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Hard to search for a VT question, so here it goes....

I can turn the volume down on the bass with the EQ set flat and the pedal sounds choked and very distorted. I thought it might had been something to do with the new G50 or Pitchblack that I also bought and hooked up today. Nope, I removed everything before and after the VT and it is still garbage. I'll hack at it some more tomorrow. My son wasn't feeling well and shooting me with his AT-AT and egged me into a Light Saber duel.
 
I DID plug it into my new Voodoo Lab brick. I'm new to all this, so perhaps I used the wrong plug. It just a 9V with a negative center, right? I'll try it with the old wall wart tomorrow as well. IDK why I didn't think of power issues. *facepalm*
 
Perhaps one of the sliders on the Voodoo is set to 12vs?

oh and:

oldrant.gif


j/k
 
I DID plug it into my new Voodoo Lab brick. I'm new to all this, so perhaps I used the wrong plug. It just a 9V with a negative center, right? I'll try it with the old wall wart tomorrow as well. IDK why I didn't think of power issues. *facepalm*

It's okay... You're not the only one who has experienced the excitement of new gear. Many around Talkbass (myself included) are well versed. ;)

Yep, 9V center negative. Trying with the wall wart is a good idea, you could also try it on a 9V. Also, just to clarify, Kosmic was talking about the battery(ies) in your active bass. You could try a fresh battery in there too.

5sg.
 
I'll stop by Costco and go buy an ass load of 9v and AAs before I head down to the warehouse and give all these a try. I really want to fix this. I love that pedal, it made my awesome playing and dull sounding Peavey Grind a wooden chunk of joy.
 
I'll stop by Costco and go buy an ass load of 9v and AAs before I head down to the warehouse and give all these a try. I really want to fix this. I love that pedal, it made my awesome playing and dull sounding Peavey Grind a wooden chunk of joy.

Well, you probably won't need THAT many... :D

It sounds like everything is square with the power for the pedal and you've used it before today, so I suspect it's probably the battery for your bass. I had an Ibanez SR400 (back when they were still making them with a P/J setup, still have it... it was my first *sigh* ;) lol) that went dead in the middle of a church service once. It got all fuzzy and scratchy before it just faded out. Could very well be that's the "choked and distorted" sound you mentioned. I replace the batteries in ALL my active basses once a year, just to avoid that problem.

Typically, a battery in a bass should last a long time (I think I read about 1,000 hours somewhere) if you make sure to unplug your cable when you're not using it.

5sg.
 
i just don't use active basses ;)

actually i have used it with my actives and it kills. probably just a miscommunication somewhere in the chain that troubleshooting will locate. but i agree..light saber with your kid is way more important.
 
The bass is a brand new Ibanez SR600. It kills going through the G50, Pitchblack, BBM, Phase 90, to the amp. When I but the VT at the end of this chain I get that choked distorted sound. When passive, I had my chain as BBM, P90, VT, then amp and I loved it. My son isn't feeling well today either, so I won't be doing any trouble shooting.

Thank You so much for the tips and speculations. We'll get this fixed.
 
i just don't use active basses ;)

actually i have used it with my actives and it kills. probably just a miscommunication somewhere in the chain that troubleshooting will locate. but i agree..light saber with your kid is way more

I agree that it's something in the chain that might be overloading it.

I hate getting hit with my daughter's light saber. She's good and it stings!:p