So as a couple of you have asked I will take the time to explain the gain pedals on my board since there is effectively6 gain pedals on a board with 9 pedals.
Firstly here is my pedalboard - Link Removed I've left it as a link as most of you have seen it and it resizes the page and will make all the following text go funny.
So in order and why I use them
Tonefactor Huckleberry - This is a vintage fuzz pedal but a new design if that makes sense it has both SI and GE transistors in there so it can range from thick and creamy to cutting and harsh. I bought this after exchanging quite a few emails with brad from tonefactor and decided to take a chance. I have one of the first 10 ever made hence the green over the current purple available (though I think the purple is nicer).
Personally I like my fuzz's on the vintage end of the spectrum I used the Zoom Ultra Fuzz UF-01 for ages and while its an amazing fuzz it doesn't really get that vintage 60's vibe where as the Huckleberry can nail them. Now I don't use this pedal alot, I believe in using fuzz sparingly even though fuzz is my favourite type of gain on bass. I like using this for those bass and drum intros and middle song type things or when I want to completely merge my tone with the guitarist if we are playing the same riff it all works together and we become like 1 super heavy and thick tone which works really really well.
It's very reactive to your playing and I recommend if you want a slight bit of grit turn the volume down on your bass instead of the gain on pedal, it just cleans up so well.
Now one last thing before you all go out and buy one, they don't work that great with active basses its a very gated and harsh sound on actives which some of you might like but I just switch my bass to passive and I'm yet to hear anything better than it.
Soundclips
Link Removed
Link Removed
http://sounds.nakedapron.org/Huckleberry Gain 1_2 Tone 1_2 [TaySte_2000].mp3
http://sounds.nakedapron.org/Huckleberry Gain 1_2 Tone 1_4 [TaySte_2000].mp3
Link Removed
http://sounds.nakedapron.org/Huckleberry gain 1_4 tone 1_2 [TaySte_2000].mp3
Next
Crowther XLF Bluesberry Hotcake - Basically this is the only one in the world, Paul Crowther has made plenty of Hotcake's and Bluesberry Hotcakes and a few XLF Hotcake's but I asked him to do mine with both mods, I can't really hear the difference on the low end between this and the normal Bluesberry, I've never heard the normal Hotcake so I can't compare. I decided on this mainly because DavidMWilson raved about his XLF Hotcake and then when I could only try the Bluesberry I fell in love with the sound, I wasn't at all interested in what the normal version sounded like I just had to have that one, so I shot Paul C an email and we eventually worked everything out.
This is my main distortion I use it all the time, it loses no bottom end at all and is very thick while remaining very cutting. It's hard to describe it just works and is my favourite distortion I have ever tried. I leave everything more or less flat I think it's all slightly boosted except volume which is set for unity gain (unity is where the volume is the same if the pedal is on or off)
This pedal is not True Bypass though there is no degredation in tone from it as it features a very high quality buffer which actually improves your signal especially over long cable runs but this does mean it has to go after the Huckleberry.
It works fine with both active and passive basses. Don't know what else I can say it's a fantastic pedal.
Next in the signal chain is the EBS multi comp which can be used for various things such as a boost and a tube simulator, I'm using it just for limiting so its set pretty transparent in multi band mode with it compressing the highs and lows separate amounts. Not much to say about this, but I couldn't live without it its just the perfect compliment to anybodies sound.
The it's the Xotic BB Bass Preamp - I'm currently using this on all the time for a slight bit of grit but that's going to change soon I think and I'll have it as a do it all pedal that i set depending on the gig. I set the eq flat and have a slight volume boost just to make sure I have a hot enough signal for my Iamp.
It's a very transparent overdrive and I prefer it greatly over my old barber ltd which is a very nice pedal in it's self I just think the BB suits me more. I've only really used it at low to medium gain levels I don't like it cranked as it's quite gritty so it loses all its smoothness or should I say all your smoothness when playing through it, so I'd only recommend it for light to medium overdrive, depending on what you consider that to be.
Next in the signal chain is the Tonefactor Hellbaby now this is one killer dirty boost, I use it to fill out when I play any solos or anything, it's pretty harsh so its good for the punk rock thing and cuts very well and its stupid loud. I have the boost off and the volume at 9 o clock and the thing nearly doubles my volume, which brings me to my problem with it as it does so much to my volume at such a low setting the slightest movement changes the volume so if it's nudged up a bit to loud I'm then way to loud when i click it on and if it's nudged the other way it's to quiet. Now this is placed after the ebs because it doesn't boost before the comp as the comp obviously limits and compresses it so the louder the boost is the more compressed the sound is, so before a compresser it makes a good opamp distortion so basically becomes a compliment to other pedals just gives them a little push this is actually how Higgie uses it.
So finally is the MXR M-80 I leave this on all the time, it is my EQ and DI box so currently I don't use the Iamps Eq but this is going to change and the M-80 will probably be going, it's a great pedal but a waste on me as I'm only slightly boosting everything, I never use the distortion and I don't need the DI from my board very often.
