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Broughton Audio Super Thread

That was the board I used at that festival gig last weekend, with my Dingwall SP5 and running into a vintage SVT with an 810. It sounded ridiculously good. MBD2 + ScorpDlx is about as close to an outright metal bass tone as I can get while playing Top 40 country. :roflmao:

The volume knob on that SVT was like a hair trigger. 3.1 was okay, 3.2 was blowing us away. I raised an eyebrow at the guitar player next to me, he shrugged, so we stayed at 3.2. lol
 
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The one jack is loose internally and the patch cable kept popping out, and instead of investigating the root of the problem in any reasonable or responsible way, I just wrapped some tape around it to keep it in place. Then I was going to sell it so I removed the tape, which took half the label off with it. I said "Eff It I guess I'm not selling it now... ", taped it back up, and here we are. These things aren't worth so much money that it really makes a huge difference to just keep it at the end of the day.

tbh I'm not at all sold that these LBA transformers are really doing anything for me sonically. But I've got them, so I decided to patch them up for my current run of gigs. Everything sounds good as it sits right now, but I haven't A/Bd it with/without the transformers or anything.

IME with the 2020s where they are placed in the chain is pretty significant, meaning that the more signal they receive the more effect they have on your signal.
I found placing them after pedals that increased the level worked best for me.
As an example- I would move the one that’s in the front of your chain to after the Omni, and I would have the omnis level set to be a slight boost above unity (assuming the Omni is always on).
I’ve positioned my 2020s under the board so they don’t take up any real estate up top, which also allowed me to experiment with where in the chain they were sitting.
But no real need to mess with anything if you are happy with the sound!!
Compact boards that get it done are really cool, I dig what you’ve going on.

I have mine at the end of a bunch of tone shaping/grit and after a Studio Boost into the amp. Been awhile since I did an A/B, but I seem to remember it's a bit brighter overall without the 2020s, although it does add some sort of subtle 5% saturation that feels more vintage-y or recorded.
 
That was the board I used at that festival gig last weekend, with my Dingwall SP5 and running into a vintage SVT with an 810. It sounded ridiculously good. MBD2 + ScorpDlx is about as close to an outright metal bass tone as I can get while playing Top 40 country. :roflmao:

The volume knob on that SVT was like a hair trigger. 3.1 was okay, 3.2 was blowing us away. I raised an eyebrow at the guitar player next to me, he shrugged, so we stayed at 3.2. lol

I have only had a chance to use and SVT with an 810 a handful of times. The first was at a fairly big (for here) local festival. After the gig, I would get asked about how it felt to play in front of so many people for the first time. I honestly did not notice them, I was too busy pointing out to the drummer how high I could make the set list float in the air with that rig.
 
MBD2 VS MBD3 Differences if you tried the MBD3.

I've been starting to scope out the MBDs to maybe dip my toes into those. I do want to try them out at some point, but I'm also particularly interested in the Amp Grinder. I've done some digging on the DA thread, but I'm curious to hear what the Brough's think.

Never really looked at the Amp Grinder too closely. Chasing zen by focusing on using what I've got, these days.

I’ve only just tried my first proper Rat/Distortion for bass in the last year.

I’ve had a couple fuzz pedals (mainly a Pork & Pickle) but I can’t get over how fizzy the top end gets on most.

Snagged a Locust Star a while ago and I love it. I know I started with a good one, but I still want to try a couple more. Amp Grinder is at the top of that list.
The knowledge you seek is here:

Locust Star vs Amp Grinder would be a relevant and useful comparison.
I've had them side by side. I prefer the AG, but that's mostly because it takes me more to dial in the LS, but they're not all that similar in my use case.
 
I feel for anyone outside tomorrow playing…At least here in the DMV. ITs hot AF. I looked out back and saw a squirrel under the bird feeder dipping his nuts into the birdbath this morning. Stay hydrated.
Fortunately I've been able to stay inside the last 2 days, and I intend to stay in tomorrow and Sunday too. But I've got outdoor gigs next Friday and Saturday, and it looks like it will still be pretty darn hot (but not quite hot AF level) even then too. The second one is on a rooftop with a wonky elevator - load in will be a nightmare for that one.
 
Fortunately I've been able to stay inside the last 2 days, and I intend to stay in tomorrow and Sunday too. But I've got outdoor gigs next Friday and Saturday, and it looks like it will still be pretty darn hot (but not quite hot AF level) even then too. The second one is on a rooftop with a wonky elevator - load in will be a nightmare for that one.
Eeeew
 
I’ve only just tried my first proper Rat/Distortion for bass in the last year.

I’ve had a couple fuzz pedals (mainly a Pork & Pickle) but I can’t get over how fizzy the top end gets on most.

