A Mogami or Bayou Cables cable: If it's not right at the output of the axe, no pedal is going to make things right for me.
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Let's make a list: Magic tone sweetener pedals.
- Thread starter el murdoque
- Start date
Wren and cuff phat phuk b
Fairfield circuitry accountant
Benson amps germanium boost
Union tube and transistor LAB
Fairfield circuitry accountant
Benson amps germanium boost
Union tube and transistor LAB
For home recording I have an AMT A-Bass into an DSM OmniCabSim Mini as my always on tone. Gives me the warm, round, fat vintage tone I prefer. Usually, but not always, with a Carl Martin Classic Opto compressor before the AMT.
Sushi Box FX Dr Wattson
(smd, and first tube, AX7, replaced with an AT7)
Sushi Box FX Space Heater
(hand-wired, and AX7 tube replaced with an AT7)
Broughton SV-Pre
Broughton Omnicomp
Broughton Studio Boost Mini
Doc Lloyd Photon Death Ray
(smd, and first tube, AX7, replaced with an AT7)
Sushi Box FX Space Heater
(hand-wired, and AX7 tube replaced with an AT7)
Broughton SV-Pre
Broughton Omnicomp
Broughton Studio Boost Mini
Doc Lloyd Photon Death Ray
don't do "always on" unless i take/use my rack-and-pedal gear: EQ into some DBX compression can be nice.
Forgot to say, although I’m pretty happy with the tones I can get now I’d be very surprised if I don’t get a Genzler 4 On The Floor at some time this year. That thing looks ace!
I don't know why I read threads like this, I just end up getting a bad case of GAS for half of everything mentioned (Motor City Big Block DI? Chase Tone Secret? How did I not know about such things?!?!?!?). Damn you @el murdoque 
But also ... The Sushibox Finally is excellent in this regard. Many tube DIs fit the bill - The Noble, and I just got an SVTDi, a Khan, and a. Demeter DI (to compare) and they all add something special in different ways. The Finally stands out because it is much less $$$ but sounds incredible. The SIB Fatdrive is also one tube pre that adds a little something that I rarely hear in other tube pres.
Non-tube, the boxes that I haven't seen mentioned that come to mind are the Fre the Tone Bass Blaster and two compressors - the Cali76, which adds a nice punch and the Becos Stella, which not only adds a nice punch but also has vintage tape saturation capability, which I imagine is something like what the Emerald Prince and Chase Secret preamps also add.
Finally, for tone shaping devices, the JHS Colourbox has that Neve sound inherent in it's design. It pairs well with tube pres to really bring out a great tone.
But also ... The Sushibox Finally is excellent in this regard. Many tube DIs fit the bill - The Noble, and I just got an SVTDi, a Khan, and a. Demeter DI (to compare) and they all add something special in different ways. The Finally stands out because it is much less $$$ but sounds incredible. The SIB Fatdrive is also one tube pre that adds a little something that I rarely hear in other tube pres.
Non-tube, the boxes that I haven't seen mentioned that come to mind are the Fre the Tone Bass Blaster and two compressors - the Cali76, which adds a nice punch and the Becos Stella, which not only adds a nice punch but also has vintage tape saturation capability, which I imagine is something like what the Emerald Prince and Chase Secret preamps also add.
Finally, for tone shaping devices, the JHS Colourbox has that Neve sound inherent in it's design. It pairs well with tube pres to really bring out a great tone.
I've heard that but I call BS on it. I've also heard people say it sounds like an API channel strip. Yeah, no. I've used Neve and API consoles and even individual strips and neither of them distort or colour the sound like the JHS does. A Neve what? an API what?
Add Becos Stella to the list. Especially the version with DITOS transformer out.
I would second the Cali76 Bass compressor. It adds a little richness to the tone depending on how you use it. mixing the output, input, and blend you get a little bit of sheen, warmth, and sustain.
Freekmagnet
Commercial User
I’m using a Schalltechnik Pumpernickel compressor, which is basically a DBX 160 clone in a stomp box. I really like it - it seems to emphasize a feeling of forcefulness behind the dynamics and tone of the instrument. I’ve been curious about maybe sticking a tube buffer in my chain somewhere.
The JHS IME adds the sound of an overdriven Neve console if done right. From what I understand it adds that O/D capability, and I like that it can do clean and OD, and I think it does a better job nailing those old OD console recordings (a la The Beatles) than a lot of other boxes. It might not be everyone's boat, and that's cool.
