4 new pedals and a pedalboard! No, not all at once. I've been putting this board together for a few months now and it's finally complete (for now, obviously).
The Ibanez CS9 came first. While I find there is some noise since it's an old analog pedal, the actual chorus effect is remarkable and I have yet to find another chorus that sounds quite like it. I had the CSMINI for a couple years and while I love the sound of that pedal (the mini is darker and slightly more mid-forward), I found the footprint to be too small for my size 13-14 feet. The CS9 has a bright shimmer and it's easy to set on those dark stages due to the bigger knobs.
Next came the J Rockett Audio Archer Ikon. I don't normally use overdrive but my band does a couple covers that definitely needed some. I heard a bass demo that the guitarist in my band recorded with a Klon KTR and was very impressed by the tone. I found the archer ikon for a reasonable price and decided to try it out just to see how it worked for me. It does cut a considerable amount of lows but I love the tone on bass with the gain cranked. So that's how the next pedal crept in.
The Boss LS-2! You probably already know what this does. I use this to blend in some clean lows with the archer to keep the bottom end in tact.
Then I needed a pedalboard so I picked up a Pedaltrain nano+. Not much to say here other than it does what it does very well.
Given the current quarantine situation, I was getting a little restless and saw a used MXR Phase 100 for sale. This seemed like an appropriate distraction and useful tool to have (yes, precautions were taken and the pedal was disinfected, though my wallet is still a little angry at me). I was initially going to grab a phase 90 but decided to check this pedal out instead. This SLAYS on bass. Of course, I need to try this one out in a band setting to get a true sense of how it works but I love it so far. It's thick and lush but there's also a very beautiful and musical brightness present as well.
Oh, and the setup is powered by a Voodoo Labs x4 with the CS9 currently running on a 9V.
Without further ado, here is the finished board:
The Ibanez CS9 came first. While I find there is some noise since it's an old analog pedal, the actual chorus effect is remarkable and I have yet to find another chorus that sounds quite like it. I had the CSMINI for a couple years and while I love the sound of that pedal (the mini is darker and slightly more mid-forward), I found the footprint to be too small for my size 13-14 feet. The CS9 has a bright shimmer and it's easy to set on those dark stages due to the bigger knobs.
Next came the J Rockett Audio Archer Ikon. I don't normally use overdrive but my band does a couple covers that definitely needed some. I heard a bass demo that the guitarist in my band recorded with a Klon KTR and was very impressed by the tone. I found the archer ikon for a reasonable price and decided to try it out just to see how it worked for me. It does cut a considerable amount of lows but I love the tone on bass with the gain cranked. So that's how the next pedal crept in.
The Boss LS-2! You probably already know what this does. I use this to blend in some clean lows with the archer to keep the bottom end in tact.
Then I needed a pedalboard so I picked up a Pedaltrain nano+. Not much to say here other than it does what it does very well.
Given the current quarantine situation, I was getting a little restless and saw a used MXR Phase 100 for sale. This seemed like an appropriate distraction and useful tool to have (yes, precautions were taken and the pedal was disinfected, though my wallet is still a little angry at me). I was initially going to grab a phase 90 but decided to check this pedal out instead. This SLAYS on bass. Of course, I need to try this one out in a band setting to get a true sense of how it works but I love it so far. It's thick and lush but there's also a very beautiful and musical brightness present as well.
Oh, and the setup is powered by a Voodoo Labs x4 with the CS9 currently running on a 9V.
Without further ado, here is the finished board:
