welp I'm sold. I have both of those and am rather meh about both. This sounds great.
also I'm glad Patrick finally got a Rick so I know what to expect out of mine lol
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New SolidGoldFX Beta V Bass Preamp Pedal
- Thread starter TwototheValley
- Start date
also I'm glad Patrick finally got a Rick so I know what to expect out of mine lol
I just got this pedal last night and put about 4 basses through it today. This has to be one of the best pedals I've purchased and will likely put it in the permanently on area with my comp and DI. I have the Aguilar TLC and REDDI which pair really nicely together, nothing else I've added really enhanced what they brought to the table, until this. The Beta adds some real presence and punch without compromising lows, highs or mids. I just think it's fantastic.
For those who thought the other version was too dark, I played with the settings on mine and was able to get each of my basses where they sounded as clear as they do typically with the pedal on but just giving the sound a tad more presence and body. I really don't like hugely overdriven sounds or heavy effects on bass. In fact, what initially sold me on the pedal was Fernando Rosa demoing it. He's got a killer tone that I'm very familiar with and listening to him use to the pedal sold me in under a minute. Nothing in his sound was compromised just punchy. I was fairly certain it had what I was looking for which was just a tad more oomph without losing clarity. Of course it does dark and tubby as well, that goes without saying. I've linked his instagram demo below, I used similar settings.
For those who thought the other version was too dark, I played with the settings on mine and was able to get each of my basses where they sounded as clear as they do typically with the pedal on but just giving the sound a tad more presence and body. I really don't like hugely overdriven sounds or heavy effects on bass. In fact, what initially sold me on the pedal was Fernando Rosa demoing it. He's got a killer tone that I'm very familiar with and listening to him use to the pedal sold me in under a minute. Nothing in his sound was compromised just punchy. I was fairly certain it had what I was looking for which was just a tad more oomph without losing clarity. Of course it does dark and tubby as well, that goes without saying. I've linked his instagram demo below, I used similar settings.
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Close to my settings - I just have a bit more drive. It is a fantastic pedal, really.
Yeah I had the Drive at about 10 o'clock, Presence around 12 and body between 11-1. In that vicinity worked on most of my basses. The Acinonyx is the only one I had to change it up for but that bass is already a bit dark and tubby with the Dunlop flats on it. I like how there is a wide sweet spot with this pedal. It doesn't really overdrive until about the last 30% of the Drive setting which allows for dialing it in and getting more subtlety. This is my 3rd pedal where I was trying to get this sound, the other two were the Sans Amp DI V2, and the Audio Source Aftershock - both really great pedals but this is the one that worked best for what I wanted.
You can dial it a bit clearer, crisper, and sounds a bit more open and detailled than other pedals - yet tuby and dark etc. I have the body around 10, bit lesser - as I have flats on my Pino and play it straight into my SVT3 pro. Throws enough low-end. And yeah, subtlety - that is. Works perfectly for what I want.
Sounds good despite no crossover or clean blend?
I found it true that it’s best to keep the low end relatively clean, drive on the high end, if you don’t want that Cream Jack Bruce bass fuzz sound. I had better luck therefore with the Darkglass Vintage or the YYZ. Bi-amp solution in a box. Vs. the One Control Blackberry which has no clean blend. The Blackberry has the bass boost pre gain while this Beta-V has it post gain, so maybe that helps keep your low end less fuzzy when bumping it up.
I found it true that it’s best to keep the low end relatively clean, drive on the high end, if you don’t want that Cream Jack Bruce bass fuzz sound. I had better luck therefore with the Darkglass Vintage or the YYZ. Bi-amp solution in a box. Vs. the One Control Blackberry which has no clean blend. The Blackberry has the bass boost pre gain while this Beta-V has it post gain, so maybe that helps keep your low end less fuzzy when bumping it up.
Thanks for the explanation.
Would it be possible to post graph(s) so we can see (and better understand) what the LPF control is doing in each of the three positions of the switch? There seems to be a lot of confusion related to the LPF...
Thank you.
It sounds to me like from descriptions,
Position one the LPF acts as a normal LPF rolling off the tone (treble), hence the “mid bump.” Just a passive tone knob like on your p bass etc.
Position 2 it somehow scoops the mids while also rolling off the tone. Seems strange, wouldn’t that leave just the bass?
Position 0 it just gets bypassed which coincidentally increases volume.
Position one the LPF acts as a normal LPF rolling off the tone (treble), hence the “mid bump.” Just a passive tone knob like on your p bass etc.
Position 2 it somehow scoops the mids while also rolling off the tone. Seems strange, wouldn’t that leave just the bass?
Position 0 it just gets bypassed which coincidentally increases volume.
I like the Beta-V sound and it's easily one of the best bass preamps I've tried. The LPF is strange, but somewhat useful. It would be nice to see a graph of what it is actually doing.
