EarthQuakerDevices Dispatch Master

[GremlinAndy]

Well I own a PedalTrain Jr... and it's full. I *think* I want to add a delay but I don't really want a bigger board. So what are my options? Well I tried a couple. The first one was to squash the pedals closer together and squish a Mooer Ana Delay into the tiny gap...
Erm it kinda worked but the Ana Delay isn't really the sound I was looking for... and now I'm not convinced that I actually want a delay at all on the bass. My second option was to take the TC Helicon Hall of Fame out of the board (it's great but is under used on my board with all its options and reverb types...) and replace it with a unit which does both delay and Echo if such a thing even exists.
A quick search later and yep, theres a pedal called "Dispatch Master" by EarthQuakerDevices. I took a chance & went ahead and ordered one.

[u][u]Overview[/u][/u]
[url="http://www.earthquakerdevices.com/devices/dispatchmaster.htm"]http://www.earthquak...patchmaster.htm[/url]
Its a small pedal, the same case as an MXR "phase90" which is ideal for me and fits in well on the PT Jr. Its a VERY un-rock and roll graphic, being a baby blue retro telephone picture on a white case. I dug deep to move beyond it's uncool looks and assess it anyways.
It's a simple layout for 2 effects in one. A true bypass switch, a ridiculously bright white LED, and 4 rotary pots labeled "Reverb" "Repeats" "Mix" and "Time". Standard 9v input (negative center 2.1mm barrel) and notably no battery option.

[u][u]Build[/u][/u]
Well, I dunno about how long it'll actually last but as I said earlier, its the same case as an MXR Phase 90 and the knobs are pretty standard... so nothing short of Thermo Neuclear War is gonna stop it from working IMO. I mean some of the older Phase90's came to earth from deep space piggybacked to metiorites and are still in functional condition. Hard to imagine this would be different.

[u][u]Sounds[/u][/u]
This being my first foray into delay on bass (I'd always read that it's not really a very desirable effect on bass) I don't have many comparisons. (OK ...not my [i]first[/i]. My first was the Mooer Ana delay which arrived about a week before and was rejected almost immediately.) My initial reaction was wow, this thing sounds nice straight away.
It just has the one verb sound, unlike the Hall of Fame, but like baby bears porridge, it was just the [u]right[/u] sound... Simple! (Unlike the HoF which has so many sounds you seem to spend all your time making you mind up which one sounds best *today*!)
The verb is just controlled by the "Reverb" knob which just adds 'more' to the sound.
The delay is a very simple affair too having just a "repeat" knob for the amount of repeats, and a "time" knob which oviously just adjusts the speed of the repeats... These two are then able to be blended with your original sound with the "mix" control...
There's some great sound examples but only for guitar on youtube linked from the website. [url="http://www.earthquakerdevices.com/devices/dispatchmaster.htm"]http://www.earthquak...patchmaster.htm[/url]
The bottom one best shows how the controls work.


[u][u]Conclusion[/u][/u]
I find my sound now feels like it is lacking when I don't have this pedal engaged (with a nice low blend on the mix control)
I'm currently in a power trio and the bass can fill so much more of the sonic landscape when engaged. The way I use it it's still kinda subtle but most definitely *there*.
I'm sure for most uses it's probably a little over-simplistic and possibly not versatile enough... (It's not really a powerful or versatile delay device, and it's definitley not a very versatile reverb at all.) However if you just want a massive fat sound it's possibly just the ticket. And if you listen to the samples its a beautiful sounding pedal...
I wouldn't be without it now.

Edited June 8, 2012 by GremlinAndy

[skidder652003]

great review, thanks! Im interested to know how using a delay/echo gives you a bigger sound? Does it not get muddy in the mix of your trio? I only ask cos im in a rock trio and have a great BYOC delay but have taken it off my board as I couldnt find a use for it. i'd love to put it back if i could find one!

[GremlinAndy]

Well I use it with the mix at a bit less than half which gives me a nice traditional initial big thump, but then the echo/reverb just fills the gap and carries me through to the next note better. I dunno if *bigger* is an appropriate way to describe what I'm hearing... The original tone is still only as big as before of course.
It's odd because I had always read that it can muddy, but I'm finding it doesn't really muddy so much as "pads out".
It may be the pedal suits my band or music... I'm not sure.. But I like what it's doing a lot, which is what drove me to write the review even though it flies in the face of popular bass tone theory...