Bass Soul Food

[isteen]

 

I have received some food for the soul! 

First impression was a disappointment, quite big even - but when i sat down and turned the knobs back and forth, I was happy again. The first impression was that it sounded like a bee in an empty pot, but as I turn down Drive, Blend and Treble the harsh midrange disappears and a warm and subtle crunch appears.

What settings do you use?

[Thunderbird]

I used pretty much the same as you are but I ended up swapping it for a tc mojomojo which I think is much better and has more scope 

[TrevorR]

I really like my Bass Soul Food. I'm not a big distortion fan and really wanted it for a low level of OD break up - in particularly to add a wee bit of square wave tonality into my Wah pedal for slightly synthy tones. Having listened to a wide range of demos I came down to the BSF as the practical and affordable option. Most complaints I've seen online about it are that it doesn't have enough gain and enough dirt and enough fuzz... Of course for me, that was it's big bonus point. The settings I've settled on are Vol: 12 o'clock, Drive: 1-2 o'clock, Blend: 1-2 o'clock and Treble 12 o'clock. That gives me a not much more than unity gain setting when on. Works very nicely for what I want it for - to be honest I only very rarely use it as an actual OD pedal. I'm pretty sure that a lot of OD/distortion fans would look at me and say "When are you ACTUALLY going to switch the pedal on?" Which is fine as far as I'm concerned.

And considering that judging from the specs and demos, my other option for the sound I was looking for would have been trying to find an original Bearfoot BlueBerry Bass Overdrive second hand of from the States at a couple of hundred quid plus import duties... my sub-£100 BSF will do me just nicely!

The one thing I REALLY don't understand about the BSF is why they bothered to put a -10db switch on it. It's such a low gain structured pedal I can't really imagine a set of circumstances where, even with level and drive maxed out you'd end up with an unacceptably hot output (that wasn't trimmable by the Vol knob, which - after all - is what it's there for!).

[dannybuoy]

My favourite setting was bypass mode.

[isteen]

1 hour ago, TrevorR said:

.The settings I've settled on are Vol: 12 o'clock, Drive: 1-2 o'clock, Blend: 1-2 o'clock and Treble 12 o'clock. 

Thanks mate. What I really cant her used to is the boosted miss, when Drive is just turned past 12 o' clock

[scalpy]

Got to be honest, underwhelmed by mine, not helped by the fact it makes a huge click when I turn it on. But it was a present from the wife so it stays on the board, unused and unloved.......

[T-Bay]

I got one not long ago after the unbelievably disappointing mojomojo which was just awful. I love it, just enough growl at the low end up to a more traditional distortion at the top. The click mentioned above is dead easy to sort- just whip the back off and flip the little switch to buffered and no pop. My settings are:

[isteen]

1 hour ago, T-Bay said:

My settings are:

Thanks, that's about the same settings I have dialed in on my pedal. I must admit I like the tone better in a band situation, than when I play alone at home (and I just ordered that Mojomojo earlier today 🤔)

[T-Bay]

3 minutes ago, isteen said:

Thanks, that's about the same settings I have dialed in on my pedal. I must admit I like the tone better in a band situation, than when I play alone at home (and I just ordered that Mojomojo earlier today 🤔)

Some people love ithe mojomojo but It really didn’t work for me, I even ended up having it checked as I thought there might be someth8ng wrong with it. But there always seem to be a few of them for sale second hand so maybe it’s just a bit marmite.

[scalpy]

On 01/03/2018 at 19:44, T-Bay said:

I got one not long ago after the unbelievably disappointing mojomojo which was just awful. I love it, just enough growl at the low end up to a more traditional distortion at the top. The click mentioned above is dead easy to sort- just whip the back off and flip the little switch to buffered and no pop. My settings are:

Thanks for the tip with switch inside. Just tried it and the pop is gone. Got a power trio dep gig next weekend so will give the Soul Food another run out and see how it does. 

[mcnach]

On 3/1/2018 at 19:44, T-Bay said:

I got one not long ago after the unbelievably disappointing mojomojo which was just awful. I love it, just enough growl at the low end up to a more traditional distortion at the top. The click mentioned above is dead easy to sort- just whip the back off and flip the little switch to buffered and no pop. My settings are:

 

similarly here... I let a Mojo Mojo go, and got and loved a Soul Food for a while. It was pretty good with my Precision for low gain kind of sounds. 

[Al Krow]

@T-Bay I think it would be fairer to say that YOUR experience of the Mojomojo was awful. Agreed? (As you say others, including me, have found it fine).

