EskimoBassist

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1224906' date='May 9 2011, 11:19 AM']MXR M80 has a Blend control too. Both the EQ and Distortion circuit are switchable, on the Sansamp it's just the Distortion AFAIK. Lots of people use both pedals, i'd say either would be a good bet. More down to which distortion sound you prefer as both are built like tanks with really useful features.[/quote] I totally agree. I originally chose the M-80 over the Sansamp because of the switchable distortion channel and the mids control which the Sansamp doesn't have - now I'm hooked and would never switch.

[quote name='Finbar' post='1224486' date='May 8 2011, 08:35 PM']At the risk of being cheeky, I've got one up for sale at the moment in the For Sale section. It'd save you a few bob on the new price if you're interested in actually buying one [/quote] THIS^^ or do your own suggestion, the M-80 is fantastic.

There is an eBay links thread in the classifieds section where perhaps this would be more appropriate.

I'm really tempted by one of these, my Ampeg combo isn't quite pumping out the volume that I'm looking for. May have to have a look down my local shop this summer...

[quote name='Doddy' post='1219631' date='May 4 2011, 10:53 AM']Or you could run them all between your bass and amp.[/quote] +1 I've never really seen the point of putting effects pedals through the effects loop on an amp, especially for bass. Bass Big Muff works perfectly inline with my other effects.

Instead of getting rid of your Ashdown overdrive, why not get a Variable Impendence Buffer, which would allow it to work better with Active Basses (see [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1261"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1261[/url] for further reading). From what I have read, the Line 6 M9/13 are both brilliant for all modulation/delay/filter needs, but lack a little in the gain department for Bass players, hence why many chain the M9 with other stomps. However, if you are set on getting a multi which will do everything, it does sound like the GT-10B would fit the bill - very powerful, especially with its' parallel chains, amp modelling and a variety of inputs/outputs. Like any wisened guru may suggest though; try before you buy if at all possible! Also, have a read here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=30341"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=30341[/url], it's pinned right at the top of this forum and has the answers to pretty much all questions regarding multi-effects pedals. Hope that's some help!

It's loud and noisy, I didn't like it at all. Glad I spent the extra on an EBS MultiComp. For a pedal in a similar price bracket, look at the BBE Optostomp as recommended above.

MXR M-80. Cheaper, but with a seperately switchable distortion channel and a 3 band EQ which actually gives you control over your mids, unlike the Sansamp. Not as cheap as the Behringer though, so if you like the stock Sansamp sound, but don't want the price tag, go for that.

Have a look on here, lots of great advice about compression and peak limiting: [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/"]http://www.ovnilab.com/[/url]. Aside from the Boss LMB-3 which seems like a good choice (see the review in link), the Aguilar TLC, Markbass Compressore, Demeter Compulator and FEA Comp-Limiter sound like they're worth your attention too.

The Bass Big Muff is a very good pedal, especially for the price. The ODB-3 is an interesting one; gets a lot of bashing but there are some things that it can do VERY WELL. It has a very good clean blend and thanks to a powerful 2 band eq it can ADD low-end, a strange phenomenon where dirt pedals are concerned. I used one almost exclusively for my overdrive sound for over 2 years and it served me faithfully, in fact I still get it out for some studio stuff. Set with the blend on the dry side and the gain on the low side you'll get a nice sound, but that doesn't mean I don't prefer my Fulltone Bass Drive, which now sits pride of place on my board instead.

Well it very much depends how you are wanting to use the pedal: as an occasional overdrive/amp sound or as constant preamp eq/ emulation. For example, I use an MXR M-80 as an always on pre-amp, and set the EQ on my amp relatively flat, as I prefer the 3-band EQ on my MXR to that on my amp, and as I send a clean DI from the MXR (thus before my amp) to FOH, it's nice to have basically the same sound coming from behind me as well. You could use your VT in the same way; set the amp EQ relatively flat, perhaps adjust for any boomy lows, and get your desired sound from the pedal, leaving it "always on". Others use the VT in the same way you would use an overdrive/distortion pedal: set you amp EQ with your clean sound just how you like it, and then set up the VT to compliment that sound for passages in your songs which need a little extra oomph. Doing it like that gives you the option of turning it off for a totally nice, clean sounding bass sound (and the extra omph when you need it at the stomp of a switch), instead of just being left with a totally flat sound were you to switch off your VT if you were using it as a preamp with the amp amp set flat. Personally, as I have an MXR with its' DI always on taking care of my clean sound, I would use the VT as a gain pedal, running the amp pretty flat.

