New SolidGoldFX Beta V Bass Preamp Pedal

[butterfingers1]

I've been reading all your posts on the SGFX Beta V and walking through your journey as you learn more about how it's used. Thank you for sharing everything you've discovered!

I feel like this is a very misunderstood pedal, for very good reason. SGFX was maybe too clever when they created it. It's very how to explain how it works, and from what I've read in the forum a bit more information would have helped a lot of people.

We know they intended the Beta V to recreate B15 tones (though not limited to B15 tones...). Based on what you've figured out to date, could you share what settings you have found that come closest to recreating the basic B15 tone?

Yes I used to find the BetaV frustrating, but if you learn to let go and let it do its thing everything seems to fall into place. In a mix, you sort of forget about your tone and the bass guitar just goes about supporting the whole.

I keep the LPF switch on (I prefer position 1) because that’s what this pedal is for.

The LPF dial can then modulate the effect. I tend to leave it at noon. I find going clockwise, which attenuates (yes) the filter and increases high end (a little), sounds a little frustrating. I’m not sure why but I get the impression the LPF also tightens the low end. In other words there might also be a HPF engaged. And there might be a resonant bump around the cutoff frequency because it gets a little punchy and dry. The LPF dial would seem to modulate this effect along with the low pass filter.

I tend to leave Drive at noon also (although this depends on the strength of the incoming signal). I’m not a big user of dirt but I recognize it is generally made up of high mid frequencies which compensates for taming higher frequencies.

So overall everything at noon and LPF switch on gives a full, articulate snappy sound that at the same time blends in and doesn’t stick out in annoying ways at the wrong time.

Never really sounds good or right if you pay too much attention to it. But if you just play, the whole sounds good and sounds right.

It’s one of the few pedals I’ve kept in recent years. I also use the Damnation Audio MBD3, sounds nicer but lacks the punch. Broughton Scorpion is similar. Broughton Azure Drive 10th Anniversary has punch but the high end pops are hard to tame without messing up the rest. Finally the Broughton Fliptop aims for the same sound as the BetaV, but it’s thinner and more focused and lacks the richness.

 

[Nerve]

Yes I used to find the BetaV frustrating, but if you learn to let go and let it do its thing everything seems to fall into place. In a mix, you sort of forget about your tone and the bass guitar just goes about supporting the whole.

I keep the LPF switch on (I prefer position 1) because that’s what this pedal is for.

The LPF dial can then modulate the effect. I tend to leave it at noon. I find going clockwise, which attenuates (yes) the filter and increases high end (a little), sounds a little frustrating. I’m not sure why but I get the impression the LPF also tightens the low end. In other words there might also be a HPF engaged. And there might be a resonant bump around the cutoff frequency because it gets a little punchy and dry. The LPF dial would seem to modulate this effect along with the low pass filter.

I tend to leave Drive at noon also (although this depends on the strength of the incoming signal). I’m not a big user of dirt but I recognize it is generally made up of high mid frequencies which compensates for taming higher frequencies.

So overall everything at noon and LPF switch on gives a full, articulate snappy sound that at the same time blends in and doesn’t stick out in annoying ways at the wrong time.

Never really sounds good or right if you pay too much attention to it. But if you just play, the whole sounds good and sounds right.

It’s one of the few pedals I’ve kept in recent years. I also use the Damnation Audio MBD3, sounds nicer but lacks the punch. Broughton Scorpion is similar. Broughton Azure Drive 10th Anniversary has punch but the high end pops are hard to tame without messing up the rest. Finally the Broughton Fliptop aims for the same sound as the BetaV, but it’s thinner and more focused and lacks the richness.

This is great info. Thanks for sharing!

I think you're on to something with the attenuation and tightening of the low end. It's probably part of the reason that it's difficult to explain (or maybe just understand) how the knobs work. I agree with you; I think this is not just a LPF. And controls seem to interact with each other in unexpected ways.

I haven't seen this anywhere, but maybe the presence and body controls actually work in a baxandall style. The do take effect after the "pre" (drive) portion of the pedal just like a B15. Just speculating here, but it's such an unusual pedal and I think it's a mistake to think of it as simply another OD.