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My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal
- Thread starter el murdoque
- Start date
Once I get my Scorpion, I'll put it through its paces and post up a little video with the sound clips. I'm led to believe it will do many things besides the "DG" style sound, and the potential sonic versatility via the 3-band EQ and depth control is very appealing in a 125B enclosure! I'll miss having my "AFTC" drive on the board, but I can see now its control layout has limitations in a larger soundscape environment. Plus, it's just a big focker with sidejacks, and takes up a ton of real estate.
The plan is, naturally, to run it in front of the UA, and that thing (as you know) takes drives pedals like an absolute champ. Belle > Scorpion > UA has me rather excited. I'm lacking for fuzz **(although that's by design; I get its wide appeal, but I'm just not sure fuzz is for me), but should have every other nuance of gain/grit/drive covered with those three boxes. Assuming the Scorpion is capable of what I expect it to be!
**You, or anybody else, can take this as a challenge to get me to try "the" fuzz that'll make me a convert. But there ain't gonna be board real estate for it; the remaining space is already earmarked for an Iron-clad entry. So, like, good luck with that
The plan is, naturally, to run it in front of the UA, and that thing (as you know) takes drives pedals like an absolute champ. Belle > Scorpion > UA has me rather excited. I'm lacking for fuzz **(although that's by design; I get its wide appeal, but I'm just not sure fuzz is for me), but should have every other nuance of gain/grit/drive covered with those three boxes. Assuming the Scorpion is capable of what I expect it to be!
**You, or anybody else, can take this as a challenge to get me to try "the" fuzz that'll make me a convert. But there ain't gonna be board real estate for it; the remaining space is already earmarked for an Iron-clad entry. So, like, good luck with that
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FWIW, that's a very small taste of what it's capable of. It doesn't have an inherent "voice" that can't be dialed out (like DG)
It is a bit mid-forward, but utilizes a Fender style tone stack, so it can be evened out. The Depth control is excellent for adding low end, that's different than the low control.
It's one of the best overdrives I've ever used.
This bit feels a bit counter intuitive.
Do you mean that the natural voice of the Scorpion is mid forward, but the tone stack (is it pre or post ?) brings in the Fender-Scoop?
Once I get my Scorpion, I'll put it through its paces and post up a little video with the sound clips. I'm led to believe it will do many things besides the "DG" style sound, and the potential sonic versatility via the 3-band EQ and depth control is very appealing in a 125B enclosure! I'll miss having my "AFTC" drive on the board, but I can see now its control layout has limitations in a larger soundscape environment. Plus, it's just a big focker with sidejacks, and takes up a ton of real estate.
The plan is, naturally, to run it in front of the UA, and that thing (as you know) takes drives pedals like an absolute champ. Belle > Scorpion > UA has me rather excited. I'm lacking for fuzz **(although that's by design; I get its wide appeal, but I'm just not sure fuzz is for me), but should have every other nuance of gain/grit/drive covered with those three boxes. Assuming the Scorpion is capable of what I expect it to be!
**You, or anybody else, can take this as a challenge to get me to try "the" fuzz that'll make me a convert. But there ain't gonna be board real estate for it; the remaining space is already earmarked for an Iron-clad entry. So, like, good luck with that
Did you order one, or are you sharing your dreams of a possible, but distant future? ;-)
One pedal I particularly enjoy at present is the Pork&Pickle - the Pickle side is such a great fuzz IMHO.
I have not found a real life use for the tone, but playing the P&P into the UA makes you want to join a stoner rock band.
It's tiny, it's got top jacks and with the flip of a switch, you get an overdrive with a very special character.
I do think both fuzz and overdrive are well described as 'mild, warmish and musical', as in "it's a ripping sound, but pleasant to the ear" and the opposite of face melting.
Sorry, yes, it's mid forward, and the EQ is Fender and post gain, so you can dial in that Fender mid scoop if you want.
deepestend
Commercial User
- Feb 21, 2003
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I have one one the way as well. Please post your thoughts on it!
