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Fretless - one box effects options


Soledad
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I'm no expert on effects, have a few pedals on a board. I'm interested in a single unit effects solution for my fretless - I don't need to model various amps etc, but just want chorus, octave, maybe phaser - so combined effects rather than modelling - seen a bit about Pod Go and a lot said about Helix but I'm not sure either is really right for what I want. Or am I better off with a few pedals on a board? I already have a Boss Chorus and a SansAmp with the para-mids so I may be part way there - but a single box may be cleaner, better...?

Would appreciate users' insights.

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Get an Ashdown amp like a Rootmaster and with a two button footswitch the amp will give you octave and drive. I think it was Chowny who did a one box chorus and reverb pedal. I can't remember the name of it but I think the design had a bloke in an old diving suit on it? That's two very much wanted fretless effects in one box. I pretty much always have reverb on with fretless and obviously chorus is a must have option for fretless too.

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Some obvious and some not so obvious suggestions:

- Daring Audio Phat Beam for comp and LPF

- an auto wah, like Subdecay or IE Xerograph

- an octaver, like the small Cog T-16 or Valeton OC-10

- a decent distortion or fuzz combined with the octaver and the comp would make... noise!

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Thanks for all the info / help. My Ashdown days are behind me @uk_lefty! Fairly invested in PJB with the Genz head, might be diverted by a GR 210 but trying to resist for now.

@ezbass - Tech21 Bass Fly - looks promising, bit complicated looking and it isn't pretty but if it does what I want I could manage!

@pete.young Zoom B1 Four or MS60B - they look pretty good, both available. If either is good for chorus + phaser I could add an octaver maybe?
But then I am some way there going the pedal-board route (Boss chorus). I'd quite like to get away from complex signal paths, lots of jack leads etc.

I'm thinking the B1 Four sounds closest - can it give me decent octaver? Any users of B1 Four or MS-60B, user experiences please??

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17 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

Get an Ashdown amp like a Rootmaster and with a two button footswitch the amp will give you octave and drive. I think it was Chowny who did a one box chorus and reverb pedal. I can't remember the name of it but I think the design had a bloke in an old diving suit on it? That's two very much wanted fretless effects in one box. I pretty much always have reverb on with fretless and obviously chorus is a must have option for fretless too.

The Chowny Bass-mosphere!

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5 hours ago, Daz39 said:

The Chowny Bass-mosphere!

Found it, thanks. Thing is I have chorus (Boss) and reverb/delay pedal (Harley Benton but surprisingly OK I thought) so I need to add octaver - and ideally that lot in one box. Don't think the Chowny does octaver trick?

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7 minutes ago, Soledad said:

Found it, thanks. Thing is I have chorus (Boss) and reverb/delay pedal (Harley Benton but surprisingly OK I thought) so I need to add octaver - and ideally that lot in one box. Don't think the Chowny does octaver trick?

Chowny also do the Pitchcraft, but yeah, you’re getting into multiple boxes

Edited by Daz39
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8 hours ago, Soledad said:

 

@pete.young Zoom B1 Four or MS60B - they look pretty good, both available. If either is good for chorus + phaser I could add an octaver maybe?
But then I am some way there going the pedal-board route (Boss chorus). I'd quite like to get away from complex signal paths, lots of jack leads etc.

I'm thinking the B1 Four sounds closest - can it give me decent octaver? Any users of B1 Four or MS-60B, user experiences please??

 

Another +1 for the Zoom B1-4: it will give you a very decent chorus and phaser.

 

The MS60B is also good but, having had both, IMO the B1-4 has a much better user interface, excellent built-in tuner plus headphone amp capability, useful drum machine and to cap it off is cheaper! 

 

I don't particularly rate the octave down / up on the Zoom pedals, they are ok but nothing special. Here, I'd recommend a Boss OC-5, which is outstanding and will deliver the classic OC-2 sound on octave down plus additional octave up (either alone or simultaneously - try doing that on a Zoom and you'll get a mush!) If you can get a Valeton OC-10 that's great value on the octave-down front, but they are pretty thin on the ground since they stopped production.

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9 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Another +1 for the Zoom B1-4: it will give you a very decent chorus and phaser.

Dawn patrol on Reverb found me a mint used B1-Four, fifty quid free shipping. A few bob more than a set of flats... worth a go.
I've been using my TC 550 with the 2 toneprint channels in - I do like their chorus and 2nd print is phaser at the moment (although you can only use one print at a time), but don't like the amp. So I'll pass that on. Report back on the B1. May take a while, the manual is a big read.

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I play fretless and have been making changes to my pedal board recently. I've been particularly impressed with the Aguilar pedals; the Octamizer has a very pleasing tone (maybe because it's analogue?) and the Grape Phaser has been quite the surprise hit. I know some have said the tracking on the octamizer is not the best but I haven't found it to be a problem especially as I'm using it to produce a thicker organic tone rather than a synthy oc2 type sound and the filter control can take you from a smooth octave addition to something with a bit more grit. The grape phaser is very funky, especially with the use of the color control. 

To top it off, I got a TC Electronic Spectracomp to see if one of toneprints would do as a 'set it and leave it'  arrangement.... loaded up the Nathan East settings and now it's on permanently. 

Not a one pedal solution I know, and not the cheapest, but I think it works particularly well with fretless if you're going for an organic sound.

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@Boodang - tone you describe is probably v close to what I am chasing - not too much of anything and a kind of analogue warmth (I know, not one analogue wave in sight). I'm going to have a play with the B1-4, at the price it will surely be limited but I'm looking for small amounts of effect, might get me close.
Otherwise back to my pedal board and add a pedal or two. I do like the TC chorus toneprint - wonder what the 3rd Dimension chorus is like.

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1 hour ago, Daz39 said:

EHX Epitome, if no one’s mentioned it.

Combines reverb, chorus, flanger and octaver.

Damn - that looks good!! Would need to know it sounds good too, but a fretless dream in a single box. I'll investigate further - thanks for tip.

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