Malekko micro bass comp

quadrogong · #1 06-16-2011, 09:22 PM

Apparently The Malekko micro Comp has
" Evolved" into a bass comp,

according to Mr Malekko,
he and two others tested it extensively with a Ric, a Fender Jag and an okd P bass through a huge 8x10 rig...and neither of the three present were able to hear ANY low end loss at all..

I've heard nothing but good things about Makekko, his integrity, good service etc,
and I went on his recommendation.

After all, before it became a bass comp, he literally told me NOT to buy it for bass,

I just got a message through Facebook,
He even promised my $ back if I didn't agree. I ordered it.

It's micro sized,
nine volt and $100 shipped?

Malekko takes paypal and ships stuff out same/next day.. free shipping.
I thought that also sounded great

I seriously considered the new MXR
but what he said about low end loss sold me.
Maybe my comp quest is over??
I'll keep u posted,

scHism · #2 06-17-2011, 11:35 AM

HI! How did you order yours? I do not see it on his website.

EDIT: Oh I see, so the same micro comp is NOW good for BASS. WOW. With that price, I am very interested. Will wait on your reviews before I order.

quadrogong · #3 06-17-2011, 05:40 PM

That seems like a reasonable idea,
Or just Facebook him,like I did, if u have questions..
And yes, according to Malekko,
the Comp has been remodeled to accommodate bass OR guitar.

here's the actual FACEBOOK CONVERSATION :

Kevin Moon: April 7 at 4:32pm
Hi
Is the comp available yet?
Soon?
I'd like to order one ASAP
Thnx!
K
Sent via Facebook Mobile

Malekko Effects April 7 at 5:26pm Report
hey,
They are available BUT i see you play a 4 string....IMO it's kinda meh with a bass...so a bass version will be out soon
thanks

Kevin Moon April 7 at 7:10pm
thank u for your great service, i appreciate your straightforward reply, I can wait. any idea(ballpark) of when it will be released?
or could I order one from you sooner
and have u modify it/tweak the caps for bass etc. ? thanx again, Kev

Malekko Effects June 13 at 11:46am Report
hey, the COMP evolved into the "bass comp" i did some tweaking on the circuit and am SUPER happy with it, with bass guitar or 6 string!!!

Kevin Moon June 14 at 7:28am
REALLY? a micro bass comp ?? i might have to order now. thanx!!

Kevin Moon June 14 at 7:33am
..fastest way to get one?
direct through u guys?
or through a retailer?

Malekko Effects June 14 at 10:42am Report
Either way, i usually ship same/next day, but if there is a retailer near you you'll most likely get one quicker

Kevin Moon June 15 at 1:35am
Thanks!
I assume it's been extensively tested on bass,
How would u rate the low end loss w 4 string bass?
do I run it at 9v for optimum headroom?
Thanx!
Sent via Facebook Mobile

Malekko Effects June 15 at 12:14pm Report
Me and two other people played it through a ric 4001, jag bass, and old P-pass through both a matamp OR120/orange fullstack and one of those acoustic reissues (8 10's) and nobody could hear any loss...if you hear a loss i'll give you your $ back. 9V is cool, i run mine 12V with good results too

Kevin Moon June 16 at 9:35am
I know u r a stand-up guy w a great reputation !
I've been waiting for this little sucker for a lonnnnnnnng time.
If it's as good as u say, I'll be a happy boy.
I'll buy it on your recommendation !

Thanx for the responsive customer service
It's appreciated.

Btw I placed
my order today!!
Kev
Sent via Facebook Mobile

Malekko Effects June 17 at 12:04am Report
what size shirt are you?

Kevin Moon June 17 at 8:33am
Size large '
Thanx!!

(they have cool Tshirt designs, I was happy about that, too)

SPYD3R #9 · #4 08-07-2011, 09:09 PM

interesting, any review yet?
i was looking for MXR bass comp, but seems that malekko did some nice job comp for accommodate bass

iamdenialNJ · #5 08-07-2011, 10:48 PM

Interested in the review as well. Thanks.

RCCollins · #6 08-07-2011, 10:53 PM

This sounds very interesting. Go Josh!

quadrogong · #7 08-08-2011, 05:36 PM

Firstly, let me preface by saying..
Mr Malekko and Co were extremely, EXTREMELY nice to me,
as far as customer service goes, I'm a customer for life,

They're an honest,friendly and helpful company who bent over backwards to please me.

I wasn't completely happy with the low end, the pedal rules for guitar, and may be fine for most of you bassists out there.

