Am I making a mistake - thinking of parting ways with a couple of old friends

MakiSupaStar · #1 12-02-2009, 11:53 AM

I have a EHX Bass Micro Synth and the original Q-Tron. Both have been on my board for as long as I've started playing with effects. But my board is getting kind of crowded, and I have other things I want to try out. I know that if I sell my BMS and my Q-Tron, I should have around close to 400 bucks to put towards a couple of other pedals that are a lot smaller, and do their job better IMO.

Still there's this nagging feeling at the back of my head that I'm making a mistake in getting rid of them.

I'm thinking about replacing my BMS with a CoPilot Orbit. It's smaller, has a lot of sound options similar to the BMS and I can still push it into my MoogerFoogerLPF, which is lately what I've been using my BMS for.

The Q-Tron is just a big giant one trick pony IMO, and I'm kind of getting tired of its quirkiness, volume spikes, and general same tone. Considering a smaller EHX mini pedal, a GrooveRegulator, something by Chunk or Pigtronics.

So what you think, my TB FX heads? Am I blowing it?

gnasher1993 · #2 12-02-2009, 11:56 AM

Get something new. I love getting new stuff

. I'm so unhelpful...

SoonerMatt · #3 12-02-2009, 12:00 PM

Nah, if you don't like them then there's nothing wrong with swapping them out. Lord knows I did that a lot with fuzzes.

BTW, I highly recommend the Groove Regulator.

nad · #4 12-02-2009, 12:04 PM

The only piece of gear I've ditched, including a few amazing basses, that I ever occasionally miss is a Blue Berry. But, just last night I thought: "I wish I had a Blue Berry to sell for $300 right now."

It's only gear.

etoncrow · #5 12-02-2009, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

...and do their job better IMO...

I do not know squat about fx but it seems to me that the aforementioned quote is the qualifier in your statement. If you believe what you said above then it appears to me to be a no-brainer.

lug · #6 12-02-2009, 12:06 PM

Do you think they will ever decrease in value? ...says the man who left his original Ampeg Scrambler at guitardist's house many moons ago, now worth about 1000 bills

jgsbass · #7 12-02-2009, 12:06 PM

First of all, you won't get $400 for those effects on the open market: more like $200 for both if you're lucky. Now think about how much it will cost to replace them when you want them back. Just start saving for what you want and put the other unused effects into retirement. Just 'cause its off your board doesn't mean that`it needs to be out of your life.
If you really need to sell stuff, I'll give you$100 for the BMS. Any more than that, and I'd rather buy new with a warantee. So would anyone else who wanted to keep an effect that works for a long time.

MakiSupaStar · #8 12-02-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgsbass

First of all, you won't get $400 for those effects on the open market: more like $200 for both if you're lucky. Now think about how much it will cost to replace them when you want them back. Just start saving for what you want and put the other unused effects into retirement. Just 'cause its off your board doesn't mean that`it needs to be out of your life.
If you really need to sell stuff, I'll give you$100 for the BMS. Any more than that, and I'd rather buy new with a warantee. So would anyone else who wanted to keep an effect that works for a long time.

Well I have around 100 bucks from another sale sitting around that I forgot to mention. I kind of want to fund the new pedals with the dumping of these. I'm looking at purchasing used if possible. The wifey just gives me a headache when I run out and drop around 400 bucks on a couple of things that she doesn't understand how to work.

Still it's not so much the transaction that I'm worried about as much as creating a potential void and that feeling of regret.

cheapbasslovin · #9 12-02-2009, 12:29 PM

Seems to me that if those pedals have been on your board for that long, you probably dig that sound. Even if you are getting tired of it now, I would bet that you'll be craving them again shortly. One thing you can look into is rehousing that Q-Tron. If you don't change anything it should fit into a 5" x 6" box, if you can move the pots to a more strategic location (could be tricky, I know) you may be able to get it in smaller. I am looking into making this happen with my Q-tron +.

If you think you're done with those sounds and are confident you can get better ones, then dump them. Otherwise I'd be hesitant to do so, especially if it is a trial to drop money on new effects.

kevteop · #10 12-02-2009, 12:37 PM

I'd keep the BMS, just because the XO model isn't as good, so if you later regret it you'll want one of the old 24v ones back, and by then Sod's Law guarantees everybody will have wised up and the old ones will be selling for stupid money.

If it's been on your board all that time it must be pretty useful.

NortyFiner · #11 12-02-2009, 12:51 PM

+1 for keeping the BMS, and +1 for the Groove Regulator in place of the Q-Tron. And carrots. Gotta have the carrots.

csala · #12 12-02-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevteop

I'd keep the BMS, just because the XO model isn't as good, so if you later regret it you'll want one of the old 24v ones back, and by then Sod's Law guarantees everybody will have wised up and the old ones will be selling for stupid money.

If it's been on your board all that time it must be pretty useful.

