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My personal pet peeves with pedals

Katoosie

Katoosie

Bleep-bloopin' thru existence.
Jun 12, 2020
3,036
11,675
32
Sweden
#1
Ugh.

(good start to a thread, huh!? )

You know the deal. Your pedalboard is basically done and you're happy, but suddenly you realize there is still some space on your board if you move things around. Move that, get a cable, make it nice and clean - suddenly you have an idea of getting just one more pedal.

Cool.

Your compressor is fine even though the fact that it runs off a tube and has to warm up beforehand kinda pisses you off, makes you think of something akin to an old friend who you love and hate at the same time. Your pre is amazing and gets everything done with room to spare, your lush and moody reverb instantly transports you into a different world as soon as you pluck a note... And then, there is space left.

So you wonder.

Maybe a chorus would be great. Yeah that sounds good. Oh but basically none of them have a mix/blend/level/clean knobs to make it even remotely usable on a bass (hey, I dont want to be either at 0 or a 100, where is the fun in that on bass). Then you find that one that you like that has all the knobs you'd want, but it doesn't really sound that unique or special, it just makes you go "meh whatever".

So you keep digging.

Cool art? Check. Sound? Check. Functionality? None.

Okay, next.

Cool art? Check. Sound? Check. Functionality? Check. Oh but it's no longer made and no one is selling it anymore.

Next.

Cool art? No, what are you, stupid? Chorus is supposed to be baby blue ONLY. Sound? Take it or leave it. Functionality? Check.

Okay, so finding that unicorn chorus that looks sick, sounds good, has the knobs you would want AND is available is kinda hard and it doesn't matter if we are talking used or new.

"screw it then, ill get something else just to fill the spot! How about a fuzz"

Find a buncha fuzzes that are ok but not amazing sounding that you could get, but then you stumbled upon a video of someone running a reverb into a chorus and you toss out the idea of getting a fuzz and you're back to square one, looking for that perfect chorus pedal again...

Tsk.
Tsk.

Sigh...
 
Last edited:
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#3
mouthmw said:
Might I suggest JAM Waterfall Bass? It’s like an old BOSS CE-2 but fine tuned for bass. I honestly think it’s the bees knees when it comes to chorus pedals for bass.
Click to expand...
All it has is speed, depth and some switches. No blend or anything. Sounds kinda nothing special to me? And the art is just, well, it just is.
 
#4
Depth controls the effect intensity so you definitely can go from subtle to really wet (and with the +/- switch). I like that it’s simple though, user friendly. I also dig the artwork a lot lol. I guess if you’re looking for a chorus with more control options, maybe Julia? Or one of Source Audio modulation pedals (for in depth software tweaking)? I’m sure someone will chime in :)
 
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#5
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#8
mouthmw said:
Depth controls the effect intensity so you definitely can go from subtle to really wet (and with the +/- switch). I like that it’s simple though, user friendly. I also dig the artwork a lot lol. I guess if you’re looking for a chorus with more control options, maybe Julia? Or one of Source Audio modulation pedals (for in depth software tweaking)? I’m sure someone will chime in :)
Click to expand...
Mmm, I see.
That is kinda something I was wondering a lot.

Speaking of the Julia... I think Julia is whatever BUT the Julianna is the absolute perfection sound and art wise. Do you think the depth and speed, if set low enough, would essentialy act as a mix or blend type of thing? That is what my mind came to, logic wise. Since less depth and speed would technically mean less of the chorus, right?

Derek Williams said:
They do some one-off art for their pedals sometimes (not advocating for this pedal as I haven't tried it): JAM Pedals “Achenbach” WaterFall BASS | Reverb
Click to expand...
Yeah they do, but right now all they got is the achenbach.

My favourite, available looking and sounding choruses right now are:
Walrus Audio Julianna
Pro Tones Chorus
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector

There must be a few I am missing rn since I'm at work but these pop out the most in my mind
 
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#10
This is a part of the game!

There's two kinds of effect people. The boring effect people are like "I want a chorus". Next time they are in the city, they pop in at their music store and buy whatever chorus they have. Probably a Boss. That gets used whenever there is a need for chorus. Problem done.

Then there's the Pedal Gourmands. It's not that easy for them/us/you.
Filling a slot on the pedalboard requires more of you.

You cast the net, pull it in and see what's there. Then you acquire one of your shortlisted pedals and put it on your board. By using the effect, you learn what you want and what you do not want.