I'm VERY picky w these pedals, and I've gone through five or six top brands that have disappointed me already. I may not be a very typical opinion.

I play active basses only w very strong low end.
I use tons of EQ, and go for that," through the PA" tone that shakes your bones.
I like a lot of strong, active low end, and I like my pedals to be totally transparent.
Many pedals that other players label as having,"no low end loss" sound useless to me, they ALL cut off some lows when u pump tons of bass through it.

I've come to the conclusion that no 9 volt production pedal will give me the headroom I need. It seems odd, because technically, a super large cap should let the lows filter through, but nobody uses one big enough? ...a cost issue?

One or two have worked for me..
The Diamond sounds great,
the Boss LMB-3 also retains lots of lows, but it's a limiter, so it only adjusts loud peaks in my playing.

I'd say, if u are playing passive Fenders, it'll kick ass, but for a Sadowsky preamp and humbuckers,if u set your bass with a bass-heavy tone?.. Like my rig?..
it'll lose a noticeable amount of lows.

Malekko told me he tested it with a Ric and two Fenders, all passive, through an 8x10".. they heard no loss of lows. I believe him too.
He offered me a refund, and gave me a free t shirt!

If u set your bass to a typical, middy setting, it'll be fine.
But if u go for a hip-hop/R&B type vibe, with the lows shaking the floor..
It's gonna cut a bit of lows. But again, any pedal will act the same in this scenario IMO.

So, most likely, the pedal will be ok for most players,

I'm a freak, I set my amp like the PA mains
I like to feel that rumble in my bones

caeman · #8 09-27-2011, 08:42 AM

So, Quad, some time has passed. By now, you should have received the Malekko Comp and had some time to use and get to know it. What is your opinion thus far?

quadrogong · #9 09-27-2011, 10:45 AM

Read the above post

I sent it back for refund.
I may be a special case, I think.
If u use Active basses
and a LOT of low end, like me,
it'll suck some lows.

If u play passive or set the tone more typically , for example: a Fender pbass plugged into an amp which is set flat..

I believe it'll be fine, Josh from Malekko tested it with an 8x10 and three different passive basses.
Reviews of units claiming to,
"retain 100% of low end" have flopped horribly for me in the past,
So I'd say I'm an extreme case,

Rick at Frequency Central is making me a custom comp w crazy, mega, super low end headroom & a wet/dry blend .

fettbass · #10 09-27-2011, 11:38 PM

Do you know if any changes or optimization were done to the pedal for bass? Or did they just decide that it worked as a bass pedal further down the road? I'm just asking because a store near me carries the Malekko compressor, and I'm wondering if it's the same one you tried.

bongomania · #11 09-28-2011, 12:09 AM

Just for reference, a big part of what "makes" that huge, intense low end that you like is the tall amplitude spikes of those big-bottom notes. Compressors reduce amplitude spikes by definition--so that's one common reason why they can seem to lose the low end. It's not that the caps aren't big enough, it's that the compressor is doing its job.

This is why many studio rack comps have a setting that removes the lows from the signal path of the detector circuit. It's also why I set my dual-band comp to only cap off the lows when they are about to clip my amp or mixer.

quadrogong · #12 09-28-2011, 09:48 AM

Yeah, I've thought about that, thank u, Bongo, good point.

My LMB-3 limiter is as cheap as dirt, but I've got no complaints low end-wise.

The compressor circuit in Peavey Amps also really rock, I love those. I would love to know exactly what they use.

quadrogong · #13 09-28-2011, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fettbass

Do you know if any changes or optimization were done to the pedal for bass? Or did they just decide that it worked as a bass pedal further down the road? I'm just asking because a store near me carries the Malekko compressor, and I'm wondering if it's the same one you tried.

Josh from Malekko told me that it had,"evolved" into a bass comp,
I'd assume the newer ones are coming w larger capacitors to let more bass filter through,
you'd have to ask Malekko how to tell them apart

I'd guess most of them around are the
evolved/revised editions, since these were barely available at the beginning,

and thanx, Bongo, good point.
I've used many compressors successfully on bass, the ones in bass heads usually work okay for me,
and the rack mounted units engineers use at gigs and in the studio also sound fine, it's only pedal compressors
that I have issues with.

My cheapo LMB-3 limiter handles lows like a champ,
and I love the simple 2 knob circuit in Peavey amps, they also work well for me.
I grew up using those combos,

I use a VB-3 at rehearsal.
I'd love to know exactly what components
they use in their comp and clone one.