If my second ODB3 had not died some years ago then I might never have started a journey searching for another drive, it worked that well for me. I was gifted one of the originals by a Roland/Boss AR person that travelled much of the world on countless gigs and bought the second, both died just as the warranty expired. I often think of getting one again but there are so many others to try and I can cop the sound with either the Aftershock or Ultrawave.
I don't recall if I shared my current favorites Moody Sounds Hjart Muller, Fuzzrocious L'il Fella and @johnk_10 Systech OD [distortion]
I don't recall if I shared my current favorites Moody Sounds Hjart Muller, Fuzzrocious L'il Fella and @johnk_10 Systech OD [distortion]
deepestend
Commercial User
- Feb 21, 2003
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I'm sure those ODB3's could be brought back. Has to be either a jack or switch issue. Neither of which are hard to fix.
I wish there were some more demos out there for the Scorpion. It’s unfortunate when a company can sell through all their stock on hype and rarity alone, as it gives little incentive for them to do any real promotion showing the benefits of the thing. There are so few decent demos of Broughton pedals of any sort that if I wasn’t on Talkbass the last 10 years and witness to the history and business-model I’d assume they just weren’t worth my time at all.
Long story short, I’d love to hear some demos of what it can do, including toggling between bypass and engaged and showing/telling knob positions, etc!
- Feb 16, 2008
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i just ordered a scorpion and will post a few soundclips once it arrives.
I'll be putting one together, fear not! My skills at showcasing a pedal are perhaps in need of improvement, though, so if you, or @deepestend, @el murdoque, or anybody else would chip in on what you'd like to see/hear, please let me know.
FWIW, I went in for one based on the fact that it seems super flexible. With the 20ish mins I've had with it thus far, I was definitely not wrong on that front; the 3-band EQ is very responsive, and the gain knob goes from basically-clean through to wall-of-distortion. But I can already see some of the "special sauce" will be in the depth knob; cranking it creates a huge, thick distortion, that basically becomes fuzz when driven by a low-drive Wampler Belle. And when it's turned down, you still get all the clean low end, with a nice rasp on top. As compared to my old drive pedal, it feels more integrated; that one had a separate volume knob for the clean sound, and the two "channels" definitely sounded stacked onto one another. This feels like the two tones are completely enmeshed with each other, which I am enjoying a lot right now.
BRB, gonna go dive in a little more!
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I had my main repair buddy take a look and it wasn't something simple on either one, he was not up to going through the circuit. Neither was anyone else I asked. I knew and had worked with all the good repair techs in Austin by then and the costs were more than the pedal was worth.
deepestend
Commercial User
- Feb 21, 2003
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Here's what i'd want to hear:
— how clean can you get it
— edge of breakup
— full range of the depth knob
— run though the full eq
— can you get a full on od sound from it?
deepestend
Commercial User
- Feb 21, 2003
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Definitely a downside re the lack of demos. I think part of the issue is that it's a one man operation (as far as I know) and he can only make so many at a time. Really cuts down on the number of people who can do a demo. He's somehow started working out the quantity issue with the scorpion, though. I'm guessing that you'll be seeing a lot of demos and more flipped ones than usual on the classifieds (just due to the amount that are available).
They're still in the store. Wondering if the Scorpion, like the Joshwah, becomes a wonderfully available sub $200 option for key bass effects.
The longer it's up, the more I want one. I've been a happy Fifth Gear user for a while, but at $165 and some good reviews it's hard not to check it out.
It would probably be better stated this way.
If you set the EQ 0-10-10 for the typical "flat" setting of a Fender tone stack, there are more mids in the signal.
Dial the mids back to around 3-4 o'clock, and you have "flat" to my ear.
So, you essentially have more "wiggle room" with the mids, as opposed to flat, or scooped.
