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Worship Bass Pedalboards
- Thread starter Cshanks5
- Start date
Keep your eye out for a Sushi Box Neptunium. A fraction of the cost and sounds pretty great. I keep one in the case with my Helix in case it fails. I'd be fine just playing through it to FOH. There was one in the classifieds not too long ago.
There's also the Nobelium. Larger box, fewer of them made by Sushi so more expensive. But it is also available as a DIY through Conspiracy to Commit Electronics. So there are also some Indy and hobby builder ones out there too.
Edit: there is a Nobelium in the classifieds. Nobelium
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Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Rich Costey
Iconic rockers The Foo Fighters had a worldwide smash with their record-breaking track 'The Pretender'. Rich Costey was the man behind the mix faders.
Used the only Cali76 - DCX - Noble today. Leading worship with bass is hard for me I haven't developed the mental space yet to switch effects while doing it. I did manage to hit all the fills in Washed though.
Here is this pedalboard in action. B/M/T were at noon, gain and volume were at 3 o'clock.
I really liked the clean tones of the UA, has that warm and squishy thing going on, but never liked the overdrive tone which to me just sounded like clipping.
Just don't forget it's the old Alembic F2B/old Fender tonestack - Bass/Treble are boost only & Mids is cut only - always tripped me up. BUT if it sounds good it is good!
I knew it had something funky like that going on, but I wasn't sure of the specifics. Thanks!
I have no experience with the clipping of a stock Sushibox UA, because I ordered mine with a 12AU7 for max clean headroom. I'll admit that I wanted an affordable alternative to a Noble just to dip my toes in the tube-pre pedal waters. So far so good.
Happy owner of a UA (with a 12AU7) and big fan of Sushi Box stuff in general here as well. It is indeed a great option to test the tube-pre waters and is based on the Alembic F-2B / Orange AD-200, where "flat" EQ is -> bass and treble all the way down (counter-clockwise) and mids all the way up (clockwise).
The no longer produced Nobelium and Neptunium pedals are Sushi homages to the Noble. I keep a Neptunium in the case with my Helix as a backup DI. The Nobelium is available on the c2celectronics site as a DIY kit, and sometimes as a built pedal. Both will occasionally pop up in the classifieds too. I believe I saw a Neptunium listed today.
Added the LucyDreamer back to the board. It pairs so nicely with the OE DCX and the OE SV. We opened with "God I'm Just Grateful" by Elevation today. First time I've played with a pick in ~20yrs. B string sounded like thunder. Now I need to find room for an Altoids tin on the board… maybe the mini tin.
TL;DR
Yes — I'm taking the XLR from the BassRig SV rather than the Noble, using the Noble's ¼" output to feed it (which runs through both tubes in the Noble). And yes, the DCX sits before the Cali76. I prefer shaping the overdriven signal with console warmth before it gets compressed, so the compression stage has something richer and more interesting to work with.
Current Signal Chain
Here's what I'm running right now:
Xotic XP-1T5 (TI Flats) → Sonic Research ST-300 Tuner → 3Leaf Octabvre Mini → MXR M82 → Jam Pedals LucyDreamer Bass → Origin Effects DCX Bass → Origin Effects Cali76 → LBA Transformer Tray (6× 2020S + 23Fe) → Noble Preamp DI → Origin Effects BassRig SV (XLR out)
I've built this chain with a deliberate signal flow in mind — each stage is doing meaningful work before the signal moves to the next.
The Octabvre sits early to ensure the cleanest possible tracking. The MXR M82 follows so the envelope filter can respond to natural dynamics before any compression or saturation occurs. The LucyDreamer comes next because I want the overdrive to happen while the playing is still dynamic and touch-sensitive. Right after that, the DCX adds console-style warmth and midrange shaping to the overdriven signal before it reaches the compressor.
The Cali76 is positioned after the DCX. I've found that compressing after overdrive and tone shaping feels more musical than the reverse — it glues the signal together while still preserving attack and clarity. The LBA transformer tray (6× 2020S + 23Fe) sits after the Cali76. Because the signal is already compressed and more consistent by that point, the transformers add even-order harmonics and midrange thickness more smoothly and musically. The entire tray is mounted underneath the board for a clean top layout.
The Noble Preamp DI sits at the end of the main chain. I'm using its ¼" output to feed the BassRig SV, which means that path runs through both tubes in the Noble, giving the signal going into the SV a little extra tube character on top of everything else.
