Baloney Balderdash

I am in the process of completely rearranging my setup, so all I got set up at the moment is the core of my "amp-less" setup that gives me my basic "clean" tone, and then my high gain distortion setup, as described earlier here in this thread. Further more I haven't really got any way to record it properly at the moment either, but promise I will do so when I have my home recording gear set up properly again.

I got nothing to proof to you, you asked for advice and I bothered giving my genuine take on it to you, and as I said: Which seems to be exactly what you chose to do.

Wouh, just what the...? Why on Earth would you think that? I am being dead serious. This gives me an awesome high gain distortion tone, really ballsy and heavy thick fuzz like, very doomy, type of distortion, but with a surprisingly amount of definition and articulation still. Mixing two different types of drive in parallel really is the key to a great bas distortion tone as far as I am concerned. You are of course still free to laugh at and ignore my advice. Your loss...

Blending 2 drives in parallel with each other, and eventually blending in some parallel clean signal as well, or perhaps even staking a 1 octave up effect into it all, I found to be the answer. A Joyo Orange Juice, set to a low gain overdrive, stacked into a Metal Zone to tighten it up, then blended in parallel with a Turbo Rat, works for me.

That reminds me of a situation back when two of my friends shared a flat. One of them had started doing just that, mind in their own private room, and when he was not around we thought we would "assist" him in his endeavour and started to make labels for everything, a chair got a "Chair" label, a table got a "Table" label, a lamp a "Lamp" label, a wall a "Wall" label e.t.c.

If it plays nicely and have no fret buzz at the kind of string action you prefer some frets not being properly seated is not a major issue, in fact I'd call it a rather minor issue. And I would personally expect to install a new set of strings on any new bass bought, regardless of price tag or whether it being band new or used, to get the brand, type and gauge to my personal preferred liking. Also why exactly does the bridge suck? On a different note judging from the string alignment on those pictures, them being slightly shifted towards the higher strings, it looks like the neck could do with being reset in the pocket.

At least he didn't pose naked himself in the pictures alongside the Ampeg gear.

No unfortunately not, the presets on the EQ2 are buttons, not foot switches, so you would have to bend down to switch between them, but you connect an external foot switch for swapping between presets by foot. Not sure what it is you think look like one, but no scroll wheel on the EQ2. So if you need really flexible, extensive and surgically precise EQ'ing the EQ2 would be the one to get, but if you just need some more basic graphic eq'ing but need to be able to switch between different EQ setting in the middle of songs the Boss would probably be the more sensible choice (unless money is no issue, in that case the EQ2 + external footswitch would still be the best choice by far).

No, not at all. I wasn't lying, or didn't know what I was talking about. Read the manual. The Source Audio EQ2, basically gives you 2 x 10 bands of fully parametric equalizing, that is full adjustment of both frequency point, Q/bandwidth, and of course gain, for each of the 2 x 10 bands, which can be run as 2 x 10 bands of EQ as two seperate channels or in stereo, 2 x 10 bands run in series, effectively giving you a full 20 band parametric EQ, or 2 x 10 bands mixed in parallel, plus option for running the outer bands as shelving EQ filters instead, as well as additionally a HPF or LPF for each of the 2 channels, also can be used as a 10 band EQ + a 10 band EQ'ed foot switchable effect loop. The Boss is basically just slightly more flexible standard graphic EQ. I guess only downside to the EQ2 would be the requirement of connecting it to a computer and using an app to set it up and take full advantage at all these incredible features.

I once had a bass I had ordered at Thomann stuck at one tracking point along the way to delivering for 14 days straight. To be fair that was around Christmas times though, and while the Corona madness was still on full throttle. A miracle occurred though and I just exactly managed to get it before Christmas, and got it delivered on the 23rd of December.

I actually like the click and snap you get from a relatively flexible pick (regardless of flexibility some materials contribute to more click and snap than others), also to me it gives me better control over my picking, including dynamic range, and I don't like the more kind of "thuck" sound you get when striking the strings with a thicker inflexible pick. Mind I am a fairly light picker, both when using a pick and when I use my fingers, only stroking, rather than striking or pulling, the strings, with the outmost tip of the pick or my fingers. That said I do quite like my 3.1mm Wedgie Soft rubber pick, however, again, despite the thickness it is still relatively flexible, but definitely produce a softer tone, I guess you could describe the tone as kind of like an odd compromise between pick and finger picking, though it does really have its very own unique tone, but quieter volume wise than finger picking or any other pick I've tried. And as I wrote a few posts back in this thread, I've given up on finding the one pick that gives me the one ultimate tone, or deciding definitively between either only using picks or fingers, and finally ultimately have come to the conclusion that I really need a broader palette of tools to cover all my needs, which though I think I have narrowed down to 3 different picks, plus using both either the tip or round corner of one of them, as well as a combination of various different finger picking techniques:

Also consider the Source Audio EQ2, vast superior to both the MXR and Boss in any possible way, in fact the most advanced equalizer in pedal form ever made, miles ahead of all other options on the market.

