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Boss Slow Gear SG-1

#8
Although the Slow Gear was a cool idea, it was rather useless.
You're better off with a volume pedal.
Unless you are to lazy to operate a volume pedal, the Slow Gear would do it for you. But at what cost? :atoz:

Since I don't have a volume pedal (I actually don't know why I never bought one) I use the volume control on my bass.

That looks way cool, you pluck a note, the with the ring finger volume knob open and back closed. All in one smooth movement. :cool:
 
#9
there's also a guyatone version of this pedal: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

i also imagine the ehx bass micro synth has the volume swell thing covered, too.

there are plenty of options available for a vol-swell effect, so i have no idea why people are willing to spend $450 on the pedal except to have a collector's item. :hmm:
 
#11
I got a taste of the Attack Delay in my EH Bass Microsynth years ago. Later I replaced my whole board with the Boss GT-6B and now the GT-10B, both of which include a Slow Gear, but I never use it. C'thulhu was correct, a volume pedal does the job better. More controllable, more reliable, more consistent. Luckily the GT-6B and GT-10B also include a volume pedal...
 
#12
C'thulhu said:
Although the Slow Gear was a cool idea, it was rather useless.
You're better off with a volume pedal.
Unless you are to lazy to operate a volume pedal, the Slow Gear would do it for you. But at what cost? :atoz:

Since I don't have a volume pedal (I actually don't know why I never bought one) I use the volume control on my bass.

That looks way cool, you pluck a note, the with the ring finger volume knob open and back closed. All in one smooth movement. :cool:
Click to expand...

I'm curious why you think the volume pedal work better than an SG or an SV-2. I want to use one of these as a pedal to get a reverse-delay type sound. Do you think a volume pedal would be better for this application or an SG or one of its clones? Thanks
 
#13
I know this isn't really a new thread but I've got one in a trade recently. It's a pretty cool effect when combined with phaser and delay. It's not very useful so I'll be selling it on the bay pretty soon I think.

I got a Behringer Slow Motion (the clone) recently just to have arround when I want that kind of effects. It's not that great but it's fairly cool. And I'd never have a Behringer pedal on any of my boards :p

I'll be getting a volume pedal soon to do this effect.
 
#15
The volume pedal vs. Slow Gear/clone argument is analogous to wah vs. envelope filter. Envelope and expression effects can be used for similar applications and they offer very different ways of controlling the same parameter be it filter sweep or volume. The advantage in envelope controlled effects is that they respond to the nuances of your playing whereas expression pedals allow for more ease of use as well as stationary settings.
 
#17
Swimming Bird said:
The volume pedal vs. Slow Gear/clone argument is analogous to wah vs. envelope filter. Envelope and expression effects can be used for similar applications and they offer very different ways of controlling the same parameter be it filter sweep or volume. The advantage in envelope controlled effects is that they respond to the nuances of your playing whereas expression pedals allow for more ease of use as well as stationary settings.
Click to expand...

My experience with the BYOC Lazy Sprocket is that unlike an envelope filter, it does not respond especially well to playing nuances. I can't control it by playing dynamically around the threshold. It works best with a very consistent signal and/or a compressor and tends to sound somewhat mechanical. A volume pedal or knob is much more expressive but is harder to use fast. Try playing 1/4 note swells at 120 bpm with a volume pedal and see how long your leg lasts. It's a cool gadget, I really had a bee in my bonnet about that sound when I bought it but I have 1 tune I wrote around it and hardly use it at all. I'd bet that it works a lot better with guitar.
 
#18
RCCollins said:
is it my imagination or is slow gear included on the boss SE-70, a rack mount unit you can easily find for under $200?

(it's not my imagination: Link Removed)

you could get one of those and a bitchen footswitch controller for less than an SG-1

just sayin'...
Click to expand...

Quoting an old post, but the Slow Gear is also included on the Boss VF-1, which can also be had for cheap.
 
#19
Swimming Bird said:
The volume pedal vs. Slow Gear/clone argument is analogous to wah vs. envelope filter. Envelope and expression effects can be used for similar applications and they offer very different ways of controlling the same parameter be it filter sweep or volume. The advantage in envelope controlled effects is that they respond to the nuances of your playing whereas expression pedals allow for more ease of use as well as stationary settings.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation. I think I'm going to try either the Guyatone SV-2 or the BYOC Lazy Sprocket, because I'm looking for a pedal to give me a consistent swell every time for a reverse delay like effect.
 

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