TC Electronics Spectradrive.

[dave_bass5]

25 minutes ago, petetexas said:

Received another email from GG ..............." must have got lost in post , I will send another one today for you to receive tomorrow "

I will believe it when I see it !

What a company .

I know many like GG but after the issue with my GK head and the response i got  i wouldn't use them again. I just dont have any faith in their customer service.

[petetexas]

Just this minute received a email from DPD

We will be delivering yor GG order tomorrow ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

At Last ! ! ! ! ! ! !

[dave_bass5]

1 minute ago, petetexas said:

Just this minute received a email from DPD

We will be delivering yor GG order tomorrow ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

At Last ! ! ! ! ! ! !

As long as its not Hermes 😒

[petetexas]

Arrived today 14:00pm........................works great..................

Still not going to use GuitarGuitar ever again !

My small board now consists of

1) MarkOne Audio AB-Looper ( to bypass any signal loss or colouration when not using the Zoom MS60-B

2) Zoom MS60-B ....TUNER , CHORUS , TREM  , PHASE etc....... now and then

3) TC SpectraDrive ( on all the time )

All fits into the side pocket of my Bass Case (incl the power supply ! )

Pete

Edited January 11, 2019 by petetexas

[StuarDaddy]

Totally clueless when it comes to these and I can’t see anything that answers this for me previously so forgive the dumb question but.... is the tone print feature on this the same as the bh800 amp as in you can get all the different effects and different preset TonePrint options and assign them to one of the channels or is it just for TonePrint presets on the tubedrive and spectracomp? If that makes sense?

[dave_bass5]

57 minutes ago, StuarDaddy said:

Totally clueless when it comes to these and I can’t see anything that answers this for me previously so forgive the dumb question but.... is the tone print feature on this the same as the bh800 amp as in you can get all the different effects and different preset TonePrint options and assign them to one of the channels or is it just for TonePrint presets on the tubedrive and spectracomp? If that makes sense?

No. The Spectradrive only has OD and Spectracomp slots. There are various tone prints for these, but you have to use the Spectradrive specific ones. There are a lot more comp tone prints for this compared to the BH800 though.

[StuarDaddy]

Ah yes just downloaded the TonePrint app as well to have a look. Things are a little clearer now. Cheers

[dave_bass5]

2 minutes ago, StuarDaddy said:

Ah yes just downloaded the TonePrint app as well to have a look. Things are a little clearer now. Cheers

ive not found any of the drive tone prints much use for this pedal, but i do like the clean boost TP. Very handy.

I recently got a BH800, based on loving the SD EQ section.

[EmaTheMirror]

Upping the thread as I came to know about this pedal just yesterday and only through the web. Not using T.C. stuff as of now and being it not explained around, I have a doubt:

Does the Toneprint capability act as in my Vtbass deluxe, therefore triggering relays for instant setting adjustment and leaving the signal analogue or does it process the sound through an actual digital processor?

If that's the case, the eq section remains analogue, doesn't it?

Looks like a good piece of gear for the price, I was just wondering how it could compare to Vtbass pedals or the similar-ish new Fender bass preamp/multi-effect - as they call it.

 

Cheers.

[dannybuoy]

It's totally digital as far as I'm aware.

[dave_bass5]

2 hours ago, EmaTheMirror said:

Upping the thread as I came to know about this pedal just yesterday and only through the web. Not using T.C. stuff as of now and being it not explained around, I have a doubt:

Does the Toneprint capability act as in my Vtbass deluxe, therefore triggering relays for instant setting adjustment and leaving the signal analogue or does it process the sound through an actual digital processor?

If that's the case, the eq section remains analogue, doesn't it?

Looks like a good piece of gear for the price, I was just wondering how it could compare to Vtbass pedals or the similar-ish new Fender bass preamp/multi-effect - as they call it.

 

Cheers.

Ive had the VTBass pedals. The deluxe, the first stomp box and the Di (my fav).

Totally different pedals to the SD. Not even worth talking about them in the same sentence IMO.

