Sent mine back to Sweetwater on Friday, so they should have an open box available soon if anyone is interested. Pedal works fine, just wanted an Octaver and Distortion I could use in it. The rest of it sounds great. I hope they will consider a redesign....the idea is a really good one if they can tweak it, I would consider buying a version 2 if they do...
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wow! I didn't expect so many people to be returning it. You would think as long as it took to come out, they would have made sure it was right. There seems to be a disconnect from what the designers had in mind and what the consumers actually want from this thing. I was intrigued by the idea. Hopefully version 2 will be better. If the octaver and fuzz were analog, I'm sure that would drive the cost up, but from what I'm hearing on here, I think people would be willing to pay more for it if that section performed better.
I beg to differ. There is only a couple of guys claiming that they returned, and this is by-no-means a 'disconnected' product. Mind you. You get a really good comp and chorus in this tiny package. I have an Empress and MXR and an FEA labs comp. I do think I know what a good comp sounds like, and this is good. Not the best, but good. You get an OD sound that is 2nd to none (fine, maybe the darkglass stuff) and once again all in a small tiny package. I guess the world is such. U can get everything right - and 1 thing wrong - and there will be no short of criticism about you.
Even if it's against the filter section, then I would question how did you came up with that judgement. I have put this pedal through 3 nights of live playing, and I would say my opinion (and my settings) have changed about the octafilter section. When I first tried it, I think it sounded like crap (read my previous review). But upon using it these few nights, I find that not only it sounds good, it is extremely versatile.
But let me preface this by stating what I think - in general - about bass tone, in a live setting.
- When playing live, the most important thing is to get a good tone which sits in a mix correctly. That would mean a good bass, good compressor, and for rock songs a good dirty preamp. Those are the utmost important for me, and hence I hardly play any sets without effects. Everything from there (i.e. Envelope filter, octave, fuzz, distortion) is secondary. And from my experience, this is why.
For the 99% where you are not soloing,
1. No one in the audience will be able to tell the quality of the tone you are using. Only if it sucks out the low end.
2. 90% of the audience will not be able to tell if you even have any effects on.
3. 50% chance you are not able to hear the quality of the effect you have on
4. 30% chance, you get a venue that, not even you, can tell if your effects are on.
Hence, where I think how such effects comes into play is for the overtones it adds. E.g. When I am doing a Techno song, and the keyboardist isn't playing a big synth sound, I would fill up the mix with an octave tone such that the overtones from the effect adds to the width of the soundscape. That being said, you don't really need a 1982 Boss OC-2 into 1980 Civil War Muff into 3kg moogfooger LPF just to fill up the mix. There are countless cheap pedals on the market that can do that e.g. Digitech BSW or the zoom stuff -
That being said, this filter section does not pull out any low end and you get an increasing wider and bigger soundscape as you go from only filter to filter+oct to filter+oct+fuzz. That's really all you need for a regular gig. Everyone's review of this product is about how bad it sounds recorded/in the bedroom. But I don't think that's a fair way of judging it. I think that this product is a great tool for the live playing musician. So by no means it is a disconnected product. Let me share my experience.
On Saturday night, we were called to play a cover of 'TCB or TYA' and 'Hysteria' by the audience. The former requires an octave tone throughout the song, and hysteria is well, the hysteria tone. I got away with using only the octave setting for TCB, and the oct+fuzz with a little filter for hysteria. Are those tone exact to the artists? No way. How many audience think so? I would put my head on the line and say NONE. While I love octave pedals, and I dare say, this is by no means a functional octave pedal. But would I rather have a fully functional octave or fuzz pedal in place of the current filter section? If it was just an octave pedal, I would have a lot of fun playing TCB, but kind of screwed for hysteria. And the opposite if it was a dedicated fuzz pedal. That makes it's having fun vs doing my job well. Well.. I'm hard pressed for an answer.
Just to clarify, in no way does any of what I said stand for studio work, be it tracking or composing. No way I will take this pedal into a studio. Not that it doesn't sound good, but the filter section really doesn't (read: when recorded and placed under the scrutiny of the sharpest ears on earth)
P.s. I spoke up against Bassiklee thinking that tech21 does not deserve a negative skewed review. But on the contrary, here I am giving a positively skewed review. So if anyone counts me out as a ignorant fan boy, I accept and yet do see that may I exist only to balance out all the negative reviews.
SGbassist,
thanks for the review. I do agree with you about playing live. I think most folks would be getting this to play live and not necessarily record with. Although the sansamp section would probably do a fine job. I have a BDDI that I have recorded with, and I think it has a really nice sound on recordings. I haven't actually played through the BFR, so I'm just basing my opinion on the reviews and recordings I have seen thus far. The comp does sound great, as does the sans amp, boost, and even the chorus. I even like some of the 80s filtered synthy kind of sounds if you put them in the right context. It just doesn't do what most people think an octaver should do.
