I feel ya on that, I'm purging heavy in the near future myself.
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Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out
- Thread starter Korladis
- Start date
I feel ya on that, I'm purging heavy in the near future myself.
I've been attempting to purge for months with few bites locally. Debating upgrading my account here for a bit to be able to list stuff, but it's only a few things and that's probably all. After this, I'm very much trying to be more minimalist, or at least happy with what I have, and keep it to low-budget or oddball stuff I don't have covered already. I think I'm about done tone-chasing for most of the tones I want on bass, and the things I'd want in the future I'm sure I'll be less picky about (vibrato, chorus, trem, etc.). For now, I'm happy I haven't added to the collection, and every time I dig up a pedal that I'm attempting to purge, it hasn't magically sounded great again. Let's hope that all continues!
I've been trying to raise the balance of my custom Dunable and have been relatively successful. I have not, however, been as successful at not buying stuff. I had a couple of deals I couldn't walk away from but they set me back a bit. I already have everything I'm currently willing to part with listed and if more than any one piece sells, I will have what I need... if I stop buying stuff.
The Muffies doesn't count. I paid for that a solid year before I ordered the Dunable. The two Dunwich pedals are a different story...
The Muffies doesn't count. I paid for that a solid year before I ordered the Dunable. The two Dunwich pedals are a different story...
As I sneak off to the classifieds...
I purged most of my pedals in the past few years and I find I actually don't love the sound of the stuff I kept as much as I used to (I'd still be fine with just those though). However, tonight I decided to plug my Boss BD-2 in and see how many different tones I could get out of it and if any of them sounded good with my P bass. I found I actually loved it and could get at least 3 or 4 good tones out of it. It's my go to pedal for guitar, especially with a graphic EQ before it, but I didn't even bother with that this time. I was able to get a nice fuzzy tone with the gain cranked up, and really liked the gravely OD/Distortion tones I could get, low end sounded good (I often use the EQ to cut low end on guitar with it). I even used my tone knob to dial it in a bit (unheard of!). I played around with some stoner/doom riffs and some fast picking hardcore/thrashy stuff.
Lots of fun, though I'm sure I could get some tone I like out of pretty much any dirt pedal I have, with some patience and effort. I've been playing guitar more than bass lately, so it was a nice at home feeling to just jam out some riffs on my favorite bass and play with tones.
Lots of fun, though I'm sure I could get some tone I like out of pretty much any dirt pedal I have, with some patience and effort. I've been playing guitar more than bass lately, so it was a nice at home feeling to just jam out some riffs on my favorite bass and play with tones.
Been there. There are a few pedals that I'd certainly snatch up, but even those would have to be in the right price range, and they're more guitar-oriented instead of bass-oriented. Seeing as I'm nowhere near as good a guitarist as I am a bassist, it's much easier for me to ignore guitar stuff! I just don't find myself GASing as hard as I used to, and am overall happy with my bass rig these days. When some of my stuff sells, I may upgrade a pre-amp in my bass, or maybe buy some pickups to swap in a guitar, but those have both been on the itinerary for a few years at this point, so clearly aren't a top priority.
I did have a "large" purchase this year, but I had plenty of cash from previous purging left, so the amount out of pocket was pretty minimal. It was a bass, and that was what finally got me to setup all my guitars and basses in various tunings a few weeks ago. Now that that's done, I've been able to really focus on learning songs since I have a bass and guitar ready to go in most tunings I'd ever need, or at least only a half-step off at most. Makes it quick to get things done.
Yeah, I’m supposed to be off the buying this year but I managed to take an exception for a criminally low-priced Accugroove El Whappo cab from a pawn shop for $200. Someone had to get that thing out of there.
I'm certainly in a similar camp. I've been shifting a little bit on 2 ends. First bit has been more towards stuff on the board being more about functional capability and space efficiency. It doesn't have to sound perfect, long as it's close enough, I'll never notice in a mix. If it sounds good, it is good. Doesn't need to be perfect or the best.
ie I’ve yet to bounce my heavy weapon off the board even though some of the muffs I have I like better in some ways. Why I keep it though? It can get me lower to medium grit w/ amazing clarity, up to real good wooly fuzz tones with a great octave (that standds out when you want) and tone that sits great in a mix. But when you combine em, it just sounds over the top good as well. Of course a bit different than a muff, and on its own covers all the ground I'd need in a gig. Because of that, I don't need half a dozen muffs. Couple would be good enough to cover anything I'd need for recording or messing around.
