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Nope. 100% analog.
Only tried it briefly without a buffer when I got it just to make sure it worked before I took it to band practice. I use wireless and the All Things Equal on gigs so my line is always buffered. Didn't notice any sort of tone suck happening with it, though. It's a true bypass pedal. I added the buffer just to give a truer representation of the sound by taking the capacitance buildup between the cables and the other pedals out of the equation.
Well I guess that's one way to do itI really liked the scrambler in the BA210, I used it subtly for a dub/reggae tone. It honestly killed. I suppose the treble roll off is a nice feature, but it sure would be nice to incorporate the novel feature I've only ever seen on my Route 66- a bass boost! You can get nasty and it still doesn't lose low end! Your samples sound good, there's still just that little bit of missing oomph in the bottom that I've yet to find on any other pedal than the Route 66. The constant complaint of bass players with distortion is they cut apparent low-end… Yet only one company has ever to my knowledge dealt with adding low-end back in, and it's not even a bass pedal
The Scrambler pedal neither cuts nor adds low end. To my ears, the low end sounds unchanged.Glad you liked my little demos. IMHO, if you like it in the BA-210, you will love it in the dedicated pedal.
EDIT: Here's the online manual if you or anyone else wants to read more about it:
http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/manuals/Pedals/Scrambler_Overdrive_OM.pdf
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- Jan 26, 2014
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- I teach lessons and perform live music in and around San Diego CA. Sometimes I even make money doing it!
To my ears, the distortion of most pedals tips the balance that many bass amps and FOH systems can handle, and like most pedals, the Scrambler got too high-heavy at the heaviest settings you demonstrated. Essentially it sounds like the bottom drops out when the OD kicks in. It's a perceived difference, but what is sound engineering other than manipulating perception anyway. I agree the bottom didn't really drop out in your recordings, but that's not gonna fly with most sound guys. I'll make a demo to try to illustrate the difference my favorite pedal makes.
Assuming the scrambler pedal is the same as on the amps, I'm impressed they made such a wonderful one knob analog OD. It's truly exceptional. All it's missing is a bass boost
And BTW, it would be no slight in my book if it were digital, I assumed it was on the BA 210. Before I found the Route 66, my only OD effect was on my bass pod pro, not only was the effect good to begin with, but since you changed patches to use it anyway, you could EQ more bass in to make switching as smooth as possible.
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So on Thursday, I used the Scrambler with my new instrumental band at a rehearsal. Friday it got an even more serious workout on my oldies band gig...had a 2 hour rehearsal with Brian Hyland, Lala Brooks of The Crystals, Jay Siegel and The Tokens, and Barbara Lewis (one of my very favorite people in the world who, unfortunately, retired due to health reasons after tonight), and two 100 minute shows with them that were supposed to be 90 (never fails) in an 800 seat theater. Used my Hammersmith PJ into a PF-50T and SVT 410he. The purple LED drew a crowd of techs and bandmates who wanted to see it And its performance on the job proved to me that Thursday's rehearsal was no fluke. It got universal love from me, bandmates, sound techs, and Brian, who plays guitar and is also a bit of a gear junkie. And these are people who won't hesitate to tell me if they think I'm screwing the pooch. I especially loved when I fed the MXR Bass Distortion into it. Sometimes OD's can have a bit of a dulling effect on the Bass D, but through the Scrambler, the Bass D actually seemed to intensify, which suits me just fine. So it's now earned a permanent place on my board.
Later today I'm going to give the Classic a workout on my upright bass. Been using an MXR 6-Band EQ with it to balance out tones and volumes, and I've been very happy with it so far. I'm interested to see what happens subbing out the Classic for the 6-Band. I think it should work out equally as well, at least. We'll see what happens.
And its performance on the job proved to me that Thursday's rehearsal was no fluke. It got universal love from me, bandmates, sound techs, and Brian, who plays guitar and is also a bit of a gear junkie. And these are people who won't hesitate to tell me if they think I'm screwing the pooch. I especially loved when I fed the MXR Bass Distortion into it. Sometimes OD's can have a bit of a dulling effect on the Bass D, but through the Scrambler, the Bass D actually seemed to intensify, which suits me just fine. So it's now earned a permanent place on my board.Later today I'm going to give the Classic a workout on my upright bass. Been using an MXR 6-Band EQ with it to balance out tones and volumes, and I've been very happy with it so far. I'm interested to see what happens subbing out the Classic for the 6-Band. I think it should work out equally as well, at least. We'll see what happens.
The most important thing to me and most sound techs I work with when using a dirt pedal is maintaining a consistent bottom end. I'm not interested in kicking on a pedal and having the low end change one way or the other because that low end is how people hear the bass in a mix. Sure, the Scrambler got high heavy on the highest settings...that's what happens when you introduce heavy dirt. But that's fine as long as the bottom end maintains its equilibrium with my clean sound in a mix. And that's what happens on its heaviest settings. But honestly, I doubt I'll ever be operating it at its heaviest settings...that's the MXR Bass Distortion's job. The Scrambler is for the milder side of town in my usage of it. But even if I was looking to make it drive that intensely, no doubt in my mind that it would work in a mix.
