• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Diamond is BACK baby!!

#161
Ok, I've seen the Empress (tried the Cali76) but the Empress is - a bit - too complicated (!!?!) I want easy knobs to see and don't need that studio rack in a pedal. The following YouTube flick of the old BC (large footprint) is when he turns up the comp knob right above 12 o clock and 2 o clock where the thump kicks in nicely. Past 2 it dies away, and pre 12 it isn't heard yet. That attack is what I am aiming for...it would sound good with funk fingers... :)



I am still a bit confused with any of the Diamond pedals, the new and old, behaves at 18v. It seems that line distortion and not being able to take the incoming signal properly are still issues with both pedals? Is this right or wrong or something in between?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phagor
#162
Please note that all of my complaints against the new BCEQ have been resolved. Something weird happened with mine at first, but after things settled down, the pedal started acting just like the old Diamond pedals. In the end, I like them, and even though I returned mine, I may eventually get another specifically for the midrange control. That feature is very nice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: foal30, steve_rolfeca, butterfingers1 and 3 others
#163
Phagor said:
I don't think either Diamond is for you. They don't really tame transients. In fact the old BCP 1 I have adds a bit of extra spank at the beginning of notes. It works wonderfully with my passive basses, especially with flats. With my active 5 strings (Sadowsky, Stingray) not so much, although it really warms up my modern sounding Bacchus 5 string jazz nicely.

I'd recommend the Cali76 Compact Bass for you. It's very tweakable and the combo of HPF sidechain and dry/wet blend lets you get the perfect transient control without losing dynamics. Other parallel compressors like the Empress would be good too.
Click to expand...
I'm with @Phagor.

I was aware that there were concerns about a lack of headroom with the 1st-gen BCP-1, but I have never experienced them, and I'm a five-string player who used to be a long-term 18V EMG user.

However: I don't slap, have a fairly light touch, only use active EQ sparingly, and have only ever used my Diamond with medium-output active and passive basses.

I'm thinking that your Funk Fingers are probably going to take you to places where the Diamond wasn't intended to go. At least not the BCP-1, anyway.

Perhaps the new one will work better, but a Cali76 seems like a safer choice under the circumstances.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Mats Orbation
#164
So the old versions (both the big one and "junior" one) had centre positive in the current jack? regardless of 9v or 18v of course? And the new ones has center negative?
 
#165
Ok thanks folks. I might digress here, but just in in the same shop at the exact same price is the DSM/Humboldt ClearComp that runs (can run at) at 18v too. Not a dedicated bass comp though... hmm... one can never be satisfied...so many options, but too many options on that ClearComp....ok back to threads topic...
 
#166
  • Like
Reactions: Mats Orbation
#168
I have the Empress and the Broughton Omnicomp. They do have a lot of controls. I just set everything at noon, it works great. Just the Empress HPF I have around 9 o’oclock, must be around 50 Hz, I think that’s standard, although noon is fine too. The tone switch is also nice. I just ordered the new Diamond yesterday.

Some people say to work on technique rather than rely on a compression pedal. Well let me tell them, I’ve been working on my technique since 1979 and I still sounded like an idiot until I got my compressors last month. Now my wife sits down to listen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LutherVB and (deleted member)
#169
I mean I owned the EBS III microbass amp with builtin compressor at 3:1 set ratio (non adjustable) but it didn't cut it at all. Did nothing for me, the rest of it was very good though. Since I last posted I've ordered the new one :D as you have one week trial period should it not be up my alley... I reckon the Diamond has a set 3:1 ratio too, but the opto PLUS Eq tilt is what makes the mojo....
 
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1
#170
The funny thing is, that I think when using some active pickups (not all) the compressor/limiting is a tad less working good so to speak. It is that there's some compression/limiting built in into that design anyways. At least EMG pickups. I had the original Dual Band Ashdown Compressor which clipped and distorted by just looking at it (almost) with actives... so there's just a few comp pedals that can take actives really well. They made up for the gaffe later on, but then it was too late for me. No more Ashdown.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1
#171
Deleted member 368008 said:
So the old versions (both the big one and "junior" one) had centre positive in the current jack? regardless of 9v or 18v of course? And the new ones has center negative?
Click to expand...

The BCP-1 I own is center positive and I have always run it at 18v near the front of the board.

