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Boutique owners....your dirty secret?

#42
Up until recently most of my pedals were pretty simple. Pork Loin, MXR Bass comp, EHX Stereo Electric Mistress, TC Electronics Poly Tune, and my only boutique pedal was a B3K that honestly doesn't get a lot of use. Just recently I went on a fuzz kick and ended up with Team Awesome Fuzz Machine and a Pickle Pie B. It is hard to find inexpensive fuzz pedals with a blend and a mids control.
 
#45
Most of the "standard" companies pedals that have really impressed people over the years have been cloned in forms with more available mods/options (Muffs, Tubescreamers, Chorus', Phasers, etc), so unless money or easy replace-ability is a concern it usually makes more sense to me to go with a clone that already has my ideal mods implemented. That said, certain pedals just don't seem to have boutique equivalents- specifically the Boss OC-2 or more complicated FX like the EHX Microsynth or Deluxe Memory Man for example. And now with all the digital platforms taking over, every companies algorithms will be pretty different- alot of the new Digitech and EHX stuff looks very unique and competitive with boutique designs...
 
#47
I have a slightly modded digitech bad monkey that I use a lot; I think I picked that one up for $30 used. I do actually have quite a few pedals that I bought for less, but that's the cheapest non-DIY one that tends to stay on my board. My Boss Bf2 flanger was about the same price used and is pretty darn awesome, but I don't use it as much.
 
#48
I tried out a DOD 250 Preamp pedal about 20 years ago. Loved it - should have bought it but funds were tight. Have been meaning to buy one for the last 10 years but never got around to it.

My pedalboard has some higher end pedals on it, but a couple "everyday" pedals too. When I played guitar, I'd carry around an MXR Overdrive in my cable bag just in case.
 
#49
The Digitech RP1000. I'm not sure what 'boutique' is, but this certainly was priced like a boutique. Also, since me and Pete Trewavas are the only bass players I know that use them, I'd say it's our 'secret'. It has 55 amps, 26 cabs, 86 effects, 100 factory presets, 100 custom presets, volume/wah/whammy pedal, stomp loop (turns external pedals on/off), 3 cable system (turns your amps preamp on/off), looper, drum machine, vacuum switches, edit patches on your PC, etc. All in one tidy box. I couldn't be happier! Just don't trip on it. That steel is thick and it really hurts.

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#51
I'll ride for the two cheapest pedals on my board...the Behringer BSY-600 and Digitech Bass Synth Wah. Both are a lot of fun in their own ways.
 
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#52
I like the old EH units.. Deluxe Memory Man is one of my favs.. Behringer RV600 gets an honorable mention for its shimmer effect, though I really only use it with a guitar. I always thought the old Ibanez Chorus sounded good on bass.
 
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#53
Dave W said:
Thanks, I'll check it out. The CE-2 and CE-5 aren't quite the same but maybe it'll be close enough.
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I recently swapped out my Boss CE-3 for a Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus. The BBC is a great pedal with tons of tone options, but I'm still not 100% convinced that I like it more than the CE-3 which is generally considered one of Boss's least liked chorus pedals.
 
#54
Sufenta said:
I recently swapped out my Boss CE-3 for a Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus. The BBC is a great pedal with tons of tone options, but I'm still not 100% convinced that I like it more than the CE-3 which is generally considered one of Boss's least liked chorus pedals.
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I have a Tech 21 Boost Chorus Bass, Aguilar Chorusaurus, TCE Corona Chorus, Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus, DOD Ice Box, two Boss CE-5's, Source Audio Orbital, whatever are in my multi FX units, and probably a few that I'm forgetting.

As good as all of them are I think I like the CE-5 the best. It's lush, thick, doesn't lose bass, and just plain sounds great.

The Chorusaurus takes up the least amount of room so I was hoping I'd like it best but it quickly goes from too subtle to just plain weird really fast. The rate knob is wobbling away at 9:00 when all the others don't wobble that fast until at least 1:00.
 
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#55
Sufenta said:
I recently swapped out my Boss CE-3 for a Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus. The BBC is a great pedal with tons of tone options, but I'm still not 100% convinced that I like it more than the CE-3 which is generally considered one of Boss's least liked chorus pedals.
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OP here. I'm starting to agree with you about the Tech 21. I have one too, and while I loved the fact that it has the option to disengage the LFO, and while I do think it sounds really nice, I can't help but think my old DOD blue chorus from 81 has much more mojo than the Tech 21 will ever have.
 
#56
I've got a boss cs-2, ce-5, and dd-3 on my board and like them all. big time players use these pedals. Justin from Tool has the ce-5 and dd-3 on his board and Juan from Mars Volta uses the cs-2 and is a big effects guy who says all the time the cs-2 is his most important pedal. So with those 3 particular pedals I feel like if it's good enough for those guys who play through high dollar PA systems and top notch studios, it's good enough for me playing local clubs and recording in basements and garages.
 
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#58
The MXR P90. Someone else mentioned this earlier. It just does what it does well. So well in fact, that I bought a "new" one with a script logo, LED, and external 9v power jack.

If anyone's looking for me I'll be in my bubble bath, eating Bon-bons, doing my toenails, and feeling all boutiquey.
 
#59
My phaser is an ancient Kiwi made clone of some Ibanez, from an era when imported toys were taxed heavily. It would have cost a pretty penny itself when new.

Every now and then one comes up at auction for silly money and I smile and kid myself my scrappy looking thing is the greatest sounding phaser for bass. Maybe it is, all I know for sure is I dig it so much I have zero phaser gas.
 
#60
The closest thing on bass I have to a dirty little secret is the Joyo Ultimate Drive. But I never use it anymore for live work because it's a little too middy for my tastes, so I guess it's not really a dirty little secret. Good darn pedal for $30 though. Not really a boutique guy, though. I have a few boutique pedals, but I've never been a snob about pedals and I'll use whatever it takes to make my sound happen, whether it's $300 or $30. I try to stay away from the $300+ side of things, though ;)
 

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