I'm toying with keeping my tri pie muff and getting a sovtek deluxe to cover the Civil War and Russian ones but purging the rest. I'm hard on the fence with the big box eye see '78. It does sound a lot better and different IMO than the small box one, I have a feeling the CMC version with the mids knob might be able to get close enough.
I've done a ton of messing around with all the muff variations I have and noticed a few things in the mix. Triangles tend to have a different hi-mid or whatever frequency focal point for the tone. It's seems more on the vocal end vs just brightness/presence of other muffs. Even though it seems fairly scooped, it sits/stands out real well in the mix, possibly the best if you're looking to have clear articulation. Reminds me of the difference between running both on a PJ vs just the P pickup. Both sit well in the mix, even though one is comb filtered/scooped, and clarity is solid but with both there is more bright articulation.
Civil war tends to stand real well in the mix despite being darker and realistically is like the P only in the analogy above.
Also for anyone else that hasn't messed with it before, something cool seems to happen on most muffs at about 9 o'clock on the tone knob. Almost like a low mid resonance bump, reminiscent of rolling your tone knob on a bass all the way off. Really cool on the IC muff I have and whatever variant the Warlow is.
Anyway, I've talked too much
The other thing I've been shifting on is if it's not on the board(s) and can be replaced readily without paying an arm and a leg or at a hefty loss, i need to just move it on unless I know I will use/ mess around with it regularly.
Hell, I'm even debating on getting rid of my "first" pedal. Not sure how I feel on that one though and I honestly may never use it again. Works perfect though.
Lastly, I couldn't pass up on this deal, even though I'd rather pick up a Sander's Jag or Wattplower. Plays great, the J pickup actually balances perfect with the P. Without any volume loss too. My first real active bass, and the first one I've actually liked the preamp on to a significant extent. Not that others are bad, but this one seems to do what I'd want, but at the same time sound great with everything set flat. And yes, I did take off the cover. I didn't mind it, and if it was over the P I'd have left it. It is exactly where you'd be plucking/picking if you palm mute.
Tldr; I've resigned myself to just jump on deals like this and mystery boxes for the next few years. Besides picking up a zoia and a simple looper...
ie I’ve yet to bounce my heavy weapon off the board even though some of the muffs I have I like better in some ways. Why I keep it though? It can get me lower to medium grit w/ amazing clarity, up to real good wooly fuzz tones with a great octave (that standds out when you want) and tone that sits great in a mix. But when you combine em, it just sounds over the top good as well. Of course a bit different than a muff, and on its own covers all the ground I'd need in a gig. Because of that, I don't need half a dozen muffs. Couple would be good enough to cover anything I'd need for recording or messing around.
I'm toying with keeping my tri pie muff and getting a sovtek deluxe to cover the Civil War and Russian ones but purging the rest. I'm hard on the fence with the big box eye see '78. It does sound a lot better and different IMO than the small box one, I have a feeling the CMC version with the mids knob might be able to get close enough.
I've done a ton of messing around with all the muff variations I have and noticed a few things in the mix. Triangles tend to have a different hi-mid or whatever frequency focal point for the tone. It's seems more on the vocal end vs just brightness/presence of other muffs. Even though it seems fairly scooped, it sits/stands out real well in the mix, possibly the best if you're looking to have clear articulation. Reminds me of the difference between running both on a PJ vs just the P pickup. Both sit well in the mix, even though one is comb filtered/scooped, and clarity is solid but with both there is more bright articulation.
Civil war tends to stand real well in the mix despite being darker and realistically is like the P only in the analogy above.
Also for anyone else that hasn't messed with it before, something cool seems to happen on most muffs at about 9 o'clock on the tone knob. Almost like a low mid resonance bump, reminiscent of rolling your tone knob on a bass all the way off. Really cool on the IC muff I have and whatever variant the Warlow is.
