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Cali76 only smaller?

#121
From what I remember, the og Cali added a little something in the high mids that lends well to getting an aggressive edge. The diamond definitely fattens up the low end but at the expense of some of the highs. I ended up bypassing the eq on the diamond because I didn't really like what it did to the highs, even with the eq knob at noon.
 
#123
M Sterling said:
Is it just me or has there been a flood of comps in the classifieds since this bad boy was announced!
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Yes, and there's been more than a few FEAs in the classifieds. My M87 is also in the classifieds.

I've lusted after a Cali76 for a while, but have not been willing to take 3-4 pedals off my PT2.

It's also amazing that this was first noticed just a little over a week ago and already there are pedals flying over the Atlantic as we type!
 
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#126
bongomania said:
Well those are the two he is sending me, so...
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Hurry up so we can all email Origin asking them to change our order before it ships ;)

enjoi1018 said:
These are the only comps I've seen that have made me consider moving my PWNZOR.....
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I do have good memories of the PWNZOR. At the time I flipped it for a FEA size was not a top priority - otherwise it definitely would have stayed.
 
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#127
Played with the new compact bass last night. Was able to compare it to the cali76 -tx. Overall a GREAT pedal! Sonically, not quite as rich as the bigger pedal. I felt the big pedal was warmer and more complex sounding. Overall, a really well put together pedal

I was a little skeptical about the combo attack/release knob, but the values are well chosen. I tried the suggested settings and they delivered what they promised. 2 very useful features are the HPF and the DRY knob. Used both of those more than I thought I would. The HPF made a huge difference when slapping/popping vs. picking. Helped with articulation depending on what you were trying to do. The DRY knob mixes in the natural signal with the compressed signal. A very useful feature I wouldn't have asked for, but I really like the option. Overall, even with extreme settings on the ratio, it's still just about impossible to get a bad sound out of it.

Overall, I would have to say it is very transparent and can add character to your tone depending on settings. Not as much character as the bigger pedal, but it's definitely more useable for the gigging musician. I think this will become a standard for many.

For testing purposes, I used a 62 reissue P and a 68 Jazz... both passive going thru only the pedal into my SWR Baby blue combo with EQ bypassed. More to come
 
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#128
Just got my compact bass in the mail! It is a very deep pedal with a lot of possibilities. The one thing that remains constant is the 1176 flavor. I've recorded on a couple and messed around with the waves 76 plugin quite a bit and it is almost scary how close this gets to the real thing, even without the transformer. It took me a while, but I found the perfect setting for what I wanted out of this pedal. Great job, guys! I'm gonna try to find time to work on a video recorded direct so you can really hear the nuances.

BTW, I noticed the demo video has been removed. It wasn't THAT bad! lol! I think I bought the pedal from that video.
 
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#130
smeet said:
So how does it compare to the other pedal heavyweights?
Diamond
FEA
Empress
etc.
???

And do you anticipate this being an always-on pedal?
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I haven't used the empress but I rocked an opti-fet for a long time. I also used the diamond quite a bit.

Compared to the diamond, it is more transparent with a ton more control. It can definitely fatten the tone like the diamond, but it doesn't attenuate the high end as much. I never really used the eq on the diamond so that is a feature I can live without.

Compared to the opti-fet, again much more transparent. The side chain eq on the fea was nice because you could actually boost frequencies into the comp. However, for my uses, the hpf is perfect. There is some harmonic enhancement going on with the Cali (think 1176) and it is very similar to the flavor of the opti-fet.

I need some more time before I can say which is definitively better for me. All three are excellent at what they do but I just love the sound of the 1176 and the Cali freaking nails it. That tone coupled with almost infinite depth makes me very happy!

I am an always on guy with compression, so that will be the case with the Cali.
 
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#136
Ok, so this certainly isn't a demo, but it is a good representation of the sound of the Compact Cali. Straight thumbstyle improv jam to a drum loop. Ratio at about 9:00, input set to react to most dynamics, HPF at noon, no dry blend. This is aldo toward the S/F side of the ratio. I know there isn't a dry sound to compare it to, but if you have used an 1176, you will most likely immediately notice the character.
 

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