EBS Octabass (grey) sucks, am I doing it wrong?

[liquid-dream-ex]

So i bought a EBS OCtabass (grey one, without switch) and it sucks. The Octave sounds like a lo-pass filter is activated, and the tracking is horrible.

No i wonder, is this a common problom for EBS Octabasses, or might it be a broken unit?

[pulse]

Dont know which model you mean

I gots the new one


love it to bits

hard to judge since you got an older model

[fuNKmaster83]

the gray one is the old one... it is supposed to sound like the new one in the middle position...

and it has reversed in /out jacks!!!

it should be identical but wit only that one sound...

[niftydog]

Octave pedal tracking is one of life's little mysteries. It depends on so many factors that it's hard to pin down. Best practice is to use a power supply, have the pedal connected directly to the bass (ie; first in the chain), use a strong signal from the bridge pickup, with little or no EQ cut/boost on the bass and adjust your technique for a cleaner note attack. I've also found that inherently 'scooped' sounding pickups don't work too well - so go single coils instead of humbuckers, or boost the mids.

The octave note sounding dull (like a low pass filter) is not unusual I would have thought.

[Munjibunga]

I've never had an octave pedal that worked well enough to suit me, including EBS black.

[liquid-dream-ex]

I'm really bummed though, since everyone sings the praise about EBS Octavers. I will record some soundclips this weekend for you to judge wether sthg is broken, or not.

[fuNKmaster83]

Originally Posted by niftydog

Octave pedal tracking is one of life's little mysteries. It depends on so many factors that it's hard to pin down. Best practice is to use a power supply, have the pedal connected directly to the bass (ie; first in the chain), use a strong signal from the bridge pickup, with little or no EQ cut/boost on the bass and adjust your technique for a cleaner note attack. I've also found that inherently 'scooped' sounding pickups don't work too well - so go single coils instead of humbuckers, or boost the mids.

The octave note sounding dull (like a low pass filter) is not unusual I would have thought.

bridge pick ups don't work that good on octavers.... most octave pedals prefer the neck pickup

[fishtx]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

I've never had an octave pedal that worked well enough to suit me, including EBS black.

Munji, I was in the same boat until I got the Micro-POG. It works really well for me...great tracking and I like the tone. It also has up and down octaves.

I had a black EBS Octabass and didn't really care for it. I thought the tracking was not good.

Of all the sub-octave pedals I have tried, I liked the Ampeg Sub-Blaster the best, both from a tone and tracking perspective...I thought it was better than the EBS. I still have one but am using the Micro-POG now.

[lposavad]

I have the grey EBS Octabass, and I've had little or no trouble with it. Granted, the octave tone sounds a bit synthesized and it won't track lower than open "A", but for higher register work I've found it to track quickly & cleanly.

I'm usually playing with fingers and I have a fairly clean technique. And I use a power supply. Maybe that makes a difference.

I'm not fussy about the reversed input/output, though...

[niftydog]

Originally Posted by fuNKmaster83

bridge pick ups don't work that good on octavers.... most octave pedals prefer the neck pickup

Well, ok, in my case, bridge works better. Just goes to show you, octave tracking is a wild and unpredictable beast!