Worship Bass Pedalboards

[projectapollo]

On Tanner's Instagram, one of the pinned videos at the top of his page is of him demoing his three main tones: TH alone, TH plus Schaffer Bass-X, and TH plus Bass MicroSynth. It looks like he has gain & boost cranked on the Bass-X, and it stays close to unity gain when he switches it on. I love the tone as well! His whole rig sounds great

He does really sound good. There is a little synth like tone in his note attack that I can't place. (It's not the BMS.) Whatever it is it sounds really nice.
(I use the BMS, Tremond Rat, and THDI for my core tones. Augmented with the DCX/EQ when I need a nice clean console tone. )

 

[Blille]

I tried an Aguilar AGRO pedal and it was close to the AGS. You may want to get one from Aguilar with their return policy and try that.

Good recommendation, thanks! I was concerned about losing lows based on some of the reviews but the return policy is a good point.

 

[prndltech]

As far as the 'core Bethel tone' goes a Bass tuned Rat is very much a part of the Bethel sound. Cali76 > OC-2 > EHX BMS > Modded ProCo Rat >TH AGS > RNDI

I'm wondering why they decide to run an RNDI instead of just going out of the tonehammer. I know "back in the day" several used RNDI's and now it seems like it has resurfaced.

 

[MikoFX]

I'm wondering why they decide to run an RNDI instead of just going out of the tonehammer. I know "back in the day" several used RNDI's and now it seems like it has resurfaced.

It adds some of that Neve je nais se quoi to the signal. It definitely does something very nice to the mids/upper mids

BUT, in the grand scheme of things is it really something that most would notice in a mix? Probably not.

 

[prndltech]

It adds some of that Neve je nais se quoi to the signal. It definitely does something very nice to the mids/upper mids

BUT, in the grand scheme of things is it really something that most would notice in a mix? Probably not.

I figured they had to have either a neve or a noble


Whatever floats your goat

 

[Zbysek]

I'm wondering why they decide to run an RNDI instead of just going out of the tonehammer. I know "back in the day" several used RNDI's and now it seems like it has resurfaced.

I can think of several reasons to do that.

One possible reason is that RNDI would work even if the pedalboard's power supply fails...

That being said, I don't use a separate DI box with my Tone Hammer...

 

[prndltech]

I can think of several reasons to do that.

One possible reason is that RNDI would work even if the pedalboard's power supply fails...

That being said, I don't use a separate DI box with my Tone Hammer...

Not bad at thinking…

The TH also runs on phantom power though

 

[dmc79]

I've taken screenshots of three Bethel bassists' Tone Hammer settings… Tanner Erickson, Adam Kiser, and David Funk. All three guys set their mid frequency dial between 9:30-10:30, and the mid level knob around 9:00-9:30.
View attachment 7014376View attachment 7014377View attachment 7014378

Cool to see the Tone Hammer on so many well known 'big' worship band bass boards, but I take their settings with a grain of salt in terms of, I wonder how many of us realistically need their gain cranked like you see on a lot of these boards.

Some of them are well past noon and even around 3pm! I guess it works for those who play in a room with thousands of people and are 'competing' against a ton of other instruments, namely several guitars, keys / synths & acoustic drum kits, but I imagine those of us like myself who play in a room of say 300 people or less on a silent stage don't have much need for mega cranked gain on a TH.

I'm still learning with the TH, and I guess there is no right & wrong, whatever suits for your own setting, but low gain (no more than 9pm, even 10pm seems like too much) with AGS on (and low mids cut like on the boards pictured) seems to be the sweet spot for me. I don't need a ton of aggression (and hiss), just a sweet, slightly driven tone.

That's playing alongside (when we have a full band) electric drums, one electric & one acoustic guitar, and one person on keys & pads. P bass with GHS Pressurewounds, mix of pick & finger play, and currently no other effects (may get a Rat variant sometime, but even that would get limited use in worship I guess).

So yeah, whatever works, I guess the likes of the Bethel & Elevation bassists are playing in massive venues where it's almost like a rock concert, and frequently stomping on the Micro Synth for even more craziness in certain parts, I'm just not sure how many of us really need the bass to sound that aggressive in relatively small settings. At least here in the UK where 'mega churches' aren't really a thing for most worship bands. Don't get me wrong, it'd sure be fun to really crank it out, but in my setting it's really not necessary or helpful to anyone I think.

 

[Zbysek]

The TH also runs on phantom power though

Yes, it does. But when one engages the ground lift, phantom power gets disconnected…while RNDI works on phantom power even with the ground list engaged….I think…

 

[Blille]

Cool to see the Tone Hammer on so many well known 'big' worship band bass boards, but I take their settings with a grain of salt in terms of, I wonder how many of us realistically need their gain cranked like you see on a lot of these boards.

