• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Pedals about which I disagree with the norm

#81
johnk_10 said:
funny. I still have both of those units from the late 80's but I haven't used them in ages.
Click to expand...

I bought and sold two Midiverbs in the late 80s myself. I'm in my mid-40s, and I just started playing in a Shoegaze band with a kid in his mid-20s. When I answered his ad on Craig's List and he sent me his demos, I was totally blown away by his guitar sound. His gear? An inexpensive Tele copy, three Boss pedals (a good ol' DS-1, an RV-5 and a DD-3), a Freeze pedal and the Midiverb run in stereo into two Roland JC120s. It just goes to show you that:

A) You don't need the newest, most-high end boutique gear to create a phenomenal sound, and

B) Everything old eventually becomes new again.

;)
 
#84
I liked the Darkglass stuff, I just liked the 3Leaf stuff better so I stick with that. And I love the Compressore. It's huge, but I'll sacrifice the space for it. My old tube amp doesn't have any use for the compressore at all as it's sound is already there, but I use my solid state most of the time anyway.

There were a great number of pedals I've sold for one reason or another. I sold the Dr Scientist Elements, not because it sounded bad (you could actually cop just about any overdrive sound on the planet with it), but there's just so many dang controls that drastically alter the tone from one setting to the next, and if you tinker with it too much, you might forget what settings you had it on that you liked.

I sold the Darkglass stuff, again largely because of the 3Leaf You're Doom, but also because I got a lot of hiss from the B3K, and the VMT sounded flat to me. That 3Leaf really caused me to sell several fuzzes and overdrives. That and the Bass Bloom are really the only ones I use anymore. I sold the WMD Geiger counter because I just couldn't control the dang thing. I seriously felt like a 5-year old trying to walk a pit bull.

On filters, I sold my Wonderlove because I just preferred the groove regulator.
 
#85
Just a soapbox rant while im here

Mega-versatile pedals and knob tweaker s should all have some kind of preset/channel function.. i HATE having 200$ pedal that i use 1 sound on because I'm afraid to lose my settings, or because i have to turn 4 knobs to get to the next sound i like


I LOVE versatile pedals and too many knobs, i just hate having to choose how badly i want to use everything the circuit has to offer.
This is tenfold for pedals with really sensitive knob sweep ranges
 
#87
I'll echo the past two posts.

I loved my EHX bass micro synth, but I could only use it for one sound in a live setting. I know it's analog and presets are impossible with that pedal, but it just wasn't worth keeping around.
 
#88
While I seem to have accumulated many pedals over the years, the only one I use on a regular basis is a tuner pedal. I can't say I have had any that I outright hated, but I haven't really bought many on the hype they receive either.

In general, I find that I prefer distortion and overdrive on a P-Bass. There's something about that round hollow sound that goes well with some dirt in the right situation. And while I like the idea of a compressor, I never really like the sound of them unless I don't hear the the effect. But then what's the point?
 
#89
eddododo said:
Just a soapbox rant while im here

Mega-versatile pedals and knob tweaker s should all have some kind of preset/channel function.. i HATE having 200$ pedal that i use 1 sound on because I'm afraid to lose my settings, or because i have to turn 4 knobs to get to the next sound i like


I LOVE versatile pedals and too many knobs, i just hate having to choose how badly i want to use everything the circuit has to offer.
This is tenfold for pedals with really sensitive knob sweep ranges
Click to expand...

Which is what's so great about the Source Audio and Line6 pedals.
 
#90
eddododo said:
Just a soapbox rant while im here

Mega-versatile pedals and knob tweaker s should all have some kind of preset/channel function.. i HATE having 200$ pedal that i use 1 sound on because I'm afraid to lose my settings, or because i have to turn 4 knobs to get to the next sound i like


I LOVE versatile pedals and too many knobs, i just hate having to choose how badly i want to use everything the circuit has to offer.
This is tenfold for pedals with really sensitive knob sweep ranges
Click to expand...

That's the one of the reasons because I'm in the multifx stuff more than isolated pedals... I play in three bands and I use three different tones , but I don't want to go around with three diffferent pedalboards.
 
#92
The worst pedal I've purchased after reading much hype is the EBS Billy Sheehan Signature pedal. I've tried and tried and just cannot get anything useful out of it. Maybe you need to run it with an active bass? I dunno. I try, then promptly put it back on the shelf.
 
#93
Adamixoye said:
I'm not even sure what "sounding digital" is supposed to mean anymore. I realize it meant something in the past. But I think it's been proven repeatedly that the very best modern digital meets or exceeds analog, and that people have biases about what digital might sound like (e.g., the "Phaser Shoot-Out" thread).
Click to expand...


Plus the fact that the guys from Source Audio all pretty much come from the Analog market. I think the MultiWave really sounds more Synthy than digital, but that's my opinion. I just got the OFD and they are voiced very differently and I like both. Both are very versatile. Both are very good to my ears.
 
#95
Re: digital vs analog: I like analog. I like twisting knobs. I like pedals that do one or two interesting things rather than 100 so-so things. Having said that, I a keenly aware that almost all recording consoles and many live consoles are all digital.

Re: over-hyped pedals: there is a ton of great stuff out there. by it cheap and flip if it is not your cup or tea, or look for a good return policy.
 
#96
Titania said:
The worst pedal I've purchased after reading much hype is the EBS Billy Sheehan Signature pedal. I've tried and tried and just cannot get anything useful out of it. Maybe you need to run it with an active bass? I dunno. I try, then promptly put it back on the shelf.
Click to expand...

I have a love/hate rellationship with that pedal. It has cool features as the clean signal knob and the loops...but, to my ears, the overdrive itself doesn't have nothing special, and it's expensive.
 
#97
BFunk said:
Re: digital vs analog: I like analog. I like twisting knobs. I like pedals that do one or two interesting things rather than 100 so-so things. Having said that, I a keenly aware that almost all recording consoles and many live consoles are all digital.
Click to expand...

There's no right or wrong way to get the sound you like. If it works for you , stay with it.

I'm more in the multifx side of life because it's easier and works for me. Sometimes because I need to switch sounds very fast , sometimes because I must travel light , sometimes because it's a small venue with a small stage (Zoom MS60B is my choice in this case) ..
 
#98
I am really fond of my Zoom bfx 708 II. I think you can dial some really interesting tones with it, specially for weird sound fx stuff. It also plays nicely with my other pedals. I don't understand why so many people disliked ot back in the day.
Also, i love the mxr blowtorch for its synthy sounds and for how well it combines the my groove regulator.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back