OC-2 problem with flats

cultrvultr · #1 05-10-2011, 12:21 AM

I put some flats on my j-bass this week and they've been making my OC-2 sound craaaazy. The pitch is really off, so it sounds like a terrible ring mod. Actually, it's kind of a cool ring mod sound, but I really just want my OC-2 back.

Anyone else have this problem? I've tried all the regular pitch tracking tricks, tone knob, clean playing near the neck, etc. Any other ideas? Will the pitch-tracking of an OC-2 drift over time?

alec · #2 05-10-2011, 01:33 AM

I put flats on a fretless recently and haven't noticed any problems with my OC-2.
Which strings are you using?

cultrvultr · #3 05-10-2011, 01:43 AM

Hmmm. Trying out the fender mediums. They are alright, it's been a while since i had flats. I remember liking the GHS and La Bellas more.

warwick.hoy · #4 05-10-2011, 01:51 AM

Did you just slap some flats on or did you go the whole nine yards and intonate,...set the relief and action on your bass?

The OC-2 could bring out any flaws in your bass's setup. While I don't have the skills to do it myself (but I will soon),...every time it's time to change strings (that I can do),...I take my bass in to a shop and have it setup as well, specially If I'm trying a different gauge,...are switching to a non tapered B. I would do the same if I were moving to flats.

cultrvultr · #5 05-10-2011, 01:56 AM

I did a bit of intonation and bridge height. The relief could be a bit better, but I am trying out these strings for the first time and didn't want to take the $90 setup plunge with unknown strings.

warwick.hoy · #6 05-10-2011, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cultrvultr

I did a bit of intonation and bridge height. The relief could be a bit better, but I am trying out these strings for the first time and didn't want to take the $90 setup plunge with unknown strings.

$90 including strings? If not; seems a bit steep, but I don't blame you for not wanting to spend that much on an unknown.

cultrvultr · #7 05-10-2011, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

$90 including strings? If not; seems a bit steep, but I don't blame you for not wanting to spend that much on an unknown.

Nope. The cheapest decent setup here in San Francisco is 90 bucks. That's why I try to do my own.

warwick.hoy · #8 05-10-2011, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cultrvultr

Nope. The cheapest decent setup here in San Francisco is 90 bucks. That's why I try to do my own.

I figured,...that's highway robbery,...but I guess SF luthiers and repairmen gotta eat too.

I pay about $50 here but with my apprenticeship I'll gain all those skills and be able to do all that including set the relief of the neck on my own instruments.

I may be wrong but I recall anecdotes that flats have a different tension than rounds of the same guage (may only be with particular brands) and the effect on the neck relief can cause some buzzing,...which is no good for the tracking of an OC-2.

It would seem that the OC-2 would actually prefer flats as you are feeding it a more fundamental bass tone as opposed to a bunch of upper harmonics and overtones as you would with rounds.

Commreman · #9 05-10-2011, 06:01 AM

I have light Chromes on my Jazz (.40-.100). I have had no issues whatsoever with my OC-2 - I've been using this pedal for over 20 years. In fact, I found the opposite of you. My OC-2 tracks better with the flats. My Jazz is equipped with an S1 switch, and when I engage it with the OC-2, look out. The tone is FAT. Try running a compressor after the OC-2 in your signal chain. I use a very old LMB-3, and it works very well.

kevteop · #10 05-10-2011, 06:14 AM

The OC-2 should definitely perform better with flats in terms of its tracking. The difference is very obvious and very welcome.

I have had a couple of weird setup issues with flats though - once I got some distortion at the input of my OC-2, and a weird warble when playing certain notes on the E up by the 12th fret. Is that the sort of thing you're getting? If so, try lowering your pickup a bit.

burno70 · #11 05-10-2011, 06:46 AM

I got this whether I was using rounds or flats. Its probably a tad more pronounced with flats though. I was advised that its just the OC2 picking out deadspots on your fretboard. See if you can play the same riffs but on different strings/frets.

M Sterling · #12 05-10-2011, 08:31 AM

FWIW, flats do have a higher tension than rounds of the same gauge. I have to do truss rod relief, intonation, and bridge height adjustment every time I change from rounds to flats. This, combined with the OC2's knack for picking out deadspots and bad adjustments, could be the cause.

markjazzbassist · #13 05-11-2011, 05:31 PM

TI jazz flats on my bass sound great with the oc-2

that crazy ring mod type sound is the tone of the oc-2, it's very synth like, not at all a clean sound.

gastric · #14 05-11-2011, 05:50 PM

A sound clip would be extremely helpful VS us guessing as to what you're hearing.

cultrvultr · #15 05-11-2011, 06:01 PM

Sure, i'm going to try a small truss rod tweak as suggested above to see if that clears up the problem.

I've been using the OC-2 for years with roundwounds, and have never had this crazy detuned issue. If changing the action doesn't help, I'll post some clips.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

gastric · #16 05-11-2011, 06:04 PM

It could be as simple as you clipping the input of the OC-2 due to higher output. Try rolling your volume knob back slightly and see if that makes a difference. Or maybe you forgot to turn off your ringmod.

Troubleshooting is a process of elimination. Just because the issue seems to have started with flats doesn't mean that's the actual cause. So try a different bass. Unplug everything but the bass into the amp. Then insert the OC-2. Then try different power source (dying battery?). Continue changing one variable until you identify the problem.

iamdenialNJ · #17 05-11-2011, 07:14 PM

My oc-2 loves my flats. No problem here.

JimmyM · #18 05-12-2011, 11:52 PM

playing farther away from the bridge seems to help tracking when i'm playing a bass with flats. don't know why...maybe a fatter fundamental or something?

Mark Olson · #19 05-13-2011, 12:07 AM

I know what you mean, it's not just that the OC-2 sounds synthy, it actually sounds out of tune with your bass. That happens with excessively muddled/colored tones, and especially when you're trying to make the OC-2 do pitches that your rig can't reproduce accurately, in my experience. I avoid this problem by not having any active preamps/buffers between my bass pickups and OC-2, and by not trying to make the OC-2 go lower than my rig can sound good reproducing. I always say, if you want to use effects and you want them to sound good, most effects aren't designed for active guitars, etc. I see piles of threads on here where people are having issues because of or in part because of active basses.

Mark Olson · #20 05-13-2011, 12:15 AM

And since it may not be obvious I should clarify that even if you haven't had the same exact issue before because of active electronics does not mean they're not a contributing factor. Most pedals, like the OC-2, benefit (well not benefit but more really only function as designed with) a straight connection to your pickups.