New Carl Martin Bass Drive pedal

[scubaduba]

Looks promising
http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2012/05...s-drive-pedal/

[gepettus]

yeap. looks great, especially for the tube over

[Steveaux]

MSRP: $389

[dharmashawn]

Originally Posted by Steveaux

MSRP: $389

But that is MSRP, so we should get it a tad cheaper. In comparison the lovely sounding SWELL is gonna run you a hard $350.

[caeman]

There comes a point where "tube tone" just isn't worth the price, especially when the live audience wouldn't be able to tell difference between that, or a well-built-but-much-cheaper non-tube pedal through the house PA.

Putting just one 12AX7 in a drive pedal...can't they do better? de Lisle sells an EF86-based tube pedal, with a 12AX7 pre-tube for $329. Much more tubyness.

[willbassyeah]

interested in this though, demo sounds great http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=EZCwMwWhYJk

[mazdah]

Up. Any news?

[HeavyJazz77]

Originally Posted by caeman

There comes a point where "tube tone" just isn't worth the price, especially when the live audience wouldn't be able to tell difference between that, or a well-built-but-much-cheaper non-tube pedal through the house PA.

Putting just one 12AX7 in a drive pedal...can't they do better? de Lisle sells an EF86-based tube pedal, with a 12AX7 pre-tube for $329. Much more tubyness.

I have to agree. I used to have the EBS Valve Drive which was another over-sized tube driver. It was fun at first swapping out the tube with various others for slight changes in tone, but it was subtle enough that only I would ever notice. The built quality was shoddy as well so between those factors and its sheer size I let it go. The Carl Martin isn't much smaller though their QC reputation far eclipses that of EBS's.

[mazdah]

Well, thats an interesting view. Anyone else?

[eddiebo]

I have had this pedal for about 6 weeks and have tried it through a variety of different rigs and setups, with different basses, etc...

MF and a few other outlets retail it around $270, and they were running a 15% discount, so it was $235 shipped - well worth it, IMO

Overall I give it a thumbs up and its become a favorite overdrive

PROS:
- its a REAL overdrive - u want to add just a touch of grit without going into distortion territory? done - you can really nail an Entwistle / Geddy / Jack Bruce sound with it but also do a "clicky" pick sound like the SABDDI or Darkglass or go more OTT into fully driven SVT land
- it is VERY transparent, doesnt sound like you put a blanket over your amp or put a giant artificial halo around your sound like a sansamp
- LEVEL knob allows for perfect control over unity gain with the unaffected signal
- it has BALLS - no loss of low end, none
- a LOT of flexibility in the EQ, very small adjustments make significant differences in sound
- very responsive to player dynamics, the more you dig in in your playing the more you get out of it

CONS:
- Form factor: Gigantic, takes up a lot of space on a pedalboard and the power cable juts out a good 3" from the pedal making board configuration "interesting"
- Transformer / power supply housed in the pedal, contributing to size and weight and necessitating the use of a dedicated power cord, cant use any kind of power supply
- Price: even with a discount its pricey

I can put up a pic of it on a board and eventually some sound samples with different amps / basses / speaker combos if anyone is interested

[mazdah]

Have you tried Xotic Bass BB Preamp? Which one is better?

Is there a LED light under the tube on CM Bass Drive?

EDIT: Please, post a photo. I'd like to see this beast on real, "live" photo

[eddiebo]

the other OD I have is a BB and I use that one on my smaller board which is a pedaltrain mini - definitely similar sound, but the CM has a lot more girth and low end and is more transparent. The BB goes into distortion territory much more quickly and I find I need to have the bass knob at least 3/4 of the way up to have enough low end in the sound. Yes, there is a red light underneath the tube so it glows red when its on and it has a bright blue LED indicator

[eddiebo]

heres a pic on my board w/ the lights on - you can see how much space it takes up and how far the plug comes out

[mjac28]

Now that's a Biggun'!!!

[eddiebo]

yea, u can see its almost as big as the choralflange & bluebeard together
it sounds great, though

[Biggbass]

I wish they would bring their bass amp (200) to the US market.

[mazdah]

UP, anybody else?