The SD is a solid sounding EQ with a well respected comp, and a not so useful (IME) OD section. Both Tone Prints can be reprogrammed but ultimately  each is a one knob effect.

The ability to plug headphones and a music player in to it is what attracted me to it. The headphone out has a cab sim tone curve on it which seems to sound better than a direct output. 

[EmaTheMirror]

Thanks for the info. Are you saying that the headphones out has the cab roll-off but the DI hasn't or am I mistaken? That'd be a bit awkward. I'm quite positive the overdrive has some kind of tweakable roll-off or cab response in the deep digital editing though.

 

Anyway, based on the feedback I'll happily stay on the Vt deluxe if the drive is not this pedal's highlight. IME, the Vt and similar analogue preamps/drives pack more punch and sound more satisfying than any (even great) digital model I've ever used, when in live/band settings and at "real" volumes. I even got one of those Ammoon/Joyo American Sound "Fender-style" pedals for close to nothing (about £20!) out of curiosity and to have a cheap small backup (the Vt stays in the pedalboard) and I have to say it does the job better than I thought.

 

Moreover, I have other options for headphone practicing and in the end I mostly revert to the simple Vox plug: the size, the fact that it goes straight in the bass with no cables and you are set in 2 seconds with no distractions are a great plus.

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, EmaTheMirror said:

Thanks for the info. Are you saying that the headphones out has the cab roll-off but the DI hasn't or am I mistaken? That'd be a bit awkward. I'm quite positive the overdrive has some kind of tweakable roll-off or cab response in the deep digital editing though.

 

Anyway, based on the feedback I'll happily stay on the Vt deluxe if the drive is not this pedal's highlight. IME, the Vt and similar analogue preamps/drives pack more punch and sound more satisfying than any (even great) digital model I've ever used, when in live/band settings and at "real" volumes. I even got one of those Ammoon/Joyo American Sound "Fender-style" pedals for close to nothing (about £20!) out of curiosity and to have a cheap small backup (the Vt stays in the pedalboard) and I have to say it does the job better than I thought.

 

Only the headphone out has the roll off. No way to control it or turn it on and off so it makes sense not to have it on the DI. .

You cant edit the Tone prints for the SD, so you are stuck with what TCE give you.

Agree about the analogue OD's, at least in my limited experience. I have a Joyo OJ and Ultimate drive (my fav drive), although i tend to use my COG 66 as i like the two channel feature.

 

[BrunoBass]

I was just about to order one of these when I saw the Fender Downtown Express, now I’m undecided.
 

The TC wins in as much as it has Aux in / Headphone out, but the Fender’s overdrive sounds better to me. But then the TC will have more overdrive options available in their Tone Prints. 
 

Has anyone tried both of these? What did you prefer? 

[krispn]

I tried the fender. It is a decent unit but I’ve no experience of the tc. I don’t think I’d buy the fender comparing it to my current eq, drive and comp albeit they cost a whole lot more as individual pedals than the standalone fender. I could happily gig the fender but wouldn’t replace my current pedal board with it. 

Edited October 11, 2019 by krispn
Updated

[Muppet]

36 minutes ago, BrunoBass said:

I was just about to order one of these when I saw the Fender Downtown Express, now I’m undecided.
 

The TC wins in as much as it has Aux in / Headphone out, but the Fender’s overdrive sounds better to me. But then the TC will have more overdrive options available in their Tone Prints. 
 

Has anyone tried both of these? What did you prefer? 

I've got both. if you need the aux in and headphone then the Spectradrive will always win.  I find the natural sound from the Fender to be better and it's easier to tweak all the components on the fly whereas with the TC you're reliant on connecting via Toneprint. Then again, the number of toneprints available means you're likely to find something that works and the standard spectracomp setting are pretty good anyway. 

The fender is bigger, heavier and has a greater current draw.  It doesn't have a power supply, the TC does. The Fender doesn't have an unaffected 1/4" 'thru' output like the TC does. You can switch the effects order around on the Fender and specify whether you want the FX and EQ to be output through the DI.  The lights are nice on the Fender too! With the Fender you have more options to switch items on and off (EQ, Comp, OD).

