My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal

[dedpool1052]

lol, see my post about tongues on scales . . .


Explain it to me like I was five.
I see there are two foot switches, but it seems they only activate the pedal and a boost. When do the loops come in play? The dry and wet loops are mixed with a dry/wet blend?

Mr Sheehan explains it quite well if you have the time to watch,

Earlier version of the pedal, but is still applicable to the one posted previously.

 

[GrowlerBox]

I just built the "least eye candy" pedalboard of my recent career.

View attachment 7190262

...basically I've taken my Nano and put the pedals on a PT Junior, to have a gap large enough for the Meatsmoke.
A little test run revealed that the output of the XLR and the 1/4" of the Bassrig are quite different due to the cab sim.
You can adjust the post-treble knob and have a hi cut switch that works at 2k or 4k, but none of these have the same top end response as the XLR out, and the XLR out is quite good in that regard. Luckily, I have a Broughton LPF from back in the day where people could just order a pedal with Broughton and he'd make and send it. Those of you with a keen eye will spot that it's facing the wrong way and not passing signal. I figured that out a few minutes after taking the pic and corrected it.

However, this pedalboard looks a bit like @moon-bass built it. I will try it out first, before I commit to finding a solution that is more pleasing to the eye, but I'm taking suggestions already. The Meatsmoke is roughly 10" x 8" big.

I think I missed how big that Meatsmoke "pedal" is. Couldn't have that and my DM-101 on the everyday board. As it is, I've had to relegate my beloved Echofix spring reverb to the big stay at home board.

 

[el murdoque]

I think I missed how big that Meatsmoke "pedal" is. Couldn't have that and my DM-101 on the everyday board. As it is, I've had to relegate my beloved Echofix spring reverb to the big stay at home board.

What is a better word? Meatsmoke console? Footrest? Smoker?

 

[el murdoque]

Mr Sheehan explains it quite well if you have the time to watch,

Earlier version of the pedal, but is still applicable to the one posted previously.

Phew, that is the reason why 'Stars' should not do reviews/demos. I watched the first 11 minutes, but had to take a break there. Those are 11 minutes I'll never get back.

 

[el murdoque]

In other news:

 

[el murdoque]

Is it okay to call a sub $100 drive pedal cheap dirt?

I'd say a sub $40 drive pedal would be dirt cheap dirt, then.

 

[GrowlerBox]

What is a better word? Meatsmoke console? Footrest? Smoker?

Behemoth.

 

[el murdoque]

Behemoth.

Sounds like one should play the Mothman into one of these!

 

[el murdoque]

Before I get ahead of myself, let's try and view this as a business situation, where strong, colorful words are heavily frowned upon.
I asked my artificial companion on how to properly critique in business context and was given a list. I will try and work through it as best I can.

When critiquing an effect pedal, you can focus on their work performance rather than their personal character. You can provide constructive feedback by:

• 1. Being clear and specific: Provide concrete examples of the issues and explain how the effect pedal's actions impact the organization
• 2. Being timely: Address issues as soon as possible after they occur
• 3. Being positive: Include positive comments and praise to encourage improvement
• 4. Being collaborative: Encourage a two-way dialogue so the effect pedal can ask questions and share their perspective
  
• 5. Using "I" statements: Focus on the issue without making the feedback personal
  
• 6. Providing actionable advice: Offer solutions and support to help the effect pedal improve
  
• 7. Following up: Check in with the effect pedal to offer praise and support as they work to improve

