Baloney Balderdash

So I am curious who else own, use and love their EHX Black Finger (dual tube version), tube driven optical compressor, and how they use it. I just ordered a used one on Reverb (they have long been out of production), as a backup, just in case something beyond repair should happen to the one that served me well for about 20 years by now, even if that one still is going strong and working flawlessly. It's probably the one pedal in my collection that I treasure most and it has become an essential part of my setup and tone. Just makes everything you run through come out much better sounding on the other side, adding an extra layer of depth/harmonic complexity to it. In my setup actually primarily functioning as a tube preamp stage, with the Pre Gain (input gain) dialed in so that it drives the tubes, which are a pair of EHX 12AX7, that by the way operates at proper high 300V voltage, to just on the verge of breakup, though I do have some very some subtle compression dialed in as well. These are my current settings: Pre Gain (input gain/threshold (though as far as i understood somewhat interacting with the Compress control)): Noon position SQSH/Norm (Squash=long attack, high compression ratio)/Normal=more subtle compression) : Normal mode Lamp/LED (optical compression source, Lamp=longer attack time, more low end, fatter tone (contrary to what manual states the top end is compressed more and the low end less)/LED=shorter attack time, flatter response, more neutral tone: Lamp mode Compress (compression ratio (though as far as i understood somewhat interacting with the Pre Gain control)) 8 o'clock position (just a smidge above minimum position, minimum position translating to practically no signal going through the optical compression circuit at all (except for what the full 500kOhm resistance of the pot allows for), which is to say that my setting translates to something like a just 1.5:1 ratio or so) Post Gain (output/make up gain/master volume): Slightly above unity It does seem to be one of those pedals that people either love or hate, as should be obvious from what I wrote above I belong to the former group of people, and also I have had absolutely no issues with unwanted noise, contrary what I've seen a lot of claims of. Here's how it looks (this is of the used one I just ordered on Reverb, not the unit that is currently part of my setup):

A pretty amazing instrumental cover by the Danish band Ibrahim Electric of the Danish winner of the 1963 Eurovison Song Contest "Dansevisen" by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann :

*doh!*

That looks pretty amazing. Not crazy about the headstock though.

With Jaco Pastorius's son :

This might interest you: A finger style technique that allows you to do stuff otherwise normally better suited for pick playing (using just your middle finger would work perfectly, as I mention I use my index and middle finger interchangeably for this, rather than in tandem). Now it won't really sound like using a pick (that specific unique snappy emphasis of the attack that only a pick will give you), it has it's own sound going for it, which though I personally do actually really like, and it does allow for easily doing rapid strumming (that is once you master the technique of course), just like when using a pick.

Hartke HyDrive HD112 : https://www.thomann.de/gb/hartke_hydrive_hd112.htm

Passive transformer? Just a wild guess, I am not exactly an electronics expert.

You might want to consider if the lowest possible obtainable action would even actually be desirable to you. First of all lowest possible obtainable action will differ from person to person, as how light or hard you prefer to pluck the strings, as well as, somewhat related, preferred string gauge and tension, will influence on how low you practically can get before it starts to affect tone and sustain negatively and fret buzz becomes and issue, even with the frets absolutely perfectly leveled. Also there is the feel aspect, the fact that different people prefer different levels of resistance when fretting, personally for example I like to be able to feel that I am actually fretting the string, there needs to be at least a minimum amount of resistance, but not to much either, so for me personally I've found that just about 1.8mm string action, and not much neither lower or higher, measured from bottom of low E string to top of the 12th fret works perfect for me, about 1.4mm for high G string side, and with an absolute minimum, almost completely flat, neck relief, which minimum obtainable amount before it becomes an issue also is determined by preferred plucking strength, as well as string gauge and tension More neck relief however, up to a certain limit, will generally allow for lower overall string action, as the slight forward bow of the neck gives the strings more room to vibrate, so there is a balance there to consider as well. And to specify, harder plucking will require higher action and more relief, higher gauge will too, as the strings will require more room to vibrate, however this is to some extend countered (as higher gauge generally will mean relatively higher tension) by the fact that strings under higher tension require less space to vibrate (meaning lower minimum obtainable neck relief and string action), but again this will be relatively to and depending on how hard you prefer to pluck the strings. All in all a lot a variables to consider determining the lowest possible obtainable action that are all to some extend relatively/in relation to and interactive with each other, and that is if this is even actually also desirable, which as mentioned, is yet another factor to consider. I any case I wish you best of luck with setting up your bass to the specs that fits your playing style and preferences the best.

It's not that human hearing is insensitive to shifts in phase, at least not trained ears, like that of musicians, it's just that those changes in phase at certain frequencies exactly is part of what makes some speakers more attractive than others (and might I add different speakers to different people, as preference of tone is very much just that, an objective personal preference). Very few people would prefer a pure uni-phase FRFR signal from an electric bass guitar, that is if such was even possible. Which is my point, that changes of the phase at certain frequencies is actually very much a desired effect.

