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Origin_Effects said:

The big box units were discontinued for a few reasons.

At the time of their discontinuation, the compact had eaten into a lot of the demand for the large-format units, what was already low volume became even lower volume. The company was also in the process of moving location, and we had totally new projects on the boil (RevivalDRIVE / Amp Recreation R&D).

An overlooked aspect, and one that is politely alluded to in the discontinuation notice is manufacturing methods, time, and sourcing. The Compact pedals weren't manufactured in the same way as the Large-Format pedals; a decision made directly as a result of the experience and lessons learnt trying to manufacture the Large-Format pedals.

Both are/were produced in the UK (as with all our current line-up), but they used totally different supply chains and sources for their components and materials.

To expand specifically on the "increasingly hard to find high-quality materials for". The electronic components themselves aren't the materials being alluded to here (though, the transformers are £80 components, and that's before you've put them in anything, accounted for failures/warranties and everything), it's the metalwork and PCB population processes. The enclosures for the large-format models used aluminium and a screen printed design, with the aluminium enclosure produced by one company, then them being sent to a different company to do the screen print. Getting these enclosures made to a consistently high-standard, got harder and significantly more expensive batch-to-batch. The Compacts used a whole new supply chain, and we moved to an enclosure and panel design. That allowed the enclosure to be universal with only the panel printed, so we no longer need to shift stock between multiple outside companies to finish an enclosure. PCB population at such low volumes also proved challanging to manage and sustain.

The Compact vs Large-Format manufacturing is full of little moments like this, that ultimately made the Large-Format pedals a unwieldy beast to maintain. The Compacts, and now 'Cali76 Bass Compressor' and 'Cali76 FET Compressor' are in no way using worse, lower-quality electronic components, nor do they sound worse, just a little different. They're still made in the UK, they still go through multiple QC stages, every unit still gets hand-tested and listened to, they still cost a bomb on the BOM, they're just more manufacturable and arguably, even higher-quality than before because we're able to more closely focus on consistency and some of the weirdness of the large-format models have been fixed.

TL;DR - Maintaining two vastly different production methods and manufacturing chains, as a really small business, when one line produces expensive but really low-volume items, just isn't all that viable. Especially when you're trying to care a lot about the quality of the output.

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Ultimately we're still a small business, and the Large-Format pedals still pose a lot of issues for manufacturing in their original form. We did a reissue back in 2019/2020, and haven't done so since.

We would love to revisit the pedal, but if we do, we'd be keen to create something that can be produced consistently, so that those who want one, can get one. Obviously, it wouldn't be cheap to manufacture (the Transformer is £80 to us alone!), so it wouldn't be cheap at retail. Given it's been so long, I imagine we'd also want it to be more than just 'oh, it's the one with the transformer again', so we'd probably want to expand the feature set and fix some of the design issues the original large-format models have. All of which, naturally requires R&D time and resources to be available for such a project.

Anyway, maybe this was insightful in some way.

All the best, Jacob.

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Thank you for the in-depth response, really appreciate when companies give the real reasoning behind a decision. I’m a very happy origin customer currently, really just wanted to get insight into why the big box was discontinued.

poochiecheeks said:

I essentially am looking for ear plugs that also work as iems. my head is inches away from the rear port of a pa all night every gig. and the low midrange especially that comes out of that is absolutely deafening. i have the shure 215s right now and even with the memory foam tips, no matter how far or how hard i shove them in after every song, my ears are still ringing every night. my tinnitus is noticeable enough as is and im not even 30 yet.
this is ridiculous, if I could wear construction ear plugs like i was about to hammer drill through a cinder block wall i would, just the band is all direct/no stage volume so the iems are a necessity. they dont even have to work well as iems or have good bass response, i dont care. just this headache and prolonged hearing damage after every single gig has to stop

does anyone else have this problem or know of something that could work?
thank you

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Go customs. I had a hearing scare when my hearing dropped all of a sudden. I thought it was all my gigging, but it turned out to be the flu. But the incident drove my decision that my hearing is worth $300 (7 years ago: probably ~$400 these days). So I bought my first pair of custom Alclairs, and haven't looked back since.

Alcairs generally go on sale right before Xmas, in June, and around big holidays. You can use the same impressions to get their custom ear plugs for concerts and things too.

The custom IEM, and a little hearing aid gel... you will be amazed with how much sound it blocks out. It's a little weird to play in silence at first, but once you get used to it, it's hard to go back. But definitely no more going home all amped up with a head ache.

Good luck

fair points
and yes i do suspect i may be using excessive pressure on the strings actually that might explain alot of it
and ok didnt know it was ok to bend on a fretless
i will see how this goes
fretless is addictive I really cant believe I havnt gotten into it sooner now ive experienced it for at least long enough to realise yes this is something I want to do alot more of so addictive!!!
and massive thanks appreciated

Paging through this site I was wondering "Where has all that design creativity gone?", does no one dare to make these kinds of exclusive models anymore? And why are they all (sorry) gathering dust at collectors' homes?

I'd put LaBella black tapes on, but that's just me.

