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Decisions, decisions..

Avidus

Avidus

May 30, 2003
92
10
42
Nashville, TN
#1
So I have been thinking about effects that I want to get for a while, and I think I've made some decisions. What I want from you guys is to tell me if this is all a good idea and the best way for me to set them up.

Boss TU-2
Boss LS-2
Boss OC-2
Zvex wooly mammoth
Fulltone bassdrive MOSFET
MXR Carbon Copy.

So I'm thinking I want a clean/light drive channel and a synthy/fuzz channel. I can achieve this with the ls-2 yes? I've only read up a little bit on the functionality of the ls-2. Also, with the synth chain, I'm thinking octave-->fuzz-->delay? Any different suggestions? I also kind of want to use the ls-2 as a clean blend for the synth channel. Is this possible? Sorry for all the questions, I am new to all this!
 
#2
from my experience i can make a couple recommendations.....1st, just like the mammoth won't play nice with active pickups, it wont play nice with a buffered pedal before it (oc-2). i prefer my octave before my fuzz as well, so maybe look into the mxr bass octave deluxe (M-288). it can cop the sound of the oc-2 near perfectly and its true bypass, so you won't have any problems putting it before the mammoth. 2nd, i've owned just about every OD pedal and the bassdrive was one of my least favorites. in my opinion there are better tube screamer variants to look into.....the xotic bass BB is a great one, it sounds similar to the bass-drive but it has more lows. my main complaint with the bass-drive was i felt like i was always getting lost in the mix when engaged, just too much loss of lows, imho. if you're set on tube screamer variants the voodoo labs sparkle drive is another good one. other great low gain od's not based on the TS are barber ltd sr, mojohand/tonefactor cream pie deluxe, dredge-tone angler, and catalinbread SFT. just my .02, i don't have any experience with the ls-2 or the carbon copy.
 
#3
TU-2 is a good tuner for the price.
The LS-2 is a really good tool for many applications, but it's not an effect per se. It's basically 2 effects loops with a bypass. There are a number of different applications and it can be a little complicated to explain in a post as brief as I care to keep. All I can say is, if you're looking to change between multiple effects to either bypass or to other effects without having to tapdance to change everything at once, the LS-2 is a really useful thing to have.

Ok, I'll explain a little further.

Bass -- LS-2 -- bypass (other effects and/or amp)

It has two loops, one called A, the other B. You can hook whatever and however many effects you want in each loop, and then depending on the mode you select, you can change from one loop to the other with a single switch of the LS-2, or you can have one loop active swapping between that and to the bypass. OR, you can mix both loops together for some interesting effects. Each loop has its own output level control, which is pretty handy.

Hope that helps some.
 
#4
Hmm... I think with an LS-2 and a TU-2 your Mammoth would almost have to be behind a buffer at some point. Your may be better off with a different gated synth fuzz. Perhaps the Copilot Orbit or Iron Ether Oxide fuzzes would work for you.

I would suggest leaving the delay pedal out of the loops so you can use it for either.
 
#5
Avidus said:
So I'm thinking I want a clean/light drive channel and a synthy/fuzz channel. I can achieve this with the ls-2 yes? I've only read up a little bit on the functionality of the ls-2. Also, with the synth chain, I'm thinking octave-->fuzz-->delay? Any different suggestions? I also kind of want to use the ls-2 as a clean blend for the synth channel. Is this possible? Sorry for all the questions, I am new to all this!
Click to expand...
I don't think a single LS-2 will allow you to switch between two chains and add a clean blend to one chain. It can do one or the other, but not both. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I don't own one anymore.)

You could get a true-bypass looper to handle the channel switching and use the LS-2 in the synth loop for the clean blend. But you'd still have the issue of running the Wooly Mammoth behind the buffer of the LS-2.
 
#8
i was thinking of going the mammoth route but both price and for the sake of playing nice led me to another pedal. the zvex mastotron! It has nice gated fuzz if set correctly and overall is definitely worth it considering its about 60% cheaper than a mammoth and plays well with all my pedals thus far.
 
#9
Just a note from personal experience, someone recommended getting the MXR bass octave deluxe to run in front of the mammoth because it's true bypass. This seems like a good idea, but when you run them both at the same time there will be a huge volume drop because the mammoth is suddenly getting an active signal. The BOD runs well after the mammoth if you want an octave down below the signal, it'll only lag a little. Huge sound though.
 

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