I recently acquired the EHX Knockout. I'm still fooling around with it, but if you want undistorted boom, this does it. There are a few threads about it here. There's an old one (2010) with some good information.
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Bigger... fatter... more boom... boost pedal
- Thread starter scubaduba
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- bass pedal boost boost pedal
Anytime I read that someone wants to fatten up their sound I think of the Diamond bcp1.
I have two pedals that'l do some of this. Xotic's EP booster will do a subtle amount of what you seek, but yes, it is subtle - I don't think you're wanting subtle. If you wanna get obvious, and you want to boost the very low end, without adding mud in the upper bass/lower mids, I'd recommend an MXR Micro Amp + . The "plus" is very important, the regular Micro Amp doesn't have EQ. Anyway, the low freq EQ on that has a very low hinge point - it adds girth without adding much else, and yes, you'll need an amp or PA that can handle more 40Hz-ish stuff to use it effectively.
Have you considered a BBE Sonic Maximizer? Check it out BBE 882i Sonice Maximizer. They also have a pedal option .
I gotta give a shout for the MXR M80DI i just got. Has a pre, noise gate, and distortion built in but also includes a clean tone section. Turning that thing on adds instant umph to all my basses active or passive. Give it a look. There are tons of videos on YouTube. Here's one,
I also have a Sustainer / Compressor in line before it which when adjusted correctly actually acts as a tone boost as well. Im using the Behringer CS400 Its a cheap pedal but does the job.
I also have a Sustainer / Compressor in line before it which when adjusted correctly actually acts as a tone boost as well. Im using the Behringer CS400 Its a cheap pedal but does the job.
A clean boost pedal would give you more of the same. I think a compression would give you more "bigger, fatter, boom".
I don't know if it's been mentioned earlier, but this might fit the bill.
One Control: Crimson Red Bass Preamp (skip to 2:56)
One Control: Crimson Red Bass Preamp (skip to 2:56)
That's exactly how I use mine. It works wonders as a tone-fattener, especially while playing with a pick.
Something to consider, look up a video on the CEA Labs Grizzly pedal. It is an OD pedal, in fact it has an OD circuit and a seperate Distortion circuit plus a mid cut and a high cut. Saw a guy who used it to dial in just enough OD to thicken and fatten the tone. Also if you needed/wanted you could cut a bit of mids/highs for effect and drive the volume enough to give you a signal boost.
EQD Tone Job is stellar, really clean and nice.
But any pre-amp pedal with an EQ and selectable drive could work. While I love the Grizzly bass, EQ is not its strong point. If has some cut EQ for mids and highs and that’s it. So while it could work - cut mids & highs a bit and boost volume with drive and distortion all the way down - a pre-amp will be easier to dial in.
The Tone Job surprised me with its sound quality and with how suitable the simple EQ is for bass. The sales guy at GC where I bought it, who is a big effects user, surmised that he thought it was a Baxandal circuit with a mids control like on the Ampeg V4.
I don’t know if he was right but the EQ points and Q values on the Tone Job were selected to work well with both guitar and bass.
Other options are the MXR pre-amp pedal, LeBass, lots of others.
But any pre-amp pedal with an EQ and selectable drive could work. While I love the Grizzly bass, EQ is not its strong point. If has some cut EQ for mids and highs and that’s it. So while it could work - cut mids & highs a bit and boost volume with drive and distortion all the way down - a pre-amp will be easier to dial in.
The Tone Job surprised me with its sound quality and with how suitable the simple EQ is for bass. The sales guy at GC where I bought it, who is a big effects user, surmised that he thought it was a Baxandal circuit with a mids control like on the Ampeg V4.
I don’t know if he was right but the EQ points and Q values on the Tone Job were selected to work well with both guitar and bass.
Other options are the MXR pre-amp pedal, LeBass, lots of others.
Aphex Bass Xciter:
The Big Bottom section can be used to cleanly fatten your sound.
I use the Acoustic version of the pedal as it is voiced a little different.
Both pedals can be found used on sites like musicgoround.com and guitarcenter.com/Used/
The Big Bottom section can be used to cleanly fatten your sound.
I use the Acoustic version of the pedal as it is voiced a little different.
Both pedals can be found used on sites like musicgoround.com and guitarcenter.com/Used/
I swear by my RC, but I use it "always on" when I do use it. I do think it would do what you're after though--it adds a meatiness and fullness for sure, even with the eq set flat, but your "tone" stays intact. Add a little more lows with it and I think it'll give you that "boom" when you kick it on.
Hmm... that does sound pretty nice. Does it have a fair amount of boost volume on tap?
@redneck2wild Man, I've read so many mixed reviews of the xciter. Some seem to say the pedal is nothing but snake oil. Have you been pleased?