Right after playing the EHX Soul Food Bass (2) I sat down to write my impressions.
I want to start on a good note (3). There is one setting on the pedal that I really liked, but it is somewhat of a hidden feature. When you unscrew the bottom and rummage around a bit, you will find a simple switch, which has two positions: Buffered and True Bypass. The default setting is buffered, at least this one came like that. When you flip that switch to true bypass (and put the lid back), you can push the foot switch so the LED indicator shows that the pedal is now in true bypass mode by turning the LED off. That is when you will get the absolute best sound, really enjoyable in my case.
The problems only start when the LED indicator lights up, because that is when the circuit is powered and active and my beautiful bass signal has to take a detour through the rotten entrails of this decomposing carcass the delusional and deranged demoniacs in the EHX lab dubbed a bass pedal.
It is a Klon alright. At least on paper. It does all the Klon things, like pushing your 1k range like there's a contest of the Klones and whoever gets to +50dB first wins a box of NOS vintage germanium diodes, hand signed by Bill Finnegan.
It also neuters the low end somewhat fiercely. Think rusty hedge trimmers; Snip snip OUCH!
When you have the blend knob at 50% or higher (1), you need to ride the gain close to max to have something happen, and then the pedal mostly sounds like a vintage telephone filter. You're feeling bandpassed with a massive boost in the upper mids. Not really sparkly up top. I don't think of marble, I don't think of pearls, bouncing off a polished metal surface. A good pedal creates this picture in my head. Instead of pearls bouncing off a polished metal sheet, this feels a bit like slate bouncing off tarmac. If you throw it hard enough, it will splinter and disintegrate, but the throw of the gain knob does not reach past mild drive settings, so it's a half-hearted toss by a weak arm.
The weird bit is that the thing is so incredibly biting in your ears that no amount of dialing in clean sound really helps - unless you turn the knob all the way CCW to 100% dry - but even then, it sounds slightly muffled, as if some top end is cut off.
I (5) tried a lot to find something that works, but I (5) hit a wall here. The Klon fits perfectly in the "A terrible Idea beautifully executed" range.
Mr. Finnegan said "I'm gonna make the guitar amp sing with a beautiful rich and creamy sound, and to do that, I will hard clip a germanium diode".
And then he proceeded and made it happen and how it works baffles me to this day, even after I have played many Klon based pedals. One thing I can say, though, is that the good ones really manage to bring something desirable to the table. Especially in my case, some of them can really be used to breathe a bit of fresh life into my well played flatwound strings, and at milder drive settings, they really bring in some secret sauce level of tonal beautification.
The Bass Soul Food sounds like it does nothing at all until you can hear some hard clipping going on that lacks in finesse and feels as subtle as firetruck.
And here lies the root of the problem. Most Klon type pedals - and by most I mean the good ones - don't really couple nicely with low enders like me for the simple reason that their nature does not work with bass. It's like burglar and beat cop; bloods and cribs; demons and exorcists; They won't mix well.
However, if you tone it down some, you can get workable results. We both need to work on this. (4) I can lower my expectation of a big and fat tonal booty for a bit when the Klone presents something worthwhile at its milder settings and really makes the top end shine (6). As I said, this works with some of the Klones. The Wampler Tumnus and the Aluminum Falcon absolutely do some great work with the top end and add just a mild sizzle as an afterthought, smooth like velvet caressing your cheek. The Soul Food might try, but it's more like 120 grit paper.
It really feels like someone heard that the Klon is a great pedal, downloaded the schematics and then slapped one together, using cheaper components that have been tested with the same values - without even listening to the output once, then getting the idea of making a bass version of this by slapping in a clean blend.
While this CAN work --- you could, for example, cobble together a clean blend circuit and toss it in with a Zakk Wylde drive pedal that also emphasizes a range north of 700Hz. When you do that, however, you get a beautiful blend of dry and wet, so satisfyingly moist you bid a farewell to cleans.
It is a technique that, as I said, CAN work, but slapping a clean blend on an established guitar pedal is by no means a surefire way of creating a bass pedal.
The Bass Soul Food is a great example of that, if nothing else!

Ooh, nay! @el_murdoque , you cry! I spent a hard earned Benjamin on the acquisition of such a pedal! Now you say all it does is serve as a bad example!
Is my money lost?
Fear not, I (5) reply. For your money is maybe a quite lost, but not entirely! Look into the box the Bass Soul Food came in. They were gracious enough (or laden with a heavy conscience) to include a 9V Wall Wart. You can use that to power a better pedal(6). Or sell it for ten bucks to recoup at least a tithe.

For stuck with the Bass Soul Food you are now, that the people know.

 

[moon-bass]

I just built the "least eye candy" pedalboard of my recent career.

