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My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal
- Thread starter el murdoque
- Start date
I've only had a few minutes between two things so far, but I managed to plug it in and try it a little bit.
W.T.F.?
This device has one knob labeled volume and one switch labeled bright/dark/mid.
The knob does not really do volume, though. What's going on here? Someone with more insight care to fill in the blanks, please? Will I really have to read the manual for a pedal with a single knob?
W.T.F.?
This device has one knob labeled volume and one switch labeled bright/dark/mid.
The knob does not really do volume, though. What's going on here? Someone with more insight care to fill in the blanks, please? Will I really have to read the manual for a pedal with a single knob?
Don't know that the manual will help. I do remember that the Volume control does not make a whole lot of sense. I would liken it more to a Character knob you find on some pedals. It is one of those you just have to fiddle with it and dial it in. I had one for a while and the best thing it did was add some heft to the G string and higher notes. The issue I had is the volume can be all over the place as you dial it in.
I knew it was weird, I went back and found instructions on the Chase website. That website is a mess and you have to scroll way down.
- VOLUME CONTROL- Wired just like an original EP3 for Amazing Versatility!
- FULL COUNTER-CLOCKWISE = NO SIGNAL
- 10 to 11 0’clock = UNITY GAIN (Depends upon EQ Setting)
- 1 to 2 o’clock = 3dBs+ MAXIMUM OUTPUT BOOST
- 3 to 5 o’clock = 1dB or 2dBs with FLAT EQ just like a worn, vintage Echoplex
- Chase Tone® Exclusive 3-Way EQ 1970s Era EP3 Mini-Toggle Switch!
- Early 1970s = BRIGHT Late 1970s = DARK Hybrid Early & Late = MID
I remember the more clockwise settings around 4-5 o'clock worked the best for me. Btw 1 and 2 it was too noisy.
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So basically, you dial in your preferred sound on that knob and when you have it, you figure out what to to about the output volume? I've only ridden it early in the chain on my test bench, but will have to put it later, in a hotter part, to see what happens there. I could not really perceive the saturation thing going on, it felt more like a subtle EQ unit.
I'll see how it fares in the place I have the JPTR FX Jive, because on paper, those do about the same thing. The Jive has a Gain and Volume knob that work in the established way, though.
I'll see how it fares in the place I have the JPTR FX Jive, because on paper, those do about the same thing. The Jive has a Gain and Volume knob that work in the established way, though.
Echoplex preamp pedals are usually intended to be always-on tone-sweeteners (since the Echoplex pre was always in the signal path when Jimmy Page, etc used them), so output volume isn't an issue per-se when used that way
The end of my chain is a Noble, and that is not up for negotiation.
I did try it just before that, though.
Next up I'll check it against the Jive in an A/B setting, but that takes some rigging.
I spent some more time with the Secret Preamp.
Summing up my experience in three letters: Meh.
I get it. It's a magic tone sweetener if there ever was one.
The setting I found to work best in my setup (bright and Volume set around 10 o'clock, which results in a slight volume boost I'll have to compensate) was slightly altering the sound. I got a bit more treble, and to put it into opaque audiophile terms, I felt that it tightened up the treble content.
Playing with headphones I could feel the change more than actually hear it. The notes just feel a bit different under my fingers while playing.
But here's the crowbar to the knee: When I deactivated the Secret Preamp and therefore fell back to my default clean sound, it was not the case that you switch off the pedal and your sound becomes bland/lifeless/boring and you instantly feel a need to switch it on again.
I was simply going from one very good sound to another very good sound.
It is entirely possible that the "tightening up the treble content" thing is a crucial bit of what it does, but in my environment, there's not much to do in that regard. My flats have been on that bass for 30 months now.
So let's take a look at what it does when you play other dirt pedals in it.
To sum that up quickly:
This can be great, depending on the dirt pedal you use. In my environment it is nearly as good as the JPTR FX Jive, which beats the Secret Preamp hands down in every regard as a 'giving the dirt a different flavor' pedal.
A very important feature here is that the Jive has a volume knob that actually does what it says, which allows you to bring the output to unity. But it also has a wide range on the gain knob where you get only a hint of saturated overtones when playing the pedal solo (which sounds so good, many people use it as an always on), but when you kick in your drive pedal, you get a completely different texture from it.
This allows for clean sound, Jive solo sound, dirt pedal solo sound and both pedals in combo sound.