My only gripe is the OD is too "fizzy" to match what I can get out of other pedals/all tube amps. In a mix, probably just fine and might be hard to tell.
I'd rate a couple above this and a few excellent ones below, most highly popoular others I have not gotten along with...these are all very good:
1. Orgin Bassrig (SV) [I didn't like the blackpanel as much, depends on what you like]
2. Ampeg SGT DI
3. Beta V
4. DSM Humboldt Bass Simplifier
5. Sushibox UA (though hard to dial in my mids)
6. LeBass
4 and 6 have real effects loops, which can be required in certain situations.
Lots I don't like (Ampeg SCR, tech21 flyrig, ...)
My only gripe is the OD is too "fizzy" to match what I can get out of other pedals/all tube amps. In a mix, probably just fine and might be hard to tell.
I'd rate a couple above this and a few excellent ones below, most highly popoular others I have not gotten along with...these are all very good:
1. Orgin Bassrig (SV) [I didn't like the blackpanel as much, depends on what you like]
2. Ampeg SGT DI
3. Beta V
4. DSM Humboldt Bass Simplifier
5. Sushibox UA (though hard to dial in my mids)
6. LeBass
4 and 6 have real effects loops, which can be required in certain situations.
Lots I don't like (Ampeg SCR, tech21 flyrig, ...)
got a chance to spend time with mine and I really like it. it can do some pretty extreme settings which is fun but honestly its happy place is where it's just your bass tone but better. really good subtle always on pedal that seems to really bring out a lot of character.
it's certainly not dark unless you really want it to be because with the lpf off and the presence knob you've got more treble than I can imagine you'd ever need.
it's certainly not dark unless you really want it to be because with the lpf off and the presence knob you've got more treble than I can imagine you'd ever need.
Exactly this. I'm not one who goes for a lot of effects on bass as I said earlier. It basically adds a bit of vibe.
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You describe the Beta V like how I feel the Diamond Bass Compressor works. Tone Enhancement
Hmm decisions decisions for me.
The pedal just arrived and gave it an hour test at home.
Initial impressions:
Pros:
It sounds good, very good. I’ll test it with the band this weekend to see how it sounds there, but I’m very pleased so far with the classy bass grunt it provides.
The EQ knobs are quite great, they add to the highs or lows without changing the overall tone.
The 3 positions EQ switch also ads some versatility. It will be off for now, but it’s nice to have it.
Cons:
The pedal has probably been designed to be always on because when you press the switch there’s a small instant where the signal is interrupted. This is very bad if you want to turn the pedal on and off during a song and I wonder how the other newer SGfx pedals are in this regard.
The LPF knob does nothing with the EQ switch off, and very little in the 1 and 2 positions.
Pro/con:
The pedal always adds a tad of dirt to it, even with the gain turned all the way down. Great if that’s what you are looking for, not so much if you want to play perfectly clean (it would not be the pedal you'd buy anyway, they are pretty clear about what it does).
I also tried it at 18v but there was not much difference.
A suggestion: SGfx could just remove the switch from the pedal. Or even better, use the switch to turn the dirt on and off, or for different gain stages.
Initial impressions:
Pros:
It sounds good, very good. I’ll test it with the band this weekend to see how it sounds there, but I’m very pleased so far with the classy bass grunt it provides.
The EQ knobs are quite great, they add to the highs or lows without changing the overall tone.
The 3 positions EQ switch also ads some versatility. It will be off for now, but it’s nice to have it.
Cons:
The pedal has probably been designed to be always on because when you press the switch there’s a small instant where the signal is interrupted. This is very bad if you want to turn the pedal on and off during a song and I wonder how the other newer SGfx pedals are in this regard.
The LPF knob does nothing with the EQ switch off, and very little in the 1 and 2 positions.
Pro/con:
The pedal always adds a tad of dirt to it, even with the gain turned all the way down. Great if that’s what you are looking for, not so much if you want to play perfectly clean (it would not be the pedal you'd buy anyway, they are pretty clear about what it does).
I also tried it at 18v but there was not much difference.
A suggestion: SGfx could just remove the switch from the pedal. Or even better, use the switch to turn the dirt on and off, or for different gain stages.
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Thanks for sharing your first impressions!
Isn't it what the switch currently does? I am confused a bit...
Isn't it what the switch currently does? I am confused a bit...
Apart from dirt pedal ads its own flavor and EQ. What I mean is that it could be nice to be able to turn the dirt completely off to use it as a clean preamp as well. But I'm not sure if that's even possible.
There is a loud pop when the switch is engaged, which means it's always on or off, but you wouldn't want to switch mid-song.
mine doesn’t pop, but the sound is interrupted for a fraction of a second.
Did you have a high output bass going in? Active, or hot pickups. A passive jazz bass probably would break up less quickly, I’ve found that with another pedal.
