Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal
- Thread starter el murdoque
- Start date
The internet is sparsely furnished when you ask it about Belle and (Se)bass(tian).
There's a short thread on Talkbass where someone posted a video of someone playing bass with the Nobels, complaining there's not more info on the Wampler. This person bought it and seemed happy.
I entertained the thought of getting one from one of the places with a gracious return policy. But I somehow felt my conscience weigh heavy on me, especially after I realized that I not only sent back a few things I distinctly remember sending back, but also used them as a source in my headphone buying frenzy. I'll need to fill up some Karma by buying things I'll keep first.
Luckily there's a Belle in my local classifieds. I scooped it up, it should be here on Monday.
So, @sloppy_phil , we shall see what your gear tips are worth (to me).
Prepare for brutal honesty.
There's a short thread on Talkbass where someone posted a video of someone playing bass with the Nobels, complaining there's not more info on the Wampler. This person bought it and seemed happy.
I entertained the thought of getting one from one of the places with a gracious return policy. But I somehow felt my conscience weigh heavy on me, especially after I realized that I not only sent back a few things I distinctly remember sending back, but also used them as a source in my headphone buying frenzy. I'll need to fill up some Karma by buying things I'll keep first.
Luckily there's a Belle in my local classifieds. I scooped it up, it should be here on Monday.
So, @sloppy_phil , we shall see what your gear tips are worth (to me).
Prepare for brutal honesty.
Reading this triggered a roller coaster ride in my brain.
I have nothing but the highest praise for Spaceman at this point. Their pedals are extremely well made. The PCB layout in the Saturn looks neat and tidy.
I'm really curious to try out the Equinox, but shied away multiple times. That pedal is huge, the effect seems to be not that obvious and it seems more like something for a studio session than an addition for a live board.
But worst of all, I've been monitoring the second hand market and these things don't move at all.
The magic buzzword "Pulltec EQ" is not widely known enough to pull money out of pockets, it seems.
I don't mind spending 400 bucks on a pedal to try it out - but I do mind sitting on it for months afterwards because no one is interested to take it off my hands.
But this is not the thread for EQs, this is the dirt thread.
This thing has side jacks.
And it has a Fender Tone stack. I love me a Fender Tone stack.
But I have so many already, I don't need another.
But all Fender Tone Stack pedals I have are tube driven. I've never seen it with Germanium diodes.
Germanium diodes are especially great because I'm German myself.
Ah, I see I’ve been chatting to a comedian this whole time. But… Germans don’t have a sense of humour? So now I’m all confused…
Ok see, “brutal honesty” is what I’ve come to expect in this jounal, not comedy. My flame retardant suit was just picked up at the dry cleaners, and should be free to absorb all you throw at it. Even if you go Full German. Keep in mind my S.O. is Jamaican, and I’m not sure there is any fury or storm worse than a vexed Jamaican woman. That’s why the suit had to go to the cleaners; she nearly did for it when we had wildly divergent opinions on a recent episode of TV.
So. Do your worst! But, y’know, like, maybe you’ll enjoy it, too. I certainly hope so! It would only be fair; the Sushi is treating me ever so well, hopefully I’ll be returning the favour.
As a German, I am void of humor, but not of intelligence.
After a bit of study, it comes easily, to mimic the thing you call humor.
“The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”
― Sun Tzu
Well, we'll see. It's just that I ran out of sugarcoat a while back. I really hope it IS good, though.
Lol. There's too much sugar in our food already, so I won't miss this potential extra.
Allow me to respond, via the words of your own compatriot, one Immanuel Kant:
"Virtue [Bass] and happiness [Belle] together constitute possession of the highest good in a person” (KpV, 5: 110)
I mean, if Kant believes it, then who are we to argue? It would be at absolute cross purposes with his Categorical Imperative. My Hebrew ass ain't about to cross that bridge!
@el murdoque I realize I could give myself a glimpse of what you may hear, since I have a flats-strung P (4 strings, mind you). Interesting indeed! For sure a whole other flavour from even my dead-steels Jazz. But it does give me some cautious optimism in regards to this latest development, as I found myself rather enjoying how the Belle and UA took those flats...
@sloppy_phil you're a brave man, quoting Die Kritik der praktischen Vernunft at a German.
I don't get the numerical system - is that De Gruyter? I used to read Kant in the English translation onl occasionally (because reading Kant in German makes your brain tingle and can cause strokes).
As a bassist with standards, I of course own a P with flats, too - so I might be able to reproduce that - but in general, the microcosm I introduce it to is different from others and it's the bass, the strings, the preamp(s) and the taste of the player - all working together to achieve the greatest good.
