seems pretty versatile. Pity they stuck the big awkward footswitch on the side like that, rather than using an integrated switch like the Morley wahs. Still a bit smaller than the Morley. So come March (when we expect to have nailed a full setlist), my board should look something like this: Mark

The Tour 450 has been on my wishlist for a while, but I came across the LH500 recently, and I like the idea of minimal controls on an amp - my basses have tone controls, I have a Hartke VXL Bass Attack, and I'll have an Aphex Punch Factory and Bass Xciter, so I already have more than enough potential to muck up my tone, without having more on my amp. Even at the new price, the LH500 still seems like a good deal, specially if it is a competitor of the Tour 450, etc. Owners seem to like them, and Hartke are a big name. Where do the Warwick ProFet 3.3 and 5.2 feature in these comparisons? Mark

Hmmm . . . that's interesting. The cost of my homemade board/case would be around the same. The bigger board can power five 9v & one 12v pedals, but I'll have 7 9v pedals. My VXL (my DI) runs on phantom power for live, so I don't use a PSU, but I do want to have the ability to power the VXL independently of phantom, so I'll need 7 power sources. I'm still pretty sure I'll make my own board, so I just need to sort the cleanest, simplest, cheapest & most reliable power solution I can find. I'd agree that the GigRig Distributor (I'll need two) with a suitable PSU could be my best option - the Distributor are so small, whereas any of the "power brick"-type products are almost the same size as some pedal. I just need to source a quality 9v DC PSU with at least double the combined ampere rating of all the pedals I'm going to get. BTW, what do you think of the Bass Blogger? I'm considering getting one. Mark

Is this the Weeping Demon you mean? Is there another? Is it really good for bass? [url="http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-WD7-Weeping-Demon-Wah-Pedal-102548674-i1124277.gc?CJAID=10449560&CJPID=1992680"]http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-WD7-Wee...p;CJPID=1992680[/url] Gonna start reading up on it now. I brought the 105Q home on Tuesday night and spent half an hour with it yesterday, and I'm at least sure I want to try others - I really didn't find any wah I liked, and I didn't like the feel of the action either. Mark

I liked my ME-50, but the patch-switching time lag was an issue live. It's milliseconds, but it's still there. Mark

Can't see that making a difference - the issue is that when you boost the Harmonics, the VXL loses control of its output level. It's an internal thing, that can't be resolved. If you're going to keep it, maybe you'll have to rethink your plans for it? If you accept using the VXL as a light grit pedal, and have the Harmonics & Mix knobs set to moderate levels, the level boost isn't so drastic, and it's a good pedal for this, IMO. If you also want heavier dirt, another pedal may be the answer? That's my current plan: to have my VXL as my DI & light-grit pedal, with another pedal for dirtier tones. Razze, hope I didn't sound harsh - just wanted to make sure OP got accurate info. Mark

[quote name='razze06' post='670875' date='Dec 1 2009, 11:18 AM']The pedal has got two buttons, and one turns on the shape circuit, and the other is the general "on" button.[/quote] Not quite true. One does turn on the Shape function, and has an associated knob ("Shape") which controls the frequency the Shape function is operating on. The other only turns on the Harmonics function, with which are associated three control knobs - one controls the amount of dirt ("Harmonics" knob), another controls the mix of clean & effected tone ("Mix" knob), and the last controls the high-end of the tone ("Brite" knob) when the Harmonics function is ON. All other knobs (Bass, Treble & Level) are active regardless of whether the Harmonics or Shape functions are ON. [quote name='razze06' post='670875' date='Dec 1 2009, 11:18 AM']Maybe you can find a combination that lets you do the harmonics but not the shape. Regarding the volume, the VXL is primarily a DI out/preamp thingy, not a fuzzbox. [b][i]The problem with volume levels happens because the level knob adds to the overall level of the signal[/i]. [/b]Maybe try to get your desired level by stomping on the "on" button, twiddle the level knob until happy (ooooer), and then use the other stomp button to turn harmonics on and off. Hope it helps, i've always used mine only for DIing into PA systems.[/quote] The bit in bold italics could be a bit misleading - the level knob does control the output level of the VXL, but when you max out both Harmonics and Mix knobs (or even begin to get both past 12 o'clock) when the Harmonics function is ON, the resulting level boost seems to ignore the overall Level knob's position. If you were to set your output level with the Level knob with Harmonics ON, once you turned OFF the Harmonics function, your level will be greatly reduced. Mark

That's a problem with the VXL - no level control linked with the Harmonics. I've had mine for a couple of years now, and love it. I use it with the Shape always on and I use the Harmonics either as an always-on light grit tone, or as a dirt & volume boost for solos/intros, etc. IMO, it's great for both, but IME, the VXL isn't useable as a clean/heavy-dirt pedal. If Hartke want to sell shed-loads more of these, they'd be clever to address the Harmonics level increase (and a couple of other small things), and bring out a VXL-2. I know this is of no help to you, other than to confirm that what you're trying to accomplish can't (IMO) be done with one VXL. Other owners may correct me or disagree, but for me, my VXL is for clean/light grit, and I'm getting another separate pedal (probably an EHX Bass Blogger) for big dirt. Mark

