VT Bass Version 2 Impression

[bluesdoubler]

I use my VT2 with my Euphonic Audio micro paired with a Wizzy 12 to give my overall sound some tube warmth. It takes the solid state sound out of solid state.

 

[kenstee]

Has anyone seen/heard an A/B comparison of the v1 vs. v2 of the VT Bass? Results?

 

[tech21nyc]

The only way I've found to get rid of it is to bypass the sansamp circuit in the pedal. Besides, what good is a speaker simulator when you are running into real speakers?

The SansAmp circuit is not bypassed when the speaker sim is disengaged. You are simply removing the speaker emulation portion of the circuit. The speaker sim was "designed" to work with your amp's speaker. Usually when you think the pedal is too bright it has more to do with your amp's EQ fighting with the VT Bass pedals EQ. The speaker sim bypass just makes it easier to use the pedal into the front end of an amp with it's high end emphasized.

 

[king_biscuit]

I've been using the VT since it was first released (version 1) and I love it. It's always on, and it turns my Fender TV12 into a B-15. It really excels at adding a bit of hair to the sound like a pushed tube amp too. I've never found it to be clanky or too bright, but I don't set it to sound like a SVT either.

 

[shrimpflea]

I've been using the VT since it was first released (version 1) and I love it. It's always on, and it turns my Fender TV12 into a B-15. It really excels at adding a bit of hair to the sound like a pushed tube amp too. I've never found it to be clanky or too bright, but I don't set it to sound like a SVT either.

Same here...I run it into my Ampeg B-100R...P Bass w/flats...no clank, just warm tubey goodness.

 

[bass nitro]

I took my a week ago.It is good stuff but i have found that sound depending on what strings are attached on the bass guitar.Having swapped a few brands i play with Dean Markley ML strings now and i am very pleased with the tone i got - it is sounds quite good for metal and rock.The 21 has plenty of highs and have found myself disengaged speaker button but for most of peoples would be useful about slap i think .That is my impressions so far.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

If you want to get a clean sound with the VT Bass and get as much output as possible you should turn your bass guitar up full.You can start with the level control at noon or a bit less but don't be afraid to turn it up full if needed. (When running the pedal with low drive settings the level needs to be turned up to compensate for this. That's what the level is for.) Set the Character controls and EQ's for the tone you desire and then turn up the drive until it starts to distort and then back it down slightly. Don't just set it as low as possible it needs to be optimized for your bass guitars output.

Also it's not a bad idea to turn the input gain of your power amp up full and using the VT Bass level control as your master volume. The level control on the front of the power amp is used to keep you from clipping the power amp as well as adjusting the level of the power amp in a daisy chained configuration. It is unlikely you will clip the power amp with a 9 volt pedal versus a mixer that is driving 16-24 channels.

The low, mid and high controls at "noon" can be considered a starting point in terms of EQ as there is no cut or boost but as previously stated the response is "not" flat. Guitar and bass amps are not designed for a flat response. "Flat" response is with the pedal in bypass mode. Don't be afraid to use radical settings to get your tone. As long as you get the tone you desire that is all that matters. Any preconceived notions you have about setting your tone controls in a way that you might on a specific amplifier should be abandoned as the tone controls on our pedals are active and have a much wider range.

great info. thanks.

 

[kenstee]

@king biscuit and @shrimpflea....Where is the VT placed in your pedal chain?

 

[Medford Bassman]

I use the VT Bass v.1. Works well in my system. I love using it with my Jazz with nickel roundwounds.

Here's my chain...Jazz--->wireless---->Boss Chorus--->VT Bass---->EB volume pedal---->amp

 

[king_biscuit]

@king biscuit and @shrimpflea....Where is the VT placed in your pedal chain?

Last pedal before the amp for me. My chain: tuner>OD>filter>compressor>octave>chorus>VT>amp. The compressor and the VT are always on.

 

[JSK5String]

I've been using the VT since it was first released (version 1) and I love it. It's always on, and it turns my Fender TV12 into a B-15. It really excels at adding a bit of hair to the sound like a pushed tube amp too. I've never found it to be clanky or too bright, but I don't set it to sound like a SVT either.

+1 I've been using it since V1 also, and now have the VTD. No clank or extreme brightness here either, but I should qualify that statement with a couple of important facts - I play a P with flats, and I built a DIY rig powered by a LM II that has no horn in it, as I'm not a big fan of them. I only have two 10's and one 15 in my rig. My rig sounds so warm I don't even need a coat on a cold winter night here in Colorado.

 

[billoetjen]

......but there's always mike putnam.