Importantly, didn't we work out between us (with considerable input from the likes of @Osiris who is a big Mojomojo fan) and others that this was down to your particular set-up and playing style? E.g. you don't use a pick and drive pedals react very differently to finger style and pick, as well as to pups, strings and amps being used.

I've moved mine on, too, so I have no axe to grind either way!

I think for a pedal costing £47 (delivered) new it's actually pretty good, particularly when played with a pick (in my case). It maintains low end and has a nice range of warm valve to overdrive. I particularly liked it with more aggressive pups (e.g. the Nords on my Ibby).

To put it in context I felt it held its own with my HGBM and my Two Notes le Bass as a dirt pedal, making allowances for it's more modest pricing.

I never got as far as getting a BSF as I found it a bit 'meh' based on the YouTube clips I've seen but some of my BC mates love it. I'm in need of something a bit more meaty than the BSF seems to deliver. I'll be really interested to hear the OPs thoughts when he has A/B'd his BSF with his Mojomojo.

My particular down and dirty of the moment which has a lot of versatility with three different voices, clean blend and a core growl / dirt tone I really like, is the SA Aftershock.

[T-Bay]

All pedals come down to taste and individual needs and playing styles so it will always be subjective. But the mojomojo was a massive disappointment. I have also had a TC dark matter and that was streets ahead of the mojomojo AND had the benefit of the TonePrint option (a massive omission on the mojomojo). I even sent mine back as I was unsure if there was an issue with it, there wasn’t. Even though it’s cheap I still think it represents a risk and would advise anyone to try one before parting with their money (or buying one second hand perhaps so they could sell on with little loss if needed). I am a great lover of Tc products (three of their pedals are on my board as we speak) so it’s certainly not an issue with TC, except possible profound disappointment. As any review is down to personal opinion, my comments must be seen as my opinion and nothing more, but my opinion is that the mojomojo is awful.

And at the risk of going slightly off topic I have found that the valve preamp on my newly acquired Orange Terror 1000 gives the exact sound I have been looking for for ages. The BSF has now been cranked up to provide a more distorted sound to fit in with a couple of songs and made the big bass muff redundant saving space in the bargain.

[Al Krow]

"All pedals come down to taste and individual needs and playing styles so it will always be subjective." Agreed.

This clip is a pretty "true" reflection of what the Mojomojo does / sounds (this guy is using a pick) - certainly I had no difficulty whatsoever in getting the pedal to deliver these range of sounds. But if it's not what you're looking for, then as for T-Bay, it's not for you! And to be fair on T-Bay I would never in a million years get an Orange amp (despite dannybuoy persuading me to follow in his shoes with a bunch of other gear!)  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFBBcAZ9WN0

 

Edited March 3, 2018 by Al Krow

[T-Bay]

You don’t know what you are missing, to be fair they aren’t a massively flexible amp. They do their thing, to my mind they do it incredibly well, but it’s not a complete all rounder for sure. I have been really impressed by the valve preamp though, but I have a soft spot for valves.

[Al Krow]

22 minutes ago, T-Bay said:

You don’t know what you are missing, to be fair they aren’t a massively flexible amp. They do their thing, to my mind they do it incredibly well, but it’s not a complete all rounder for sure. I have been really impressed by the valve preamp though, but I have a soft spot for valves.

If you and @dannybuoy are fans they can't be all that bad  But possibly the single most 'marmite' brand of them all?

Now at serious risk of derailing this thread between us (BSF anyone? ) , BUT if you're into great valve preamps did you consider either the Ashdown  CTM100 or the new Handbox WB-100 that @wateroftyne is dewy eyed about?

[T-Bay]

Just now, Al Krow said:

If you and @dannybuoy are fans they can't be all that bad  But possibly the single most 'marmite' brand of them all?

Now at serious risk of derailing this thread between us (BSF anyone? ) , BUT if you're into great valve preamps did you consider either the Ashdown  CTM100 or the new Handbox WB-100 that @wateroftyne is dewy eyed about?

The WB-100 had me dribbling if I am honest, sadly beyond my present budget but it looked and sounded fantastic from the clips he put up. I have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to Ashdown, we have a couple of their higher end combos at work and I just can’t get them to sound exactly how I want, which is a bit odd as I am a great TE fan. Perhaps they have just been messed with once too often. They aren’t bad by any stretch but just don’t make me want to run out and buy one. As for the marmite orange, they just do their thing, the sound fits what I need perfectly but they won’t be for everyone by any stretch. It does do a surprisingly good clean sound though, which coupled with a pair of BF cabs makes for the most transparent bass sound I have come across personally, but that’s not what they (or this thread) is about andmits the growl that really makes it come alive. The 1000w version Imhave is obscenely loud and I can’t imagine where you would use that power to be honest. Anywhere big enough to need it would surely see you DI through a desk but there you go. If you are ever in the midlands you are more than welcome to give it a try.