Anyway, I've talked too much
The other thing I've been shifting on is if it's not on the board(s) and can be replaced readily without paying an arm and a leg or at a hefty loss, i need to just move it on unless I know I will use/ mess around with it regularly.
Hell, I'm even debating on getting rid of my "first" pedal. Not sure how I feel on that one though and I honestly may never use it again. Works perfect though.
Lastly, I couldn't pass up on this deal, even though I'd rather pick up a Sander's Jag or Wattplower. Plays great, the J pickup actually balances perfect with the P. Without any volume loss too. My first real active bass, and the first one I've actually liked the preamp on to a significant extent. Not that others are bad, but this one seems to do what I'd want, but at the same time sound great with everything set flat. And yes, I did take off the cover. I didn't mind it, and if it was over the P I'd have left it. It is exactly where you'd be plucking/picking if you palm mute.
Tldr; I've resigned myself to just jump on deals like this and mystery boxes for the next few years. Besides picking up a zoia and a simple looper...
Oh and I've said eff it to re-reading and editing my writings. Ain't nobody got time for that. My inner ocd loses it each time though.
Edit: on a forum and "informal" settings. I certainly polish my turds in the professional sphere when needed
Edit: on a forum and "informal" settings. I certainly polish my turds in the professional sphere when needed
I got a whole lotta nothin' to add. Hope everybody is doing well and has a great day.
Wait, I lied, check out a band called "Samasara Trip". I listened to their debut EP, and it goes from cool atmospharic to solid heavy riffing. I'm giving it 2 thumbs up.
The musical sentiment I live by, truly. Can't tell you the number of people on forums in the past who have told me that whatever amp/cab/pedal I was using "won't work for gigging" that I gigged with and had people asking how I got my tone. Uhh, I had this stuff, I turned knobs until it sounded good. Can't teach good taste
I'm listening to the EP now, I like the vibe
Clearly that gear is broken.
I think you're in the CMC thread too, but he's apparently closed up shop temporarily. At least I hope it's temporarily - there were a few pedals I was hoping to check out at some point in the future. His shop mentioned 1-2 months. While reading your post, I was actually going to suggest getting the CMC Civil War and one of his Russians (depending on your preferences) and they'd probably be cheaper AND give you two different Muff tones at the push of a button. I'm still impressed at his Bubble Font - it keeps up with my Priestess incredibly well, with the only significant difference being the Priestess's lows sound a bit more natural and aggressive.
I'm kind of in the opposite boat about gear - I find myself keeping the cheaper stuff and passing on most other gear. Though I am having a hard time doing that with the Pharaoh Supreme. I've got two of them, and they're always in my top few Muffs, but not quite there. I think maybe I need to boost them... Anyway, if I can get a decent amount for something, and I'm not using it, there's a good chance it's going on the chopping block lately. Most of my pedals these days are either affordable clones, readily-available mass-produced boxes, or older mass-produced boxes that most people didn't keep. Pretty much the only exceptions are my Priestess Fuzz, the MBD-2, my GK Rails pedal, and (when I need it) my Heavier Metal HM-2. Other than those, almost everything is old DOD/Digitech, current MXR/Dunlop, or a clone of something.
Shhh, don't tell the "All Knobs At Noon" kvltists
Hehe, I know I've mentioned this before. I was once using a NYC Big Muff on a recording. The engineer and the producer weren't happy with the sound I was getting, so they came out to adjust the knobs. They decided that it sounded best with everything set to the max. They were right.
One of my favorite pedals.
Not to be a contrarian, but generally I don't sell anything. Way back in the day, I did pawn some stuff, but I've always kind of regretted it. Other than that, I've traded some stuff away, given some other stuff away when I thought someone needed it, and have sometimes bought stuff back that I had traded away in the past.
But yeah, I'm a collector of stuff. Anything I've bought, I've used on at least one recording. I could sell or trade it away, but unless I see someone with a need that's not going to fulfilled unless I give it to them, I keep it just in case I want to use it again.