I still may end up buying it though. The way I look at it, just a VT Bass DI would cost you $200. A nice boost, comp, and chorus would run you at least another $200-$400 in pedal form, depending on what you get. So even if the rest of it was no good, it is still a great value, and it's all in one unit. For the record, I don't think this is a disconnected product. I just think the designers had a certain context in mind for the octave/fuzz/filter section, that doesn't line up with what most consumers' idea of what an octave effect should sound like. I do understand some of the disappointment folks have had, but I think maybe expectations didn't really line up with what it should be. I could definitely imagine the way you used it on "Hysteria" worked pretty well in a live situation. I think it could work for a lot of 80's music that has synthy keyboard like bass lines too.
Actually, I'm impressed that Tech21 even released this thing at all. They listened to all the "I wish they made one of these for bass" comments about the guitar Fly Rig. So kudos to Tech21 for listening to the consumers.
thanks for the review. I do agree with you about playing live. I think most folks would be getting this to play live and not necessarily record with. Although the sansamp section would probably do a fine job. I have a BDDI that I have recorded with, and I think it has a really nice sound on recordings. I haven't actually played through the BFR, so I'm just basing my opinion on the reviews and recordings I have seen thus far. The comp does sound great, as does the sans amp, boost, and even the chorus. I even like some of the 80s filtered synthy kind of sounds if you put them in the right context. It just doesn't do what most people think an octaver should do.
I still may end up buying it though. The way I look at it, just a VT Bass DI would cost you $200. A nice boost, comp, and chorus would run you at least another $200-$400 in pedal form, depending on what you get. So even if the rest of it was no good, it is still a great value, and it's all in one unit. For the record, I don't think this is a disconnected product. I just think the designers had a certain context in mind for the octave/fuzz/filter section, that doesn't line up with what most consumers' idea of what an octave effect should sound like. I do understand some of the disappointment folks have had, but I think maybe expectations didn't really line up with what it should be. I could definitely imagine the way you used it on "Hysteria" worked pretty well in a live situation. I think it could work for a lot of 80's music that has synthy keyboard like bass lines too.
Actually, I'm impressed that Tech21 even released this thing at all. They listened to all the "I wish they made one of these for bass" comments about the guitar Fly Rig. So kudos to Tech21 for listening to the consumers.
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The tuner function shuts down after about 5 minutes, while but the mute stays on until you press the Chorus/Tuner switch. Was the unit no longer muted or did you think that it was because the tuner light went out? We had a Bass Fly Rig in mute mode here for over a half an hour and it stayed muted.
We posted a few more feature specific videos for the Bass Fly Rig:
Thanks for the clarification of being 'disconnected'. Guess i understood you wrongly. And i think you are right. i think I'm one of those that actually thought that it work a certain way, and got disappointed on my first try.
Do give it a try and share your experience with us!
Is it possible to achieve an octaver only effect in the octafilter section (100% octave 0% filter)? Everything I hear is leading me to believe that to have octave you must be willing to accept a degree of underlying cheezy synth. Correct me if I am wrong!
Well if you are thinking clean as in POG clean.. no. If you are thinking clean as in OC-2 clean.. still no..
I think due to the square wave, it always sounds like a octave signal into a fuzz. With the range down, you can make the 'fuzz' less obvious.. but no where near clean.
The filter will always be on if you use the octaver. You can dial most of it out. Take a real good listen to all the videos posted. While tech21 has some where the octave seems to track OK, the one I had was horrible. Mine is one of at least four that were returned.
That wasn't a complaint or meant snarkily at all. Only saying make sure it's what you want before you buy it. Great pedal, if it does what you want.
That first thing, right after I lay the phone down, before I say "this is the lick I'm going to play" is me playing said lick thru the BRF octave. It was that bad.
... but almost every third comment in this thread is yours telling how horrible is this thing. Please, stop it. Look around - some people like it, even Octafilter section. Not for you - we got it. That's enough.
Hi, I am new here, and I would like to ask oppinions about the BFR. I am trying to decide if it will fit my needs.
I play bass in a "classic rock oriented" band (the usual covers, from Jerry Lee Lewis to Audioslave to name the extremes; we are adding some of our own material too).
Lately I have been playing mostly just bass to amp, no effects, and I am missing something. I used some effects in the past, but got rid of them because they were allways causing me problems. Maybe it is just murphy´s law, but there is allways something that doesn´t work properly when I add a couple of pedals to my signal chain. Plus, carrying lots of stuff around is not fun, so I decided left them at home.
Now we are getting more gigs and I would like to sound better. My giging amp is a quite old, big 15 inch speaker, from a canadian brand which name I can´t recall. I got it 2nd hand and it does the job. It is powerfull enough, I can be heard, but the tone is nothing superb, honestly. Also, I´d like to add a bit of overdrive for some of our rockers, where I find I need more edge. Nothing extreme, just something to spice the sound a bit. A chorus is quite importante too as we play a few 80s rock songs -Guns & Roses, Bon Jovi... this kind of stuff-. Finally, in the past, I found very pleasing sounds when using a phase90 in some of our songs. Some times I added also fuzz to get a kind of wha-wha thing going on by mixing both effects. I liked that sort of sound and I want to get it back and make more experiments around it.
