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I have a SolidGoldFX BetaV pedal with its special LPF switch, which I think is designed to sound like the 1960s B15 Ampeg, vintage warm. I also have a Broughton HPF LPF, and yes to get a similar sound I push the LPF way down into the mids, even 500Hz. It’s like closing off the tone knob on a typical Fender, but more articulate.
Thanks @Michael Vee for calming me down (at least for now..)
In my case it would be exchange. I would maybe even sell the Broughton Flip Top as well. Nothing wrong with it, just don't think I need it. So it would be without loss - just two pedals for one. It seems that distributor for Empress in my country stopped with distribution of this brand, so I can't make a side by side comparision for myself.
For the RFE, i believe the resonance is only on the cutoff frequency - similiar to how filter on a synth works. But still would be interesting to know what topology of filter that is.
I am not really in how nice pedals are visually, but must say that the Bass Comp in sparkle blue looks really cool in flesh.
To react on other piece of your info/topic of consideration - I have only one bass and want it to stay this way, though I'll maybe exchange it for something else later this year. But the venues I play in with my band on the other hand are really diverse, sometimes even in a bad way - so some kind of tool like this is needed.
Jason, I see you also have the Boss GE-B7, which is what I compared my Empress Para EQ with.
I bought the Boss about 6 months before I bought the Empress, and it was a step up from just using my amp’s EQ.
Once I bought the Empress, I realized how much better it was.
When I say, better, this is naturally my opinion, but after using the Empress for about 4 years now, the other day, I decided to plug the Boss in again.
I couldn’t believe the difference!
After not hearing the Boss for a few years, it suddenly sounded very harsh to me.
It cannot hold a candle to the Empress!
The Empress is very smooth and transparent when compared with the Boss.
The Boss just has a harshness to it that is missing in the Empress.
I don’t play upright, but I have a Breedlove acoustic/electric Pursuit bass, which has a very warm, woody tone.
As warm as the Breedlove’s tone is, the Empress smooths it out and makes it even warmer.
It’s almost as though the Empress was made specifically for acoustic instruments, but it has this effect on all my basses.
Where the Empress is smooth and subtle, the Boss is harsh.
The Boss would be a good choice for Rock or Heavy Metal, whereas the Empress brings out the best in any instrument.
The Empress also splits hairs as far as EQing goes.
It was an interesting comparison, but it did surprise me.
I almost can’t imagine the newer versions sounding any better.
Much good luck with your new Empress.
Mike
I own both. Both of them soung equally „sterile“ or „uninspiring“ to my ears but both are doing a great job as tone shaper, HPF/LPF, ….
Hi mike
Most effects loops are line level, so you just need to make sure the Empress can handle that. The website says it runs at 27v internally, so odds are good it can. The other thing to be aware of is most Markbass heads use a parallel effects loop, so you'd have an unaffected signal blended with your EQed signal. You'd want to check the head you're looking at to be sure.