I can respect that. My problem would be space if I kept everything! I've recently been debating getting another DOD 250 or derivative, as it's one of the few "classic" circuits that I don't have right now. Anybody have any specific versions/clones/derivatives of that that they have any preference for? I was thinking the Quantum Mystic, but that's just because I know BAT does quality work. And I know there's nothing wrong with the recent re-issue, as I've had a few of those, but that's just it - I had them. They never quite worked just how I wanted.
I've mentioned this in another thread recently about gear collections, but I've oscillated between being focused on the activity and collecting aspects of playing music (and other hobbies/interests too, like woodworking, arts and crafts, cooking and baking, etc.) over the decades. I think a lot of people divide up activity and collecting as mutually exclusive, diametrically opposed mindsets within interests and I don't think that's true. There's plenty of hobbies that are by nature collecting focused and can contain an activity aspect that some people really enjoy, like the buy/sell/trade market, grading, cleaning and restoring things, or even just sorting. There's plenty of hobbies that are ostensibly about doing an activity, an many people gravitate towards collecting the tools associated with it, sometimes based purely on rarity or personal aesthetic affinity, and not on how useful they are to actually using them. I see this with friends who have zero experience with music, a friend of mine got into vintage drafting tool collection from a very specific artistic interest and also does things like swatch paints she buys samples of and enjoys just doing that on its own.
My own minimalism is based mostly in pragmatism and not ideology. Right now I'm not in any bands, not gigging, not even doing solo recording, I'm just playing for my own amusement. Where I am financially and in phase of life makes collecting impractical. I'm currently cleaning and organizing my entire house, getting rid of things I never use, consolidating and distilling things down to essentials, because I plan to move cities and into a smaller place this year. There is a part of my brain that does enjoy collecting and wants pretty things and things that excite my brain, I'm not a minimalist aesthetically. Still, I'm also just at a certain era of my life where I'm very into activities and my collections usually either reflect the essential tools I need for them, or the fruits of those activities. My main bass is a product of that, I made the body and assembled all the parts, and ended up liking it and using it more than the very nice looking and feeling custom bass I paid good money for at the time. Lately I like to make pendants and it's a fun activity, but if I don't actually like the pendant I made as an accessory, I give it away or throw it away, because it's not worth much materially and I got my enjoyment out of making it, not having it. Some I really like and wear frequently.
It bugs me when people on this site and elsewhere talk down collecting or minimalism, either can be a source of enjoyment for people and not bad on their own merits. Of course people can make ANYTHING terrible, judgmental, and harmful, some people just have a knack for that.
Great bit. I agree too, it's exactly like someone saying your favorite ice cream flavor is the worst. It's ice cream, I think it's pretty universal that all of it is good, and we all have our subjective reasons we like one more than another, "but that's like your opinion man."
Of the 250's I've tried, the anniversary one and the gremlin machine shop one have been my favs. I think its called the deathstalker: scorpion now. Both have a setting that allowed a lot more low end through. The no clipping on anniversary and the "Bass boost" iirc on the gremlin. I dig the no nonsense volume and gain of the circuit and it is probably my favorite all around od/dist.
I'm racking my brain, as I know I've tried more. I have a reissue that's great, though best w/ a clean blend depending on preferred settings and amount of low end desired. I had an EQD Grey Channel, sounded awesome, was my preferred 250, but I wanted to have more than just 2 flavors of 250 on the board. Which led to the gremlin. The EQD had better low end iirc. I've been meaning to see if RCO would want to make a clone of it, i found a cool silk screen/decal image mimicking the traditional DOD art for one and thought that'd be cool.
EQD Gary has been on my radar to try as well. Sounds way cool!
@scabpicker totally get you. To be honest, I know I'll be in the same boat in the future. That's probably why I still have more than I fit on the board. Right now unfortunately I've been pushing on myself to kinda operate in a closed loop on the financing end for gear. That's mostly what's driven the moving of pedals.
The other bit to some extent, and really was a driver for pedals I really liked, knew I would use for a recording or something somewhere but sat, was almost a "they deserve to be played" bit. Or similar space. Idk, but a decent bit of pedals I have/had are/were rare and almost of the collector end, but essentially begged to be played with how cool they were. The mystery boxes for sure are a great exqmple. I regret selling a lot of em in some regards, but I'd rather them get used than collecting dust and getting used only rare times just because I have other stuff.
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