Stacked: Menatone J.A.C into Diamond Pedals Bass Comp

[Snaxster]

You know what sounds good with bass guitars? This does:

Yes, the first version of the Menatone J.A.C is sizzle-bright, as I read it was. However, it is thick and somewhat rude, too. Thus its voice has an interesting sort of scoop. Now that I've had a few Menatone drive pedals for 20 minutes, the J.A.C sounds to me like the work of the same person; someone who specializes in believable and good-sounding analog "amp in a box" pedals.

After many trials, and with three meaningfully different passive bass guitars, I set up the J.A.C's hot sound and tasty compression to

1. respect the attack of staccato fingerstyle bridge pickup playing (that is, with little or no noticeable suck or added attack), and
   
2. firmly, yet sweetly squash slap/pop/strum/pluck, then
3. drive the Diamond Pedals Bass Comp.

The Bass Comp's elegant, open, nummy voice and smooth compression is a perfect interpreter for the J.A.C. Likewise its tilt EQ, which let me compensate for the some of the J.A.C's scoop. Some, but not all.

There is no neutral voice here. For that, I have the Empress Compressor. Rather there is dynamics processing with a natural feel, plus broad brush EQ, and a tiny bit of drive under all.

It is a beautiful sound: thick, punchy, and tough; also sweet and sonorous. It sacrifices some tenderness and nasality, but strikes a good balance overall across playing styles and instrument sounds. The net sound seems a little larger than life. I like it.

Next, the Pig...

 

[Feral Feline]

Soundcloud clip time!

You make me want to run a Cali into the Diamond and vice versy...

 

[Snaxster]

Soundcloud clip time!

Hello, FF. I will look forward to hearing yours when you post it.

You make me want to run a Cali into the Diamond and vice versy...

Good! I would like to read your impressions of playing both setups.

 

[Feral Feline]

I'll have to borrow my guitar-fiend's, uhm friend's, thingymabobby that transmorgrifies sound molecules into bits'n'bites first. I'll see what I can do, but don't expect it before the end of November, if at all.

I still haven't tried my Elements at 18v to post about it in the Dr Scientist's Ward.

Probably could find time if I posted here less...