The previous generation of Zoom multi effects, including the B1on and B1Xon will drive a poweramp, the newer Four models however won't. Also in my opinion the B1Xon is superior to the newer B1X Four in every possible way. Way more tweakable and customizable with a very flexible UI, and also sounds better as far as I am concerned (and with the 3rd party unofficial firmware hack the "Zoom Effect Manager", that allow you to load every effect you should wish from that same generation of Zoom digital effect models to it, also way more effects available to chose from, that is all the effects from the B1(X)on, G1(X)on, MS-50G, MS-60B and MS-70CDR).

Also consider the just 28.6" scale 5 string Ibanez GSRM25 Mikro Bass. https://www.ibanez.com/usa/products/detail/gsrm25_02.html https://www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_gsrm25_bk.htm

Jolly Fine Mental Laxative, great name for an avantgarde free jazz band!

I got that one's bigger brother the Tube MP Project Series preamp, that among other stuff also features a switchable HPF, fixed at 40Hz. And I can attest that it easily drives a poweramp, plus will give you some tube warmth, as well as some nice tube grit if you wish, depending on how high you got the gain turned up. I'd recommend swapping the stock preamp tube though, which is a cheap Chinese one that is a bit thin and fizzy sounding, swapping for an EHX 12AX7EH tube was a notable improvement in sound.

Clive Button, ain't that Cliff Burtons cousin?

War Ensemble - Slayer Damn, too late... Severed Lips - Dinosaur Jr.

Does sound extremely useable. I suppose you might be able to get something somewhat similar from the Source Audio Ultrawave Bass Distortion with the right settings though. Otherwise sounds like a job for TC Electronic, seems like it would fit right into their Toneprint concept, and they haven't done a stand alone digitally based drive pedal yet.

All the basses I've ever owned in chronologically listed: Aria Pro II Laser Electric Classic Rickenbacker 4001 Jerry Jones Neptune Longhorn Bass Westone Violin/Beatle Bass Dan Armstrong Plexi Bass Warmoth, 28 5/8" scale 4 string bass made of Warmoth baritone parts Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro Bass Ibanez GSRM20B Mikro Bass Ibanez GSRM25 Mikro Bass, 5 string Egmond, short scale from the late 60's (not sure if this really counts, but I did own an Ibanez SR306EB, 6 string bass for a very short while, that I after much pondering back and forth ended sending back just before the 30 days full return guarantee ran out) Harley Benton GuitarBass, take on the Fender Bass VI concept The ones in red I don't own anymore. Really regret being stupid enough to sell the Jerry Jones Longhorn and the one build out of Warmoth baritone parts, also regret selling the Dan Armstrong to a lesser degree.

What do you mean? I think my question is pretty clear, if you could have a custom distortion pedal made that would fit you exact preferences for bass distortion what would it be? I assume the footswitches are on/off for the two drive sections respectively and then a master on/bypass footswitch? Would the two channels be connected in series or parallel, and in case of the former which order then?

So what would the ultimate custom distortion pedal of your wildest dreams be? Mine would be a standard Rat, but with a Vintage/Turbo mode switch, and a post gain stage adjustable Bass boost/cut control, a standard Metal Zone, but with a 3 way Mod switch, the 3 modes respectively being: original stock, the Keeley mod, and the simple no soldering, cut a couple of components out of the circuit, Simple Dog mod, and then a Clean/Dry section with a 1 band semi parametric EQ (that is a wide range sweepable frequency control and a boost/cut control) and an adjustable LPF, all blendable in parallel with a separate volume control for each of the 3 sections, and just a single on/bypass footswitch. *) Edit!!!: *) Oh, I forgot : I came up with this dream custom pedal, because what I use currently as my high gain distortion setup, is a Boss LS-2, with a Mosky Black Rat, RAT clone, in Turbo RAT mode in one of the effect loops, and then blended in parallel with a Joyo Orange Juice, low gain overdrive, stacked into a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, in the other effects loop. But before all that as part of my high gain distortion setup as well, is a TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini with a customized 1 octave up Toneprint, stacked into the Boss LS-2, so I was thinking that my dream custom distortion pedal should have some kind of adjustable 1 octave up effect build in as well, first thing after the input of the pedal, fed into the RAT and Metal Zone circuit, but probably not affecting the clean tone, and I was thinking perhaps an analog octave up effect might be able to do the trick.

Hard to do double thumbing and classical guitar style finger picking with one of those on though, so would be a no go for me, as I tend to alternate between those two techniques, along with traditional 2 and 3 finger plucking and flamenco style index and/or middle finger flicking technique, when using my fingers to pick. So wouldn't work for me.

I played in a noise rock band at some point where I frequently slammed my closed right fist into the upper part of the body above the bridge with high gain distortion engaged, but it wasn't because I was angry but to get the strings to rattle violently and produce a sort of an explosive noise, and it wasn't technically really an uppercut either.