So, I was thinking in giving another try to a small pedalboard for reharsing and gigging, with something like a tuner, a phaser (or a dedicated envelope filter), a bass overdrive, maybe a octaver just to try, and a chorus. Then, I found this Bass Flying Rig which has an amp simulator that may help improving my amp tone and providing overdrive. Plus, it has the chorus and the filter. What is more, as everything is enclosed in just one box it will be less likely that I will have signal-chain issues. It seems to be small and portable and last but not least, having a tuner there is great too... so far, seems pefect... BUT the filter is receiving a lot of negativity here and the chorus seems to be a one trick pony, so I am not sure it will work for what I intend to do. If those features don't work as I´d like and I will need a dedicated filter/phaser and chorus, then this may not be for me...
So, bass players, knowing where I am, do you guys think this will work for what I have described? will you be spending 390€ -european price for a new one- on this gadget if you were playing my gig?
I play bass in a "classic rock oriented" band (the usual covers, from Jerry Lee Lewis to Audioslave to name the extremes; we are adding some of our own material too).
Lately I have been playing mostly just bass to amp, no effects, and I am missing something. I used some effects in the past, but got rid of them because they were allways causing me problems. Maybe it is just murphy´s law, but there is allways something that doesn´t work properly when I add a couple of pedals to my signal chain. Plus, carrying lots of stuff around is not fun, so I decided left them at home.
Now we are getting more gigs and I would like to sound better. My giging amp is a quite old, big 15 inch speaker, from a canadian brand which name I can´t recall. I got it 2nd hand and it does the job. It is powerfull enough, I can be heard, but the tone is nothing superb, honestly. Also, I´d like to add a bit of overdrive for some of our rockers, where I find I need more edge. Nothing extreme, just something to spice the sound a bit. A chorus is quite importante too as we play a few 80s rock songs -Guns & Roses, Bon Jovi... this kind of stuff-. Finally, in the past, I found very pleasing sounds when using a phase90 in some of our songs. Some times I added also fuzz to get a kind of wha-wha thing going on by mixing both effects. I liked that sort of sound and I want to get it back and make more experiments around it.
So, I was thinking in giving another try to a small pedalboard for reharsing and gigging, with something like a tuner, a phaser (or a dedicated envelope filter), a bass overdrive, maybe a octaver just to try, and a chorus. Then, I found this Bass Flying Rig which has an amp simulator that may help improving my amp tone and providing overdrive. Plus, it has the chorus and the filter. What is more, as everything is enclosed in just one box it will be less likely that I will have signal-chain issues. It seems to be small and portable and last but not least, having a tuner there is great too... so far, seems pefect... BUT the filter is receiving a lot of negativity here and the chorus seems to be a one trick pony, so I am not sure it will work for what I intend to do. If those features don't work as I´d like and I will need a dedicated filter/phaser and chorus, then this may not be for me...
So, bass players, knowing where I am, do you guys think this will work for what I have described? will you be spending 390€ -european price for a new one- on this gadget if you were playing my gig?
Hey man,
The sansamp will be great for providing that edge such that you sit in a rock mix a bit better. And exactly the way you want it - just spicing up the tone, nothing extreme. I would not call the chorus a one-trick pony. While I'll admit that when it comes to chorusing, I'm not sure if I am a one-trick-pony-owner, as in I only need chorus to do one thing. But as far as the chorus one the BFR, it does great in ballads when you need a long-held note to ring out a little more, and also it does great as a chimy 80s style chorus a la Duff Mckagen. Not sure if these two uses are of the same 'trick'. If not, then the chorus on the BFR wouldn't be a one-trick-pony.
When I read the line 'Some times I added also fuzz', it immediately came to my mind that no-no. No way you are getting a usable fuzz on this pedal. And then I read that you meant the Wah-wah type fuzz. Honestly, you might be able to get smth out of the BRF if you are after that tone. We were covering 'livin on a prayer', and my guitarist was trying to cop the talkbox tone using a distorted Wah tone, but it was working. So I pressed the fuzz button on my BFR and accented the Wah with him, which turns out to be not too bad. So I Guess if you are looking for like a fuzz Wah tone (and contented with a auto-Wah instead of a foot-controlled Wah), the filter section might actually work for you.
Anyway to restate what myself and Japheth was discussing earlier, I think the reason because there was negative review on the filter section is largely because all of us were expecting one thing and t21 wanting to do another. By no does that imply the octafilter section is bad/useless.
Thanks for your oppinion, that is good news. If the chorus can do the Duff thing -which is exactly what I want- and working for ballads and the fuzz is able to do the wah thing, then it may work for me. I will probably give it a try. Thanks 
1. I'd quit if I felt that way. I mean, what's the use of even being there if what you're doing doesn't matter?
2. That's your fault, not the audience's. Unless I'm using a subtle overdrive that isn't supposed to make a huge difference, they can tell and they'd have to be deaf not to.
3. Your fault for not having proper monitoring.
4. Ditto.
I can't tell you how little use I have for this "The audience can't hear ____" stuff. They're not morons. If you can hear it, so can they.
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Which is why I prefaced my review by stating what I think about tone. One who doesn't share my sentiments on tone may not view the pedal as I do.