Plus one to the advice above - it's worth saving a little longer and getting something that will properly do the job. I am deeply in love my with MultiComp - scored one for £80 in mint condition on this forum, but also I've heard lots of great things above the TC NovaComp. For me, it's a pedal that I never turn off and has become an integral part of my sound, so it was definitely worth spending the extra on. Hope that's some help.

[quote name='johnpaulbass' post='1202694' date='Apr 17 2011, 04:05 PM'][/quote] Big fan of this.

I don't find it too bad with small boards and only a few pedals, but whenever I go to my big board I properly plan it all out first, sometimes on the inside of the lid as it is the same size, but isn't velcroed, so the pesky moving about doesn't become an issue. Properly planned; just transfer to your proper board!

What you're looking for is a distortion/overdrive with a blend function or one that retains low-end. Is there a blend function on your multi?

With regards to compression, I put mine BEFORE my octaver to help its' tracking. Others prefer it at the end of the chain to help limit peaks from filter effects, some envelopes can have vicious spikes that could potentially damage speakers, especially as envelope effects respond very dynamically to varying input levels and by compressing the signal before it hits the filter it removes playing dynamics, as the compressor feeds it a much tighter [i]compressed[/i] signal, which results in the not envelope being triggered in the same way, becoming far more controlled and uniform.

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' post='1188075' date='Apr 4 2011, 06:19 PM']I must have been unlucky, I've owned a DD3, TU2, PS5 and a BF2. The first 2 were great but the last 2 were really bad for altering tone. You could hear the PS5 changing the sound when it was switched off and you turned the mode control. Shame, as it was a really good sounding pedal and would have been great in a loop. Fortunately the BF2 isn't as bad and I really love the sound so it's had a decent run on my board.[/quote] Well I must confess to not having used the PS5 or BF-2, but had no problems with any of the folling: TU-2, DD-6, DD-3, DD-20, BF-3, OC-3, ODB-3, CEB-3, RV-3, RV-5. The list goes on!

Wap it in a cheap TB loop, that'll do the trick.

Great collection there, would love to hear it in action.

Totally agree with Lemmywinks on this one. The Blowtorch's silly power requirement was a put-off for me, but I consider my M-80 as an essential part of my sound. Totally different pedals, as he says.

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' post='1123788' date='Feb 11 2011, 02:06 PM']Only shame is that Ibanez (like boss and other makers) are still manufacturing their pedals without true bypass! We're in 2011! Can't they realize that TB is a fundamental feature for a pedal? Imagine you have a power failure (dead battery or busted psu) with TB you can step on the pedals and turn them off and you keep giging! I realy can't understand the benefit of keep building like in the 80's...[/quote] This debate has come up a number of times and in part at least, I do agree with the merits of true bypass, especially in the event of a power mishap. However, I think you underrate the quality of buffered bypass; I've found with the majority of Boss pedals to suffer little if no tone loss at all and furthermore, if you are using a number of pedals without a buffer you will suffer great signal loss. Yes, the bypass on my Korg G5 is appalling, but that I've got it in a loop anyway. The bypass' on the Boss, EHX, MXR and EBS which I use are very clean and I have no issues in chaining 10/11 of them together. Doesn't the TB pop ever annoy you?

Check out the EHX Bass Big Muff, a Bass specific variant of the Big Muff, modelled on the old Green Russian. Cheap too!

In this situation, I think my wealth would be the determinant: when poor but in need of gear, perhaps virtues would have to be sacrificed, but when in a financial situation that does not restrict your setup, this argument becomes moot, instead you would move towards your optimal gear configuration, at a now affordable personal expense. I am however a poor, poor student and so I'll accept any gear that companies want to throw at me, especially a decent amp!!

Can't wait to get back from Uni to the North, will definitely be paying a visit.

Finbar, why not just put together a good essentials board and use that? Tuner, Compressor, Pre-Amp, Overdrive, Fuzz, Octave and a Filter? That's what I've had to do since I've come to Uni as obviously I can't be lugging my Tourman around and it's always covered all the grounds needed.