...and for a lot more useful mods!

 

[shrimpflea]

@king biscuit and @shrimpflea....Where is the VT placed in your pedal chain?

It's my only pedal.....mids at noon, character at 11, drive at 11, low at 1 or 2 high at noon....i adjust from this, but not much.

 

[cableguy]

I just picked up a VT V2. I have been a BDDI user for over a decade. I've had only a few minutes to play with it and the kids are up from naptime imagine that. Anyway, it seems cool but I'm not blown away as of yet. I'm running G&L passive>VT>GK700RB-II>fEARful 12/6. I've tried both in front of the amp and effects return. Any tips from VT/GK users? At this point I find I'm looking for a blend knob. With the BDDI I usually ran my blend at about 1-3 O'clock on something similar to the fat tube setting.

 

[cableguy]

PLayed a little more with the VT last night. Got it to sound a little better by being a little less agressive with my settings. I found I like somewhere around the B-15 type of settings. Do most of you guys use this as an always on type of pedal (I did with my BDDI) or as an added flavor to your amp sound every now and then?

 

[kringle77]

Got the v2 last night. I like it much more than my v1. The speaker defeat gets rig of the clank and makes the whole eq more useful. I defeated the speaker, set treble to 10:00, drive all the way down, volume maxed, and the rest of the controls at 12:00. Leaves you with a flat response with a roll-off around 4-5k. I then used my new source audio eq to bump 125hz a tad, and 8k a bit more. This gave me a flat response with a wider frequency range and made the entire sound more alive and feel less clumsy under my fingers, like my real amp. From there I can use the vt's eq and drive to get whatever sound I would need. These two make a great pair and I can see them being used at gigs direct to the board.

 

[droo46]

I love the VT. I fought with it for the first little while before I got my settings where I like them but now I can't imagine not having it. I can't remember of the top of my head what settings I have it set for... I have V1 but I'll post my chain for education purposes. : )

Ibanez SR400 > Korg Pitchblack > EBS Octabass > EHX Big Muff Pi > VT Bass > GK MB212

When I first got the VT I had it before the muff but it sounds infinitely better at the end of the chain.

 

[bass4u]

I used to have a VT Deluxe but needed more space on my pedalboard so I got the VT Bass V.2. Really like the speaker simulator defeat option. I use. Gk MB500 and a Gk 4x12 Neo Cabinet and love the sound. With the Deluxe it was too much high end for my rig but could always dial it back with the amps tone controls. The Vt Bass pedal is always on for me

 

[pbassnut]

I just got my VT Bass Pedal V2 a few weeks ago and REALLY like it. I use mine plugged into the poweramp in jack on an Ampeg B2-RE or through the line in jack on an Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II and then through a Schroeder 1515L. I haven't had a chance to try the VT into the front end of either amp yet as I am pleased as punch with the sound of the VT as a standalone preamp with the above amps used just for their power sections. I'm a plug and play kinda guy and it is super easy to find a tone I like with that bad boy (read:B-15). I have Ampeg SVP CL and SVP Pro preamps and an SVT3 Pro head for that SVT sound so the pedal is mainly to get that B-15 sound (which it does great). I've gotta say, that the VT set for the B-15 emulation through the line in jack of the Ashdown with a flatwound strung PBass is simply the bomb ... authentic old school thump ... great for the sleazy blues bands I play in. I would even venture to say that it sounds even better than using the native Ashdown preamp section. I also have an Alembic F-1X preamp and a Trace Elliot V-Type preamp in my stable for that Showman sound and the VT sounds as good or better than any of them. Tech 21 really hit a grand slam on this one. The fact that it doesn't have a DI on it doesn't bother me as I only do a few sound reinforced gigs per year and I can use one of my many other setups with DIs for those gigs. However, I was thinking (I know, no good can possibly come of it) that I might be able to use the native DIs on the B2-RE and Ashdown heads with the DIs set to "post". I'll have to check with Ampeg and Ashdown on that, but it seems to me that it should work. Glad I got the V2 with the 10" speaker simulation defeat switch as I probably wouldn't use the 10" speaker emulation all that often being a bottom feeder three Fs (Fenders, Flatwounds and Fifteens) kinda guy.

 

[caeman]

There are no plans to add the speaker sim defeat switch to the VT Bass Deluxe. Though the speaker sim defeat will make the pedal seem less bright into the front of a bright amp, that switch will really not be a benefit for going direct.

What type of bass are you using the pedal with? Active, passive?

While we are on the subject...

Why a speaker sim in an effect pedal that will be going to an amp with a real speaker?