Please don't attack me! I'm new here!

[needmoney]

Okay, so I need some help from you mad effects gurus!

I'm about to venture into the world of single effects. I used to own a VF-1 but got over the confusing factor, and got sick of messing around with patches and hoo-hah! So I'm wanting to put together a small pedalboard with the main effects I used in the VF-1.

So, what would be some great pedals for the following options.

Envelope Filter- Has to be funky as hell. I dig the tone of the Bassballs but I'm guessing there's better options.

Octaver - Great tracking, able to do chords, no POG suggestions please (too expensive).

Fuzz - Not over the top, I don't care for distortion and such, just want a nice Fuzz that could be paired with the Envelope Filter for some cool tones.

Manual Wah - I used to own a 105Q but you could always hear the transition between coming up to having it off. Quite annoying. Something similar in tone though cause it sounded good.

Looper - I dunno what the heck these things do but everyone seems to have them!

And I think I'm pretty set on adding a WH-4 Whammy, and probably power it off Onespot. Don't want to spend more on a Brick, PP or Fuel-Tank.

So tell me what you recommend! If you can maybe post a list of a whole setup you might recommend, but individually is cool too. And PLEASE don't tell me to use the search function.

Thanks!

 

[CypherA9]

Hi Mate,

Am pretty new with effects myself but i got the DOD Envelope Filter and it sounds alright but the volume cuts quite a bit when you switch it on, pretty disapointed by that cos it sounds real funky, have had a few bad experiences with behringer stuff aswell so watch out for that, soz i cant be of more help :scowl:

Good Luck

 

[needmoney]

Hi Mate,

Am pretty new with effects myself but i got the DOD Envelope Filter and it sounds alright but the volume cuts quite a bit when you switch it on, pretty disapointed by that cos it sounds real funky, have had a few bad experiences with behringer stuff aswell so watch out for that, soz i cant be of more help :scowl:

Good Luck

Yeap, no Behringer for me! Noted on the DOD! Thanks!

 

[Toasted]

Hi, no need to be scared. We're lovely in the FX forum

 

[needmoney]

Hi, no need to be scared. We're lovely in the FX forum

Can't wait to be apart of it! I know you must have some suggestions Sir Toasted I read somewhere you stated the Fox Rox Octron was pretty much the best Octave pedal, still stand by this?

 

[grygrx]

Envelope Filter- Has to be funky as hell. I dig the tone of the Bassballs but I'm guessing there's better options.

Not one of my strong areas, but hey it's a world of opinion anyway. If you dig the bassballs, there is nothing wrong with that. They all have a different flavor to them, and you like what you like. For really greasy, I'd suggest looking into: Maxon AF-9,EHX Dr. Q, EMMA Discombulator (or if you wanna go big bucks... check out the Lovetone Meatball).

Octaver - Great tracking, able to do chords, no POG suggestions please (too expensive).

I've used a handful of Octavers, but the POG is the only one I used that was both great tracking and polyphonic. Perhaps do some research on the Digitech Bass Synth Wah, I've heard lots of talk about that in it's octive mode is nice (and cheap!). The boss oc-3 also have a polyphonic mode I believe (but again, Ive not used it).

Fuzz - Not over the top, I don't care for distortion and such, just want a nice Fuzz that could be paired with the Envelope Filter for some cool tones.

Ahh fuzz. This I know. A great smooth fuzz that retains lowend well is the Frantone Lowtone. If you want cheaper the Big Muff (or Little Big Muff) is great, but it's definately a little more wild.

Manual Wah - I used to own a 105Q but you could always hear the transition between coming up to having it off. Quite annoying. Something similar in tone though cause it sounded good.

Nothing to offer here at all.

Looper - I dunno what the heck these things do but everyone seems to have them!

I just recently purchased an Boss RC20XL after some research (and a decent deal here in the forums). Footprint, Memory, Layout and Features come into play here bigtime. I would look into this more before diving in.

 

[grygrx]

Can't wait to be apart of it! I know you must have some suggestions Sir Toasted I read somewhere you stated the Fox Rox Octron was pretty much the best Octave pedal, still stand by this?

