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Can you tell me what makes using a YYZ easier than using your GED-2112?
I'm stoked running separate Dirty and Clean cabinets. Using my GED-2112 has opened a whole new world of tones that will tremendously help me in a gig setting. -Of course my setup will be way too much gear for a small stage, but on a big stage, look out!
After I buy a Para-driver, I'll most likely buy a YYZ pedal to use with my smaller amp setup.
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I'm assuming it's just the simplicity of the pedal over the rackmounted pre-amp. I've used a number of rack-mounted pre-amps and the GED-2112 is no more difficult to use than any of them.
For me it is easier in a couple of ways
1. The YYZ is a single input to a single output. On my 2112 I had to do the channel mod to combine everything to one output
2. It is a pedal so no need for rack mounting. Most of us don't have rack mount gear so it is a pain to haul around.
3. The deep channel is preset to Geddy's tone.
Aha! Yes, that makes perfect sense. I have a friend who plays bass (he's a huge Rush fan), and he's not interested at all to put together a rack setup, and running separate speaker cabinets. He's definitely interested in the YYZ pedal.
Thanks for your reply!
The new TECH 21 GED-YYZ Pedal doing its thing...
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Count me in! Have been using the bass DI since the 90's.
Not a member of the Tech 21 club but I guess I'm about to become one ... ordered the Character VT Bass Deluxe and it will be on hand for the band's next practice. We're about to do a couple of gigs where I'll go straight into the PA and, not really being expert on the Tech 21 line, I got this. Looks a little complicated to use, and I'm not a huge overdrive guy, but I'm hoping to get some vintage tones out of it through the PA.
After a couple years with the BDDI, I just got the Q-Strip. I will never play the bass in front of anyone without it ever again. It makes everything finished and polished-sounding. Works with everything.
Absolutely nailed the tone and the bassline 100%! BTW I really enjoy your YouTube videos!
I remember reading an interview of the band Clawfinger back in the 90's.
They were all about Sansamps and how they loved playing ampless. I hated their guitar sound and that crossed the whole Sansamp Idea out of my mind. A few years back I needed some kind of EQ'able DI box for a few session gigs where the bass was going straight to PA and I needed something to give me a bit of control and a XLR output. I intended to get a used Zoom B3, but the Programmable BDDI popped up first in my search and a quick cross check confirmed that it was too cheap, so I bought it. It was only for a couple of gigs and then I could resell it at a higher price. Nice idea. Did not work. The BDDI became my new always on pedal and kicked several others off my board.
I've recently added a BDDI v2 to have something with a smaller footprint.
What really got me was not only how I liked what that pedal did, it was the FOH people I worked with. More than once, I found a DI box on stage and asked to use my DI out. The frowning face always lit up instantly when they saw the Sansamp. This thing simply works. It's near impossible to dial in a sound that won't work well with FOH.
They were all about Sansamps and how they loved playing ampless. I hated their guitar sound and that crossed the whole Sansamp Idea out of my mind. A few years back I needed some kind of EQ'able DI box for a few session gigs where the bass was going straight to PA and I needed something to give me a bit of control and a XLR output. I intended to get a used Zoom B3, but the Programmable BDDI popped up first in my search and a quick cross check confirmed that it was too cheap, so I bought it. It was only for a couple of gigs and then I could resell it at a higher price. Nice idea. Did not work. The BDDI became my new always on pedal and kicked several others off my board.
I've recently added a BDDI v2 to have something with a smaller footprint.
What really got me was not only how I liked what that pedal did, it was the FOH people I worked with. More than once, I found a DI box on stage and asked to use my DI out. The frowning face always lit up instantly when they saw the Sansamp. This thing simply works. It's near impossible to dial in a sound that won't work well with FOH.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
Bass Compactor, Sansamp ParaDI, VTBass ver.1—what's not to like? I'm a member. Anyone else like the Compactor?
I've owned just about every pedal they've ever made, I found the Bass Compactor one of the worst pedals (not just comps) I'd ever owned.
Maybe hold the phone on joining the club ... got the Character VT Bass Deluxe and haven't plugged it in yet, but gotta say this is the worst user manual I've ever seen. Looks like it was prepared for an earlier Tech 21 model of some kind and they sent it along with this unit anyway, without explaining a number of functions. :-( Maybe I'm spoiled from using Radial preamps which have very clear manuals.
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Let us know if you have any questions - some here may be able to help if the manual hasn't completely turned you off to it!
Thanks! The manual is pretty useless but with trial and error I figured some things out. Used this for practice today for a gig coming up where I will be through the FOH only, and it does sound great. I'm just using the first channel with every dial pretty close to 12 o'clock (some a little more or less) and it's a great, slightly overdriven sound. Funny but it seems small tweaks to the three dials on my bass (neck pup volume, bridge pup volume and tone) seem to make a bigger difference going through this preamp. A lot of great sounds.
For a preamp with four footswitches, though, it boggles my mind a little that none of them is a "mute" switch, and the effects loop button isn't dedicated, so you have to do a double-pump. With the latter, if you don't execute it perfectly you go from input A to input B and everything changes (not in a good way). I can deal with the mute just with the knobs on my bass (although I prefer a footswitch), but the effects loop double-pump is a nonstarter. I'll wire up the effects so that they're not going through that loop.
I find that to be absolutely true as well - my VT unit seems to be extremely responsive in particular to pickup volume and technique adjustments - just like an amp!
Anyways, it seems like most of your frustrations are specific to the deluxe model - and I definitely feel your pain even though I've never played with one. Makes me thankful that my VTDI is so much less complex!
Double pumps? I just set it and forget it.
I find that to be absolutely true as well - my VT unit seems to be extremely responsive in particular to pickup volume and technique adjustments - just like an amp!
Anyways, it seems like most of your frustrations are specific to the deluxe model - and I definitely feel your pain even though I've never played with one. Makes me thankful that my VTDI is so much less complex!
Double pumps? I just set it and forget it.
Yeah, well no good deed goes unpunished, like getting the deluxe! Their target for all the footswitch functions seems to have been a more "artistic" bass player than me - I need some simple functions for gigging like the mute switch and a one-touch effects loop. Cars are probably a bad analogy, but they had the Ferrari driver in mind and I'm a Subaru guy? That said, what's under the hood as a preamp to go into the FOH for a bass guitar is pretty powerful so I'm keeping it. Just have to work around a couple of things ...
How'd I miss this club? I started using the SABDDI back in the 90's. A friend of mine had done a recording for Interscope; said the BDDI was used on his bass and he loved it. I grabbed RBI and then RPM when they came out, using them together in my rack, wired parallel. Had the VT Deluxe for awhile. Currently my Tech21 favorites are DP3X, Oxford, and Leeds...
...but now I'm GASsing for the YYZ, dammit.
...but now I'm GASsing for the YYZ, dammit.