The Secret Preamp has that volume jump issue that needs to be accommodated if you want to actually use the foot switch it comes with.
Summing up my experience in three letters: Meh.
I get it. It's a magic tone sweetener if there ever was one.
The setting I found to work best in my setup (bright and Volume set around 10 o'clock, which results in a slight volume boost I'll have to compensate) was slightly altering the sound. I got a bit more treble, and to put it into opaque audiophile terms, I felt that it tightened up the treble content.
Playing with headphones I could feel the change more than actually hear it. The notes just feel a bit different under my fingers while playing.
But here's the crowbar to the knee: When I deactivated the Secret Preamp and therefore fell back to my default clean sound, it was not the case that you switch off the pedal and your sound becomes bland/lifeless/boring and you instantly feel a need to switch it on again.
I was simply going from one very good sound to another very good sound.
It is entirely possible that the "tightening up the treble content" thing is a crucial bit of what it does, but in my environment, there's not much to do in that regard. My flats have been on that bass for 30 months now.
So let's take a look at what it does when you play other dirt pedals in it.
To sum that up quickly:
This can be great, depending on the dirt pedal you use. In my environment it is nearly as good as the JPTR FX Jive, which beats the Secret Preamp hands down in every regard as a 'giving the dirt a different flavor' pedal.
A very important feature here is that the Jive has a volume knob that actually does what it says, which allows you to bring the output to unity. But it also has a wide range on the gain knob where you get only a hint of saturated overtones when playing the pedal solo (which sounds so good, many people use it as an always on), but when you kick in your drive pedal, you get a completely different texture from it.
This allows for clean sound, Jive solo sound, dirt pedal solo sound and both pedals in combo sound.
The Secret Preamp has that volume jump issue that needs to be accommodated if you want to actually use the foot switch it comes with.
That's pretty much my take on EP preamp style pedals on bass too. On guitar and some other sources with more high-freq biased responses (like my Rhodes piano) they can be much more tasty IME (I haven't tried the Chase version though)
I'd also wager that if you're into fresh stainless steel strings, bridge pickups and percussive playing, there might be a good chance this will do something good for you.
Or if you're running a pedal board with a few Boss pedals on it, but no capable EQ or preamp, this could lead to a clearly improved sound.
Yep, I see what you guys mean with EP pedals. Not sure if this is feel under finger but to me these are also doing something that evens the feel between strings. I tried only Xotic EP and Chase Tone and both had this, slightly rubbery, but pleasant feel.
@el murdoque you mention you got 2.5 year old flats, is it on LeFay
? If yes, which flats did you choose then?
@el murdoque you mention you got 2.5 year old flats, is it on LeFay
? If yes, which flats did you choose then?
Yep, I see what you guys mean with EP pedals. Not sure if this is feel under finger but to me these are also doing something that evens the feel between strings. I tried only Xotic EP and Chase Tone and both had this, slightly rubbery, but pleasant feel.
@el murdoque you mention you got 2.5 year old flats, is it on LeFay
I went full on German. As a German playing a German made instrument, I ordered strings with Optima, a German company. In fact, I ordered a set of Optima Flats, a set of the golden Optima rounds and a set of LaBella DTFs, because I had them on my last bass and loved them. When all those strings came in, I looked at the Optimas and they matched the color code as good as it gets. The Le Fay is orange with black hardware. The Optimas have orange silks with black ballends:
It really wasn't a choice after seeing that.
I played TI's, Chromes, LaBellas and Pyramids, and found that the Optimas are a great choice for a middle of the road flatwound experience. They are not overly bright like Chromes, nor do they thump as bassy as LaBellas. Their feel was okay'ish to begin with, but once they settled in, they became great. They feel better than any of the others, excepting the LaBellas with their perfectly smooth surface. The sound is very even throughout their frequency range.
LaBellas sound deep and dark, TI's have this singing midrange and Chromes hold on to that brightness, while the Optimas are just well balanced and make the bass sound a bit more acoustic, more woody.
I had the intention of trying different brands on that bass, but I just never got around to take the Optimas off and install another set.
This happened tonight:
I was shooting out the Fifth Gear and the Mini. My love for the Fifth Gear is pretty well documented. I was excited to get the Mini last week, gigged with it Saturday and liked it just fine.