It doesn't do chords.

 

[needmoney]

Thanks for your input.

Regarding the looper, I actually meant one of those little true bypass (I think) boxes.

In regards to the Octaver and chords, I actually meant being able to track say 3-note chords played in the upper register or something.

 

[johnvice]

These are all my favorites;

Envelope Filter-
I have an Akai SB-1 Deep Impact which I love but not made any more. I was using an The EBS BassIQ which I liked.

Octaver - I had a Boss OC-2 that I loved. However, it was not polyphonic. The newer Boss OC-3 is polyphonic but I have never used it.

Fuzz - My favorite is a Russian Big Muff even though mine was defective. I 'upgraded' to an American Big Muff but it didn't have the boomy bass of the Russian one.

Looper - I dunno what the heck these things do but everyone seems to have them!

I borrowed from a local music store a Boomerang and a Boss RC-20XL. The RC-20 was cheaper and easier to use.

 

[tommyr01]

Fuzz:

I love using my Russian Big Muff, true bypass, volume dial, and you can dial in the amount of fuzz.

Envelope:

I am currently trying to decide between a EHX bassballs and a micro q-tron. like them both. Both are true bypass, but sound different.....

Wah:
I got rid of my 105Q, and now use the MXR 188 Auto Q wah. It's a pretty versatile box, true bypass. volume and lots of settings

Octave:

I have been doing research on these and I am leaning towards the Ampeg SCP-OCT. Get a hold of Spankypants, he has quite a few posts about it and loves it.

Link Removed

 

[Adam Barkley]

Octaver - Great tracking, able to do chords, no POG suggestions please (too expensive).

Fuzz - Not over the top, I don't care for distortion and such, just want a nice Fuzz that could be paired with the Envelope Filter for some cool tones.

I love how two major points in this post was ignored.

1. The Pog is too expensive for his budget, and what gets recommended, a even more expensive synth multieffect (Deep Impact).
2. He wanted a fuzz that wasn't over the top, and what gets recommended twice, an extremely over the top fuzz.

Now that that is over my suggestions:

Envelope: It is hard to have a EF suggestion, because that is a really personal thing. If you like the Bassballs, use it and be happy. If you still want a suggestion in your price range, I'd look at the Qtron line. The only fault I found with it was that it had a volume boost that I didn't care for. Hard to achieve unity gain and a tone that I liked.

Octaver: In your price range, I'd snag a BSW. It's the best the octaver in the 100 dollar price range. Unfortunately, I can't remember if it will track chords. I'm sure Digitech could answer that though.

Fuzz: I'll echo whoever said Frantone Lotone. New it would be out of your price range, but I've bought two different units at the about 100 dollar price range. The sound is very subtle, so much so that I sold it. I think it would do what you are looking for.

Wah: Again a very personal thing. Some love the Dunlop and some love the Morley. I don't care for either. One question, was your last wah switchless?

Looper: After you have your setup, if you feel your signal is compromised, get one. If not don't worry about it.

Whammy: I couldn't help you there, I've never understood why people use that effect on bass. Also, I wasn't aware that a One Spot would power a Whammy. That would be news to me.

Peace,
Adam

 

[Max Roberts]

Regarding the looper, I actually meant one of those little true bypass (I think) boxes.

You won't really need a true bypass looper unless one of the pedals you decide to buy, sucks the tone of your bass away, but, a Barge concepts VFB-2 would be cool to use as a clean blend with a fuzz or Envelope Filter.

 

[Swimming Bird]

I'm sort of confused about your not wanting an over-the-top fuzz... What fuzz isn't over the top? Do you have any examples of players who have the fuzz tone you like?

For envelope filters, I really like the Ibanez AW7 Autowah. It's very versatile, can be super funky plus it has built-in distortion (which can be put before or after the envelope). It also has the best decay/sustain of any envelope filter I've ever heard.

The cheapest good polyphonic octaver you're going to get is the Boss OC-3. The tracking is good and it has a lot of other features.