View attachment 7190262

...basically I've taken my Nano and put the pedals on a PT Junior, to have a gap large enough for the Meatsmoke.
A little test run revealed that the output of the XLR and the 1/4" of the Bassrig are quite different due to the cab sim.
You can adjust the post-treble knob and have a hi cut switch that works at 2k or 4k, but none of these have the same top end response as the XLR out, and the XLR out is quite good in that regard. Luckily, I have a Broughton LPF from back in the day where people could just order a pedal with Broughton and he'd make and send it. Those of you with a keen eye will spot that it's facing the wrong way and not passing signal. I figured that out a few minutes after taking the pic and corrected it.

However, this pedalboard looks a bit like @moon-bass built it. I will try it out first, before I commit to finding a solution that is more pleasing to the eye, but I'm taking suggestions already. The Meatsmoke is roughly 10" x 8" big.

wait a second, it's not like there is anything wrong with what I .....

I couldn't finish it without laughing.

 

[OnlyFlats]

That was one of your finest reviews, thank you

 

[GrowlerBox]

View attachment 7191341

Before I get ahead of myself, let's try and view this as a business situation, where strong, colorful words are heavily frowned upon.
I asked my artificial companion on how to properly critique in business context and was given a list. I will try and work through it as best I can.



Right after playing the EHX Soul Food Bass (2) I sat down to write my impressions.
I want to start on a good note (3). There is one setting on the pedal that I really liked, but it is somewhat of a hidden feature. When you unscrew the bottom and rummage around a bit, you will find a simple switch, which has two positions: Buffered and True Bypass. The default setting is buffered, at least this one came like that. When you flip that switch to true bypass (and put the lid back), you can push the foot switch so the LED indicator shows that the pedal is now in true bypass mode by turning the LED off. That is when you will get the absolute best sound, really enjoyable in my case.
The problems only start when the LED indicator lights up, because that is when the circuit is powered and active and my beautiful bass signal has to take a detour through the rotten entrails of this decomposing carcass the delusional and deranged demoniacs in the EHX lab dubbed a bass pedal.
It is a Klon alright. At least on paper. It does all the Klon things, like pushing your 1k range like there's a contest of the Klones and whoever gets to +50dB first wins a box of NOS vintage germanium diodes, hand signed by Bill Finnegan.
It also neuters the low end somewhat fiercely. Think rusty hedge trimmers; Snip snip OUCH!
When you have the blend knob at 50% or higher (1), you need to ride the gain close to max to have something happen, and then the pedal mostly sounds like a vintage telephone filter. You're feeling bandpassed with a massive boost in the upper mids. Not really sparkly up top. I don't think of marble, I don't think of pearls, bouncing off a polished metal surface. A good pedal creates this picture in my head. Instead of pearls bouncing off a polished metal sheet, this feels a bit like slate bouncing off tarmac. If you throw it hard enough, it will splinter and disintegrate, but the throw of the gain knob does not reach past mild drive settings, so it's a half-hearted toss by a weak arm.
The weird bit is that the thing is so incredibly biting in your ears that no amount of dialing in clean sound really helps - unless you turn the knob all the way CCW to 100% dry - but even then, it sounds slightly muffled, as if some top end is cut off.
I (5) tried a lot to find something that works, but I (5) hit a wall here. The Klon fits perfectly in the "A terrible Idea beautifully executed" range.
Mr. Finnegan said "I'm gonna make the guitar amp sing with a beautiful rich and creamy sound, and to do that, I will hard clip a germanium diode".
And then he proceeded and made it happen and how it works baffles me to this day, even after I have played many Klon based pedals. One thing I can say, though, is that the good ones really manage to bring something desirable to the table. Especially in my case, some of them can really be used to breathe a bit of fresh life into my well played flatwound strings, and at milder drive settings, they really bring in some secret sauce level of tonal beautification.
The Bass Soul Food sounds like it does nothing at all until you can hear some hard clipping going on that lacks in finesse and feels as subtle as firetruck.
And here lies the root of the problem. Most Klon type pedals - and by most I mean the good ones - don't really couple nicely with low enders like me for the simple reason that their nature does not work with bass. It's like burglar and beat cop; bloods and cribs; demons and exorcists; They won't mix well.
However, if you tone it down some, you can get workable results. We both need to work on this. (4) I can lower my expectation of a big and fat tonal booty for a bit when the Klone presents something worthwhile at its milder settings and really makes the top end shine (6). As I said, this works with some of the Klones. The Wampler Tumnus and the Aluminum Falcon absolutely do some great work with the top end and add just a mild sizzle as an afterthought, smooth like velvet caressing your cheek. The Soul Food might try, but it's more like 120 grit paper.
It really feels like someone heard that the Klon is a great pedal, downloaded the schematics and then slapped one together, using cheaper components that have been tested with the same values - without even listening to the output once, then getting the idea of making a bass version of this by slapping in a clean blend.
While this CAN work --- you could, for example, cobble together a clean blend circuit and toss it in with a Zakk Wylde drive pedal that also emphasizes a range north of 700Hz. When you do that, however, you get a beautiful blend of dry and wet, so satisfyingly moist you bid a farewell to cleans.
It is a technique that, as I said, CAN work, but slapping a clean blend on an established guitar pedal is by no means a surefire way of creating a bass pedal.
The Bass Soul Food is a great example of that, if nothing else!