Why do you think the XO model isn't as good as the original?

kevteop · #13 12-02-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csala

Why do you think the XO model isn't as good as the original?

I've said my piece on this a couple of times in the past, it just doesn't sound as good and it's not as convenient to use. You can search for my full opinion if you want it.

I know FightThePower agrees with me, I think a few more do too, and a think a lot of others either know it but don't care, or know it but say they don't care.

MakiSupaStar · #14 12-02-2009, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapbasslovin

Seems to me that if those pedals have been on your board for that long, you probably dig that sound. Even if you are getting tired of it now, I would bet that you'll be craving them again shortly. One thing you can look into is rehousing that Q-Tron. If you don't change anything it should fit into a 5" x 6" box, if you can move the pots to a more strategic location (could be tricky, I know) you may be able to get it in smaller. I am looking into making this happen with my Q-tron +.

If you think you're done with those sounds and are confident you can get better ones, then dump them. Otherwise I'd be hesitant to do so, especially if it is a trial to drop money on new effects.

Meh. This just sounds like a lot of time and trouble. Out of the two, this one is way closer to the chopping blocks than the BMS.

SoonerMatt · #15 12-02-2009, 02:03 PM

The difference is really one of those things that's hard to notice at first but becomes blindingly obvious once you do. The older one sounds warmer and generally better. There are a few threads about this very subject and they're all very informative. I don't use a synth but if I needed to pick one up I'd go with the old BMS (and add a TBP footswitch) over the XO.

Here's a thread I started about the issue a ways back: EHX Micro Synth question

jgsbass · #16 12-02-2009, 02:11 PM

Lets look at this from another angle: envelopes are a dime a dozen. How many bass synths that are tweakable and track well are there? And just to prove you don't really want to sell the BMS...............

I'm gonna raise my offer on the BMS up to $105

bassbmx · #17 12-02-2009, 04:23 PM

I had both a while back. The Q-tron got sold to fund an Enigma which got sold to fund a Barge Concepts Grinder (thanks FightThePower!)

I've kept my big old-style BMS (guitar version actually - needs to be modded) cause it just sounds so awesome! I preferred the Enigma to the Q-tron but it had too much of a cross over with the BMS.

So... my advice would be to sell them if you're no longer digging the sounds you get from them but I would personally keep the BMS.

warwick.hoy · #18 12-02-2009, 05:09 PM

I'm inclined to agree that hanging onto the BMS is a good idea. I might sing a different tune if I've owned one for a long time.

The Groove Regulator > the Q-Tron. I've owned both and came to this conclusion for the same reasons you describe.

Munjibunga · #19 12-02-2009, 06:21 PM

Move 'em out.

fightthepower · #20 12-03-2009, 02:42 AM

You'll do better than $200 on the used market with ease; $160+ for the BMS and 100ish for the Qtron, assuming both are on good condition. The EHX warranty on a new pedal isn't worth that much, because they are an excellent company that takes care of their customers, even on out-of-warranty gear you bought used-- I was shipped a busted EHX 2880 here on talkbass, and EHX fixed it up good-as-new for the standard $35 shipped.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevteop

I've said my piece on this a couple of times in the past, it just doesn't sound as good and it's not as convenient to use. You can search for my full opinion if you want it.

I know FightThePower agrees with me, I think a few more do too, and a think a lot of others either know it but don't care, or know it but say they don't care.

This is true. I had both at the same time and opted to keep the XO for a number of reasons, mostly because I knew I'd ultimately sell it as my board was growing and overlapping the BMS's functionality. If I'd planned on keeping it, I'd go with the Macro.

Maki: If you enjoy riding the exp pedal with the Moog(i do), and have an OC-2 or similar, then I think the Orbit may just do the trick and complete the trifecta for your needs and take your BMS-tones up a level in fatness. The Orbit was one of my favorite fuzz tones under a swept filter- better than the BrownDog, Bass Fuzz, (big IMO here) etc, and while I was still using the BMS I did not use its octaves, but ran an OC-2 into it instead for even tighter tracking and fatter tone (the bms tracks low notes very well, but its suboctave is mushier).

The Qtron is a super funky filter.

Do you need a super wet and funky filter, or something a bit tamer and more versatile? If the latter, then I'd recommend a Meatball clone. The GR was a bit tame for me but I haven't tried the updated more resonant version, but the Grinder I recently sold bassbmx was an excellent filter with a funky vibe that could pull off a range of tones, not just funky ones; if I were in your shoes, I'd look for a used Meatwad or updated GrooveRegulator, or a Prometheus.

I reluctantly sold the two items you speak of earlier this year and haven't looked back-- I did my research, waited for good deals, and ended up with effects that did the job I had envisioned all along and couldn't be happier with the decision. You may or may not have the same outcome, but If you buy smart and end up not liking your new(used) effects, then you should be able to flip the new gear and pick up the old again with little-to-no financial loss.