The Free The Tone Fraternity

[foal30]

Might be a low traffic thread but post your Free The Tone stories here

I’ve become quite the fan of this Japanese company.

I recently ordered a pedal from them Japan to New Zealand in 7 days which is fantastic service.

For the guitarists here the FTT Flight Time Delay is superb

 

[foal30]

FTT Silky Groove Compressor

This is their second generation compressor the first version is called Silky Comp

It’s a VCA type compressor. The Mix and Sustain knobs are the business

9v handles active basses and flatwound B strings. I’ve been using it in front of my Envelope Filters …it seems to give them a “bit more”. It’s not super squishy if that’s what you’re looking for.

I’ve owned Ashdown, Boss , Dreadbox, and Laney VCA type compressors, this is my clear favourite

 

[foal30]

FTT Tri Avatar Chorus

Works great on bass guitar Bottom doesn’t fall out

this their MKI version…the MKII I haven’t tried but has a lot more preset banks

I haven’t used the MIDI function

The 4 presets are a good idea and easy to work. Even I could figure it out Be aware if you “time out” on changing a preset save it’ll depower… so don’t muck around with that on a gig.

It is possible to generate Tremelo as well as Chorus effects

Probably a bit boutique for my Chorus needs but hey Mrs Foal said go for it.

The only Bass Chorus I’ve owned that’s anywhere as lush as the FTT is the old Boss Brown C2B (which only does 1 sound) and the Tech 21 Bass Boost

If you like a brighter tone and playing with a Plectrum this pedal could be a very useful option

 

[Just Wrong]

View attachment 5348269 View attachment 5348268 FTT Silky Groove Compressor

This is their second generation compressor the first version is called Silky Comp

It’s a VCA type compressor. The Mix and Sustain knobs are the business

9v handles active basses and flatwound B strings. I’ve been using it in front of my Envelope Filters …it seems to give them a “bit more”. It’s not super squishy if that’s what you’re looking for.

I’ve owned Ashdown, Boss , Dreadbox, and Laney VCA type compressors, this is my clear favourite

I’ve always wanted to try their compressor. Have you compared it to more popular compressors like the Empress or Cali?

 

[foal30]

I’ve always wanted to try their compressor. Have you compared it to more popular compressors like the Empress or Cali?

long time fan of the Diamond Bass Compressor

it’s not the same as the the Silky Groove but a commonality is “use either, sound better”

 

[foal30]

Bass Blaster Overdrive

jeepers this is totally the business . A phenomenal tool for a lot of situations or tastes.

only 222 were made. The new model is called the Black Vehicle. Which I’m yet to try.

 

[TheLopp]

View attachment 5350560 View attachment 5350559 Bass Blaster Overdrive

jeepers this is totally the business . A phenomenal tool for a lot of situations or tastes.

only 222 were made. The new model is called the Black Vehicle. Which I’m yet to try.

Are you sure about those numbers? I’m a proud owner of one!

 

[foal30]

Are you sure about those numbers? I’m a proud owner of one!

I was speaking with FTT a couple of weeks back about the Bass Blaster and they said 222 were made

Their current Bass Overdrive is the Black Vehicle which I imagine is fairly special if it’s an upgrade on the Bass Blaster!!

 

[Snaxster]

post your Free The Tone stories here

I am one for three with Free the Tone.

BASS BLASTER BB-2: A great pedal, a true bass guitar pedal, a beautiful tribute to 1970s pedals, a keeper.

Future Factory FF-1Y and Black Vehicle BV-1V: Both were completely unusable due to incompatibility with power sources. I tried them with power supplies ranging from BOSS to Strymon to no avail. During several decades I have used scores of pedals, but never saw any behave like these two. Conspicuously, both are of a later generation of FTT pedals than the BASS BLASTER and the HEAT BLASTER (which I gifted to my guitarist friend), which worked perfectly.

 

[foal30]

I am one for three with Free the Tone.

BASS BLASTER BB-2: A great pedal, a true bass guitar pedal, a beautiful tribute to 1970s pedals, a keeper.

Future Factory FF-1Y and Black Vehicle BV-1V: Both were completely unusable due to incompatibility with power sources. I tried them with power supplies ranging from BOSS to Strymon to no avail. During several decades I have used scores of pedals, but never saw any behave like these two. Conspicuously, both are of a later generation of FTT pedals than the BASS BLASTER and the HEAT BLASTER (which I gifted to my guitarist friend), which worked perfectly.

Interesting, I’ve not experienced issues with the Silky or Tri Avatar

I’m using a Modtone power brick and use a couple of outputs daisy chained.

The Tri Avatar came with a power plug but as it’s Japanese I can’t use it in New Zealand

 

[Snaxster]

Interesting, I’ve not experienced issues with the Silky or Tri Avatar

I’m using a Modtone power brick and use a couple of outputs daisy chained.