So there it is folks I hope this helps some of you guys out.
Firstly here is my pedalboard - Link Removed I've left it as a link as most of you have seen it and it resizes the page and will make all the following text go funny.
So in order and why I use them
Tonefactor Huckleberry - This is a vintage fuzz pedal but a new design if that makes sense it has both SI and GE transistors in there so it can range from thick and creamy to cutting and harsh. I bought this after exchanging quite a few emails with brad from tonefactor and decided to take a chance. I have one of the first 10 ever made hence the green over the current purple available (though I think the purple is nicer).
Personally I like my fuzz's on the vintage end of the spectrum I used the Zoom Ultra Fuzz UF-01 for ages and while its an amazing fuzz it doesn't really get that vintage 60's vibe where as the Huckleberry can nail them. Now I don't use this pedal alot, I believe in using fuzz sparingly even though fuzz is my favourite type of gain on bass. I like using this for those bass and drum intros and middle song type things or when I want to completely merge my tone with the guitarist if we are playing the same riff it all works together and we become like 1 super heavy and thick tone which works really really well.
It's very reactive to your playing and I recommend if you want a slight bit of grit turn the volume down on your bass instead of the gain on pedal, it just cleans up so well.
Now one last thing before you all go out and buy one, they don't work that great with active basses its a very gated and harsh sound on actives which some of you might like but I just switch my bass to passive and I'm yet to hear anything better than it.
Soundclips
Link Removed
Link Removed
http://sounds.nakedapron.org/Huckleberry Gain 1_2 Tone 1_2 [TaySte_2000].mp3
http://sounds.nakedapron.org/Huckleberry Gain 1_2 Tone 1_4 [TaySte_2000].mp3
Link Removed
http://sounds.nakedapron.org/Huckleberry gain 1_4 tone 1_2 [TaySte_2000].mp3
Next
Crowther XLF Bluesberry Hotcake - Basically this is the only one in the world, Paul Crowther has made plenty of Hotcake's and Bluesberry Hotcakes and a few XLF Hotcake's but I asked him to do mine with both mods, I can't really hear the difference on the low end between this and the normal Bluesberry, I've never heard the normal Hotcake so I can't compare. I decided on this mainly because DavidMWilson raved about his XLF Hotcake and then when I could only try the Bluesberry I fell in love with the sound, I wasn't at all interested in what the normal version sounded like I just had to have that one, so I shot Paul C an email and we eventually worked everything out.
This is my main distortion I use it all the time, it loses no bottom end at all and is very thick while remaining very cutting. It's hard to describe it just works and is my favourite distortion I have ever tried. I leave everything more or less flat I think it's all slightly boosted except volume which is set for unity gain (unity is where the volume is the same if the pedal is on or off)
This pedal is not True Bypass though there is no degredation in tone from it as it features a very high quality buffer which actually improves your signal especially over long cable runs but this does mean it has to go after the Huckleberry.
It works fine with both active and passive basses. Don't know what else I can say it's a fantastic pedal.
Next in the signal chain is the EBS multi comp which can be used for various things such as a boost and a tube simulator, I'm using it just for limiting so its set pretty transparent in multi band mode with it compressing the highs and lows separate amounts. Not much to say about this, but I couldn't live without it its just the perfect compliment to anybodies sound.
The it's the Xotic BB Bass Preamp - I'm currently using this on all the time for a slight bit of grit but that's going to change soon I think and I'll have it as a do it all pedal that i set depending on the gig. I set the eq flat and have a slight volume boost just to make sure I have a hot enough signal for my Iamp.
It's a very transparent overdrive and I prefer it greatly over my old barber ltd which is a very nice pedal in it's self I just think the BB suits me more. I've only really used it at low to medium gain levels I don't like it cranked as it's quite gritty so it loses all its smoothness or should I say all your smoothness when playing through it, so I'd only recommend it for light to medium overdrive, depending on what you consider that to be.
Next in the signal chain is the Tonefactor Hellbaby now this is one killer dirty boost, I use it to fill out when I play any solos or anything, it's pretty harsh so its good for the punk rock thing and cuts very well and its stupid loud. I have the boost off and the volume at 9 o clock and the thing nearly doubles my volume, which brings me to my problem with it as it does so much to my volume at such a low setting the slightest movement changes the volume so if it's nudged up a bit to loud I'm then way to loud when i click it on and if it's nudged the other way it's to quiet. Now this is placed after the ebs because it doesn't boost before the comp as the comp obviously limits and compresses it so the louder the boost is the more compressed the sound is, so before a compresser it makes a good opamp distortion so basically becomes a compliment to other pedals just gives them a little push this is actually how Higgie uses it.
So finally is the MXR M-80 I leave this on all the time, it is my EQ and DI box so currently I don't use the Iamps Eq but this is going to change and the M-80 will probably be going, it's a great pedal but a waste on me as I'm only slightly boosting everything, I never use the distortion and I don't need the DI from my board very often.
So there it is folks I hope this helps some of you guys out.
