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Radial BassBone, Should i Get it?

J

jmclearnon

Guest
May 23, 2012
410
5
Moira, Northern Ireland
#1
Hello, i have been looking at options for playing 2 or more instruments live. I have some questions.

-How good is the DI out, I have a Radial DI anyways so its not that important. Just wanted to know

-Is the on-board EQ high quality, i like the idea of different EQ for each "channel"

-Is the Charger MASSIVE like some other Radial stuff.

-Can i plug an acoustic instrument such as a cello/DB which uses a XLR into it.... ie with adapter? Does it have phantom power on the instrument inputs or for that situation would i need a phantom box?

I plan on using it for Fretted+Fretless bass just wondering on other stuff i can use with it, as i play cello + bass quite a bit during gigs..

Thanks for your info guys!

Jonny
 
#2
My opinion FWIW: I've been using a Bassbone for a few years and it's a must-have if you do a lot of direct-to-house playing.

- DI quality is excellent and very transparent.

- The EQ is great for fine tuning but it's only 3-band after all. Good for matching levels between instruments and that kind of thing. Boost levels are sufficient to damage a PA if you're not careful. Keep in mind that only one channel runs through the EQ. The other has a couple selectable tone presets but I always run it flat.

- DC adapter with mine is about 2.5" x 2" x 1.5"... nothing crazy.

- Never tried input via XLR but I don't see why you couldn't. Of course a decent adapter would be needed. No phantom power on my unit.

Every feature on the Bassbone's there for a reason and actually gets used. It's always in my bag and I won't go direct without it. Two thumbs way up.
 
#3
I love mine, it's what you would expect from this brand. The eq may only be 3 band but the controls are powerful, wide range of useful sounds. I forget what power supply it uses but it's definitely not going to work with the standard boss supply. I also keep the non eq channel flat, I didn't like the other settings. My favorite part is the tuner out, it will send both channels to the tuner no matter which one is selected so you can use it as a mute. I useit with a p bass and an eub, the eub gets the second channel with eq. I also have used it with one instrument, you can access both channels when one instrument is plugged into input 1. Between that and the boost, you have a lot of tonal versatility for a pedal that is essentially an ab pedal. I strongly recommend this thing.
 
#5
I've been using the Radial Tonebone Bassbone on the casino circuit here in Nevada- California for about 5 years. I simply cannot do any gigs, other than live- amp speakers gigs- without it. Even those, if I need to double, it really is a great tool. Sound guys love it. I do too. I get compliments on my FOH send frequently.

The EQ reminds me of the front end on my Acoustic Image Clarus head.. very uncolored, and natural. almost too much so. The DI is great. Features? All you could ever need. The ONLY negative things- is that the jacks sometimes loosen from handling. I just check them before each use, no problems at all. I ALSO had to purchase a new 15 volt power supply! BUY a spare if you do buy one of these- you wont regret it. I use mine a lot, so the first one didn't like being in my pedal bag so much, and died. Too bad they couldn't have made it a standard 9v.- or 18v.
I also had a problem trying to use the strange effects loop feature. I found a preferred workaround for that, too. The boost is really cool for parts in tunes that you want to stand out- and soloing. A GREAT product!
 
#7
The bassbone is a great piece. Although I sold a few of them... I tend to go back. Built like a brick, good DI and good EQ. One of those I would. The one drawback is the power supply. It's 15 volt and you can only use their proprietary power supply. Depending on where you are could be hard to get. Stores usually don't have them in stock.

That being said, unless you are abusing the cord, you shouldn't have any problems. Small gripes and nothing that stopped me from owning one is the effects loop, which needs a y cable and the power supply. Great for multiple basses. I still use the BigShot IO and a few other radial products. Well made products can't go wrong with the bassbone
 

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