The right sound, but achieved with the wrong equipment? How is that possible? Changes of the phase at certain frequencies is for example exactly part of what makes Echoplex type preamps so attractive, what contributes to their "3D" quality, but I guess that too would be wrong to use in your book? Also says who exactly, beside you? What are you, member of international tone police force? Just because something works or something doesn't work for you personally doesn't make it the ultimate universal absolute law.

And I even completely forgot to include the tremolo pedal which I plan on being a part of this setup too.

It doesn't quite work that way, the EQ points for the Bass and Treble control and the center frequency for the mid scoop, as well as curves of these/bandwidth, on this units are set so you can't really effectively dial out the scoop that way. The boosted mids resulting in cutting the Bass and Treble control is at a lower frequency point than where the big scoop is happening, I think with a center around about 400Hz or 500Hz, where as the giant baked in scoop of this pedal is around 800Hz, which is unfortunate cause just around about 800Hz to about 1.2kHz is the frequency area you would normally boost to increase definition and articulation. You can in fact not really make this pedal to have have flat response in any possible way, and the scoop will always be there to some extend, unless you mod it. You can reasonably with the V2 though, because you can just dial in the mid frequency of the Mid control to match to where the scoop actually is happening (I say reasonably because there is no Q control, so the bandwidth/curve of the boost won't match that of the scoop exactly). But I guess if OP's son is happy with it that is what really matters.

I am not a fan of Eden amps... Did I win anything?

Because the right preamp can turn your decent amp into a not merely decent but amazing sounding one.

My main bass, a just 28.6" scale Ibanez GSRM20 neck + GSRM20B body Mikro Bass, strung up with Elixir Nanoweb guitar strings, threaded through the cut off ball ends of old bass strings, to not fall through the bridge, of the gauges .080 - .062 - .046 - .036, tuned to F# standard tuning, that is 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning (left shot is how it looks currently, right how it looked previously, the latter just included because it's a much better shot of the bass, to give a better impression of how it really looks : My pedal board setup, which is a pedal based "amp-less" setup, is currently under reconstruction, but this is how I plan for it to look when done : The small board containing all my "always on" pedals, the actual pedal based "amp-less" setup part of this arrangement, bar for the Zoom MS-70 CDR on the big board, which is also an "always on" pedal, that beside working as a multiband parametric equalizer got the last of those 2 band parametric EQ models in the signal chain of the always on patch set up as follows: [Freq=12kHz Q=1 Cut=-18dB ; Freq=20kHz Q=0.5 Cut=-20dB], approximately mimicking a -12dB/Oct LPF set at 3.6kHz, essentially functioning as a simple faux, EQ based, cab sim. The TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini is used exclusively for a 1 octave up effect, delivered by a customized Toneprint, to mimic an effect somewhat similar to that of an 8 string bass, with pairs of respectively bass and octave strings. Some of the pedals in my setup was missing from the online pedal planer app I used to make above graphics, so this is what the numbered pedals really are supposed to be : :-: Xotic EP Booster (forgot to number that pedal) = Mosky XP Bosster (clone of the Xotic EP Booster V1) :=: The 2 Joyo Gate of Kahn pedals (forgot to number those pedals too) = Joyo Orange Juice (Orange amp style drive) :1: Artec SE-EQ8 Graphic Eq (8 band graphic equalizer) :2: EHX Black Finger (tube driven optical compressor, actually primarily functioning as a tube preamp stage, though I do have a bit of subtle compression dialed in as well) :3: ART Tube MP Project Series (tube preamp and DI) :4: Zoom G1on (primarily functioning as a pre drive reverb unit, though also used for a few non reverb effect patches) :5: Zoom B1Xon (primarily functioning as a post drive reverb unit, though also used for a few non reverb effect patches) :6: Danelectro FAB Metal :7: Monarch MFL-22 Stereo Flanger (basically a rebrand of the Arion SFL-1 Stereo Flanger) :8: Mosky Black Rat (RAT clone, used in Turbo RAT mode) Also forgot to include the HoTone Trem, tremolo pedal, which would go after the Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz on the big board, in effects loop B of the Boss LS-2, and physically it would be placed after, that is to the right of, the EHX Freeze on the middle ledge of the board. My amp, a 160W SS Peavey Solo Special 112, of which I only use the poweramp section, going into its Effects Return input, and having the build in 12" speaker disconnected and instead hooked up to a passive FRFR PA speaker, the The Box PA 502, which features a 15" woofer/mids driver + 1.7" high mids/high frequency tweeter (think the crossover is at about 2kHz) :

Scooped mids galore and a resulting inarticulate mud and getting lost in the mix? Just like the original abomination. But of course if you think "...and justice for all" is the greatest bass album ever then you might just have found the holy grail. Edit!!: Sorry, I apologize about being so harsh. But please know that the hate is not aimed at you in any possible way, but at the pedal, which I think it should be clear from above i have absolutely no love for. Is an amazing clone of the original Tech 21 preamp though, and not least for the unbelievably dirt cheap price, if you happen to love scooped mids.