Some of them are well past noon and even around 3pm! I guess it works for those who play in a room with thousands of people and are 'competing' against a ton of other instruments, namely several guitars, keys / synths & acoustic drum kits, but I imagine those of us like myself who play in a room of say 300 people or less on a silent stage don't have much need for mega cranked gain on a TH.

I'm still learning with the TH, and I guess there is no right & wrong, whatever suits for your own setting, but low gain (no more than 9pm, even 10pm seems like too much) with AGS on (and low mids cut like on the boards pictured) seems to be the sweet spot for me. I don't need a ton of aggression (and hiss), just a sweet, slightly driven tone.

That's playing alongside (when we have a full band) electric drums, one electric & one acoustic guitar, and one person on keys & pads. P bass with GHS Pressurewounds, mix of pick & finger play, and currently no other effects (may get a Rat variant sometime, but even that would get limited use in worship I guess).

So yeah, whatever works, I guess the likes of the Bethel & Elevation bassists are playing in massive venues where it's almost like a rock concert, and frequently stomping on the Micro Synth for even more craziness in certain parts, I'm just not sure how many of us really need the bass to sound that aggressive in relatively small settings. At least here in the UK where 'mega churches' aren't really a thing for most worship bands. Don't get me wrong, it'd sure be fun to really crank it out, but in my setting it's really not necessary or helpful to anyone I think.

I hear what you're saying but gain and the size of the venue have little to do with each other IME.

The sound in the mega churches is more polished than in your average small one with better instrument separation etc. so people are fighting less for space.

I live in California and have visited Bethel. Their normal venue is not particularly big. It's a decent sized church but not even like a big concert hall.

I run the TH with AGS on and usually around 9/10 in gain like you. Just enough to stack well with others.

 

[SemiDriven]

FWIW, I'm adding a the TH pedal to a new board.

Pleasantly surprised (wth the AGS engaged!).

pics down the road.

 

[Killens84]

Cool to see the Tone Hammer on so many well known 'big' worship band bass boards, but I take their settings with a grain of salt in terms of, I wonder how many of us realistically need their gain cranked like you see on a lot of these boards.

Some of them are well past noon and even around 3pm! I guess it works for those who play in a room with thousands of people and are 'competing' against a ton of other instruments, namely several guitars, keys / synths & acoustic drum kits, but I imagine those of us like myself who play in a room of say 300 people or less on a silent stage don't have much need for mega cranked gain on a TH.

I'm still learning with the TH, and I guess there is no right & wrong, whatever suits for your own setting, but low gain (no more than 9pm, even 10pm seems like too much) with AGS on (and low mids cut like on the boards pictured) seems to be the sweet spot for me. I don't need a ton of aggression (and hiss), just a sweet, slightly driven tone.

That's playing alongside (when we have a full band) electric drums, one electric & one acoustic guitar, and one person on keys & pads. P bass with GHS Pressurewounds, mix of pick & finger play, and currently no other effects (may get a Rat variant sometime, but even that would get limited use in worship I guess).

So yeah, whatever works, I guess the likes of the Bethel & Elevation bassists are playing in massive venues where it's almost like a rock concert, and frequently stomping on the Micro Synth for even more craziness in certain parts, I'm just not sure how many of us really need the bass to sound that aggressive in relatively small settings. At least here in the UK where 'mega churches' aren't really a thing for most worship bands. Don't get me wrong, it'd sure be fun to really crank it out, but in my setting it's really not necessary or helpful to anyone I think.

My understanding is that the Bethel bassists play with the TH AGS gain cranked into heavier saturation because Bethel doesn't use traditional rhythm guitarists (i.e., electric guitar holding down the chord progression with big, overdriven sounds). So the bass sort of ventures into that sonic space to cover that ground. I don't think it has anything to do with venue size, the number of people in the congregation, or the number of musicians on stage. It would be just as effective at a small venue with a small congregation, if they were trying to achieve the same sonic goals.

 

[projectapollo]

I'm still learning with the TH, and I guess there is no right & wrong, whatever suits for your own setting, but low gain (no more than 9pm, even 10pm seems like too much) with AGS on (and low mids cut like on the boards pictured) seems to be the sweet spot for me. I don't need a ton of aggression (and hiss), just a sweet, slightly driven tone.

I started at 9pm, but have worked my way up to Noon. Getting more comfortable with a more saturated core tone.

 

[projectapollo]

On the Tone Hammer, it seems to be hard to obtain, no longer available on Aguilar website and some used prices are creeping up above new retail. Perhaps it's being discontinued or updated? Anyhow, if anyone wants to get one, I'd suggest you hunt one down soon. Bass Central still lists new ones at normal retail.