So, both have pros and cons - the TC offers much more flexibility in connectivity and also in compression and drive settings IF you plan ahead. It  also has a bit more flexibility in the EQ section. The Fender is better if you want more traditional (albeit limited) control, especially in a live environment. 

I use the Fender more, purely because the default voicing is more appealing to my ears (in the same way as I prefer the Fender Rumble sound over the TC RH750 sound) 

 

[BrunoBass]

6 hours ago, Muppet said:

I've got both. if you need the aux in and headphone then the Spectradrive will always win.  I find the natural sound from the Fender to be better and it's easier to tweak all the components on the fly whereas with the TC you're reliant on connecting via Toneprint. Then again, the number of toneprints available means you're likely to find something that works and the standard spectracomp setting are pretty good anyway. 

The fender is bigger, heavier and has a greater current draw.  It doesn't have a power supply, the TC does. The Fender doesn't have an unaffected 1/4" 'thru' output like the TC does. You can switch the effects order around on the Fender and specify whether you want the FX and EQ to be output through the DI.  The lights are nice on the Fender too! With the Fender you have more options to switch items on and off (EQ, Comp, OD).

So, both have pros and cons - the TC offers much more flexibility in connectivity and also in compression and drive settings IF you plan ahead. It  also has a bit more flexibility in the EQ section. The Fender is better if you want more traditional (albeit limited) control, especially in a live environment. 

I use the Fender more, purely because the default voicing is more appealing to my ears (in the same way as I prefer the Fender Rumble sound over the TC RH750 sound) 

 

That’s brilliant, thanks so much. 

One last thing, it sounds like the low end is preserved well when the overdrive is engaged on the Fender (from what I can  tell from YouTube demonstrations I’ve seen) - is that the case?  

[Muppet]

17 minutes ago, BrunoBass said:

That’s brilliant, thanks so much. 

One last thing, it sounds like the low end is preserved well when the overdrive is engaged on the Fender (from what I can  tell from YouTube demonstrations I’ve seen) - is that the case?  

Yes it's not bad. I compared it to a Darkglass Alpha/Omega Ultra and on that pedal I had to engage the growl button to retain the same amount of low end as the Fender had.  Remember that with the TC you can hunt around for a Tubedrive toneprint that'll give you what you want and load that up.  With the Fender you're stuck with that particular OD circuit. It's just as shame that you can't create a custom toneprint for the TC and load it on (well I don't think you can anyway, I only ever have the option of selecting a prebuilt one) 

[BrunoBass]

28 minutes ago, Muppet said:

Yes it's not bad. I compared it to a Darkglass Alpha/Omega Ultra and on that pedal I had to engage the growl button to retain the same amount of low end as the Fender had.  Remember that with the TC you can hunt around for a Tubedrive toneprint that'll give you what you want and load that up.  With the Fender you're stuck with that particular OD circuit. It's just as shame that you can't create a custom toneprint for the TC and load it on (well I don't think you can anyway, I only ever have the option of selecting a prebuilt one) 

Great, thanks.

[CliveT]

Just picked up a SpectraDrive and really happy with it.  

It comes with a PSU but I already use a BOSS PSA230.  Will the TC PSU be OK to use as a backup PSU if needed?  I only use 4 pedals, TC SpectraDrive and Polytune, MXR bass octave deluxe and EBS Unichorus.

[CameronJ]

4 hours ago, CliveT said:

Just picked up a SpectraDrive and really happy with it.  

It comes with a PSU but I already use a BOSS PSA230.  Will the TC PSU be OK to use as a backup PSU if needed?  I only use 4 pedals, TC SpectraDrive and Polytune, MXR bass octave deluxe and EBS Unichorus.

Should be fine, just check out the specs (specifically ampage) so you know its limitations. It’ll be a standard 2.1mm barrel connector so should work with most pedals out there. You may even be able to stick a daisy chain onto it and power multiple pedals off the single power supply.

[Al Krow]

@Alan Wilkes - you may also be interested in this thread, which I think was one of the most comprehensive on this pedal.