ped

I don't think it's meant to be a scientific experiment, just a comparison to see which you like best!

Aye but UK made

I like these guys for loop switchers/ A/B box type stuff https://www.swiftpedals.co.uk/loopers.html They work without power and don't 'pop' when operated

Ah I see, yeah makes sense. Some AB pedals don’t need power except for a light so there’s that. With eBay items like that, often the description is right but the picture is wrong, or vice versa. Maybe someone here could make you a decent one, perhaps with locking jacks?

I'd go for an A/B box on the floor so you only have one cable running to the amp?

Yeah it was a weird one. The guy who got the second one back said he tested it with his own bass and said that it was ‘fine’ so maybe we’ll never know. I liked what I heard with the first one even though I couldn’t adjust the decay.

I would probably only mod the pickups if I was changing to different types completely, like a pair of Tbird pickups. Replace with different P/J pickups? Probably wouldn't bother as I don't find the brand as important as the type and location.

They swung and let go of the bat

I think the requirements for practice and listening to music are quite different. I like DT770s for practice because I get some isolation and they sound fairly spacious so my bass sound isn’t cluttered in top of the music I’m playing over. They sound good at lower levels too. But I don’t like them much for purely listening to music.

Everything's based on the Mutron 😁

2023 was the year that I joined a really great originals prog rock band so purchases came thick and fast as I built a pedalboard. Best: Valco KGB Distortion pedal, it just has everything I could want and finally I'm able to get that lightly driven sound I like without the higher strings sounding too fizzy. Love it. Worst: I thought early on that i might enjoy a small multi effects pedal to use with the band, leaving my fairly old and rare pedal collection at home. I bought a Hotone Ampero Mini and although the clean sound was nice, the rest of it sounded pants, in particular the envelope filter and the octave were unusable. I sold it for a bit of a loss but the new owner is happy, maybe it's better on guitar.

Stacked knobs

You’d better get your pedalboard choices locked in before that one arrives!! Congratulations

I don't often stack pedals so haven't experimented yet. I have the fuzz set for quite a splattery velcro sound so really it doesn't matter what you feed it, bit one thing that does work nicely is turning the fuzz on the bassballs off and using the distortion instead, it's similar but a bit pore peaky. No low end loss, if anything there's a bit of a boost unless you control it. I tend to use some clean blend (which by the way sounds completely in tune with the distorted signal, rather than separate to it). The HPF shaves off the really high end so that you can focus the growl on the low notes, which I prefer. I note that some other pedals allow you to distort the higher frequencies more, which I don't like as much. I tend to find that when playing live I need to increase the treble range to cut through depending on the cab, so the one knob solution should make that a doddle. I use the Tone control on the fuzz in the same way. The mix slider is more interactive on the distortion compared to the fuzz, probably because it caters better for the subtle end of the spectrum. It actually overlaps with the fuzz at extreme settings, but the fuzz sounds absolutely brilliant with the phase inverted and impedance opened up, sort of the opposite is true for the Distortion.

Latest version of my Cold War pedalboard. Mutron III+ Valco KGB Distortion Valco KGB Fuzz EHX Bassballs (underneath) MXR M87 Comp Broughton HPF Warm Audio DI Cioks DC5

It certainly does, so it must be good, right?? RIGHT! It's fantastic. SO many sounds in one box, it does a really nice warmed up overdrive and gets pretty close to the splattery fuzz of the dedicated fuzz pedal. The LPF is really useful in cutting the top end when you get a bit lairy with the distortion. The phase cancellation switch literally doubles the options. Super pleased... the only issues are that the LED is retina burningly bright, same as my other Valco pedals, but dimmed with a stick on filter thing. The more distorted circuits like Germanium and Silicon need a boost in the output dial or putting it another way the Op-amp and LED modes need backing off, but with so many controls that interact it'll be unlikely that I'd adjust it mid gig. I think I'll keep the fuzz next to it, because together they offer a full gamut of OD/Distortion/Fuzz sounds and it'll be nice to have two flavours on tap.

Ah that makes sense. I tried a GR20 and found it worked OK but certainly not as immediate and seamless as the GK.

I'm a bit confused, because the GK system, using the pickup and COSM processing, has zero tracking issues or latency because there's no pitch to midi or anything going on. I guess this system is different, in which case why change it? As for the performance aspect, although I never felt I needed to alter my playing on the GK system, using a Future Impact or some such means altering my style a bit but I rather enjoy that aspect of it. It makes it satisfying when you play clean.

One extra feature that looks really useful is the built in mic for instant sampling. Can't get one in the UK at the moment but I'll be looking. I notice the Orba is now available in blue and white, and the app(s) have been updated too.

Just to update this thread, I just bought a Valco KGB Dist(ortion) to add to my collection. I've found the fuzz so useful and flexible that I wanted to check out the distortion variant too. In addition to the flexibility of each discrete clipping type, AND the impedance control, this has a variable LPF to control the tone. Quite excited to try it out!

Awesome. Site seems to be down at the moment?

Does anyone here have the 3.3 and case? If so, would you be able to tell me the interior height dimension of the case? Cheers ped

Take 2. Another one arrived. This one was broken too!! The ‘full’ triggering mode gave a constant oscillation and although 1/2 trigger mode sounded fine, you don’t get the full range. Also the switches sounded really dirty. The range switch in particular was very crackly and sometimes affected the sound until you wiggled it. I bought this one on Facebook and paid with PayPal (goods) so although the seller is a bit miffed (mostly because he had to post it which seems like it was quite difficult for him) he’s agreed to take it back. I haven’t got the energy to send it for servicing and waiting who knows how long, so I’m giving up on meatballs for now. I have a good sense of how they should sound, and that’s great - but if I’m honest I’m not a fan of the construction (Valco have improved in this design considerably) and I don’t think I could trust one now!!

Actually I found it quite easy to use, to be honest. Although I couldn’t play with the decay, I was able to dial in a couple of nice filters quite quickly. It’s not as simple as a mutron that’s for sure but only a few of the switches have useful modes for bass, and I didn't explore the fx loop or pedal inputs.