I saw that the Digitech Bass Synth Wah was suggested... It is by far my least favorite pedal out of any I have ever played. The octaver, while well tracking, makes an annoying high pitched squak every note that's played. I had bought it as an envelope filter, but that's weak sauce too unless you run a bass goosed EQ before it.

For wah, well, I use a 105q and have the same complaint you did. My solution was just to stomp on it when I wanted to use it, so I'd at least get a very effected tone on purpose.

 

[EricF]

My suggestions for a few things on your list...

Envelope filter:
Emma Discumbobulator - Great quality effect with a very natural (un-synthy) sound, some find it too subtle. If you like the Bassballs, that's as good a reason as any to stick with it. (TB'er markjazzbassist seems to be the filter guru around these parts. Hopefully he'll chime in.)

Octaver: The Digitech BSW is one of the best tracking octavers for single notes (and can add synthy filter effects), but doesn't do double-stops or chords very well. The "squak" mentioned by swimming bird can be turned off by proper adjustment of the knobs. The only non-POG pedals that have a reputation for being able to handle multiple notes is the EBS OctaBass and the Boss OC-3

Fuzz:
I'm not sure how you get fuzz without distortion - fuzz is, by definition, distortion. If you are looking for a smooth fuzz sound, try looking at the EHX Little Big Muff. I spent a lot of time (and $$$) looking for the fuzz that made me smile, and was pleaasantly surprised to find it in the low-cost LBM. The Frantone Lo-tone did nothing for me. The tone was so dark it lost all note definition.

Looper: All your true-bypass loop needs can probably be met by www.loop-master.com. A have all my effects in a single loop. In case of an effects problem in the middle of a song, I have an immeidate escape that lets me keep playing.

Happy hunting!!

 

[JanusZarate]

Envelope Filter- Has to be funky as hell. I dig the tone of the Bassballs but I'm guessing there's better options.

My personal favorites are the EHX Micro Q-Tron, EHX Nano Bassballs, and EBS BassIQ. Check those out if you can, as envelope filters are like distortion pedals - lots of choices, lots of sounds! Link Removed has samples for the BassIQ, and www.ehx.com has samples of of the other Q-Tron units and the original Bassballs.

Octaver - Great tracking, able to do chords, no POG suggestions please (too expensive).

Chords seem to be best handled by the EBS Octabass and the Boss OC-3. I've used the OC-3 before, and it works nicely for chords. I haven't used the Octabass, but the soundclips I've heard sound great too.

Fuzz - Not over the top, I don't care for distortion and such, just want a nice Fuzz that could be paired with the Envelope Filter for some cool tones.

While fuzz is technically over-the-top, I think I know what you're looking for - a mild warm fuzz tone with great bass response. A Little Big Muff or NYC Big Muff (the regular one) will work perfectly for you, I believe.

Manual Wah - I used to own a 105Q but you could always hear the transition between coming up to having it off. Quite annoying. Something similar in tone though cause it sounded good.

Hmm... I'm not sure what to suggest. The 105Q is supposed to have a way of adjusting that delay/transition time through tweaking a pot inside... maybe that was the issue with your old one?

Looper - I dunno what the heck these things do but everyone seems to have them!

If you want to be able to blend your clean tone with your effect tone (similar to running two rigs - one clean, one with effects), definitely go for a Barge Concepts VFB-2 (Link Removed. If you just need true-bypass loops, I'd check out www.loop-master.com or Link Removed for some great options.

True-bypass loops are great for keeping pedals out of the chain that mess with your clean tone, and they also allow you to bring in an array of effects simultaneously (useful if you want to use combinations of effects without doing the "pedal dance" ).

And I think I'm pretty set on adding a WH-4 Whammy, and probably power it off Onespot. Don't want to spend more on a Brick, PP or Fuel-Tank.

The Whammy doesn't power off of a One Spot - it uses its own adapter, if I recall correctly (9VAC as opposed to DC, I think). None of those power supplies could power it (unless you use the PP's courtesy AC outlet for the Whammy's wall-wart), and the only one that could power a Whammy (the Pedal Power AC) couldn't power your other effects. :/

So yeah, just stick to a simple power strip, and plug your One Spot and Whammy wall wart into it.

