100% on Demonfx Call76, I had one on my 2nd board for a few months. While I did not have a real Origin Effects Cali76 for comparison, I was able to A/B against with my Empress Bass Comp. It's a real deal for your dollar.
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Best budget bass compressor pedal???
- Thread starter wohnjalker
- Start date
100% on Demonfx Call76, I had one on my 2nd board for a few months. While I did not have a real Origin Effects Cali76 for comparison, I was able to A/B against with my Empress Bass Comp. It's a real deal for your dollar.
- Jul 7, 2010
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- Endorsing Artist for: Duncan Pickups; Line6, Hipshot, GHS Strings, Somnium Guitars
For $50, unless you get something used, don't get anything. Or maybe try out some plugins?
Exactly. Whenever I see posts like these, I can automatically go check YouTube's more popular bass lesson givers and sure enough, within a day or so, one of them released a "why you need X" video detailing the very thing the OP is asking about. It's almost uncanny.
You should have seen how many octaver and compressor pedal questions there were on Reddit after SBL did a quick video on Levin's tone in "Sledgehammer." It was risible.
Exactly. Whenever I see posts like these, I can automatically go check YouTube's more popular bass lesson givers and sure enough, within a day or so, one of them released a "why you need X" video detailing the very thing the OP is asking about. It's almost uncanny.
You should have seen how many octaver and compressor pedal questions there were on Reddit after SBL did a quick video on Levin's tone in "Sledgehammer." It was risible.
What are your goals with a compressor? Do you want one that changes your tone in a certain way? One that is transparent and doesn’t change your tone at all but does other compressing “stuff?” There’s lots of reasons for wanting a compressor and lots of compressors that do different things. If you let us know what your goals are, we could better help you make a more informed buying decision.
And I agree with most that, depending on your compressor goals, you might be better off waiting/saving until you can reach the $100+ range. But still, if you tell us what you want to get out of a compressor we could give you better information. Rather than just rattling off all the cheapest gear out there and no explanation of how it will help you achieve your bass playing goals.
You could probably get a used Dyna Comp for about $50.
They sound great on bass, very squishy. Not the quietest circuit in the world but it works. When I am in a pinch and don't have one my Analogman comps handy I grab a Dyna Comp.
They sound great on bass, very squishy. Not the quietest circuit in the world but it works. When I am in a pinch and don't have one my Analogman comps handy I grab a Dyna Comp.
JOYO Compressor Effect Pedal with Precise Compression Knobs Adjusting Independent for Electric Guitar Bass - True Bypass (AVALLON R-19) https://a.co/d/1k975qs
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Heres a quality compressor, but it will cost a few extra $$ than your budget.
Xotic SP Compressor 2010s - Black | Reverb
Xotic SP Compressor 2010s - Black | Reverb
did you buy the one from guitar center?
I was going to buy that one.. lol
also tie a hair tie around the strings at the bridge.. and above the nut on the neck.. try that before you get a compressor..
I don't think anyone needs one... OP asked a question and I'm answering it. I personally run a Keeley Bassist with the threshold set so high it almost never kicks in. Just there to protect from anomalies
No sorry, this was only in
lol no I was just talking about my OD quest separately… I’ve been through a ton of pedals. Compressor wise I had a Boss LMB-3 but ended up selling it because I felt like it did nothing “colorwise”. I guess I want one that will give my tone a little something extra. Also, I do WANT a compressor. No one needs one but I like what it does to the sound of a bass guitar, especially live.The OP bought an OD with his $50 instead.
Lol no I bought the DOD a long time ago, I’ve had a lot of different pedals and this one just feels right in the mix of things.
If you believe you are looking for Coloring but believe the LMB-3 did not provide any Coloring, I think you potentially will want to recalibrate what you believe you want, or rather, the way you word it. As broken down in the OvniLab review, the LMB-3 drastically and unavoidably Colors the signal; with 'Enhance' bottomed out it rolls off highs from 600Hz upwards, more drastically the higher the Ratio is set. The Enhance knob brings highs back, but scoops mids. So, regardless of setting, it quite drastically effects tone. That being the case, I think what you're looking for is probably moreso a specific KIND of coloring, and if you can work out how to describe what you're after, I think TBers will have an easier time recommending options for you.
So with this update, I think you really only have two options near (although slightly above) your budget: DemonFX “Call76” (or possibly the Super Symmetry, but I have seen NO reviews on that one) or a used Zoom [BGA]1 Four. Zooms have multiple tone sweetening compressors, although some of them can be noisy. If you’re patient (a big ask, I realize), they show up on FB Marketplace for $50-70.
Bass Preachers can generally be found used in the $70+ range (which is where the DemonFXes would be after tax and shipping). It might give the tone enhancements that you’re looking for, at the expense of noise floor: Electro Harmonix Bass Preacher
Outside of that, it’s just going to be random, oddball listings way under market value (I got my Aguilar TLC for $60 on FB Marketplace), but that’s just luck of the draw.
Nothing that I've noticed playing gigs, but I'll put it in front of my Zoom B6 with some headphones on and see what difference I can hear at that higher level of scrutiny...
In other news, I've also been pleasantly surprised with how well a high-pass filter (HPF) can work in a space where my sound can easily get too boomy as I turn up (and I'm not one to seriously crank it). I thought these were a fad or something, but after I reading enough positive things about them here, I picked up a used one from a local seller for only $40 (this one is a Broughton).
First gig with this at a notoriously boomy bar where we play a few times a year was my revelation. As soon as I dialed up the HPF, it was like somebody waved a magic wand and any mud in my sound disappeared. The room was no longer working against me and I could still push a warm 'n healthy tone, but just without the boom.
Short story long
, controlling my sound has turned out to mean more than one thing. I might want to use a compressor to establish some margins with my volume, but I might instead want to only use my HPF for controlling those unruly low freq's.
Agreed. This is the same as the Amazon basics pedal. Give it a shot. If you don’t like it, send it back. The Amazon basics works fine for me live.
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