It would be plain stupid of me to not include this into the preamp bender as well as the dirt jounal.
My most recent acquisition is the Bassrig '64.
I did buy it because it is capable of dirt and has a VERY interesting EQ if you use it slightly different from what Origin thought you would, by shaping your tone with the Fender tonestack pre clipping and then use the "Amp out EQ" section to refine your tone after that.
However, this is as preamp pedal as they come. It has a DI out and all the stuff, so I gave it a shot in this function, too.
First of all, I want to complain about the signal path(s).
As it was discussed in multiple threads here, the outputs from the XLR and 1/4" out are vastly different.
The 1/4" out gets a high and low frequency boost/cut option along with a LPF to kill an unwanted horn in the provided backline amp. The XLR out has a baked in cab sim that cannot be switched off whatever you do.
The cab sim in the '64 is a vintage 2x15 Fender cab.
Imagine a modern cabinet, then drape a duvet over that, preferably a damp one.
I ran the 1/4" out into a simple DI pedal as an alternative and the results were much better to my ear. You can still limit the top at 4k or 2k with the switch if needed.
In that setup, I had a lot more fun with the pedal than with the XLR out.
I tried running it inside my pedalboard, instead of the ParaEQ Deluxe and the LowRider.
The results were, awesome. I got a great tone that was sitting in the mix in a silky smooth manner.
It is a great pairing with a P bass, both with rounds or flats - or basically anything that is by itself a bit mid-forward.
My ear tells me that the flattest setting you get is around 2,5-10-2,5 and not 0-10-0. What I'm fairly confident in saying is that you don't really get to boost your mids. What you get are amazing lows and a very nice top end. I flip flopped between the '64 and the ParaEQ/LowRider and in my personal case, the latter came out on top whenever I was using my Le Fay (Jazz Bass pickup configuration) because I am able to give it a bit of a hump in the 600Hz area that lets it sit nicer in a mix. The P bass is strong enough on its own to sit nicely, though.
Sitting between my Cali76 and my Doc Lloyd, it gives the tone a very nice color for music styles that leave a bit of room for the bass and don't require it to shoulder itself through a dense mix. The dirt on tap is very tasteful and you can dial it in to be a bit fuzzy around the edges which does not really give it an aggressive edge, but more of a warmer feeling.
I'd really wish for an option to kill off the cab sim on the XLR out, this would immensely increase the usefulness of that pedal.
Anyway, looking forward to the next release, keep us posted.
