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Club Brimstone

#181
andrew said:
Update on this, I've spent some time with the Basilisk and it's exactly as described, an XD-2 with a more distorted second channel. It sounds GREAT. I can set channel one to sound the same as the XD-2 (though the eq points are slightly different), but get a more present and gravelly distortion from the boost side. Very good pedal if you ever wished the XD's were a bit dirtier and nastier.
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Would love to hear clips! Is the character of the distortion pretty much the same? I had the XD-2 for a bit, and while it opened the door for me to multi-band distortion, I was looking for something more gravelly, meaty, and defined. With my setup the XD-2's distortion was sort of like a mush sitting on top of my notes
 
#182
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#183
I love my XD-2, it's probably the only distortion/overdrive pedal I use in a 1-amp-setup. Normally I've got two amps.

However, I'd love to be able to make the low side a bit cleaner and the high a bit dirtier. I was hoping to solve this "issue" with updating to the Basilisk, but then I saw that it only has a different "high" circuit and even then only when the boost is on. But I think they're on the right track here.
 
#186
aledeville said:
However, I'd love to be able to make the low side a bit cleaner and the high a bit dirtier. I was hoping to solve this "issue" with updating to the Basilisk, but then I saw that it only has a different "high" circuit and even then only when the boost is on. But I think they're on the right track here.
Click to expand...

Don't know if this is enough (or maybe you've tried it), but I run the high band at max gain and max boost, and always engage the boost. No boost on the low band. X Freq around 4 o'clock, Mix set around 8 o'clock.

I'd also suggest stacking another OD into the XD-2. This will help the high band get much dirtier, and if you use a Darkglass or other dirt pedal that affects mids/highs more than lows, then you won't affect the low band all that much.

If those solutions don't work, then get an Ouroboros (or other) as BrianVengeance suggested.
 
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#187
Thank you for your suggestions, but with another pedal it becomes bigger and bigger and somehow less appealing. I have the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] which lets you low pass the clean side and high pass the loop, I've had the X&M from sfxsound... While I like it, I don't see why not doing it right in the first place. The Ouroboros looks nice, but it's big and expensive.
 
#189
aledeville said:
The Ouroboros looks nice, but it's big and expensive.
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Big and expensive are features. Helps establish dominance over lesser pedals. :D

Give @ampegfuzz's suggestion a try. I don't think I've ever been at a loss for output volume on this pedal. Start with the most important part, get it right, and then add in the rest.
 
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#190
I may need to apply for a second number, because I'm now the proud owner of a Basilisk.

Initial thoughts compared to the XD2? They're a lot of the same, but voiced slightly differently. Comparable settings yield a slightly darker sound on the BL1, but the character is similar enough to really not warrant a side by side comparison. A few more seconds of knob twiddling and you'd end up at the same place between the two. The BL1 also seems to have a noticeably higher output level than XD2, but it doesn't make the knob touchy - 1/3 up on the XD2 is ~1/4 up on the BL1. Still plenty of room to get precise.

The second channel? Well, its a more saturated version of the first channel. Same gritty drive, just more of it.

Since there aren't a whole lot of audio or video examples available on the nets, I slapped together a quick and dirty set of comparison recordings with bypassed, channel 1 and channel 2 samples. Same settings between the ch1 and ch2 recordings, and all three roughly level matched.

Signal chain: G&L SB1 -> BL1 -> REDDI -> LIO8 -> LPX

No impulses, and wasn't aiming for perfection on the playing.



 
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#193
fheliojr said:
Hey, guys.
Is Brimstone Audio still on business or has it broken?
Thanks.
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I emailed them last year and was told they were still at it but David (who posted for Brimstone here) wasn't answering the email any more. I don't know if that means he's left the company or changed responsibilities, but they did seem to still be going, albeit with even less online presence.
 
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#197
Fuzzbass said:
Oh, sweet. :thumbsup: Once you've become familiar, please compare/contrast with the XD-2. Thanks!
Click to expand...

So, after playing with both of them for a while - I like the Basilisk a bit better. The standard channel is pretty much identical sounding for both, but I find the Basilisk has a bit more gain (the master volume is set lower for the same output with the channels set identical). The boost channel is the real difference. The XD-2 body just is a higher gain version of the standard channel (pretty good sound), while the Basilisk has a lot more sustain and compression - it really does the cranked tube amp sustain thing (made me do the arm in the air while sustaining a whole note with a grin thing). For reference, I am going for Moving Picture type of bass tone.

The XD-2 is going on my medium board (Pedaltrain Classic Jr) for cover bands while the Basilisk is going on my big board setup for originals.

I use the same settings on both for passive jazz basses:
Low channel:
  • Thump to zero (off)
  • Filter to ten (off)
  • Gain and boost to five
High channel:
  • Mid to five
  • High to six (both pedals cut highs a bit when engaged)
  • Gain and boost to ten
Master section:
  • Crossover around three
  • Mix around three (a little higher than crossover)
  • Master around three for XD-2 and two for Basilisk
  • Boost trimmer in battery compartment set to match boost volume to standard channel
 
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#198
Awesome. I already have a number of crossover/multiband distortions including the XD-2 so I won't run out and grab the Basilisk anytime soon (especially given that it's holiday time) but it'll definitely go on my wish list as I love cranked tube amp/Moving Pictures tones. Thanks so much for the thorough review!
 

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