Switching Double and Electric bass onstage

[NORCurley]

Hi TB

Lately I've started to play both electric and double bass in the same gig (BigBand, Fusion, etc.) and since the two have different output-levels I now change the gain settings on my amp for every time i change instrument.

No more! I need a decent, simple pedal or A/B box witch lets me preset the amount of gain in two separate channels. And it has to have one output! Any recommendations?

Thanks
Kristian

 

[john_g]

Boss LS-2. You can get them cheap and I use it to switch between two basses at gigs, and active bass with high output and a passive bass with much lower output.

 

[Big B.]

Check out the Tone Bone from Radial Engineering. It a souped up A/B box with a gain control and an eq for the second channel. This lets you use it as an A/B box between two basses or for two different sounds with one instrument. A little pricey but a very cool unit for a doubler. Another great option is a two channel amp with seperate EQ's for each channel.

 

[cheapbasslovin]

Sansamp Bassdriver deluxe or VTbass Deluxe.

 

[RickenBoogie]

+1 for the BassBone.

 

[JimmyM]

Sansamp Bassdriver deluxe of VTbass Deluxe.

or vt deluxe itself. that's what i use.

but anything like the bassbone or the ebs microbass (used to use one of them) where you have a separate eq for at least one channel will work.

 

[WaldoNova]

I just started a similar thread http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=715968
I am thinking about getting a Radial Bigshot i/o based on some of the feedback I got. Check out the thread there are a few links which may help find what will work best for you.

 

[bigchiefbc]

. . . . or you could just get a Boss LS-2

 

[gillento]

A new product aimed exactly at your needs is going to be released on the next NAMM show: the Basswitch.

It will be built by switching guru Lehle and RMI.
The eq sounds exceptionally clean, it features a great DI, 2 channles, 2 loops (one of them blendable & switchable), mute but most of all for your needs: switchable 10 Mohm input!!!!

Link Removed

 

[Jacques]

For those who are interested:

The Basswitch IQ DI has landed in the US and is now available at Dan Lenard's Luthiers Access Group.

Regards

Jacques

 

[moles]

+1 for an LS-2 if you want simple/cheap.
+1 for a Radial if you want/need a little more functionality (DI, phase, notch filter, 10Mohm impedance, etc.) but I'd go for the PZ-pre rather than the Bassbone. They're roughly the same price anyway, and you get more appropriate tools for the DB with the PZ-Pre.

I'd make sure I tried out any SansAmp stuff with the DB before going that route. Some people like it, but I hated what the BDDI did for my DB sound.

 

[TomB]

I do the same thing and use a Morley A/B switch. I like that it switches silently, has an LED so you know which channel is active at a glance, and it can be reversed to run 1 signal into 2 out if desired. I use a separate preamp (L.R.Baggs) for my upright ahead of the switch so I don't need the switch itself to have EQ (nice feature though!). I set my amp EQ for the electric and then adjust the Baggs to fine tune and balance the URB input with it. ...works like a charm!

 

[BassmanSBK]

I do the same thing and use a Morley A/B switch. I like that it switches silently, has an LED so you know which channel is active at a glance, and it can be reversed to run 1 signal into 2 out if desired. I use a separate preamp (L.R.Baggs) for my upright ahead of the switch so I don't need the switch itself to have EQ (nice feature though!). I set my amp EQ for the electric and then adjust the Baggs to fine tune and balance the URB input with it. ...works like a charm!

I do this too, except I use a Fishman preamp between the URB and the switch. Works great.

 

[geeyza]

I use a boss LS2, sansamp paradriver (for upright) in the loop A, fishman pro platinum (for electric bass) in the loop B,and LS2 out goes to my Acoustic Image SA power amp.At the begining of the chain.I have a morley A/B switch (or sometimes I use the 2nd LS2) so I can switch between the upright and electric .That way I have 2 DIs going to the desk,and soundman tailors them differently on 2 seperate channels.
Paradriver works great with my revolution soloII pick up.And fishman is great with my fender jazz,it has a good one knob compressor too.

 

[Jaromir]

Can you please explain to a simple old analog brain how to use the Boss Line Selector for switching between two basses? I can see it only has one input...
Thanks a lot!

 

[Phagor]

how to use the Boss Line Selector for switching between two basses

You can just plug each bass into one of the two Return sockets, then use the knobs to set the level of each one. Put the Mode switch to A->B->Bypass. Then, when you press the footswitch, you get first bass A, then B, then mute.

You get mute because there's nothing plugged into the input socket. You normally use the Send sockets to put the signal through some other effects, then back into the Return sockets, but you don't have to if you are using the LS-2 like a mixer.

You can actually combine three basses this way if you use the Input socket too, although you can't set the level of the third one.

 

[Jaromir]

Wow, that sounds great, thanks a lot for your explanation!
Jaromir

 

[FretNoMore]

Boss LS-2. Or, if your amp has two inputs and you only need to match the levels, you could get a small preamp for your double bass. I use a K&K Pure Preamp which has adjustable volume and EQ, and it's also great for the upright pickup that likes a higher input impedance.

 

[tastychoice]

+1 for Bass bone and other radial products. I've had one for years, sounds great and very flexible.

 

[gillento]

The Bassbone eq is definitely not flexible and has some "strange" eq points.
After two years of ongoing use, I am still recommending the RMI/LEhle BAsswitch.
It has a great EQ, two channels, a fabulous DI AND most important the switchable 10 Ohms input!