Painy Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Quite a while back now I stripped right back to a simple bass/cable/amp but I'm finding that there are a couple of effects I really miss. I need to be able to add a bit of dirt - mainly for when my band covers Ace of Spades - and I'd also really like a wah pedal again. I am however, as always, on a bit of a budget. I'm considering a couple of options and was hoping for people's thoughts or ideas for possible other alternatives. Firstly I could try to pick up a second-hand wah cheaply and add a separate drive pedal (the TC Electronic Dark Matter pedal has caught my eye at under £40 New). I think this would probably be quite versatile particularly with a dedicated pedal to control the dirt. Another option is the Morley Cliff Burton tribute power fuzz wah. Love the sound of the fuzz and wah together but not sure how usable the fuzz would be on its own. It would also mean pushing my budget a bit further than I'd ideally like to. The last option I've looked at so far is the EHX Crying Bass fuzz wah. Same concerns about how usable the fuzz alone would be. I'm also unsure how I'd get on with the operation of the wah as it is one of their 'next step' pedals. It is however around half the price of the Morley. So, Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) Go for separate pedals - I don't know of any decent fuzz/wah combos where the fuzz is useable standalone on bass, and the EHX is terrible. The Zoom B1Xon has a decent fuzz model but unfortunately the bass wah isn't too great. A used Dunlop 105Q or Ibanez Weeping Demon would be your best bet for the wah, and for fuzz there's the Bass Big Muff or even the aforementioned Zoom modellers which would give you a decent Bass Big Muff sim and a whole lot more to boot for around the same price! Edited July 11, 2015 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1436632376' post='2819686'] Go for separate pedals - I don't know of any decent fuzz/wah combos where the fuzz is useable standalone on bass, and the EHX is terrible. [/quote] Pretty much what I feared about using the fuzz from these pedals on their own. Sounds like the EHX is half the price of the Morley for a good reason then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 [quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1436632376' post='2819686'] Go for separate pedals - I don't know of any decent fuzz/wah combos where the fuzz is useable standalone on bass, and the EHX is terrible. The Zoom B1Xon has a decent fuzz model but unfortunately the bass wah isn't too great. A used Dunlop 105Q or Ibanez Weeping Demon would be your best bet for the wah, and for fuzz there's the Bass Big Muff or even the aforementioned Zoom modellers which would give you a decent Bass Big Muff sim and a whole lot more to boot for around the same price! [/quote] Agreed, I use a Weeping Demon and keeping them seperate it allows you to use the dirt of your choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyxtiger Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Bass gear UK are selling demo dunlop wahs for £100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 So if I go for the separate pedals option does anyone have any suggestions for a drive pedal (new or used) for around the £50 mark? I've just been looking at the germanium 4 big muff pi guitar pedal and really like the idea of separately switchable overdrive and distortion which can be layered. How well do you think this is likely to work for bass or is there a pedal available made for bass with a similar dual function that anyone can suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 (edited) Not many cheap, decent, bass-friendly dual function overdrive/distortion pedals out there either! I suggest a Hardwire CM-2 (£45 from Amazon), EHX Bass Soul Food (£59) or Glove (£39), or Behringer BDI21 (£21) for overdrive and Bass Big Muff for fuzz (£50 most places), and you can pick up a used 105Q for around £60 or less. Or get a B1Xon to get all of those effects in one box cheaply and quickly, maybe switching certain effects over to separates as you go along! Edited July 12, 2015 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 Cool, thanks. Just had a listen to the Bass Soul Food on you tube and I reckon it could be a winner. Just need to hope like it as much when I actually try it for myself ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 I find the Behringer Hellbabe Wah is pretty good and well priced sounds good to my ear granted I don't use a Wah a lot so I am by no means an expert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 I've got the Cliff Burton wah. For it's purpose it is excellent. For anything else it's pants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1436729871' post='2820329'] I've got the Cliff Burton wah. For it's purpose it is excellent. For anything else it's pants. [/quote] Ah well in that case, seeing as we don't cover Anaesthesia or For Whom The Bell Tolls, it probably wouldn't have been the best choice for me anyway . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamg67 Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 First I should probably confess that my CM-2 will be popping up in "effects for sale" soon, but honestly that's not why I'm posting, I was really impressed with it. It took me a few days testing it back to back against a Hooker's Green Bassmachine to decide that I was keeping th HGB, and the CM-2 had a wider range if sounds, all of them good IMO. If I didn't have a Vintage Microtubes on the way I would hang on to the CM-2 anyway to give me a choice of overdriven sounds. Definitely worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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