I’ve never used a BCP Junior but it was advertised as 9V compatible and center negative

I’ve never had headroom issues with the BCP-1 although it is a thing for certain players (ala the MusicMan Stingray “weak” G string)

I also don’t hear any compression when the BCP-1 is turned to 0. When the EQ tilt is at neutral or 12 o’clock it may still subtly effect tone. (Maybe)
Turning up the Compression dial increases the volume as well

My Precision with Flats setting is
Comp 10 o’clock
EQ 9 o’clock
Switch 900
Volume 11:30 o’clock

I’ve said it before but I think of the BCP-1 as a Tone Enhancement tool more than a Compressor
 
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1 and Mats Orbation
#172
foal30 said:
I’ve never had headroom issues with the BCP-1 although it is a thing for certain players (ala the MusicMan Stingray “weak” G string)
Click to expand...

That’s really interesting. My Fender Player precision bass has a serious weak-G-string problem. It is inaudible when playing with others and along with recorded music. No string or pickup height adjustments did anything. Now with the Broughton Omnicomp this issue is completely gone, G-string comes through loud and clear.

On another topic, I stumbled on three additional Canadian boutique pedal makers if this interests anyone:

Ground Control Audio (Montreal, like Diamond)
Fairfield Circuitry (Gatineau near Ottawa)
Union Tube and Transistor (Vancouver).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mats Orbation and foal30
#174
butterfingers1 said:
That’s really interesting. My Fender Player precision bass has a serious weak-G-string problem. It is inaudible when playing with others and along with recorded music. No string or pickup height adjustments did anything. Now with the Broughton Omnicomp this issue is completely gone, G-string comes through loud and clear.
Click to expand...
This is a major gripe with most pickups on certain bass models. Even Music Man originals. Since some pickup sports inherent and built in "compression/limiting" naturally by design, if the pickups are made hot and high output and less treble they seem to squash all notes.

Most pole pieces on pickups on Fenders are made so each strings goes through in the middle right between 2 pole pieces. If you can test this yourself remove the pickup and have it still connected and move it ABOVE the string and you hear the output will differ as you move across the string and it will be the loudest at that sweet spot right above the pole piece. It's a narrow sweet spot. Optimal aperture so to speak. Now, if you make G-string louder the others will suffer in one way or another instead. I have very rarely come across this with RAIL pickups (not pole pieces). if at all. SInce there are no pickups that you can adjust sideways to compensate for this, or even adjust individually pole pieces sideways (to align with string spacing) it is fairly slim chance that you will get anything balanced without any compressor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1
#175
Deleted member 368008 said:
This is a major gripe with most pickups on certain bass models. Even Music Man originals. Since some pickup sports inherent and built in "compression/limiting" naturally by design, if the pickups are made hot and high output and less treble they seem to squash all notes.

Most pole pieces on pickups on Fenders are made so each strings goes through in the middle right between 2 pole pieces. If you can test this yourself remove the pickup and have it still connected and move it ABOVE the string and you hear the output will differ as you move across the string and it will be the loudest at that sweet spot right above the pole piece. It's a narrow sweet spot. Optimal aperture so to speak. Now, if you make G-string louder the others will suffer in one way or another instead. I have very rarely come across this with RAIL pickups (not pole pieces). if at all. SInce there are no pickups that you can adjust sideways to compensate for this, or even adjust individually pole pieces sideways (to align with string spacing) it is fairly slim chance that you will get anything balanced without any compressor.
Click to expand...

This is the first time I hear this for weak G-string, although I don’t have this problem on my Player jazz or any others I can remember, just split-coil precisions. Quite the revelation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mats Orbation
#176


As you can hear and see, the high g-string which is the one that jinx and don't align up exactly over the pole piece as he moves the pickup along the strings is the one getting weaker and weaker, not the other. And yet it's the most weakest string by nature on the bass anyway...

Also what is neglected are the pickups - if they are soapbar or like this MM with humbucker or double coils active or passive - is that they should be slanted forward to. On single coils this doesnt matter much.

I'll explain. If you look at a - say - les paul the pickup frames are slanted forward along the strings length due to that the neck has a tilt pitch. So the HB pickups should lean accordingly. I e the front of the pickup should NOT be closer to any string than the back. This is mostly done if it had four screws but you have to put foam underneath the pickups to lean and tilt the pickup forward. So with bass soapbar pickups too.