The Mini is definitely versatile, and if you wanted a pedal to cover a whole range of dirt, it's the one. The Bias knob is super interesting and the EQ is pretty powerful, although I found myself boosting bass pretty much to 3 o'clock or later to not gut my signal, meaning it doesn't actually have a ton of useful range to me.
The Fifth Gear is definitely narrower, although I find the Heat knob covers at least a bit of the same territory as the Bias on the Mini, meaning that I can cover some fuzzier territory in a pinch.
The Mini is definitely more touch sensitive, and I love that in an overdrive, although I find it often gets lost in my gig's mix. The Parabellum v2 I had for a while was the king of touch sensitivity, but the Mini is close. The Fifth Gear is more straightforward across its range.
But the Fifth Gear has three things going for it. First, it just nails the low gain OD sound I've come to love in a really unfussy way — Heat fully down, Gain somewhere between 9-11 o'clock, and Volume to suit. Second, it doesn't require any adjustment to feed my Meatball clone a dirty signal. And third, the form factor rules. It's even smaller than a standard 125B, somehow, and has top jacks.
I'm hanging onto the Fifth Gear for when I need something small that just works. And Friday, I'm getting in on the new Damnation MBD. I had an MBD2 for a long time and loved it, and the Boost knob and footswitch seem very useful in my application. Plus I'm heartened to find out if I get the itch for a Mini again, I can get a Piggy with top jacks.
I was shooting out the Fifth Gear and the Mini. My love for the Fifth Gear is pretty well documented. I was excited to get the Mini last week, gigged with it Saturday and liked it just fine.
The Mini is definitely versatile, and if you wanted a pedal to cover a whole range of dirt, it's the one. The Bias knob is super interesting and the EQ is pretty powerful, although I found myself boosting bass pretty much to 3 o'clock or later to not gut my signal, meaning it doesn't actually have a ton of useful range to me.
The Fifth Gear is definitely narrower, although I find the Heat knob covers at least a bit of the same territory as the Bias on the Mini, meaning that I can cover some fuzzier territory in a pinch.
The Mini is definitely more touch sensitive, and I love that in an overdrive, although I find it often gets lost in my gig's mix. The Parabellum v2 I had for a while was the king of touch sensitivity, but the Mini is close. The Fifth Gear is more straightforward across its range.
But the Fifth Gear has three things going for it. First, it just nails the low gain OD sound I've come to love in a really unfussy way — Heat fully down, Gain somewhere between 9-11 o'clock, and Volume to suit. Second, it doesn't require any adjustment to feed my Meatball clone a dirty signal. And third, the form factor rules. It's even smaller than a standard 125B, somehow, and has top jacks.
I'm hanging onto the Fifth Gear for when I need something small that just works. And Friday, I'm getting in on the new Damnation MBD. I had an MBD2 for a long time and loved it, and the Boost knob and footswitch seem very useful in my application. Plus I'm heartened to find out if I get the itch for a Mini again, I can get a Piggy with top jacks.
Erm, that one pedal on your board that I cannot identify. Is that the Meatball clone? Where did you get it?
Does it have an FX loop? Is it all top jacks?
Does it have an FX loop? Is it all top jacks?
@Eric Cioe Is that Mini yours or is it on loan?
I sent both my Mini and my Piggy over to @Charlie Tuna so he can have a go with both and compare them.
I'm pretty sure that if he has a minute to spare, he'll let us know about the differences and similarities he could make out on his test bench.
I personally found that the Mini not only has more touch sensitivity than the 5th Gear, it also has a good bit more range in the low gain territory. The fifth gear is basically unusable as a clean boost and will get you drive sound even at minimal settings - the Mini can be played completely clean (even though it does not make much sense on a dirt pedal) - but you can get those settings that give you just the smallest hint of hair and then gets gritty when you dig in.
I sent both my Mini and my Piggy over to @Charlie Tuna so he can have a go with both and compare them.
I'm pretty sure that if he has a minute to spare, he'll let us know about the differences and similarities he could make out on his test bench.
I personally found that the Mini not only has more touch sensitivity than the 5th Gear, it also has a good bit more range in the low gain territory. The fifth gear is basically unusable as a clean boost and will get you drive sound even at minimal settings - the Mini can be played completely clean (even though it does not make much sense on a dirt pedal) - but you can get those settings that give you just the smallest hint of hair and then gets gritty when you dig in.
