dave_bass5

Just wanted to say I’m very, very happy with the PL. I’m so glad I found that before getting any of the much more costly boxes. It worked so well with the BDDI that I had it on almost all night. I’m fact I turned the BDDI off a few times, which I have never done before. Rehearsal was the first time I plugged it in, so I’ve not really messed with it much. I will do the mod at some point but over the weekend I’ll be able to have a proper play and mess with the trim pots inside. i should also mention that I was using my Vanderklay cab and Sire V7 tonight for the first time in months, and the bass really made a difference as well. Going to bed happy knowing that my quest is over......for now. I am thinking of getting a smaller cab for rehearsals though, maybe a BF 1x10. Our new studio is on the first floor.

Nice blue light, im sold :-)

The cab and room acoustics have a big impact on how the rig will sound. You will never feel the low end using headphones. Using the Zoom gets me closer to what a rig sounds like rather than using headphones out off the preamp stages of my heads. Ive tried it with the GK and it was horrible compared to the Zoom. I tend to run my heads flat and EQ the bass from the pedals anyway, but at home i just go for a good sound in the headphones.

At the moment I’m using a Markbass F1 in to a Vanderkey 1x15, but i also use a GK MB800 when the mood takes me. Each amp has a different character, with the F1 the most neutral and thats the one I’m currently using. The MB800 is just a back up, although it will be interesting to hear how it all sounds through that at some point.

I’m not going to use the 60B other than as a chorus and tuner, although possibly with a filter patch if needed. No other comps or sims, just th done effect. I had a Corona mini at the end, but remembered the 60B also has a Corona patch, so I added that to get a tuner as well. All my plying at home is with headphones, so its hard to set these things up without using the actual rig it will be eventually played through. In fact all my home playing is through my B3n, which sounds fantastic through headphones. The pacth i use the most is db comp, BDDI, B7K. no amp sims in this patch. Using the pedals board with the Cali76 and BDDI sounds pretty close. I have the blend right up on the BDDi at home, but back it off quite a bit when playing with a rig. I find if I use the B3n live I’m forever tweaking it. This is why I switched to using a pedalboard as all the knobs are accessible without any menus and stuff like that.

Cheers guys. I’m happy to run it off 12v to start with. From what ive read its not designed to be run at 18v, but many people do. I wont be feeding too much in to it, although it will probably after my BDDI so ill keep an ear out. I guess 12 is better than 9. Al, i had thought of the Pork n Pickle, but i dont want fuzz at all. Im keeping my BDDI for the clean tone, and will just use the PL for a slightly dirtier tone. The reviews i read seemed to say it was quite a transparent tone (within reason) so should work well with the BDDI tone shaping. I may even use the PL on its own at some point as it seems like it does a nice cleanish tone as well. I cant ever imagin neededing a squeaky clean tone, i liek a bit of dirt even when running clean, and the BDDI does the perfectly well, but there may be times that ill turn the BDDI off and just use the PL. It was PMT in Clerkenwell, and ive been there 3 time now and never brought anything. Their website said the PL was in stock, but they didn’t have a clue what i was after. Closest branch to have it in was Birmingham lol. Shame as i wanted it for Thursdays rehearsal but wanted to get used to it before. Ive ordered it from GAK and it will be hear on Thursday. Ill take it along and see how it goes. Danny. Yeah, im I’m intrigued with the internal trim pots. Ill use it as factory default on Thursday and then mess about with the internal stuff after that. Ive gone right off the DG tone now, its a tone ive lived with as its done the job, but going through the OD patches in my Zoom boxes has shown i can do so much better, for less money. Even the Joyo OJ seems to get closer to what ive been hearing in my head compared to the VMT.

