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My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal
- Thread starter el murdoque
- Start date
@el murdoque That isn't an entirely inaccurate stance to take; this bit is pretty much a complete non-sequitur from the rest of the song, which is a British folk song (Fairport Convention) reimagined as a reggae tune. This snippet is in keeping with Fairport themselves, and how they'd tack crazy, unison riff-filled endings onto songs (look up Matty Groves, as a fine example) that were otherwise pretty chilled out.
The controls are very interactive, as you can imagine, being two independently-functioning boost/drive circuits, so while it can be thought of (as is indicated on the builder's website) as a "gain" in the back and a "master volume" in front, it's more complex/versatile than that. Quite different sounds were to be had by using the first Bob to drive a turned-down second Bob, and then "underdriving" the second Bob which then boosts the signal. The different settings can be quite easily volume matched, but the textures are quite different. They are FET-based circuits, and do have that give in the tone and feel under the fingers often associated with that sort of thing, and they also behave differently depending on what precedes and follows them in the chain. Last night, I had it after the gently-overdriven compressor, and before the Modele B set very clean (and the API LLX, also clean), but I will try it after all of those, and also with the Modele B swapped out for the Broadcast, and maybe the Mozztronics fuzz, among others.
There are some similarities between @GrowlerBox ' Bob couple and the Devi Ever Stone.
Only that I suppose that the Stone starts where the Bobs are done.
The knobs are labeled Volume and Pregain.
The Pregain knob feels a bit like ... well..
You're walking along a building site, then you hear somone scream, so you rush over. You see that one of the Bobs has fallen from the scaffolding
and did not crash directly on the dirt floor, but managed to impale himself on some unknown tool. You really can't tell what tool that is because all you can see is the handle sticking out of Bob's midsection. You mainly wonder about two things. What internal organs would be in the place that is now occupied by the handle - I mean it cannot be the lungs or diaphragm, because the screams would not be that loud if they were. But more importantly, you wonder what tool it is that the unlucky Bob has himself impaled on. So you walk over, take the handle, and examine it, turning it a bit, and moving it, to see more details. Bob is not really interested in your curiosity, that selfish prick is completely encased in his own bubble of searing pain. He won't answer your questions, but every time you touch that handle, his screaming goes up, both in pitch and intensity.
The handle of that tool and the Pregain knob have a lot in common.
Everything you just said tells me I need one.
The Bobs' Sade vs. Sacher-Masoch cosplay has nothing on this, apparently.
However, you may have missed a trick in the potential for some Spinal Tap hilarity.
I’ve had a bit more time with the Dual Bad Bob today, and while it may but reflect the frisson of a slightly terrifying honeymoon (the mind boggles, n’est-ce pas?), I think it’s my favourite “overdrive”, at least for now. I’ve run it fore and aft of a few more dirt pedals, and while it contributes something interesting to all of them, my favourite and the most useful tones for me are those produced by running the Bobs together with no other dirt beyond the thick saturation I can get from my compressor. This has freed up some space to return the Florist to the board, which is fun.
I think what really appeals is the Bobs’ flat EQ, and it’s revealed, by contrast, the curves imparted by other pedals that I had considered fairly uncoloured. Almost the full range of available distortion is useable, with appropriate downstream volume control, and doesn’t add mud to the low end or any unpleasant spikiness up top.
Of course, I reserve the right to change my opinion without notice
.
I think what really appeals is the Bobs’ flat EQ, and it’s revealed, by contrast, the curves imparted by other pedals that I had considered fairly uncoloured. Almost the full range of available distortion is useable, with appropriate downstream volume control, and doesn’t add mud to the low end or any unpleasant spikiness up top.
Of course, I reserve the right to change my opinion without notice
.
Phew, this is some high praise you heap on the Bobs!I’ve had a bit more time with the Dual Bad Bob today, and while it may but reflect the frisson of a slightly terrifying honeymoon (the mind boggles, n’est-ce pas?), I think it’s my favourite “overdrive”, at least for now. I’ve run it fore and aft of a few more dirt pedals, and while it contributes something interesting to all of them, my favourite and the most useful tones for me are those produced by running the Bobs together with no other dirt beyond the thick saturation I can get from my compressor. This has freed up some space to return the Florist to the board, which is fun.
I think what really appeals is the Bobs’ flat EQ, and it’s revealed, by contrast, the curves imparted by other pedals that I had considered fairly uncoloured. Almost the full range of available distortion is useable, with appropriate downstream volume control, and doesn’t add mud to the low end or any unpleasant spikiness up top.
Of course, I reserve the right to change my opinion without notice
It is, but very much in terms of my board, right now. I don’t imagine it does enough for everyone. It’s no Prunes & Custard, that’s for sure
.
With a few more jam sessions ahead, I did commit atrocious tone crimes.
Here's what I got:
A Headrush Flex Prime.
All I wanted was to buy a cheap second hand MX5 and sell it come winter - but I found a deal on a Flex Prime that was too good to pass up and went for that instead.
It's reasonably small, fits in the gig bag and is set up in five seconds. I'm already familiar enough with the UI to get it up and running quickly, and with the Prime generation they did introduce a few really useful updates.