And then you go online again with your new knowledge and apply that to refine your search. This lets you discover that there has been that one run of that one model in the second half of 1994 where they used a different component because the supplier made a mistake and 150 pedals were built to the wrong spec. This pedal can do one thing exceptionally well: The one thing you want from that kind of pedal, making it the perfect solution for your needs. Some boutique builder has copied that exact pedal in 2007, but only in a limited run and discontinued it in 2008, after another 150 units, so there is a total of 300 out there on the entire planet. It can be frustrating at times, but imagine the joy of finding one after months of searching. It's like the reward for beating an exceptionally hard boss in a video game. When you've tried time and again, rage quit, thought about giving up altogether .... and then finally make it, it's a much bigger bucket of hormones released into your system.

Getting a chorus is easy.
Getting a good chorus is much harder.
Getting the best chorus is hard, expensive and requires lots of research
Getting the unicorn, the one to rule them all is ... not entirely impossible, but it is a monumental task to set out and rig your board with unicorns.
I'm in the middle of that. I feel you.
 
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#11
Katoosie said:
Wow where did you find that!?
Click to expand...
I saw someone selling a Triungulo Barbanera (based on the Moog MF-101) on a UK bass forum. I ended up getting one and loving it. It has one of the best finishes I’ve seen on a pedal and is extremely versatile. I have a Chromatron, Proton and JoshWah but the Barbanera probably gets the most use at the moment. There’s a really sweet spot which can be fiddly to find but which sounds fantastic when it’s dialled in.

I then saw the Malombra (based on the Boss CE2W (CE1 mode)) had a similar finish and was intrigued. I found one near me on Reverb and gave it a shot. The mix knob really helps it out and it again looks fantastic. I posted an NPD about it a while ago because I couldn’t find anything on here about it (Triungulo Lab Malombra chorus for bass?).

They are made in Italy and Will, the guy that makes them, has been super responsive and kind in answering queries.
 
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#13
Katoosie said:
Ugh.

(good start to a thread, huh!? )

You know the deal. Your pedalboard is basically done and you're happy, but suddenly you realize there is still some space on your board if you move things around. Move that, get a cable, make it nice and clean - suddenly you have an idea of getting just one more pedal.

Cool.

Your compressor is fine even though the fact that it runs off a tube and has to warm up beforehand kinda pisses you off, makes you think of something akin to an old friend who you love and hate at the same time. Your pre is amazing and gets everything done with room to spare, your lush and moody reverb instantly transports you into a different world as soon as you pluck a note... And then, there is space left.

So you wonder.

Maybe a chorus would be great. Yeah that sounds good. Oh but basically none of them have a mix/blend/level/clean knobs to make it even remotely usable on a bass (hey, I dont want to be either at 0 or a 100, where is the fun in that on bass). Then you find that one that you like that has all the knobs you'd want, but it doesn't really sound that unique or special, it just makes you go "meh whatever".

So you keep digging.

Cool art? Check. Sound? Check. Functionality? None.

Okay, next.

Cool art? Check. Sound? Check. Functionality? Check. Oh but it's no longer made and no one is selling it anymore.

Next.

Cool art? No, what are you, stupid? Chorus is supposed to be baby blue ONLY. Sound? Take it or leave it. Functionality? Check.

Okay, so finding that unicorn chorus that looks sick, sounds good, has the knobs you would want AND is available is kinda hard and it doesn't matter if we are talking used or new.

"screw it then, ill get something else just to fill the spot! How about a fuzz"

Find a buncha fuzzes that are ok but not amazing sounding that you could get, but then you stumbled upon a video of someone running a reverb into a chorus and you toss out the idea of getting a fuzz and you're back to square one, looking for that perfect chorus pedal again...

Tsk.
Tsk.

Sigh...
Click to expand...

This is not an attack, but an observation: To me this reads not like a premise, but like an admission. It isn't about pedals, but about ADHD.

If your mind is focused and your thoughts are organized, your pedals will follow suit. The obverse also is true.
 
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#14
20220504_235204.jpg


And next thing you know you're ditching most of the pedals you've collected ... for the second time... in less than 2 years...
 
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#19
The solution in so many of these scenarios could be an Empress Zoia.

You can make your own art.
You can make any sound you want.
You can have all the functions.

Better still... Rather than search for your next pedal, you can just "build" one, or download a patch that has one mostly built for you. All that youtube time can be used to learn how Zoia works and how all these pedals work to get you THE sound in your head.
 
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