P.S.
People have a peculiar pleasure in making converts, that is, in causing others to enjoy what they enjoy, thus finding their own likeness represented and reflected back to them.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I don't get the numerical system - is that De Gruyter? I used to read Kant in the English translation onl occasionally (because reading Kant in German makes your brain tingle and can cause strokes).
As a bassist with standards, I of course own a P with flats, too - so I might be able to reproduce that - but in general, the microcosm I introduce it to is different from others and it's the bass, the strings, the preamp(s) and the taste of the player - all working together to achieve the greatest good.
P.S.
People have a peculiar pleasure in making converts, that is, in causing others to enjoy what they enjoy, thus finding their own likeness represented and reflected back to them.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Status update:
I did open a side channel in my rabbit hole.
Being on the fence about my Hologram Microcosm, I thought about trying something else in that spot. I got the sounds I need covered, but have the room for one more large form factor pedal, so I scooped up a Strymon Mobius and put it in place of the Microcosm.
After a somewhat hesitant start (the two rotary encoders are somewhat the opposite of intuitive) where I messed around with the filter, I tried the rest of the pedal and got hooked on the phasers it has to offer.
Playing dirt pedals into a phaser is not only fun, it also comes with a new set of rules of what a dirt pedal has to do to give off pleasant sounds.
Plus, I feel like I only scratched the surface of what dirt and modulation can do.
I did open a side channel in my rabbit hole.
Being on the fence about my Hologram Microcosm, I thought about trying something else in that spot. I got the sounds I need covered, but have the room for one more large form factor pedal, so I scooped up a Strymon Mobius and put it in place of the Microcosm.
After a somewhat hesitant start (the two rotary encoders are somewhat the opposite of intuitive) where I messed around with the filter, I tried the rest of the pedal and got hooked on the phasers it has to offer.
Playing dirt pedals into a phaser is not only fun, it also comes with a new set of rules of what a dirt pedal has to do to give off pleasant sounds.
Plus, I feel like I only scratched the surface of what dirt and modulation can do.
Your bass environment sounds very utilitarian in its design. I expect you are living (and playing in) a properly Authentic existence over there. Does that make you the Ubermensch in this story? Not saying it does, not saying it doesn't.
Afraid the numerical system is going too far back in the annals of time for me to recall with any clarity, and I don't remember ever getting in De Gruyter in my classes back then. Maybe we never even got to it? I feel like a lot of Ze Germans got rolled into one semester, when you could have had entire courses based around one or two of their texts, each. And I'm pretty sure we got the raw end of the translation deal... like, now I know I'm roping another one in, but how the hell does one explain "wertfreiheit" in English? Spoiler: you don't.
Well, isn't that rather apropos. And now I'm done quoting German philosophy to the German!
Fender based, not entirely true to it.
I feel there's more "wiggle room" in the midrange, as opposed to flat, or cut.
I took the description of the EQ and compared it with the TSG software.
In a nutshell, one could say, the mids have been raised around 6dB in every scenario, the rest is quite identical.
Given the fact that I myself use a separate pedal to push mids at precisely that frequency to offset the scoop from the Fender tonestack pedal of the day lets me think that this might well be a very good pedal choice.
The used market in my area sadly is quite void of Spacemen. They pop up infrequently and are gone in an instant.
I'll keep my eyes open, though.
There is a vague plan to visit a certain music store to play a six string bass that has my attention and this particular store also carries Spaceman, so I could give it a spin while (or if) I'm there.
Reading the start of that paragraph made me wonder how you're gonna build the bridge from Kant to Bentham. Ethics was never my strong suit since I focused on epistemology. But lo and behold - you were not going for the British Utilitarians, you were going for yet another German.
Beware that when quoting Germans you yourself do not become a German... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss winks back and says Guten Tag!
No, you're sitting on the comfortable end of the translation. Among students, it's common to read the old Greeks in English because ze Germans believe that you either learn Greek (the old stuff that won't get you anywhere in modern day Greece) or you read the OG translations that were done in the 19th century and don't really have too much in common with contemporary German - so much in fact that you will translate it in your head - and when you have to translate it in any case, you can go for the English, who kept their stuff up to date.
The Wampler Belle has arrived. I'm curious how it'll do in combo with the HWUA, as suggested by @sloppy_phil and how it might integrate into my current setup.
Last edited:
For what it's worth, I wasn't worried about becoming German; I know that my spaetzle-making game isn't ANYWHERE near strong enough for that title.
Also, colour me shocked; I had always assumed any of your countryfolk reading the classics would naturally gravitate to original German! I just remember struggling with so many of those 'compound' words you guys have, and their inability to be well translated to English. Well, I've learned something today, and it is yet early. Should be a good day!