[Al Krow]

@T-Bay - that's very kind. I do have family in Brum so head up that way from time to time. 

I'll see if I can get my hands on a second hand Mojomojo ahead of meeting up, bring along my Ibby with its aggressive Nord pups and a pick and show you what a good little sound the MJMJ can deliver. But ALL the Mojomojos seem to have sold from the effects section...I'm sure one will pop up again shortly.

You can then take the innards out and use the case for your DIY project. And then you can show me the trick the dannybuoy said you need to do with Orange Amps which is to dial all the EQ back to nil to get it to sound good and then add just a smattering of Orange EQ dust on top. No need to take its innards out after though, I would have thought? I'll bring along my SA Aftershock at the same time so you can hear a truly versatile dirt pedal which will even sound good without a pick.

And you can maybe also confirm for me why I decided not to get a BSF. Sounds like a full agenda for our meet up  

Edited March 4, 2018 by Al Krow

[T-Bay]

9 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@T-Bay - that's very kind. I do have family in Brum so head up that way from time to time. 

I'll see if I can get my hands on a second hand Mojomojo ahead of meeting up, bring along my Ibby with its aggressive Nord pups and a pick and show you what a good little sound the MJMJ can deliver. But ALL the Mojomojos seem to have all sold from the effects section...I'm sure one will pop up again shortly.

You can then take the innards out and use the case for your DIY project. And then you can show me the trick the dannybuoy said you need to do with Orange Amps which is to dial all the EQ back to nil to get it to sound good and then add just a smattering of Orange EQ dust on top. No need to take its innards out after though, I would have thought? I'll bring along my SA Aftershock at the same time so you can hear a truly versatile dirt pedal which will even sound good without a pick.

And you can maybe also confirm for me why I decided not to get a BSF. Sounds like a full agenda for our meet up  

Sounds good to me!

[krispn]

I enjoy a BSF but I believe my “dirt” needs are as different to the next person as is my taste in cheeses.. I enjoy the blue ones which make the tongue numb and the overall effect a bit heady!. I delight in what a BSF can do to the bass in the mix with just a couple of nudges around noon on at least half the controls.

I’ve heard some awful demo’s most notably the actual EHX one but for the price used its worth a punt for sure and worth listening to over a couple of rehearsals and gigs before condemning. 

Think more Brilliant Sounding Fling rather the B*ll Sh*t Fad.

 

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by krispn

[isteen]

Swapped the Bass Soul Food for a Pigtronix Philosopher Rock compressor, and bought the Mojomojo. I hated the Mojomojo at first, but after a day I discovered that "my tone" was dialed in like this.

Now I like that thing a lot

[Al Krow]

@T-Bay +1 for the Mojomojo then  

@isteen - your preferred setting is very much the just "starting to break up" + high treble that folks like @Osiris are into.

Me - I got much more into "full-on" dirt with drive at 3pm, treble at 3pm and level dialled back to 10am...led me into exploring the more aggressive SA Aftershock which is currently on my board.

Are you playing with a pick? What is the rest of your set up in terms of bass, pups and amp?

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by Al Krow

[Osiris]

11 hours ago, Al Krow said:

 the just "starting to break up" + high treble that folks like @Osiris are into.

Errr, where did that come from? Being in to "high treble" drive sounds is news to me 

Edited March 7, 2018 by Osiris

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Osiris said:

Errr, where did that come from? Being in to "high treble" drive sounds is news to me 

I stand corrected! My memory is clearly fading with age 😎  . So please remind me what your goto setting on the  Mojomojo is? 

We should maybe ask the OP to retitle the thread BSF vs Mojomojo

Edited March 7, 2018 by Al Krow

[Osiris]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

I stand corrected! My memory is clearly fading with age 😎  . So please remind me what your goto setting on the  Mojomojo is? 

We should maybe ask the OP to retitle the thread BSF vs Mojomojo

No problem, but it was a major WTF moment first thing this morning 

My go to setting on the Mojo are Gain at around 10-11 o'clock ish, Volume at unity (1 o'clock ish?) Voice switch on (up position), Bass at about 10 o'clock treble at about 2 o'clock. On paper than might look like a high treble setting, but the bass I use these settings with is very dark sounding and the voice switch adds additional lows and mids to fatten things up. So although those particular settings work with my gear for the sound I want, they may not sound so great with other folks set ups. 

Both the BSF and Mojo  do the mid rich low gain thing very well, so it all comes down to which one you prefer over the other. 

Edited March 7, 2018 by Osiris