The Morely PBA-2 and Dunlop 105Q are more or less the same price (€130-ish) - anything else I see specifically for bass seems to cost a lot more. There's the EBS Wah One (€211), EBS Stanley Clarke wah (€292), G-Lab Wowee (€191), MSD Quakemachine (€266). All but the Quakemachine seem to have a similar footprint to the 105Q. I have an old US bass mag (Guitar World's Bass Guitar?) that has a "review" of both the 105Q & PBA-2. Tripe so far as usefulness for a potential buyer is concerned, but one thing I did note was that the article mentioned nothing about either pedal sapping tone. I tried a Morely Mark Tremonti guitar wah on my bass and the bottom end absolutely vanished (what a surprise . . .). The PBA-2 is obviously for bass, so shouldn't suffer the same problem, should it? Does it? Doesn't the 105Q have some sort of thing where it only wahs the mids & highs, leaving the bottom end un-wahed? When folk talk of tone-sapping, is it the bottom end disappearing despite this, or is it noise being introduced, or what? Personally, I like the size & style and ruggedness of the PBA-2, and if I was buying on looks alone, the Morely beats the white 105Q hands down. I must ask my guitarist to dig out his 105Q for me to try next rehearsal. Mark

Only MFX I've had was an ME-50B. Useful & effective compressor, high-band distortion was nice and didn't sap low end, chorus was good, tuner could have been fine, but I always preferred to use my Korg DT-10. Switching lag time was too present to use live, though I did for a couple of years. I wanted to pluck the note and hit the patch pedal on the one of a part, but the signal dropped for a split second on the switch - noticeable & frustrating. In summary, it has very useable sounds, but can be frustrating live. I'm currently leaning towards separates, but not ruling out a Zoom B9.1ut. HTH, Mark

The only 9v PSU I see on Johnny Shredfreak's site is this: [url="http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=77&zenid=997a0ade95f06d9a16ea3bfbce4cd175"]http://www.johnnyshredfreak.com/store/inde...6ea3bfbce4cd175[/url] And it has a clear note in upper case: "[u]IMPORTANT: THIS POWER SUPPLY IS FOR EQUIPMENT REQUIRING 9V AC (ALTERNATING CURRENT AT 9 VOLTS). IT MUST *NOT* BE USED ON STANDARD EFFECTS PEDALS - THOSE REQUIRE 9V DC (DIRECT CURRENT AT 9 VOLTS). [/u]" I don't see another PSU on their Power Supplies page or anywhere else on the site. Am I missing something? I take it that any 9v DC PSU rated at at least double the draw of all my pedals combined will do the job? Thanks, Mark

My understanding of leccy is basic at best, so can someone tell me if I've got this right: My FX pedals will each need 9volts, at their stated supply rate of whatever amperes. I get it that a 9v multi-output PSU can supply the 9v to each pedal, but these PSUs seem to "have" much higher ampere ratings than most pedals, yeah? Do the pedals just "take" the 9v at whatever rate they need, and the ampere rating of the multi-PSU is just what's available to the pedals? So no matter how high the ampere rating of the PSU is, there's no risk of damaging the pedals? If that's the case, then whether I choose a stand-alone PSU, or something like the GigRig with a separate PSU, is it the case that so long as the PSU ampere rating is the same as or higher than the sum of all my pedal's ampere ratings, things'll be fine? If that is the case, should I be looking at the PSU with the highest ampere rating I can find, to ensure plenty of capacity for expansion? Or is a PSU rated at 5000 milliamps (yes, there is one!) OTT or potentially a risk? Thanks, Mark

[quote name='spinynorman' post='666203' date='Nov 26 2009, 01:28 PM']@Phaedrus: I saw some reviews of the dbx231 that said it was noisy. How have you found it? It's a bit more expensive than the Behringer, so I was expecting it to be better.[/quote] If there is any noise, it'd be pretty hard for me to tell if the 231 was responsible or whether it was the Peavey mixer, or one of the sources, or the in-house power supply, or the speaker's proximity to any lights, or any number of affecting factors. I guess the best thing I can say that may be of any help is that the 231 is effective at cutting/boosting EQ. I can't say it's noisy or it isn't. Sorry. For us, one of these made a big difference: [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/millenium_as2001.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/millenium_as2001.htm[/url] Placing it to his left (he performed stage left) pointed the guitarist's 2x12" combo right at his head and not at the back of his ankles. The amp was miced, so we really only wanted the guitarist's amp to act as a sort of monitor for the band while the PA took care of FOH - as it should be. My current guitarist uses a 4x12", so that's not going on a stand . . . we'll work that out when we get there. Mark