I'll let you in on a little secret, it is actually I who plays all bases ever played, using mind control. Of course I can't have my vict..., I mean mediums, panic and resist my mind control, so I make sure to make them think they are actually in control themself. Ever experienced being in the so called state of flow when playing, where stuff seems to play it self, almost as if you are just channeling something that comes from somewhere other than yourself through your fingers? Well, that would really be me!

Really to address the actual issue that OP wants solved. Chances are high you are fine with what you already got for what you want to achieve, please read on: With the right P pickup, the EMG Geezer Butler P for instance would be perfect for this, that is a vintage voice pickup with a slight focus on the upper mids and not overwound, the right EQ (but I think in specific the Geezer P would be perfect for this purpose), roundwound strings, eventually even roundwound stainless steel strings, and eventual perhaps even wiring the pickup directly to the output jack socket to have absolutely no accentuation of the high end the pickup produces as well as raising the resonant peak of it, P pickups can sound plenty of clear, and certainly punch through, with fingerplay too. I would even say under the right circumstances a bass equipped with a P pickup is more likely to punch through a mix, thanks to its general mid focus, than a bass equipped with J pickups, especially if both J pickups are on, which would result in a mid scoop, which again is the recipe to inarticulate mud and getting lost in a mix. If you insist on getting a bass with a J pickup then I would recommend a PJ bass over a JJ bass, but, as said, with a new pickup and an EQ pedal, perhaps even by just adjusting the EQ on your amp, you ought to do fine with what you already got and play. And also upper mids are your friend, especially the area around 1kHZ, that is about 800Hz or so to about 1.2kHz or so, experiment with choosing a center frequency around there, apply a relatively narrow bandwidth/high Q value, a Q value around 4 or so should work, and then boost, just +1dB to +3dB, depending. I already mentioned this is my previous reply, consult it for compressor settings as well, to emphasis the attack, which will help you cut through, just like the above tip will.

Thanks for making me aware of the existence of that shop though, wasn't aware that anything like that existed, definitely something I will consider in the future, even if having to pay shipping costs likely to be same as the order it self and on top of that an import fee that would be about double the shipping cost isn't exactly optimal. Also tape is ready at hand, cheap, easy to fit, to apply and remove (electrical tape at least is), for trying out stuff.

Point being my Nylon picks seems to be much more form stable, even the .60mm ones, my Tortex .60mm not so much, to put it mildly, as opposed to what Dunlop claims in that piece I quoted them for. Of course the picks are not going to warp automatically by just laying around, no one claimed anything like that.

You can get it in quite a variety of colors, but I don't think any too funky, and almost certain not metallics and sparkle, since it is made for the purpose of being used with wiring (like for covering wire splicings and similar), hence the name electrical, or insulating, as it is also called, tape. But you might be able to get tape with those kind of qualities made from a similar flexible rubber like plastic material. Not the direction I am personally going for though, if it was meant as a suggestion, rather than for your personal use, the Aria Pro II in the background of those photos I posted was decorated like that back in my teens, partially as a joke (however too much work to remove now (I tried and it feels as if the adhesive of those stickers has somehow almost vulcanized with the finish of the bass or something like that), and I suppose it does have it's own quirky funky charm to it too).

Dumlop's marketing describes it a bit differently: "Tortex Flex Picks combine the memory and durability of Tortex with the flexibility and warmth of nylon." Of course neither is really true. It is though somewhat more flexible and somewhat rounder/warmer sounding than regular Tortex picks, but not really exactly like a Nylon pick, it's more of it's own thing that's neither regular Tortex or Nylon. Also I don't know where they got the "memory" part from either, I always find that my .60mm Tortex picks pretty quickly ends up warping, whereas my .73mm regular Nylon picks keeps the exact same shape no matter how much I use it.

Tried all that out in PhotoShop, and personally I think it end up looking too boring that way (jack output socket is staying where it is, as I moved it there for a reason, that reason being that barrel type jack sockets, even the high quality ones, are just not reliable and always end up malfunctioning). For a more classy/sharp look, with less color distractions going on, I have considered going through with this look though: Those were made with white electrical tape, but the stripes on the upper part of the body would eventually start to move and deform, because I tend to rest my arm wrist on that part of the bass, and the adhesive of the electrical tape wasn't strong enough to keep it in place (which though is also the advantage of using it, easy to remove without too much adhesive gunk left behind, along with the fact that it is easy to clean, should it get smudgy over time, since it is made of a somewhat rubbery plastic material), so if I go through with this it would have to be a permanent thing, like actually painting it on, and properly, using masking tape, several layers of white paint and following clear coats.

I already played with that in PhotoShop, cause I had the same thought, but looks really weird. Like too much going on and ruining the symmetrical balance. What did look great though was just having a stripe of red in the middle of the two pickup halves respectively, instead of covering completely as it is now, like a single red strip of tape going across the two pickup halves respectively along the line of pole pieces, but I have run out of red electrical tape, so will have to wait with trying that out in practice till I get restocked.