 

[SpankyPants]

Okay, so I'll throw out a couple of suggestions, too. These are things I dig, and I think it'd do you some good to check them out. ;-D

Envelope Filter: I love the extra juicy sounds of the Agent 00 Funk MK II by Chunk Systems. The Bassballs is much more vocal, but just as funky IMHO. I still like the Bassballs, though. Go listen to some 00Funk samples at [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Octaver: I've found that the Ampeg SCP-OCT has fantastic tracking. Clips are on Musician's Friend. You can find this pedal brand new for $119. I can definitely pull off double stops with this pedal. It has a killer sound IMO. Check it out ;-D (Digitech BSW is also great on the cheap. It can't track double stops, but it's definitely worth the money.)

Fuzz: Fuzz IME is a very personal effect. I may not be able to show you exactly what you're looking for, but I can suggest a few things that I like. You'll have to research them a bit, but that shouldn't be too hard.

I dig what I've heard from the Crowther Hotcake, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff (may be too much fuzz for ya). Look into the Chunk Systems' Brown Dog fuzz if you really want to combine it with an envelope for some drippy, funky sounds.The Frantone Lo-Tone is a fantastic sounding fuzz, too. Nice and deep. Recently I've been GASsing for a Subdecay Flying Tomato fuzz too.

Just throwing those out there.

Good luck finding your sound! ;-D

 

[four2oh]

Loopers:
i highly recommend the Xotic X-Blender as a nice single fx looper w/ dry/wet blending, and a crossover on the signal sent to the loop. it's great for having the fx in the loop only affect the mid/high tones while leaving your bottom end nice and clean.

now when it comes to the other "Loopers" aka Phrase Samplers, i recommend the Boomerang for those who like to sample/loop live. otherwise the digitech and boss units are decent and have memory storage.

 

[Mudfuzz]

Envelope Filter- Has to be funky as hell. I dig the tone of the Bassballs but I'm guessing there's better options.

I think the bassballs a very cool pedal, and there are 2 trim pots inside of it so you can fine-tune it more to your thang, I also like the DOD FX 25 very rubbery.

Octaver - Great tracking, able to do chords, no POG suggestions please (too expensive).

I have a Boss OC-3 and it does do poly and tracks pretty good but it has that digital edge to it in some settings and the dist mod is as un musical of a dist as I've ever heard. I'm still looking for a good octave so I'm wont make any suggestions.

Fuzz - Not over the top, I don't care for distortion and such, just want a nice Fuzz that could be paired with the Envelope Filter for some cool tones.

The cool thing about FUZZ is most of them have a control to turn up or down as much dist/fuzz as needed. These things are very personal as Spanky said, and what I like you might hate: Fuzz A might sound great but not with Bass B and AMP C, dig. You really need to play through a few [or as many as you can] to find your sound that you are looking for.

Manual Wah - I used to own a 105Q but you could always hear the transition between coming up to having it off. Quite annoying. Something similar in tone though cause it sounded good.

I like and use the 105Q, and I know what you are taking about but I like the way it does that for some odd reason. Maybe try a Morley or a Weeping Demon.

Looper - I dunno what the heck these things do but everyone seems to have them!

If you want to hear a bit of your clean sound mixed with your FX at times, add FXs to your clean sound without a second amp these things are very useful I have a Link Removed and I like it a lot: the price seams to have gone up $10 since I got mine, Oh well.

PLEASE don't tell me to use the search function.

You should use the search function

 

[SpankyPants]

You should use the search function

Oh that one made me smile big ;-D

 

[Swimming Bird]

Octaver: The Digitech BSW is one of the best tracking octavers for single notes (and can add synthy filter effects), but doesn't do double-stops or chords very well. The "squak" mentioned by swimming bird can be turned off by proper adjustment of the knobs.

Nope. The squak on mine is ever-present, no matter how much knobbery I engage in.