It's the same but different. I always have to add low end to use heavier Scrambler settings in my BA amps (I have the BA112 and BA110 v2 myself) and SCR-DI. I don't have to with the dedicated pedal.Assuming the scrambler pedal is the same as on the amps, I'm impressed they made such a wonderful one knob analog OD. It's truly exceptional. All it's missing is a bass boost
BTW, I don't hate digital distortion out of hand. I have a Source Audio Aftershock. It's a good little pedal. I don't like most of its engines, but I like some of them, and I'd like more of them if they didn't cut highs on most of them at such a very low cutoff point (between 2 and 3k for the majority).
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- Jan 26, 2014
- 1,525
- 1,946
- Disclosures
- I teach lessons and perform live music in and around San Diego CA. Sometimes I even make money doing it!
how about if you can get really nasty AND maintain bottom end? I've literally had sound guys applaud when I've kicked this pedal in, you can dial in zero bottom loss... I think I just invented some new marketing mumbo jumbo! I'd like to hear some clean to really dirty switching to see how the Scrambler stacks up. I'll keep in mind the Route 66 does cost almost 2X as much as the scrambler. I've been very impressed with the latest Ampeg gear, the PF 50t is incredible, it's seriously threatening my plan of getting a Neve portico DI, the BA series with scrambler is so good I'm thinking of further cluttering my office with a 10 or 12, they're almost giving them away right now.
passive MIM Jag with flats.
passive MIM Jag with flats.
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They lighter but appear to have the same finish. Velcro is sticking on mine (as well as the SCR-DI) just fine so far, and it's that cheap stuff that comes with Pedaltrains. What can I tell you?
Does sound like a nice pedal in that demo, but as you said, it also costs twice as much almost, and it's big. Well, no one pedal is for everyone, but I think it kicks
D
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I think the velcro I had lying around must have gone past its glue by date... I put another layer of double sided between the velcro and the SCR-DI and it's staying in place.
Here it is in place in fact... the SCR-DI eq is pretty good in its own but in conjunction with the NE-1 parametric I can make most anything sound like a bass stack
Hi, Jimmy,
You posted SOMEWHERE in this thread that you have the BA112 v.2. I know in the past you have praised the BA112 v.1 To your ear, which is the better sounding one, specifically when cranked to distortion. While I realize that the v2 should have the edge with the Scrambler, it seems to me the gain on that series was pretty sweet and I was thinking of running my highs and mids into a 50W 112 and the lows into my B100R. For this application the V1 is MUCH more desirable visually, but your tastes seem to be pretty consistent with mine based on what I've read, so I might try a new one if you say they sound better (and the new one's 75W right? No biggy either way, but might make it a good grab and jam amp).
You know, I never owned a V1 and it has been so long since I've played a V1 that I honestly can't remember. Seems to me they sounded pretty much the same as best as I can recall, but with the disclaimer that it's been years. I do like the sound of the BA112 v2 when you crank it, though I never do on a gig, lest I get the look. I know the BA108 and 110 v2 sound basically the same as the V1's, although I think the V2 versions are cleaner. But I'm just not sure enough about the 112's to tell you for sure. Maybe someone else with more recent knowledge can chime in.
Okay, thanks - I thought I'd seen you praising your 112 before the new ones camp out - guess I was wrong.
Oh, I praised the BA112 v1 many times in the past. But I never owned one and really only played through one at the store a handful of times years ago. But I did like it, and I like my v2, too
I'm waiting for the classic to be in stock at my local music shop. Pretty sure I'm gonna get it especially for the price point. I'm wanting it for a base tone and hoping my b7k and vmt play well through it. Atm I'm using b7k set cleanish and stack the vmt into it and although I really like it this way I feel I'd rather have something else set my base tone and can set b7k for higher gain tool/rage etc. and vmt for...well vintage tones and can still stack b7k/vmt for super high gain type material if needed. From the demos I've heard on the classic (as well as scr di without scrambler engaged ) set flat is almost the bass guitar original tone and can tweak from there is what I like. If it works well it'll be last in my chain so can't use di from b7k anymore which is fine as I'd probably prefer a seperate di box anyways not to mention there's some di box with cabinet SIM built in which is a bonus that sound great with bass guitar. Then again I could get the new cabdryvr from digitech too but that's a whole new discussion lol
- Apr 20, 2009
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Nothing wrong with Digitech stuff! Been using their stuff off and on for decades, too. Not familiar with that pedal much at all, though. And honestly, I'm not as familiar with the Classic as I'd like to be, either. Tried it out on my upright for a gig, but my MXR 6-Band EQ is better at pinpointing the rogue frequency ranges that can mess up the sound of your upright. Have messed with it a little at home, and it sounds a little brighter than I like with the treble knob at noon, but that's easily taken care of. Couldn't tell you if it's flat at noon, but definitely sounds Ampeggy and is very easy to tweak your sound into greatness.
Looking forward to hearing what you think. I'm just a little bit disappointed that I won't be one of a very tiny few people in this world with a Scrambler anymore, but I'm pretty excited for my friends at Ampeg and I truly think most people are going to love it.