Very exciting! I will be waiting with bated breath until I hear whether or not I've spent your hard earned Euros well. Based on my own findings, and your own adjectives/descriptors for what makes you smile and grin whilst playing, I have a quiet and cautious sense of optimism simmering away here on my emotional stovetop
I did some reading up on the Nobels ODR-1 and discovered that pedal's a German, too.
I plugged the Wampler into the HWUA and that into the pedalboard for testing.
The interaction of Belle and HWUA needs to be explored in depth. It seems those two pedals really compliment each other. From what my ears tell me, I would assume that the Bass knob is neutral at 12, will cut and boost lows, and is placed in front of the clipping bits. The contour knob felt like it will gravitate towards the mids on the left side while providing a generous helping of high frequencies to the right side. The Nobels graph shows that it's more of a mid scooped sound with raised bass and treble, but I did not really hear the raised lows, will have to pay attention when I play it again.
The frequency curve with the contour turned up a bit is not that far off from the HWUA's own, maybe that's what makes them pair well. The interaction between the pedals is what always I imagine a tube screamer was meant to do. When you play the UA alone, it's very clean with just a hint of saturation on the higher notes when played hard. When you play the Belle alone, it is more prone to show signs of breakup, but the signal clears up well with playing dynamics. Set like that and playing the Belle into the HWUA, the harder push sends the tube over the edge and both pedals seem to spur each other on, the sparkle of the Belle being mixed and complimented by the sparkle the HWUA has to add. The tone is THICC and heavy. Heaps of mighty rumble in the lows and a searing quality to the harmonics that makes you think of a well oiled chainsaw AND pushing your hand into a well oiled frying pan at the same time. I tried a bit to play with the levels and thought that the HWUA yields a livelier response when I raise the output levels of the Belle.
Back to the Belle.
This thing does not shy from any lows. The highs can offer a surprising amount of that certain biting sound one would associate with Darkglass products and Stingray basses - but to get that I needed to play a bass with a fresh set of strings (with the metal zing sound still intact). The same settings with the flats that have been on my main bass for over two years now (and have long since not only reached zero zing, but crossed over to sub zing. These wires suck so much dirt out of the signal, I should keep an eye out for suspicious vacuum cleaner R&D people around my bass, trying to learn its secrets) do not yield even the slightest hint of Darkglass, nor Stingray.
As advertised, the pedal reacts well to playing dynamics and the drive knob spreads the sweet spot wide. You can't simply set it on the edge of breakup. There is no small tipping point. The slope is so wide, you have to decide where exactly on the edge you wanna sit.
You can go for mostly clean with just the peaks of your playing reaching breakup, or you can set it to add just bit of hair to your normal playing, adding thickness and warmth rather than sizzle, and let the sizzle come when you dig in, or you can go beyond that - but in my case not very far, because the drive knob is dimed now.
Double checking with my active 5 string dual humbucker bass tells me that normal people will have a solid wall of drive now. It is that raw area where an Overdrive has to decide whether to become a distortion or a fuzz.
This one would cross in fuzz territory if pushed even further - but the knob is dimed now.
I kept the contour knob at the right side of the dial for the most time because those tones appealed to me.
It felt like the pedal adds definition to what's there in my limited upper frequency range, instead of filling that void by adding harmonics. Too much sounded a bit harsh and artificial, but a good bit of that EQ boost in the upper registers gave the notes clear borders and sharper edges.
I do like how this pedal does try to be the opposite of the tube screamer in those particular settings.
Instead of compressing the tone towards the mid band, the Belle shies away from those center frequencies and focuses more on both low and high end. You can actually set it so your lowest notes have grind and your highest notes have bloom, but the middle of the fretboard just has a thickness that does not feel driven.
It is a great low gain overdrive pedal. It's tiny, it is not expensive, it's very easy to set. This should be recommended a lot more than it is. I instantly liked it a lot better than many of the drives I played in the past 15 pages of this thread.
It is kind of sober sounding, meaning that it does not add intricacies, and there is no shimmer or glitter on top, going for more of a down-to-business approach.
I'm curious how this will fare in a mix. I suspect it's very good.
I plugged the Wampler into the HWUA and that into the pedalboard for testing.
The interaction of Belle and HWUA needs to be explored in depth. It seems those two pedals really compliment each other. From what my ears tell me, I would assume that the Bass knob is neutral at 12, will cut and boost lows, and is placed in front of the clipping bits. The contour knob felt like it will gravitate towards the mids on the left side while providing a generous helping of high frequencies to the right side. The Nobels graph shows that it's more of a mid scooped sound with raised bass and treble, but I did not really hear the raised lows, will have to pay attention when I play it again.