Right, my current plan is to get a Way Huge Pork Loin. Going up to PMT after work and if they have one ill get it, if not ill order one online. Having seen a few YT videos this appeals to me much more than a DG pedal, an din fact looks like exactly what i now need. In fact DG is off the cards now. ill keep the BDDI and use the PL for the extra stuff, or on all the time. Going back to my original question, lets change this to how do i power the PL with the DC5. I know its 9v but ive read a lot about running it at 18v to get better head room. The DC5 only has one 18v output, and my Cli76 is using that. I know i can drop that to 9v and let the PL have the 18v, but what about 12v? Ive not read much about using 12v for pedals, most seem to talk about 9 or 18. Very much looking forward to getting the PL. The other benefit is it does run off battery, which means i can use it in other places when i dont take my board.

I think ive done the same to be honest. Ive lived with it, and wanted to love it because many others do, but at the end of the day its never been quite what ive been looking for. Saying that, now ive changed my mind yet again and am now looking for a dirt pedal to supliment my BDDI the Ao looks like it can work. Not the cheapest option, but i like the concept of it so willing to give it a go.

Well my plan tomorrow is to go to PMT just up the road from work. If i get the Ao from a shop it will be harder to return it, and so ill have to make the effort to use it.

You could smash the road block with it........

Replied to and holding for Mick now. It is a heavy bag, at least a lot more than a single one. It’s more the bulk that makes it a bit of a struggle, especially if using a shoulder strap. I got it to store two basses in, but it seems to take up more room than two single cases.

Ive spoken to Cuzzie already on TB but wanted to post back here as well. The Ultra arrived today and i felt no love for it in the context of what i was trying to achieve. It’s a nice box, and made some nice noises, but i cant see it replacing my BDDI. The clean tone of the BDDI just has soemthing i felt the Ultra couldn’t do. I tried all the knobs and switches, but it just lacked heft. The Ultra has a much better distortion, but thats not really what i was after. One box to do both. The BDDI can do both really well, but the lack of switching means its set and forget, so i rely on the VMT or OJ for the extra dirt. So, its going back tomorrow and I’m going to try the Omicron, as a replacmeant for the VMT.

I think it is down to Thomanns to sort this out, if that's where the bass came from, but in the past Sire have been amazing so yeah, worth continuing down that avenue.

No, not the service i have had or seen through others. I guess they may be getting large enough to not need to bend over backwards for customers now. When i dealt with them it was direct with Mickey Cho on this email [email protected]

I have the above gig bag up for grabs. Brand new, it’s only been used to store two basses at home. Fits standard Fender type basses. ‘In a few days I’ll be chucking it out as I don’t have room for it. If anyone wants to pick it up from either Hatton Garden or Southbank area this week get in touch ASAP.

If it were me I i would email Sire. They have fantastic customer service. I asked when they would be selling their gig bags in the UK when they first came out and they ended up sending me two free of charge.

Thanks very much. I’m sure it’s obvious in my posts that i dont have a clue what I’m looking for, but will find it one day. In the meantime ill just keep spending money and trying out new things. This time next year i might even be playing so i dont want to spend too much now. I know if i buy good gear I’ll get a good return on it when i do sell it. I also have my Zoom 60D at the end of the chain and that has loads of options in it so i may actualy use that for OD, who knows. Playing bass is a laugh, but GAS is a serious business.

I took Al’s comments in jest, which i know they were meant to be taken. I am weak minded sometimes, but mainly when it comes to things i dont have experience with. Don't get me wrong, your Le bass praise definitely helped me get to the point where i knew i must have it, but it was never just about the tone of the Le bass. In fact it was never about that, it was the ability to have two pedals in one and at a good price that was pushing me to this pedal. Due to the size i felt it would take too much effort getting it working for me, and that i was better off looking for something smaller that would fit the board, at least for now. Coupled with the fat that you have to hit two switches at the same time i felt maybe its not quite the soloution i had hoped at the start of the thread. You have convinced me to keep the Cali, so your efforts weren’t wasted oh Jedi master :-). Ive been on BC long enough to know that it will always cost me something when i ask a question. .

