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My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal

#101
So, a few slow days have passed and I played a bit more.
I've put the Beta DLX back on the board and toyed around with that one - and realized something.
The DLX has the option of pushing mids and that is a feature that I pretty much enjoy, because it can give my sound that nasal P bass kind of tone that sits really well in a mix. Yesterday I played to funk backing tracks and had the gain way down and the clipping diodes in the neutral position, so I got not much of a grind, but only the sound of a bass that's close to the limit with a bit of saturation setting in when I hit hard.
I kind of want that on my board. But I also love the grind the Barbershop gets me.
Which got me thinking, why not both?
Real estate is why.
But ... with the Noble preamps arrival already looming on the horizon it might be that I'll have to migrate to a slightly larger pedalboard, from my Rockboard Quad 4.1 to a Pedaltrain Classic 1, which is just a few CM wider.
That could open up the space to fit one more pedal in the lower row, too.

But that also got me wondering if there is a better OD pedal for me - one that has a dedicated knob to dial in those mids that get you audible in a mix. . .
 
#102
Recently got the Jam pedals Lucydreamer Bass overdrive. It's supposed to be based on the tube screamer but I don't hear that grindy midforward tone in it. It has a tone pot to control the treble roll off, a dry/wet mix, anda second switch for a higher gain stage. I do find the mids present but not overly dominant, mix knob is really useful, and there is a great range of usable dirt tones just by combining the mix and gain knobs in different configurations.

Not sure if it's what you need or are after, but thought I'd mention. Maybe a demo will steer you more towards or away from it, depending on your needs.
 
#103
I've had that Lucydreamer on my shortlist for a long while, but somehow never got to pull the trigger.

Sales of used pedals are slow right now, but I just accepted an offer for my Locomotive and while I was on reverb, I discovered an MBD-2 for an acceptable price and snagged it.
It'll come from the US and shipping was quite cheap, so I expect to wait a bit for that one, though.
 
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#104
el murdoque said:
I've had that Lucydreamer on my shortlist for a long while, but somehow never got to pull the trigger.

Sales of used pedals are slow right now, but I just accepted an offer for my Locomotive and while I was on reverb, I discovered an MBD-2 for an acceptable price and snagged it.
It'll come from the US and shipping was quite cheap, so I expect to wait a bit for that one, though.
Click to expand...

Heard only great things about the MBD-2. Hope it works for you!

Fwiw, the Lucy is definitely staying on my board. Too many useful settings, plus the second gain stage makes it function as a two in one tool.
 
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#105
arepa_funk said:
Heard only great things about the MBD-2. Hope it works for you!
Click to expand...

'Work' is a relative term :)
I've already crossed the threshold where my 'need' is satisfied and I have to make a choice because I have more dirt pedals that I like than I have room on my board.
I realized that you can go down that rabbit hole and have a different dirt configuration for every part of every song you play because you have dirtbox A that's perfect for song X but dirtbox B would be a bit better on song Z and dirtbox C would be a good compromise, but it does not sit at all with song Y. . . . .
And in the end you just pick one, play all the songs with it and nobody will notice. When your sound is good, people will like it.

I'm well into the territory of diminishing returns. Wanting a slight, touch responsive overdrive that feels natural and does not roar too aggressively is well covered both by the Barbershop and the Beta DLX. The latter also has the boost option to get grindier. The SS/BS Mini remains hard to get. I'm not desperate enough to buy a unit for $280 from the US and then pay shipping and import taxes which leaves me with a total of twice the MSRP.
With the MBD-2 crossed off my list, I'll keep looking for the Fifth Gear, the SS/BS Mini and as of now, the Lucydreamer. But I'd like to get each of those for a price that will allow me to sell them on with no to minimal loss.
 
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#106
IMG_20220222_174656457.jpg

Got Klang? Moody Sounds Hjart Muller Overdrive is a wide ranging & dynamic drive from mild to wild that has a unique tone while remaining focused and transparent letting your bass and touch be part of the whole sound. Gain ranges from a soft tube warmth to a full distortion texture. Klang describes the tilt tone stack with it's own sonic signature. All the controls are wide ranging and very interactive resulting in a much broader range of tones than ordinarily expected from an od. I have the original Lo|Fat version, this version has a much wider range.
 
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#107
el murdoque said:
'Work' is a relative term :)
I've already crossed the threshold where my 'need' is satisfied and I have to make a choice because I have more dirt pedals that I like than I have room on my board.
I realized that you can go down that rabbit hole and have a different dirt configuration for every part of every song you play because you have dirtbox A that's perfect for song X but dirtbox B would be a bit better on song Z and dirtbox C would be a good compromise, but it does not sit at all with song Y. . . . .
And in the end you just pick one, play all the songs with it and nobody will notice. When your sound is good, people will like it.