The frequency curve with the contour turned up a bit is not that far off from the HWUA's own, maybe that's what makes them pair well. The interaction between the pedals is what always I imagine a tube screamer was meant to do. When you play the UA alone, it's very clean with just a hint of saturation on the higher notes when played hard. When you play the Belle alone, it is more prone to show signs of breakup, but the signal clears up well with playing dynamics. Set like that and playing the Belle into the HWUA, the harder push sends the tube over the edge and both pedals seem to spur each other on, the sparkle of the Belle being mixed and complimented by the sparkle the HWUA has to add. The tone is THICC and heavy. Heaps of mighty rumble in the lows and a searing quality to the harmonics that makes you think of a well oiled chainsaw AND pushing your hand into a well oiled frying pan at the same time. I tried a bit to play with the levels and thought that the HWUA yields a livelier response when I raise the output levels of the Belle.
Back to the Belle.
This thing does not shy from any lows. The highs can offer a surprising amount of that certain biting sound one would associate with Darkglass products and Stingray basses - but to get that I needed to play a bass with a fresh set of strings (with the metal zing sound still intact). The same settings with the flats that have been on my main bass for over two years now (and have long since not only reached zero zing, but crossed over to sub zing. These wires suck so much dirt out of the signal, I should keep an eye out for suspicious vacuum cleaner R&D people around my bass, trying to learn its secrets) do not yield even the slightest hint of Darkglass, nor Stingray.
As advertised, the pedal reacts well to playing dynamics and the drive knob spreads the sweet spot wide. You can't simply set it on the edge of breakup. There is no small tipping point. The slope is so wide, you have to decide where exactly on the edge you wanna sit.
You can go for mostly clean with just the peaks of your playing reaching breakup, or you can set it to add just bit of hair to your normal playing, adding thickness and warmth rather than sizzle, and let the sizzle come when you dig in, or you can go beyond that - but in my case not very far, because the drive knob is dimed now.
Double checking with my active 5 string dual humbucker bass tells me that normal people will have a solid wall of drive now. It is that raw area where an Overdrive has to decide whether to become a distortion or a fuzz.
This one would cross in fuzz territory if pushed even further - but the knob is dimed now.
I kept the contour knob at the right side of the dial for the most time because those tones appealed to me.
It felt like the pedal adds definition to what's there in my limited upper frequency range, instead of filling that void by adding harmonics. Too much sounded a bit harsh and artificial, but a good bit of that EQ boost in the upper registers gave the notes clear borders and sharper edges.
I do like how this pedal does try to be the opposite of the tube screamer in those particular settings.
Instead of compressing the tone towards the mid band, the Belle shies away from those center frequencies and focuses more on both low and high end. You can actually set it so your lowest notes have grind and your highest notes have bloom, but the middle of the fretboard just has a thickness that does not feel driven.
It is a great low gain overdrive pedal. It's tiny, it is not expensive, it's very easy to set. This should be recommended a lot more than it is. I instantly liked it a lot better than many of the drives I played in the past 15 pages of this thread.
It is kind of sober sounding, meaning that it does not add intricacies, and there is no shimmer or glitter on top, going for more of a down-to-business approach.
I'm curious how this will fare in a mix. I suspect it's very good.
Me upon reading this latest update, and seeing that @el murdoque is not only not bitterly disappointed, but seemed to draw similarly positive conclusions as my own...
I swear this Belle is a killer little bass overdrive that a lot of folks are sleeping on. Maybe because it's marketed almost exclusively for guitarists, or that Wampler isn't simply the "nom du jour" in the world of bass pedals. Either way, hope your further adventures prove fruitful!
I swear this Belle is a killer little bass overdrive that a lot of folks are sleeping on. Maybe because it's marketed almost exclusively for guitarists, or that Wampler isn't simply the "nom du jour" in the world of bass pedals. Either way, hope your further adventures prove fruitful!
Last edited:
I've heard that a Nobels based drive is very bass friendly.
Bobby Vega (we ALL know who he is)
Did a short demo with a Nobels ODR-1, and it sounded awesome.
Bobby Vega (we ALL know who he is)
Did a short demo with a Nobels ODR-1, and it sounded awesome.
Bobby Vega is a certified bad mofo!
What are your settings, out of curiousity? Here's where I've got my two currently. The environment I'm playing in makes a big difference, but these yielded good results at a reggae (flavoured with Scottish folk, and jazz) rehearsal. Still haven't gig-tested yet, but excited to do so soon!