By the time the signal reaches the BassRig SV, it has already been shaped by overdrive, console-style warmth, smooth compression, and layered transformer harmonics. The result feels less like a collection of pedals and more like the signal has already passed through a high-end recording console and a beautifully mic'd cabinet before ever reaching the amp stage.
Curious if anyone else has gone deep on this kind of overdrive → console shaping → compression → transformers → tube approach?
TL;DR
Yes — I'm taking the XLR from the BassRig SV rather than the Noble, using the Noble's ¼" output to feed it (which runs through both tubes in the Noble). And yes, the DCX sits before the Cali76. I prefer shaping the overdriven signal with console warmth before it gets compressed, so the compression stage has something richer and more interesting to work with.
Current Signal Chain
Here's what I'm running right now:
Xotic XP-1T5 (TI Flats) → Sonic Research ST-300 Tuner → 3Leaf Octabvre Mini → MXR M82 → Jam Pedals LucyDreamer Bass → Origin Effects DCX Bass → Origin Effects Cali76 → LBA Transformer Tray (6× 2020S + 23Fe) → Noble Preamp DI → Origin Effects BassRig SV (XLR out)
I've built this chain with a deliberate signal flow in mind — each stage is doing meaningful work before the signal moves to the next.
The Octabvre sits early to ensure the cleanest possible tracking. The MXR M82 follows so the envelope filter can respond to natural dynamics before any compression or saturation occurs. The LucyDreamer comes next because I want the overdrive to happen while the playing is still dynamic and touch-sensitive. Right after that, the DCX adds console-style warmth and midrange shaping to the overdriven signal before it reaches the compressor.
The Cali76 is positioned after the DCX. I've found that compressing after overdrive and tone shaping feels more musical than the reverse — it glues the signal together while still preserving attack and clarity. The LBA transformer tray (6× 2020S + 23Fe) sits after the Cali76. Because the signal is already compressed and more consistent by that point, the transformers add even-order harmonics and midrange thickness more smoothly and musically. The entire tray is mounted underneath the board for a clean top layout.
The Noble Preamp DI sits at the end of the main chain. I'm using its ¼" output to feed the BassRig SV, which means that path runs through both tubes in the Noble, giving the signal going into the SV a little extra tube character on top of everything else.
By the time the signal reaches the BassRig SV, it has already been shaped by overdrive, console-style warmth, smooth compression, and layered transformer harmonics. The result feels less like a collection of pedals and more like the signal has already passed through a high-end recording console and a beautifully mic'd cabinet before ever reaching the amp stage.
Curious if anyone else has gone deep on this kind of overdrive → console shaping → compression → transformers → tube approach?
I like your thought process and am encouraged to try similar experimentation. I'm primarily on a Helix Stadium now, so flexible routing is pretty easy. I've often put some peak limiting at the front of a signal chain just to prevent ugly clipping of downstream effects, both in Helix and the analog world.
As much as anything else in your post, I'm most intrigued to see 7 LBA xfrms under the board and hear about Frodo's Precious Bass.
As much as anything else in your post, I'm most intrigued to see 7 LBA xfrms under the board and hear about Frodo's Precious Bass.
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Thanks! I'm not sure that my way is the right way, but it sounds realllly good in my ears.
I'm super impressed with how far the digital world has come. When dialed in, the difference is almost imperceptible. Helix and Anagram have me very intrigued, but I'm a bit cave man and like knobs to twist.
Here is the LBA tray and a better head shot. When I got the Xotic refinished in Sherwood green over the burst, my son thought I said "Shirewood" green… that's where the idea sprouted. We're both big Tolkien fans. I didn't have a usable Xotic logo and thought that since it's a FPSO, I would word play on the logo. As you can see, it's Baggins made in the original Shire style…. It is, precious to me.
That is hilarious, thanks for sharing! I'm a big LOTR fan as well.
My pleasure. I just reread The Silmarillion while my son read it for the first time. I tried to warn him that it reads more like KJV. Tolkien's mind… shew.
I like that it gives you the option of also running a non sim DI out of the noble. I bet it would sound awesome blending them both.
carsonchilders
Carson Childers
Hey friends, I released my video showing off my latest build. I think it's pretty cool and flexible.