Turns out there are loads of options for pedalboard power supply (as many of you probably already knew). Till now, I'd thought I'd need a separate PSU for each pedal in my board (because all my pedals will be from different manufacturers), plugged into a 4- or 6-way extension socket. My guitarist has a Dunlop DC Brick in his bass FX board (he plays bass in another band): [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/dunlop_dc_brick_power_supply_eu.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/dunlop_dc_brick_power_supply_eu.htm[/url] Thomann also do a few similar products: [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/voodoo_labpedal_power_2_plus.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/voodoo_labpedal_power_2_plus.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/g_lab_pb_1_power_supply.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/g_lab_pb_1_power_supply.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/voodoo_lab_pedal_power_ac.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/voodoo_lab_pedal_power_ac.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/trex_fuel_tank.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/trex_fuel_tank.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/bbe_supa_charger.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/bbe_supa_charger.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/trex_fuel_tank_juicy_lucy.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/trex_fuel_tank_juicy_lucy.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/trex_fuel_tank_junior.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/trex_fuel_tank_junior.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/artec_power_brick.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/artec_power_brick.htm[/url] [url="http://www.thomann.de/ie/harley_benton_powerplant.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/ie/harley_benton_powerplant.htm[/url] But it's this guy that's caught my attention, and is probably what I'll be choosing, unless anyone on here can tell me why I shouldn't: [url="http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/TheGigRig_Distributor.html"]http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/TheGigRig_Distributor.html[/url] Thanks, Mark

Compressor at the end makes sense to me, on the thoery that however any other effects affect the signal, you should still always have balanced levels. Anything before the compressor is up to the user to try different variations till he gets his favourite set-up. But I have two concerns about that: 1. What if you want a level boost for a solo/chorus/fill/whatever? Will a compressor at the end reduce that level boost to the level determined by the compressors control settings? 2. In my case, my last-in-line is my Hartke VXL Bass Attack - I use it as my DI, so it has to be last. This means any compressor would be before the VXL - how will that bear on things? I'm between FX at the moment (sold my ME-50B so I could get a Squier VMJ fretless), and am swinging more towards separate pedals than a multi-FX unit for my new set-up. ATM, I'm pretty sure my set-up will be: Bass -> Korg DT-10 tuner (already own this) -> Dunlop 105Q wah (yet to acquire this) -> T-Rex Sweeper chorus (yet to acquire this) -> Aphex Bass Xciter (yet to acquire this) -> Electro-Harmonix Bass Blogger (yet to acquire this) -> Aphex Punch Factory compressor (yet to acquire this) -> Hartke VXL Bass Attack (already own this) -> Amp & PA mixer I'm doing a couple of mock-ups to get an idea of the dimensions of a custom DIY board I'll make for them all: I'm well happy with the DT-10 and VXL. The Bass Xciter & the Punch Factory both have XLR DI outputs (not phantom power-able), so in thoery either could be used as a DI. If compression is applied before the VXL, but after everything else, will this mean that any level-boosting pedal (Bass Xciter, Bass Blogger) won't actually result in a volume boost? If compression is applied early in the chain (straight after the tuner, say), is there the risk that any level-boosting pedal wil blow the compressor's good work out of the water? I guess I need to learn a little more about compression . . . Mark

Sorry to mooch in here with a question when you posted looking for answers, but I'm considering a 105Q at the moment - is this tone-sucking a trait of all 105Qs? Thanks, Mark

I've run our PA for all of our gigs for the last three years, and we always struggled with hearing our own vocals onstage while not suffering feedback. I can't offer any magic solution or fix-it product, but I'll make my comments in case they help. We have a DBX driverack PA which has a feedback destroyer built-in. It's slow to eliminate any squeals and only remembers 12 squeal frequencies, though TBH, if all 12 were ever all active at the same time, I'd probably just pack up and go home. We also have a DBX 231 dual 31-band graphic EQ. I put this in the monitor chain (leaving the DRPA handling just FOH) and found that I was able to run the monitors louder and cut any squeals that tried to happen. An EQ with LEDs in the sliders is a great idea. The monitors are HK RS122MA active jobbies - claimed to be 120w, but I think they're inefficient and have poor tonal characteristics. Any increase up the market scale doubles their price, and we run 4 of them, so we got what we could afford. The most effective thing we did that stopped feedback was reduce our on-stage volume. We only dropped a little, but left the monitors as high as we could, and we could hear all we wanted just fine. We also made sure we always placed both the mics and the monitors so there was as little opportunity as possible for a squeal to circulate once it started. We also spoke to the lead singer about good mic technique - for what we're doing, that means lips on the mic except for the screams, never point the mic at a monitor, never let the mic point into any of the FOH speakers. We also ran the PA as an aux-fed subwoofer system which [b][i]really[/i][/b] helped clean up FOH, but that's a bit of an aside. Most effective fix? Reduce on-stage volume. Mark