This must be done even if there's no tilt (pitch) at all with the neck. As you may know, neck pickups are wound "weaker" to align with the strings oscillation that is greater at the neck side than the bridge side, if only ever so slightly. So all "large dimension" pickups must be tilted forward a bit to the neck anyway. Because the string is "louder" at the front of the pickup than it is at the back.

The drawback is that you can't set the pickup as close as you want towards the strings because the strings will be nudge/touched by the back of the pickup but the front will steer clear of any string that buzzes it. So for aesthetics it's best to keep it straight. If you can adjust this with raising and lowering the pole pieces that's better, and good, but very few have this option and it's impossible with rails.

So as it is, most people dodge all this by using a compressor.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1
#177
I had both a weak g-string once and a weak b-string now on one of my Dingwalls, the remedy for this was to order custom sets with the core to wrap ratio different. Say, Newtone strings in England or Kalium would do that too in US. I e the outer total gauge was still - say - .045 gauge but the core inside it was thicker. Felt the same but had a little more oomph at the output. I e louder and more inline and balance with the rest. One have to be careful though to not go overboard with that.

The current Dingwall low B has a thicker core and slimmer wrap, so it doesn't need to be tapered. The volume is actually on the other side, a little too fat instead. No matter how much I EQ or Compress or limit. It sounds good though on all notes below the 5th fret. They do jump out a little above that, but one has just to baby them with your fingers...let's say the steps are in .20 gauge steps on a 4 string bass. the .045 for G, .065 for D, 0.85 for A, and .105 for low E. If the core has the same thin gauge on all of them, say .020, difference in output will occur.

Which puts kerosene to the flame debate earlier (way earlier, years ago), that the core is what does the most magnetism of any string. Otherwise plain strings wouldn't sound on an electric guitar. If it's hex cores or round cores does matter too, but that is mostly in tension.
 
#178
Deleted member 368008 said:
This is a major gripe with most pickups on certain bass models. Even Music Man originals. Since some pickup sports inherent and built in "compression/limiting" naturally by design, if the pickups are made hot and high output and less treble they seem to squash all notes.

Most pole pieces on pickups on Fenders are made so each strings goes through in the middle right between 2 pole pieces. If you can test this yourself remove the pickup and have it still connected and move it ABOVE the string and you hear the output will differ as you move across the string and it will be the loudest at that sweet spot right above the pole piece. It's a narrow sweet spot. Optimal aperture so to speak. Now, if you make G-string louder the others will suffer in one way or another instead. I have very rarely come across this with RAIL pickups (not pole pieces). if at all. SInce there are no pickups that you can adjust sideways to compensate for this, or even adjust individually pole pieces sideways (to align with string spacing) it is fairly slim chance that you will get anything balanced without any compressor.
Click to expand...
I have a EBMM Stingray 3 band I bought new in the mid 90’s, had the weak G string issue band. I tried everything at the time, pre Internet and talkbass….I ended up replacing the pickup and preamp with SD Basslines alnico, and that worked like a charm. Still have the original electrics in a box.
 
  • Like
Reactions: butterfingers1, Mats Orbation and foal30
#180
TGT11 said it would arrive, but it was out of stock here in Sweden, 1-2 weeks more alas. irks my pride, I am seriously offended, and lose sleep over it... ;);) . Well, almost, not really. Since I've paid in full. You know the inflation these days...wonder what it'd have cost 2 weeks down the road... :)

I am thinking of buying a dedicated 18 v wall wart to it, too, and not having to bring my pedalboard with power supply it with a 18 v doubler cable (1-spot). I have bad experiences with both a) doubler cables b) inside ramp up charge pumps. I e inside the pedal. Would love to that they license it out to any manufacturer of combo bass amps, and have it onboard. It may be not that rocket science to just put in any compressor onboard any amp, but to make it not clandestine as for stealing their circuit, infringement copyright. Some bass combo manufacturers that do include limiter/compressors does it just for the sake of active pickups running at 18v batteries onboard, to curb and tame the input signal from line distortion, or digital distortion. While that is a good thing, I would love that it induce a special color to the sound, too. The important word here: too. And the thumping of funky fingers which scares the hell out of most bass speakers when engaged. And peoples eardrums... including mine.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back