Since I went for the baby size, but have the hands of a bassist and the eyes of a 45 year old, the 4" screen is somewhat of an obstacle, but the device can do WiFi and you can point your web browser to its IP address and then use your larger screen device (phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, smart fridge) to edit your stuff - in real time.
Also, you get a lot more options on EQ and volume.
However. I did not stop there. I went all in:
Here's what I got:
A Headrush Flex Prime.
All I wanted was to buy a cheap second hand MX5 and sell it come winter - but I found a deal on a Flex Prime that was too good to pass up and went for that instead.
It's reasonably small, fits in the gig bag and is set up in five seconds. I'm already familiar enough with the UI to get it up and running quickly, and with the Prime generation they did introduce a few really useful updates.
Since I went for the baby size, but have the hands of a bassist and the eyes of a 45 year old, the 4" screen is somewhat of an obstacle, but the device can do WiFi and you can point your web browser to its IP address and then use your larger screen device (phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, smart fridge) to edit your stuff - in real time.
Also, you get a lot more options on EQ and volume.
However. I did not stop there. I went all in:
Not only have I brought that abomination into my house, I'm also going to review it properly!If this thread is going all digital, I may need to stop reading. The Strymon overdrives were bad enough, but you’ve crossed a line, sir!
I spent the last hour trying to coax synth sounds from it. The selection of the components is actually quite easy, because there's not a HX Stomp-like amount of effects to choose from. What I really don't get is that since the last time I used a Headrush, there were no envelope filters and now there are two. Good, they finally added these. Which did they pick? The Mu-Tron and the DOD fx 25. Two fickle mistresses that are notoriously hard to control.
However, adding a volume pedal in front of the Mu-Tron did the trick.
Aaaahhhh….., since we are where we are now: I love the ‚Natural Bass Preamp‘ on my Boss GT1000 Core for overdrive … and clean sounds as well.
Well, I have to admire your pluck, but these are murky waters, and there be dragons. Sickly and deformed dragons with plastic teeth, but dragons nonetheless.
The Mutron makes sense and would probably be the top contender in any filter collection, but IMO the FX25 is a bit of a strange choice (I do love the FX25 dub trick though, with the Sensitivity turned all the way off)!
I definitely see the utilitarian function of this (ostensible) Jounalistic repudiation; there are times, when playing out in the wild, where you wouldn't trust going for a quick pee break without someone you know well keeping an eye on your gear. And there are other times where drunk, rowdy shenanigans are likely to abound, and you can't guarantee the safety of gear on the floor, either from errant beverages, errant humans, or (realistically) both.
In those turbulent times, I can see the benefit of having a tidy all-in-one solution that you don't have to be precious about in the slightest. If we're being TRULY honest with ourselves, digital/modelling tech has gotten, conservatively, 90% of the way there in terms of replicating analog function and sound. While studio time, high quality gigs, or sheer cork sniffing call for using the "real" toys in order to eke out the most toanz one can, I cannot say the same for the audience in most dive bars. They either like the songs or they don't, but none of them will be able to tell if it's a Noble supplying the bass sound, or a low-to-mid-market digital modeller. That is, if they even notice the bass at all...
In those turbulent times, I can see the benefit of having a tidy all-in-one solution that you don't have to be precious about in the slightest. If we're being TRULY honest with ourselves, digital/modelling tech has gotten, conservatively, 90% of the way there in terms of replicating analog function and sound. While studio time, high quality gigs, or sheer cork sniffing call for using the "real" toys in order to eke out the most toanz one can, I cannot say the same for the audience in most dive bars. They either like the songs or they don't, but none of them will be able to tell if it's a Noble supplying the bass sound, or a low-to-mid-market digital modeller. That is, if they even notice the bass at all...
I don’t wish to say anything negative, but no (someone is going to remind me who said that first)
.I get it, but 90% doesn’t cut it when I have 98% available, and I don’t really give a rat’s ass about the audience. This is, of course, very easy for me to say (even with tongue planted firmly against the buccal mucosa), as I don’t really play much for audiences these days, but even when I did, those knuckle-dragging ingrates were not my target.
I actually think the best digital stuff is far better than 90%, and most of the time, I wouldn’t back myself to be able to pick the difference in most cases as a listener. It’s often different as a player, as the feel can be quite different, but even then, I believe things are becoming nearly indistinguishable from either side of the instrument.
For myself, I prefer the analogue stuff precisely for its limitations. I’m too prone to obsession over the minute details of an infinitely tweakable tone, and find it liberating to be presented with just a few dials and switches and adapt to what it has to offer, or discard it and move on. Much of the older digital stuff is like this — I still enjoy my TCE Nova delay, which by current digital standards is very limited. I’ve resisted the cutting edge stuff because I don’t think I’d ever get around to just playing.
I don’t wish to say anything negative, but no (someone is going to remind me who said that first)
I get it, but 90% doesn’t cut it when I have 98% available, and I don’t really give a rat’s ass about the audience. This is, of course, very easy for me to say (even with tongue planted firmly against the buccal mucosa), as I don’t really play much for audiences these days, but even when I did, those knuckle-dragging ingrates were not my target.