It’s funny but for the past 6 months ive been lusting after a DG B7K Ultra, based on the fact that i love the simulation in the Zoom B3n. The BDDI in to B7KU has been my main home rehearsal patch. This was one of the reasons i got a BDDI, as i had planned to get the B7KU as well. Not really sure why I didn’t just use the B3n lol. I then went off the idea of getting both those, due to the cost, but had convinced myself i needed the BDDI anyway. Never been a fan of the B3K sim, so i knew getting one of those wouldnt work. I think in this case the two you mention have failed in getting me to spend money. It started off that i was going to get a LE Bass new, then was offered one at a fantastic price, but against my better judgment pushed the budget right up. In fact the only one pushing the DG stuff is you Al :-).

Cuzzie. Maybe its the slight compression in the BDDI that does make it appealing to me. My one is the current verisobn with the mids so its quite versatile, but still has quite a heft to it that just doesn’t seem to need compression as well. I will have fun with it, and i cant wait to try it out with the band. I know ill sell it on at some point, and i do still have an old BDI21 that i can use rather than buy another BDDI if it ever comes to that. Hopefully it wont for a long time though. Ill report back on Friday to finish the thread. Danny. Yep, i had thought that through. The plan is to use the much better EQ on the Ultra to shape my clean tone, than just add a very small amount of dirt with the other button as and when i need it. With the DG pedals ive had before i dont think ive ever run the blend higher than 10 o’clock. Obviously ill need to put this in to practice, and i might even find the Ultra is used always one with both buttons engaged and I use my Joyo OJ or VTBass DI for the extra stuff. I still have the toggle switched to play with that I assume are only used for the drive section. It’s going to be interesting and i cant wait to try it all out. Funny how my simple threads turn out to cost me loads of money lol

Cheers guys. Al. I use a Markbass F1 head, and also have a GK MB800. I like to alternate these but I think as far as heads go I’m going to stick with them. Ill never sell the F1, as i like it too much (plus is a red version), but i do find the Eq lacking. It’s actualy the VMT tone i dont like, at least, not without being able to EQ it better. I’m with you on the Compressor comments. Ive had about 5-6 over the years, always based on me reading comments on here and TB about the magic they will add. Always struggled to find this and quickly sell them off. The spectracomp came about because i was using my Jazz bass and found the two strings a bit lacking. Plus the band kept telling me to turn down at rehearsals, so i figured a comp will keep me in the mix at a lower freq. It worked fine, and i have no really issues with that comp, other than its lack of tweak ability in a live situation. Although i know what the main knobs do on a comp the Spectracomp seems to go way beyond that, and I found i needed to set all that before heading out. Quite tricky as i dont use a cab or rig at home. The preset stuff worked fine but there were times i really wanted to tweak aspects of the comp, and couldn’t. The Cali came about after reading another thread on here and thinking this must be the one for me. Faily simple to use in a live situation, well regarded and with a bit of ‘cool’ attached to it (pre Xmas GAS after getting my bonus). But then i read if I’m using distortion i may not need a comp. This i find to be true. I tend to turn it off if using the BDDI and VMT at the same time. Thing is i dont use that much distortion and not all the time. I find when the BDDI is off the Cali works better for me. When the BDDI is on the Cali seems to make everything a bit ‘less good’ tone wise, although it does allow me to turn up without jumping out of the mix. Thing with the Cali is i can keep tweaking it at rehearsals until i do get it working better, plus now the BDDI is going i might stand a better chance with it as an always on. I do find it a lot more transparent than the Spectracomp, which is a good thing i guess. It also helps getting closer to an old recorded bass tone. Gimmie some lovin for instance. I turn the comp level up and i get a really nice compressed bass tone, just like the recording. As i play mostly with a pick it also helps even the atatck out and i can get closer to finger style with it, so it has its uses. Bottom line is i dont need compression, never have, but I’d like to get the benefits from using one, now i have a good one. I do get why they are used and how they can be an asset, its just so far ive not hit the sweat spot with it. I definitely feel it works more with my Jazz bass than P bass. If i was to sell it I’d put the Spectracomp back on the board. This is my first ever board and what I find is I’m now keen to use the pedals i have. Before i was too lazy yo use more than one or two. Cuzzie. Good point about the different DG boxes. I started with the VMTD and loved it, but got rid of it after about a year when i was lent a VTBass. I switched to using a VTBass deluxe for a while, and loved that as well, but i was forever fiddling with it. I sort of missed the simplicity of the DG so got the VMDT II. Big mistake. I hated it and quickly sent it back. I felt the lack of the Vintage knob was a step back. I ended up getting a VMT. Used it for a while but sold it to get a VTBass DI. Loved the DI (still got it) but then realised i needed a bit more dirt from another pedal, so brought my VMT back. Started using the two together but went off the idea of using the VMT as I still didn’t like the tone much. I also found the VTBass wasnt quite what i wanted, and that the BDDI was. Now i i brought a BDDI to use with it and while its an ok combo i still dont like the VMT much, although it works for what i need. So here i am getting another VMT. I realise this one also doesnt have the Vintage knob, but I’m now at a stage where I don’t feel ill need it. i like to set and forget my pedals as much as possible. Ill get a nice clean tone from it, set the right amount off dirt from the top row and bobs your uncle....in theory. Ill have the ability to get a bit dirtier without changing the character of the tone with one foot switch. If i need more dirt i can turn up the drive without the overal level chaninging, more or less, so it makes tweaking this part of the tone less hassle than doing it with my BDDI, which would increase the volume quite a bit if i turn the drive up, which then means turning the level down, then back up etc. I spent a good few hours last night listening to a lot of You tube videos. I know, not the best thing to do but other than the over the top distortion ones i found a few where the drive was used ina very subtle way, and this appealed to me. I tend to use my VMT with the Vintage knob right up and the drive almost off. This is the sort of tone I’m looking for but with a much greater EQ range. All this in a box that will fit my board and take the place of two other boxes. Yeah, GAS struck hard this weekend lol.