As if I needed another reason not to go to live shows anymore. And if I do, it sure as hell isn't on the floor.

of Schnellertollermeier. Understated and minimalist when needed; not when not. Krautrock/mathrock-ish:

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Pontiac Thrasher said:

Seems like that neck would still have retained it’s vintage value?

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I was talking about the instrument in its entirety. Not about a "part it out" scenario.

burpbripbrin said:

The Grace designs Felix is also a great option. I use the Felix 2 for running two pickups

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Wow. That's quite a pedal. I could think of a few applications for a pedal like that.

Jack said:

I didn't talk about bandwidth once. In fact a point I'm trying to make is that newer, faster, wifi standards are pretty much unnecessary for band use in a venue. Neither the wireless packs for instruments or a tablet-controlled mixer use much bandwidth at all. What matters is distance and reliability. Unless I am misunderstanding, your point is that 5.8 is more reliable, I disagree that that is a hard and fast rule, as you mention a few low-bandwidth, low-use, speed-irrelevant things like smart home gadgets do exclusively use 2.4, often for the same reasons as it can be perfectly appropriate for wireless stuff on stage. We're not moving large files around a network here and we don't need blazing fast ping, we just want something that works.

Anyway, I'm not some 2.4 evangelist. My current system uses 5.8 (and 2.4 as well, but whatever) and it works flawlessly. 5.8 is great and I reiterate that, all else being equal, I too would take the newer technology. I just disagree that 2.4 has "has categorically recognized problems" for this application and I don't see it as an "exclusionary criteria". Plenty of people, me included, have done a collective million gigs on 2.4 stuff without issues.

It occurs to me that you're in the Bay Area in California, USA and I'm in rural Northumberland, UK. An area that is about 50 years behind California technologically. Perhaps we have different viewpoints on this because we live in different wifi environments.

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Sorry, I used bandwidth clumsily and I understand your sensible interpretation as meaning throughput. A more precise word I could have used would be frequency.

I have a Sandberg Superlight TM5. No neck dive. 6.5 lbs. Want it?

Flat Freeman

Sorry for the slow reply! It’s a really nice and fuzzy pedal - always gave me a Mastodon-vibe, for some reason

Hi all,

Just in case anybody is interested in an update, both the Micro7 and Rumble 100 came in (both used) and I can say that they're both a clear upgrade from my KBA16. The volume on the Micro7 is a moderate but not significant improvement, though it has a very defined, punchy sound that works great especially with the upright.

The Rumble 100 can be quite a bit louder but with more of a boomy, boxy sound that needs some tweaking, though with the EQ and bright switch, I think would also work plenty well.

For the record, I don't plan on using either at a proper gig (though the Rumble might work in a pinch with PA support), but at our weekly community jam sessions where I'm generally the only electified instrument, so a moderate workable volume is all I need.

I'll take them to the jam tonight and will see how they fare!

Question, has anyone attempted to try Slot Ports in front like the B15 version, is there enough room, contacted Eminence to get the Speakers specs.

Let me know via message logistics and what you like to do.

Hmm originals
I dont see the point of playing out to next to no one and likely being paid poorly.
Thats assuming the writer is any good.

Got a couple of sessions which got to albums and CD's but they struggled to sell.
I'm currently in a band with enough 'pull' that we could do more of the BL's originals ..probably.

Not sure if we will.

The easiest gig to cover around here is Tribute.
At least in terms of money, gig type up and need not have a great deal of talent if you 'look' the part.
Next is crowd pleasers...the song sells although I have to say this is the most boring gig, imo, and the feedback is..same set, different faces.
Deeper cuts... most fun for good players because you are having to work harder putting it across.
Originals...very hard gig because not many venues can make that work as a business model.
A few talented writers but need to be charging $15 a ticket min...and thats up against music down the road that are in bars with no cover.

Can anyone tell me what value pots would have been used in these early years?

DesiredBassMan said:

I didn't realize I asked a stupid question until much later, sorry folks.
(Duh you need power for a preamp!)

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No you did not. No need to apologize. It is a valid question and my guess is because of the following. As a recovering engineer, my experience is that to get a fruitful answer, it is best when asking for technical solutions to outline your requirements or end result first and define your use cases, outline your current resources and budget BUT do not get into solution space, As you may have observed, your methodology was scrutinized and faults were outlined rather than help you with your goals. Budget is important because people will either recommend top of the line , or tell you to make do.

Now why regarding the power question, it maybe because:

Phantom power is used to power many condenser microphone, electret mic, bass built in preamplifiers ( like alembic)s and DI boxes using one cable usually an XLR and sometimes a stereo cable TRS ( Tip Ring Sleeve ) -- so reasonable to be confused. For bass amplifiers more than 99% do not do this on the FX loop. There are however some amplifiers that supply 48 volts to microphones usually amplifiers that support acoustic instruments. Some like the AER provide 12 volts from the common 1/4 jack. Again not common and usually preamps and effects need their own power supply. Another thing that can leas to the confusion is that some old amplifiers have power outlets as well and you can definitely use them to power you rackmount. Last but not least is that some amplifiers provide 5vvolts via USB and some pedals and devices can be powered by USB.