Snagged a Locust Star a while ago and I love it. I know I started with a good one, but I still want to try a couple more. Amp Grinder is at the top of that list.
What are your tone goals? I like grindy, heavy Rat tones that fit with various metal styles. I've had plenty of Rats the past few years, and here is an incredibly short breakdown:

Volt Thrower: My #1 - incredibly flexible, retains all the lows, cuts, nice and grindy. But can do pretty much anything. Takes time and patience to tweak. The dirt/grit is always present.

Locust Star: Incredibly close #2, and very similar for my needs. Easier to tweak, but slightly more treble bite, making it less smooth, and less desirable overall. Could very easily do almost identical tones to the VT - I'm splitting hairs, here. I ALWAYS run it at 18v as I prefer the headroom, which I find noticeable.

Tremond - Excellent and underrated. Always retains lows, and easiest to get lower gain tones from, as well as easiest to tweak - almost every setting is quite usable. I use this as a complementary Rat tone to the other two, but it's also excellent. The dirt/grit can blend in a bit more than the others.

Bass Mountain - The high gain counterpart to the Tremond. Same basic review as the Tremond, but use "higher gain" instead of "lower gain". Seems easier to get aggressive tones from, but tougher for lower gain tones.

Blower Box/Deluxe - Deluxe is the better option, no doubt. Both have a high end hiss that I dislike, so they didn't stay. Deluxe retains lows better and is more flexible. The dirt disappears in the mix, but leaves incredibly punchy bass that cuts. Perfect for faster riffs.
I’m not sure how useful my comparison will be.
I find the LS to sound good, but not great for what I want out of it (light grind, not too much drive). The control set makes it very flexible, but it’s the most un-rat like of the rat based circuits I’ve tried.
Others I’ve tried include the Blue Colander Tremond and Comodoro Rat Bass.
The Comodoro was my go to for a grindy tone until the Amp Grinder showed up. It just sounds a little more full and mean. The low passed clean blend is pretty much perfect. It lets you add back in any bottom end that you might be lacking depending on your level of gain. It really doesn’t sound anything like the LS.
The LS and Volt Thrower can do about any Rat tone, but take tweaking to get there. The Tremond is perfect for the low gain tones you mention.

I need to try an Amp Grinder one day.
 
Dearth of bread pics here-

Ordered some dried scallops. Shoaxing wine ..Some dried shrimp, too-gonna make some XO sauce. It bangs. If you’ve ever had it, you know. A four ounce jar goes for $50. Its an Oriental demi-glace. The real deal. Im using Serrano ham - i can get it.

You can put it on cardboard and enjoy it. It’s expensive. Dried scallops- i can dry scallops- dried shrimp- i can do that, too, my first attempt, tho- ill eat that. It’ll cost me $40 to make 8 ounces.

Had a Thai girlfriend who turned me on to XO Sauce- it crushes.

The prep is exhaustive; the end product is surprisingly low yield. Resembles chili crisp oil- the umami , tho? It DEFNES the noun

Back to bass stuff- I’ve been highlighting the Sushi Box Mayday of late. Recency bias. Currently besotted. Wrong thread, i know. Followed it up with a Monocomp, sounds pretty good. Just the two. 50% Broughton. That qualifies.

Tubes. I’ll leave you with that. That and eggplant with XO sauce. Believe the hype.
 
Locust Star vs Amp Grinder would be a relevant and useful comparison.

To my ears, these clips are representative of what each pedal brings to the table.

Locust Star


Amp Grinder




Both pedals should leave you with a seriously snarley bass face.

Edit: Fixed second AG link
 
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What are your tone goals? I like grindy, heavy Rat tones that fit with various metal styles. I've had plenty of Rats the past few years, and here is an incredibly short breakdown:

Volt Thrower: My #1 - incredibly flexible, retains all the lows, cuts, nice and grindy. But can do pretty much anything. Takes time and patience to tweak. The dirt/grit is always present.

Locust Star: Incredibly close #2, and very similar for my needs. Easier to tweak, but slightly more treble bite, making it less smooth, and less desirable overall. Could very easily do almost identical tones to the VT - I'm splitting hairs, here. I ALWAYS run it at 18v as I prefer the headroom, which I find noticeable.

Tremond - Excellent and underrated. Always retains lows, and easiest to get lower gain tones from, as well as easiest to tweak - almost every setting is quite usable. I use this as a complementary Rat tone to the other two, but it's also excellent. The dirt/grit can blend in a bit more than the others.

Bass Mountain - The high gain counterpart to the Tremond. Same basic review as the Tremond, but use "higher gain" instead of "lower gain". Seems easier to get aggressive tones from, but tougher for lower gain tones.

Blower Box/Deluxe - Deluxe is the better option, no doubt. Both have a high end hiss that I dislike, so they didn't stay. Deluxe retains lows better and is more flexible. The dirt disappears in the mix, but leaves incredibly punchy bass that cuts. Perfect for faster riffs.

The LS and Volt Thrower can do about any Rat tone, but take tweaking to get there. The Tremond is perfect for the low gain tones you mention.

I need to try an Amp Grinder one day.
I was gonna say, if you want the Rat rundown, this is your guy.