I'm well into the territory of diminishing returns. Wanting a slight, touch responsive overdrive that feels natural and does not roar too aggressively is well covered both by the Barbershop and the Beta DLX. The latter also has the boost option to get grindier. The SS/BS Mini remains hard to get. I'm not desperate enough to buy a unit for $280 from the US and then pay shipping and import taxes which leaves me with a total of twice the MSRP.
With the MBD-2 crossed off my list, I'll keep looking for the Fifth Gear, the SS/BS Mini and as of now, the Lucydreamer. But I'd like to get each of those for a price that will allow me to sell them on with no to minimal loss.
Click to expand...
I hear you…
I was always a I only need one dirt pedal maybe 2… and somehow have 6 fort pedals with the other 9 only being a tuner, chorus and reverb… Woops. Although my octave fuzz is combined as a filter with expression pedal which meets my synth need so far. But yes I debate whether to add more “fun pedals” than just different overdrive / distortion in this song or that song!
 
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#108
theunknowndude said:
I hear you…
I was always a I only need one dirt pedal maybe 2… and somehow have 6 fort pedals with the other 9 only being a tuner, chorus and reverb… Woops. Although my octave fuzz is combined as a filter with expression pedal which meets my synth need so far. But yes I debate whether to add more “fun pedals” than just different overdrive / distortion in this song or that song!
Click to expand...

I'm a lazy dude.
My rig (should I need it) is super lightweight - Class D head and barefaced cabs.
My bass is super lightweight, too.
I can basically bring everything I need in one trip from the car to the venue. Bass in gig bag on my back, amp in front pocket of gig bag, left hand holds my case with all the stuff (strap, cables, IEM, batteries, more cables etc etc), right hand holds my cab. I bring everything inside, then turn around and get
the pedalboard. That thing is easily the heaviest piece of gear I lug around.

If I could fit it all on a Nano+, I could strap that to the outside of the gig bag, too - but that is impossible.
 
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#109
I decided to start a little race. I missed out yet again on a SS/BS mini.

To make up for that missed opportunity I found a Lucydreamer Bass in Germany and closed the deal.
The MBD-2 has been crawling around the NY / NJ areas and finally has left US soil from Newark yesterday,
so it should be in German customs by now.

Next week will be New Pedal Week.
 
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#110
Update on the pedal situation:
That Lucydreamer was listed as in stock, but in truth it was not. I ordered it from a small(ish) shop in Munich I've never heard of before. Thought about canceling my order but decided against it. I don't know how Jam Pedals is set up and how their backorders work (if there is a German distribution that stocks them), but I'm all in favor of supporting small brick and mortar stores so I'll let that come as a surprise.

The MBD-2 has had the last update on 12. March, when it was "Processed through a facility in Germany" after clearing customs. It should not take long, but USPS uses different carriers for Germany, from DHL (very good) to Hermes (very bad). Given that the shipping from the US was only $16 I am prepared for the worst.


However, I found out something interesting and amusing yesterday:
My BETA DLX and my BDPG cancel each other out. On the BETA, I have the switches set to boost the mids and leave the bass flat. On the BDPG I have the tone control around noon - in fact I have all four controls at noon.
When I switch on both (the BETA is right in front of the BDPG in the chain), my signal drops drastically. I had my board set up with both pedals on yesterday and was playing through headphones, wondering why my signal is so weak and adjusted it to a good volume.

When I switched off one of the two pedals (can't remember which), my headphones tried to kill me.
Both the BDPG and the BETA are set for unity gain, the BETA sounds a bit louder than that because of the boosted mids. It's a curious phenomenon which I've never encountered before, but I guess their boost and cut patterns on their EQs are such that both cut drastically at the same point, leaving not much left after they're done.
 
#112
It's not a problem as such. As you surely will know, the BDPG can be a great pedal to feed other dirt into.
In my experience, it often softens the impact of an otherwise harsh pedal, mostly in a very pleasant way.
That kind of negates using it with a low gain overdrive pedal that is set to a very light setting - because it shaves off that little bit of hair you dialed in.
But for the sake of curiosity I will try and flip their order to see what happens. I'll most likely post a NPD later today, and that will be the one that makes me tear my pedalboard apart anyway - so I might as well toy around with that, too.
 
#116
Suddenly, a surprise contender enters the realm of possibilities:
IMG_20210816_183337-scaled-416x780.jpg


With its arrival, the Noble Preamp DI is contesting the job of preamp on my board, taking that duty from my Underground Accelerator - which did not sit idle for long. I switched it over to the dirt position, turned the EQ to the flat settings and raised the gain.
A little push on the treble side and we're in business. We instantly hit it off bit time.
Such a sweet breakup. To my ears, it sounds like what the Sansamp pedals are trying to emulate - and I like Sansamp dirt.
It has a subtle yet rich texture. None too brutal, sitting well in the mix. This has serious potential (oh my, not again).
 
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