Ooh, nay! @el_murdoque , you cry! I spent a hard earned Benjamin on the acquisition of such a pedal! Now you say all it does is serve as a bad example!
Is my money lost?
Fear not, I (5) reply. For your money is maybe a quite lost, but not entirely! Look into the box the Bass Soul Food came in. They were gracious enough (or laden with a heavy conscience) to include a 9V Wall Wart. You can use that to power a better pedal(6). Or sell it for ten bucks to recoup at least a tithe.

For stuck with the Bass Soul Food you are now, that the people know.

Nothing very unexpected about the review, but I was sorry to read that your companion is artificial.

 

[warptheory]

It really feels like someone heard that the Klon is a great pedal, downloaded the schematics and then slapped one together, using cheaper components that have been tested with the same values - without even listening to the output once, then getting the idea of making a bass version of this by slapping in a clean blend.

The Bass Soul Food sounds like it does nothing at all until you can hear some hard clipping going on that lacks in finesse and feels as subtle as firetruck.

Had a Bass Soul Food, was also underwelmed. Sold it not too long after I got it. The Bondi Sick As Overdrive is a Klon klone but adds a bass knob, which may help out with the lows. If I were to try another Klon, that would likely be it.

 

[OldShark]

Great review (3) but the collaboration aspect (4) could be enhanced. At least I'd be interested in the pedals questions and perspective on this. I'm afraid it might feel worse than before and possibly misunderstood.

Oh, and personally I have to work myself not to overuse aspect (5)!

 

[johnk_10]

i bought and received an EHX bass bass Soul food right when it came out. i immediately got rid of it after playing thru it.

 

[el murdoque]

wait a second, it's not like there is anything wrong with what I .....

I couldn't finish it without laughing.

El Jefe, you made my day!

 

[el murdoque]

Nothing very unexpected about the review, but I was sorry to read that your companion is artificial.

I got less artificial companionship, too - but these know less about management situations than me, so there's no point in asking them.

 

[el murdoque]

Great review (3) but the collaboration aspect (4) could be enhanced. At least I'd be interested in the pedals questions and perspective on this. I'm afraid it might feel worse than before and possibly misunderstood.

Oh, and personally I have to work myself not to overuse aspect (5)!

There's something I (5) did not emphasize during both the critique and the praise:

In all my testing and playing with the BSF, there was not a lot of gain on tap. A/B comparison showed that the Aluminum Falcon reached the max level of dirt the BSF is capable of with the drive knob around 2 o'clock. Even with my bass directly in front of the speakers, I (5) had no feedback (1, 3, 4).

 

[el murdoque]

i bought and received an EHX bass bass Soul food right when it came out. i immediately got rid of it after playing thru it.

Sometimes I feel like people in this thread steer me towards bad decisions just to see how much I can rant about bad gear ;-)



If I read these forums right, then Mr. jonhnk_10 is an avid collector of effect pedals whose collection might only be second to that of Josh Scott of JHS.
Not keeping a pedal around when you only have a few pedals like me (I estimate maybe 50) is one thing. But not keeping it even though you have a pedal gallery in your music room is quite another!

 

[el murdoque]

That Markbass pedal has sold in the meantime, but I'm open to suggestions right now.

Chase Bliss Preamp Mk II ?