Cheers Al. I think engaging the two together would have gotten easier but it looks liek I mighty have had to mount the Le Bass sideways on the board. Mighty have been a bit tricky hitting both together that way round. I have size 11.5 feet, and if I’m not wearing trainers it can get a bit cramped when using switches on my tightly packed board. Ive gone ahead and ordered the Ulta, it will be here Monday. Ive got a rehearsal on Thursday so i can test it out. If i dont like it ill send it back and start again. I have a feeling i will like it a lot. I’m looking to just warm up the amp, and with the same tone but a bit hotter for when the guitarist is soloing (so probably used on all the time lol), plus a bit more dirt for punk/new wave songs. There are a few pedals that can do all this, but the DG seems to have the best control over how the two parts work together for me. I love the DG level/blend implementation, i find it very versatile. I had considered the AO or Ao but i wanted one pedal with two switches on it, rather than something got run along side the BDDI. As much as ive always loved the BDDI i feel its not a tone that is working for me at the moment. It’s funny but when i got my latest BDDI a couple of months ago it felt like an old friend had returned and we would never again part. Funny how things change so quickly.

Guys, ive had a rethink and am going to try and get a Darkglass Vintage Ultra instead. As much as i love the look and sound of the Le Bass two things dont quite appeal to me. I feel that channel A just doesnt have enough EQ to warrant me using it as an always on. My amp has more EQ. Now, if i could use Channel B as always on, and switch in Chanel A to boost and drive channel B harder that would work, but unless I’m missing something you have to hit both switches at the same time. This seems a bit fiddly to me, and not something i want to think about. The other issue is size, although i could live worth that if it wasnt for the above. Looking at the DG it seems to do what i want, in a box that will fit my board without issues. For clean or slightly warm the EQ options seem better, and the ability to just add a bot of drive over the top is ideal. It a lot more money but from all the demos ive seen of both pedals the DG ones seem to be closer to what I’m looking for. This can definitely replace the BDDI and VMT, and leave me with space for something else. Cheers for all the advice though.