What may have been confusing to us is you are mentioning 2 amps. meaning 2 boxes that can be used to amplify music loudly and connected to the speakers , Is this what you meant or did you mean 2 channels in your amplifier

If you do have have 2 amplifier connected separately to 2 speakers, a rackmount preamp, I would set it up like this.

Active ABY box with phase inversion, Why active because it will ensure a better quality split no signal loss and no cross talk,. I recommend the Radial TwinCity ABY or anything from SaturnWorks. They have the option of switching to A or B and combining them as you already now.

Bass to ABY input
A output of ABY directly to the first amp - do not play it yet

B output of ABY output to input of rackmount EQ powered up separately, Output from Rackmount to the FX return of your second Amp, Now rackmount preamps may have pro level +4dB switch in the back , You probably need to play with that, If it has a out level start low and increase. If you have issues try switching it to the front of the amp, Once you are happy with the sound, Oh yeah press button on ABY so that B output is active

Test Amp A and adjust with B volume. I suggest start with clean first and keep volume similar,, Now swatch them on the same. If you notice a dropout of volume then flip the phase switch. Some ABY like the TwinCity also comes with a drag control and Satrunworks provide volume controls as well. But phase is the key here. The BigShot also has a ground lift and if you hear a hum when combining flip that as well,

If both amplifiers are working normally then you can start adding dirt or playing with , Remember EQ to taste and you may encounter phase cancellations and all sorts of filtering and the sound may suck

I use 2 amplifiers all the time mostly for guitar, sometimes for electric bass but use them for my double bass setup because I have 2 sources, mic and pickups and my music relies on that setup. I rely on my active ABY Switch, I do find that many bew effect boxes are capable of internal splitting and do much more than 2 amplifiers and much easier to work with for electric bass.

One caveat, even though we have helpful and technical people here, some even at the top of the industry in their field, this is an ENTERTAINMENT website for bass enthusiasts, there is no implied consultancy at all but the answers here are better than AI or internet lore. If it does not make sense, ask again, do not take rough answers as personal

Lastly DO NOT CONNECT BOTH AMPLIFIERS TO THE SAME SPEAKER OR SPEAKER STACK. You will destroy both of them and the speaker/s, maybe even before power up,

markjazzbassist said:

that's awesome they are continuing the legacy, love to hear/see it!

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Reggie Washington is a beast!

I swapped a MIM J heads up for a MIM P with another TB member a few years ago, no issues whatsoever. Shipped cross country as well.

I just stumbled on this old topic about which I know a thing or two...
Back when I was also using a pick, it took me a long time to understand why some Precision Bass strings reacted so wildly different depending on whether I was playing downstrokes or upstrokes.
The answer is in the way the strings traveled above the pickups' pole pieces. When they're right in the middle, everything is fine and dandy. But if they're off to one side or the other (closer to one pole and farther from the other), then the sound can change noticeably depending on how they're picked, struck, plucked, hit, slapped, popped, etc...
Unfortunately, old P-basses all suffer from the same disease (except for the anodized guard models (1957 and 58), the dreaded shrinking pick guard that pulls the E&A block towards the treble side and causes the above mentioned problem.
Since then, I've been extra attentive to this issue on my own instruments and on those of my guitar maker friends (causing quite a stir in some cases)...

JC BASS 91 said:

This is the Glarry "Kid's bass"....comes in at 25.5" scale, just like a Fender guitar. Strings are next to impossible to find for it, though. There are some odd solutions out there to use short scale or even regular scale strings on it, but it's SHORT SHORT. I really struggle with playing it, especially the upper registers, because muscle memory is a thing and where my fingers land are at least one fret off from where they should be.

View attachment 7428671

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you can order custom strings from newtone - length and gauge.

megadan said:

Oh, how times have changed. The price of a new Ric has almost doubled since 2002!

Is it still worth it? I say yes.

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Came across this quote made me laugh a little. Current price of a 4003 is 2600$

logdrum said:

But I do agree,

Okay. But I do not think reamp boxes are load boxes ( I ave a load box box from Fryette which is very good and safe and I have run my Mark IV Boogies speaker output to it and it has a mic level XLR as well as line level trs. I know there are garbage load boxes.

The person who suggested a ReAmp box was talking about getting it from the DI I and converting it to instrument level and then plugging that to the second amp.

As far as I know, ReAmp boxes need line level to work properly and if the Eden's XLR out is mic level, then I do not think that will work well if at all.

The reamp boxes take recorded line-level output from DAW/Interface or multi-track tape-recording desk and convert that to instrument level into an amp and then you can mic that amp and rerecord to another track. That's how I use it anyway for guitar so I can change the amp and mics later, instead of plugins. Radial and SaturnWorks reamp boxes are both transformer isolated.

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I was addressing the use of ANY device other than a speaker that connects to the speaker output to generate either a mic or line level speaker. This was mentioned several times in this thread which is why I cautioned about this very real issue.