I actually think the best digital stuff is far better than 90%, and most of the time, I wouldn’t back myself to be able to pick the difference in most cases as a listener. It’s often different as a player, as the feel can be quite different, but even then, I believe things are becoming nearly indistinguishable from either side of the instrument.
For myself, I prefer the analogue stuff precisely for its limitations. I’m too prone to obsession over the minute details of an infinitely tweakable tone, and find it liberating to be presented with just a few dials and switches and adapt to what it has to offer, or discard it and move on. Much of the older digital stuff is like this — I still enjoy my TCE Nova delay, which by current digital standards is very limited. I’ve resisted the cutting edge stuff because I don’t think I’d ever get around to just playing.
You are, of course, both right!
Playing a jam session in a dive bar, I see multiple options, and so far I've tried two of them.
1. Rawdogging it with a bass and a cable
2. Bringing a minimal setup.
3. Would be digital multi
and
4. "Anything worth doing is worth doing right" - bring the big board.
However, the big board is worth more than most of the cars in the carpark of that dive, including mine.
There is no stage to speak of, and it's an open jam, so people are invited to play. I don't have any problems with someone playing my Headrush board, and if I know them, I'll even let them have my bass (it's a six string with a 55mm nut. If that's not intimidating you, go ahead!).
In the spirit of that event, a digital thing sits nicely.
I usually am in the habit of hitching rides forth and back so I can make use of the "free drinks for musicians" policy, which requires me to travel as light as possible. I'm keeping it down to a single gig bag.
The next jam is Saturday night, I'll try it out then and if it's terrible, it'll be sold by Monday ;-)
Playing a pedal board that has been curated by me through the span of more than a decade and has seen countless iterations, the bridge over a stream of ever flowing pedals, I feel that I've scratched the top in many instances and found for me the best things possible for most given slots.
Sometimes I settled on the ridiculously expensive (the Noble, for example), sometimes I went for less (selling the DLA-2A because for me, the Cali76 Compact Bass is the better comp), a dash of rare pedals (the Meatsmoke, the BDPG to name two) and sometimes it's something you can order at a large retailer for less than 200 bucks - like the Xotic BB Bass Preamp. Every single pedal has earned its spot and more often than not, I've gone through a ton of them to find the one that's best for me.
When I bring that thing and set it down, I bring my A game. This thing inspires me to play every single note as if my life depended on it.
The Headrush, I suspect, will not be able to do that - and therefore the tone that is in the fingers will be worse, which entails that the tone itself will be worse. Worse enough to be noticed by the plebeian rabble? I actually doubt that they can make it out. Not the bass tone.
I mean, you are hardly wrong with anything you say here! And, by and large, you are preaching to the choir. My only true "digital" piece of workflow is the Two Notes box, which only goes to FOH. I have a couple technically digital pedals (IE Xerograph and FMeron), but those sort of don't count in my eyes, since they have the exact same limitations as their analog equivalents. The concept of menu diving, and the inevitable option paralysis, is also something I am keen to avoid! Thankfully the Two Notes has become very much a set-and-forget; there was potential to get lost in a quagmire there, but thankfully there were only a small handful of bass cabs to choose from when I bought that CAB M+...I don’t wish to say anything negative, but no (someone is going to remind me who said that first)
I get it, but 90% doesn’t cut it when I have 98% available, and I don’t really give a rat’s ass about the audience. This is, of course, very easy for me to say (even with tongue planted firmly against the buccal mucosa), as I don’t really play much for audiences these days, but even when I did, those knuckle-dragging ingrates were not my target.
I actually think the best digital stuff is far better than 90%, and most of the time, I wouldn’t back myself to be able to pick the difference in most cases as a listener. It’s often different as a player, as the feel can be quite different, but even then, I believe things are becoming nearly indistinguishable from either side of the instrument.
For myself, I prefer the analogue stuff precisely for its limitations. I’m too prone to obsession over the minute details of an infinitely tweakable tone, and find it liberating to be presented with just a few dials and switches and adapt to what it has to offer, or discard it and move on. Much of the older digital stuff is like this — I still enjoy my TCE Nova delay, which by current digital standards is very limited. I’ve resisted the cutting edge stuff because I don’t think I’d ever get around to just playing.
As to the audience, my feelings on how much they "matter" depends on the gig. When the touring reggae band is playing, I know that the people are there specifically to see and hear us, so my aim is to create the best sounds I can, and I'll sweat the small stuff in order to really max out what bass offering the band sonically. When it's a cover band gig in a pub, it's a different perspective. I was reminded once, in my extreme youth, by a very well-respected bandleader in Toronto, that in these scenarios the band is LITERALLY only there to help the bar sell drinks/keep people dancing, and therefore buying more drinks. So at that point, the small tonal details become utterly irrelevant (I know my rig will produce a certain baseline level of sound quality that will work for the songs), and I just focus on putting on a good, ie: fun, show that keeps the crowd on the dance floor as long as possible.
I fully understand this, but I love to have the best possible bass tone(s) for MySELF on every occasion.