The Tri Avatar came with a power plug but as it’s Japanese I can’t use it in New Zealand

It was the luck of the draw, perhaps. That said:

Had I encountered only one of the two being incompatible, I wouldn't have thought as much of the event. But both of them being problematic is a pattern. All three FTT pedals I bought were brand new. What are the odds that only those two particularly, of the same generation of FTT architecture, were problematic while the one of the prior generation was not?

In any case I don't blame FTT as such. And I really wanted that delay to work out!

 

[TwototheValley]

It was the luck of the draw, perhaps. That said:

Had I encountered only one of the two being incompatible, I wouldn't have thought as much of the event. But both of them being problematic is a pattern. All three FTT pedals I bought were brand new. What are the odds that only those two particularly, of the same generation of FTT architecture, were problematic while the one of the prior generation was not?

In any case I don't blame FTT as such. And I really wanted that delay to work out!

Wonder if it’s related to their proprietary HTS circuit (Holistic Tonal Solution, sounds like a buffer) which features in the current models but not their earlier ones (such as the Bass Blaster).

That said, I haven’t personally had this issue, although I prefer to Bass Blaster to the Black Vehicle purely based on the nature of the overdrive itself.

 

[foal30]

Wonder if it’s related to their proprietary HTS circuit (Holistic Tonal Solution, sounds like a buffer) which features in the current models but not their earlier ones (such as the Bass Blaster).

That said, I haven’t personally had this issue, although I prefer to Bass Blaster to the Black Vehicle purely based on the nature of the overdrive itself.

Have you kept both the BB and BV?

I think @Erithon might have both as well

 

[TwototheValley]

Have you kept both the BB and BV?

I think @Erithon might have both as well

Yes….I’m experimenting with the BV from time to time, while the BB spends some time on one of my boards.

The BV has more functionality, and the build quality is absolutely stellar, but the drive sounds a little “sterile” for my liking. The BB has a great gain range, with fewer knobs (I prefer a “less is more” approach) and a warmer more organic tone.

 

[foal30]

Regardless of what filter I’m using the Silky Compressor in front of them is making a massive difference in my perception of Envelope Filter tones

well worth a proper try

 

[Erithon]

Have you kept both the BB and BV?

I think @Erithon might have both as well

I did own both and I ended selling the Bass Blaster. I prefer the Black Vehicle for four reasons:

1. The Blend Control. I value being able to mix in clean, dry signal with overdriven harmonics.
2. I thought it sounded better with other pedals. I think the Bass Blaster sounds better on its own, but when combined with other effects or in a mix I prefer the Black Vehicle.
3. The boost. It's quite useful when you want to make part of a song (instrumental, bridge, final chorus, etc.) sound a little different.
4. The flexibility. The controls allow for more tone shaping, and the pre-/post-boost is a very cool feature.

All that said, I still thought the BB-2 sounded excellent. In fact, as I say above, I preferred its sound when placed in the loop of a Damnation Audio Loop Blender and those were the only two pedals between my bass and amp. It has some other things going for it too: smaller footprint and cool orange color.

Both of the BB-2 and BV-1V excel at low gain overdrive. That's actually how I use my Black Vehicle: subtle breakup that I can manipulate with my right hand. Sometimes I have another drive after the BV-1V as a third gain stage (the BV-1V's boost being my second gain stage). They do sound different, however. The Bass Blaster is sounds thicker and warmer; the Black Vehicle is more articulate and also more responsive to right hand pressure at very low gain. There isn't low-end loss on either, but because of the lack of blend and the harmonic frequencies it emphasizes, the BB's low-end isn't as punchy as the BV-1V's. It's more mixed in with the overtones. Think presence over projection.

For what it's worth, I've owned and/or played scores of drive pedals and the Black Vehicle remains my favorite non-tube drive pedal. It's responsive, versatile, and, most importantly, I love its voice. (I do wish the input, output, and power jacks were all on the same side of the enclosure. The current design is frustratingly inefficient in that regard.) I've never experienced the sort of power issues @Snaxster has. I wrote a pretty extensive comparison with the Origin Effects DCX Bass some months ago: I've linked it here in case anyone reading this thread finds it helpful.

 

[foal30]

I agree that the Bass Blaster is the go to for low gain drive. I’m not saying it’s the Best but it’s definitely the Best for me

I really need to try a Black Vehicle

thanks for the interesting info @Erithon

 

[foal30]

@sfo

@Jesuguru

You both have the FTT Black Vehicle?

 

[foal30]

Totally digging the Silky Groove Comp
Handles a low 5 string. Smooth as.
It’s full magic is before envelope filters.

 

[foal30]

The Silky Groove Comp is an excellent example of how important pedal order is and how individual tastes can be.

A+ Pedal! If you can find one have a go