Looking ahead to touring in the late summer I’m listening to the new record and thinking I might be able to just play upright on the tour. There is one or two songs that might be better with an octaver. Has anyone tried this with upright?
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Double Bass Anyone ever use Octave pedal for upright?
- Thread starter Jason Sypher
- Start date
I wish you luck in your quest. Finding a pedal for upright is difficult. I tried every envelope filter before I found the Mr. Black Fwonk Beta pedal and it is able to handle the "signal" and turn it into a quality tone I could use. I tried the Mr. Black phaser but didn't have the same luck. The only Octaver I tried was the MXR mini and it worked OK but never loved it. I hope you get good suggestions so you don't have to try them all.
It is a buyers/traders market right now in the effects classifieds...
It is a buyers/traders market right now in the effects classifieds...
I haven’t tried my Boss OC-2 through my upright, but I imagine that you’ll probably want a polyphonic octave pedal to account for all the resonances an upright provides.
Only at home, when I try the pedals with the DB.
Actually the octave is one of the pedals that works better. I have an OC-5.
Reverb and delay work well, too.
Distortion and envelope filter don't work well at all.
That's my experience, only at home.
Actually the octave is one of the pedals that works better. I have an OC-5.
Reverb and delay work well, too.
Distortion and envelope filter don't work well at all.
That's my experience, only at home.
Hi @Jason Sypher,
I have used an octaver with my upright for many years. I have an old ESB octaver (old stock from 20 years ago) that works very well, but I also use an EHX POG2 with good results. I have also tried BOSS OC-2 and a couple of others. I use it with an Ehrlund pickup but have also tried it with both a Realist Copperhead and a Wilson, all very useable. It’s most fun in venues with great (and big) FOH-gear…
I have used an octaver with my upright for many years. I have an old ESB octaver (old stock from 20 years ago) that works very well, but I also use an EHX POG2 with good results. I have also tried BOSS OC-2 and a couple of others. I use it with an Ehrlund pickup but have also tried it with both a Realist Copperhead and a Wilson, all very useable. It’s most fun in venues with great (and big) FOH-gear…
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I do all the time, and I’ve found it to be a very effective way to get that low D or Eb that we can sometimes miss if we’re playing a stand four string bass. It’s also great for playing in thumb position while still keeping the bottom going.
I greatly prefer the sound of an analog octave, with my favorite ever being the Aguilar Octamizer. However, this and other analog units have been very tough for me with piezo pickups. They can be glitchy, and on every bass I’ve tired it with there is one or two notes where the response is considerably choked compared to the others. Also the arco response is similarly glitchy (but very cool sounding!) This pedal tracks very well when judged against other analog octavers when used with a magnetic pickup, however. Having a magnetic pickup blended in your chain, and having the octave on that pickup alone, can make these pedals viable for bassists who want effects but don’t want to lose the natural sound of the bass. When I’ve done this, I’d have the dry signal on the octaver completely rolled off, so you get the natural sound of your bass mixed with a big, fat sound as your octave that can push the subs like a Moog. This sounds great but it’s definitely more of an effect, which may not be what you’re going for.
(Synth nerd derail incoming)
Ulitmately I think it’s best to look at an analog octave kind of as a synthesizer, and you need to learn how to make it speak, and how it’s filters work. I only have the Octamizer on my board (all the other stuff is just preamp / DI / tuner) and I can dial in a huge range of wild sounds just with this one pedal from a sub-destroying sine-wave to a nasty saw-wave when set to the extreme settings. The tone knob for the dry level is fun too, it can add some subtle dirt that can really make the low lines pop. I’ve also gotten it work as a reasonably natural sounding octave down when I’m just running a magnetic pickup soloed.
I’ve bought a bunch of envelope filters, synth pedals, fuzz pedals, digital octaves, and even a vintage 80s silver-label OC-2. They all left the board within a day or two and ended up in the classifieds. This one is all I need in the context of being a string bassist. Pedals are cool, but if you really want “that” kind of synth bass sound (massive dubstep drops, 303 sounding acid loops, the incredibly deep sounds associated with bass music) you are better served by studying synthesis and shacking up with a DAW and/or an analog keyboard synth.
(Back to octave pedals!)
Digital pedals like the POG is an option too with almost perfect tracking, polyphonic response, up+down capabilities, and more. Arco double stops with the dry, down, and up settings all engaged is a epic thing of beauty. They have a different, IMO somewhat digital sound that doesn’t hit on the lower end or sit in the mix quite the way I like. That being said, I know Bridget Kearny from lake street dive uses a POG and she gets a good sound on big stages. If you need a pedal to just be a pure octave drop as a workaround for a couple of passages per gig and don’t want to altar your playing much, I think a high quality digital octave is a good choice. Skip the sub’n’up and the other cheap options, this is one category of effect where you really get what you pay for.
I greatly prefer the sound of an analog octave, with my favorite ever being the Aguilar Octamizer. However, this and other analog units have been very tough for me with piezo pickups. They can be glitchy, and on every bass I’ve tired it with there is one or two notes where the response is considerably choked compared to the others. Also the arco response is similarly glitchy (but very cool sounding!) This pedal tracks very well when judged against other analog octavers when used with a magnetic pickup, however. Having a magnetic pickup blended in your chain, and having the octave on that pickup alone, can make these pedals viable for bassists who want effects but don’t want to lose the natural sound of the bass. When I’ve done this, I’d have the dry signal on the octaver completely rolled off, so you get the natural sound of your bass mixed with a big, fat sound as your octave that can push the subs like a Moog. This sounds great but it’s definitely more of an effect, which may not be what you’re going for.
(Synth nerd derail incoming)
Ulitmately I think it’s best to look at an analog octave kind of as a synthesizer, and you need to learn how to make it speak, and how it’s filters work. I only have the Octamizer on my board (all the other stuff is just preamp / DI / tuner) and I can dial in a huge range of wild sounds just with this one pedal from a sub-destroying sine-wave to a nasty saw-wave when set to the extreme settings. The tone knob for the dry level is fun too, it can add some subtle dirt that can really make the low lines pop. I’ve also gotten it work as a reasonably natural sounding octave down when I’m just running a magnetic pickup soloed.
I’ve bought a bunch of envelope filters, synth pedals, fuzz pedals, digital octaves, and even a vintage 80s silver-label OC-2. They all left the board within a day or two and ended up in the classifieds. This one is all I need in the context of being a string bassist. Pedals are cool, but if you really want “that” kind of synth bass sound (massive dubstep drops, 303 sounding acid loops, the incredibly deep sounds associated with bass music) you are better served by studying synthesis and shacking up with a DAW and/or an analog keyboard synth.
(Back to octave pedals!)
Digital pedals like the POG is an option too with almost perfect tracking, polyphonic response, up+down capabilities, and more. Arco double stops with the dry, down, and up settings all engaged is a epic thing of beauty. They have a different, IMO somewhat digital sound that doesn’t hit on the lower end or sit in the mix quite the way I like. That being said, I know Bridget Kearny from lake street dive uses a POG and she gets a good sound on big stages. If you need a pedal to just be a pure octave drop as a workaround for a couple of passages per gig and don’t want to altar your playing much, I think a high quality digital octave is a good choice. Skip the sub’n’up and the other cheap options, this is one category of effect where you really get what you pay for.
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