Whirlwind Bass Ten & other EQ pedals

[HeavyJazz77]

The classic 10-band graphic EQ in a way is a little retro. Ampeg, Hartke and Ashdown have all stuck with them on various heads, but in the pedal world I have to believe the argument against them is primarily space related. Enter the Whirlwind Bass Ten - a massive 18v, sizely unapologetic pedal that in spite of eating up precious pedalboard space it delivers more than the EQ stage of my actual bass head.

My question to the group: Is this to some degree a one of a kind bit of gear or are there some diamond in the rough EQs out there I've missed? I'm fully aware of the more generic 9v EQs (MXR, Boss), but when you hear this thing it's just an entirely different class. If there were a smaller one available with the same build quality and headroom I'd consider a switch, but having used this one it's a tough act to beat.

Share you adventures, surprises and let downs amongst the tone-tweaking world of EQ.

[caeman]

The EQ is the unsung hero of the effects world. It is the ultimate tone tweaker. The old graphic EQ is still as current in its importance for those that desire to doctor their tone in such a way.

The MXR M-108 is 18v and a bit smaller than the Bass Ten. Alternately, there are several good parametric EQs a more normal pedal size.

[pbass6811]

I'm curious about this as well. I'm putting together my pedalboard and the Bass Ten is on my list. I did just discover the Mooer Graphic B, which if the Bass Ten is Goliath, then the Mooer Graphic B would be David...'s smaller brother! The Mooer pedal is, obviously, WAAY smaller, but it's a 5 band EQ and the frequencies are different. So, yeah...anyone have a Bass Ten in their lineup?

I really just wish MXR would make a bass-specific graphic EQ...

[caeman]

Check out the Joyo EQ. The frequencies it offers are perfect for bass.

[Bob C]

Even though the Whirlwind has been out for a year or two or three, I just discovered it. I posted on another older TB thread about - It looks really nice, but why is it way more expensive than the MXR?

Also, I don't see the big deal about precious pedal board real estate. You want more pedals - you need a bigger board.

[caeman]

MXR M-108, $120
EQ Bands: 31.25, 61.5, 125, 250, 500, 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k
Gain, Volume
18v

Whirlwind Perfect Ten, $200
EQ Bands: 31, 63, 125, 500, 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k
Volume
18v

Potentially the same product designer in Tony Gambacurta.

The price difference might be the "Constant Q" marketing speak/tech that Whirlwind uses. The Whirlwind is significantly larger than the MXR. Neither is advertised specifically for bass.

The frequency band selections are wrong for bass. Once you've reached the 4k slider, you've gone beyond the notes that most bassists will ever use. The Joyo EQ I have has the following EQ bands: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1.6k, 3.2k.

With a 4-string bass, once you reach 2k, you've gone beyond the bass fret board. The G string (G2) is about 98 Hz. The harmonics would be the only issue, but with the wide spread of the bands on the MXR and Whirlwind, you could never target those upper harmonics accurately.

So maybe the perfect BASS 10-band graphic EQ would have bands 100 apart, from 100 to 1k.

Or just go with a parametric EQ.

[HeavyJazz77]

Actually the Whirlwind 'is' specifically designed for bass. They have a Perfect Ten as well specifically designed for a guitar. But Caeman's correct - the bands are different for each though I tend to favor the lower numbers hit on the Whirlwind. As to why one may be "better" than the other... You could drive a car over the Whirlwind and it wouldn't break any of the sliders because of the way the steel around it is raised. It also has a silent on/off switch which doesn't click or 'ping' on and off like the MXRs. Both have their place...

[N.F.A.]

Originally Posted by caeman

Check out the Joyo EQ. The frequencies it offers are perfect for bass.

Are you talking about the pedal that is marketed as a guitar eq pedal? Their prices sure are right!

[caeman]

Yes, it is marketed as a guitar EQ. But, it loses no perceptible low end.

[N.F.A.]

I may spring for one of those. Can't go wrong at that price. Do you recommend any of their other pedals for bass?

[caeman]

In my experience, and the reading of other's experiences, the Joyo pedals are a Good Thing (tm). Solid, metal cases that won't break when you step on them. The switches seemed to be of good quality. They sound like the various effects are versions of. I know that some people will disparage them for me mass-produced asian clones, but pretty much every effect nowadays is a clone of some predecessor. For the price, it is worth the risk.

Specifically for bass that seemed to personally work fine was the digital delay and flanger. Have't personally tired the rest with bass.

[pbass6811]

Originally Posted by caeman

MXR M-108, $120
EQ Bands: 31.25, 61.5, 125, 250, 500, 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k
Gain, Volume
18v

Whirlwind Perfect Ten, $200
EQ Bands: 31, 63, 125, 500, 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k
Volume
18v

Potentially the same product designer in Tony Gambacurta.

The price difference might be the "Constant Q" marketing speak/tech that Whirlwind uses. The Whirlwind is significantly larger than the MXR. Neither is advertised specifically for bass.

The frequency band selections are wrong for bass. Once you've reached the 4k slider, you've gone beyond the notes that most bassists will ever use. The Joyo EQ I have has the following EQ bands: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1.6k, 3.2k.

With a 4-string bass, once you reach 2k, you've gone beyond the bass fret board. The G string (G2) is about 98 Hz. The harmonics would be the only issue, but with the wide spread of the bands on the MXR and Whirlwind, you could never target those upper harmonics accurately.

So maybe the perfect BASS 10-band graphic EQ would have bands 100 apart, from 100 to 1k.

Or just go with a parametric EQ.

Your actually talking about the Perfect Ten. The Bass Ten goes 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 600, 900, 1.3k, 1.8k, 3K, So it seems like it would, obviously, be more useful for bass.

The MXR 6 band is at 100, 200, 400, 800, 1.6k, 3.2k-seems like that would be more useful for bass than the MXR 10-band.

The Mooer Graphic B goes 62.5, 125, 500, 1k, 4k-if you're saying that 2k is the limit for bass, then it's got at least 1 band that isn't really helping, BUT, for $88, the Mooer EQ might be worth trying out...

edit: I just re-read your post and, apparently, the MXR 6 band GEQ has the same frequency centers as the Joyo pedal that you're using...

[WillieB]

whirlwind Bass Ten is an EQ pedal I picked up after selling my Boss GEB-7 and refusing to buy the MXR ten. I've had a real hard time finding the right EQ pedal for bass. I've even used parametric EQ's and parametric EQ pedals.

But the Whirlwind is now my all time favorite addition after my bass, amp , and speakers.

is it more expensive then the geb-7 or mxr 10 YES .... to me its worth every dime.

I will now run either micro heads ( flat , no eq ) , or rack mount power and totally control my preamp tone settings from this EQ. I'm even building a mini board for it to place on top of a mic stand out front so I don't have to turn around and tweak the preamp settings.

love it.

[HeavyJazz77]

I've been doing the same thing - leaving my head's EQ flat and just using the WBT. The cheaper alternatives don't cut it to that level.