 

[NickyBass]

With the updated look of their amp heads, I wonder if they are going to redo the casing of the preamp pedal?

 

[FenrirofOld]

Speaking of the Tone Hammer, this is my current board, and is the route I ventured into sans Tone Hammer. Originally I was debating between a DCX into something else, and Miko suggested giving the Underground Accelerator a try first, and I am glad I did. Then between the Broughton and Sushi box thread the Messenger Jr. was added. Really been enjoying the flexibility. Even switching between the Ray and the P Bass it sounds great through either. P Bass hasn't been played in service for a few months, but I'm gonna play it this weekend as the set list seemed more tailored for it. Stingray has kinda had a real strong honeymoon phase.

 

[b0b4f377]

I've been hemming and hawing about getting a Tone Hammer forever and finally decided to pick up one in a cool limited edition version. Little did I know that the answer to my quest for tone would be provided so obviously. First tryout of it and I can certainly understand what the fuss is about and how the AGS stays on permanently. This thing sounds absolutely incredible! What I had already figured out about my board has been totally upended, and I feel like this may be the one-stop shop solution, nothing else is necessary.

 

[Blille]

I've been hemming and hawing about getting a Tone Hammer forever and finally decided to pick up one in a cool limited edition version. Little did I know that the answer to my quest for tone would be provided so obviously. First tryout of it and I can certainly understand what the fuss is about and how the AGS stays on permanently. This thing sounds absolutely incredible! What I had already figured out about my board has been totally upended, and I feel like this may be the one-stop shop solution, nothing else is necessary.

Welcome to the club

 

[MadJack]

I'm still a relative noob to bass. I just got new board in today. Most of my pedals are carryovers from when I was trying to play guitar.


At the moment, I've only used the bottom row so far. The Bass Soul Food has been a good overdrive. The Double Shot is more of a distortion (higher gain than the BSF). The Compressor/Limiter works fine, but could be more flexible, better.

The Behringer Compressor/Limiter, The Ashdown Double Shot, EH Bass Soul Food and the Behringer BDI 21 have been acquired since I changed instruments. The others are carryover from guitar. I have a Bass Clone on the way. I will be getting an octave pedal (possibly an MXR M288 Bass Octave Plus?), a bass fuzz (Nano Bass Big Muff Pi?) and eventually, an 1176 style compressor. While the Cali76 is looking good, but I've worked with the UAFX 1176 and Teletronix LA 2A (about the same price of a Cali76)and has a little more flexibility. Buddy of mine with a recording studio has shown me some awesome techniques with the two, let alone used individually.

The Spark Mini only gets used with my Ashdown CTM30 (all tube amp) for when I want a harder driven tone than the amp does naturally. The BDI only used on very rare needs or a specific tone. At church they have DI into a nice DAW amp sim and reverb. I run straight from the Flashback into the VP Jr into the DI. The Vintage Phase and Flashback haven't been used very much. I have had need for the Octave and Chorus, which I should have resolved over the next couple months.

 

[Blille]

I'm still a relative noob to bass. I just got new board in today. Most of my pedals are carryovers from when I was trying to play guitar.

View attachment 7023097
At the moment, I've only used the bottom row so far. The Bass Soul Food has been a good overdrive. The Double Shot is more of a distortion (higher gain than the BSF). The Compressor/Limiter works fine, but could be more flexible, better.

The Behringer Compressor/Limiter, The Ashdown Double Shot, EH Bass Soul Food and the Behringer BDI 21 have been acquired since I changed instruments. The others are carryover from guitar. I have a Bass Clone on the way. I will be getting an octave pedal (possibly an MXR M288 Bass Octave Plus?), a bass fuzz (Nano Bass Big Muff Pi?) and eventually, an 1176 style compressor. While the Cali76 is looking good, but I've worked with the UAFX 1176 and Teletronix LA 2A (about the same price of a Cali76)and has a little more flexibility. Buddy of mine with a recording studio has shown me some awesome techniques with the two, let alone used individually.

The Spark Mini only gets used with my Ashdown CTM30 (all tube amp) for when I want a harder driven tone than the amp does naturally. The BDI only used on very rare needs or a specific tone. At church they have DI into a nice DAW amp sim and reverb. I run straight from the Flashback into the VP Jr into the DI. The Vintage Phase and Flashback haven't been used very much. I have had need for the Octave and Chorus, which I should have resolved over the next couple months.

Awesome, great to plan ahead. I think I used to do some kind of trick to use the flashback as a chorus. It has modulation inside, right? So you pick or create a patch that has chorus , make the delay be zero and boom there's your chorus while you wait for something dedicated.

Btw, I think the EHX Bass Clone is awesome value for when you decide to get a chorus.

Edit: I just checked the TC App, there's a patch for the flashback called "Chorus Only" and others called "Trichorus".