The Early Bird Catches The...

[LowBlow]

OK, further to the post [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=32039"]here[/url], where I was roped into doing a review my Worm arrived yesterday! Before anyone asks, I don't have sound samples so, for many of you this thread will not exist. Yet!

Right, first impressions, it's a standard XO pedal. Well built compared with the older EHX stuff. Bare metal casing on the bottom and sides which some people like and some don't. Small enough to be pedalboard friendly. Graphics look quite cool.

Onto controls. You've got a mode switch which takes you from Wah to Phaser to Tremolo to Vibrato. There's a range knob which controls how much of the effect is applied to your signal. Then there's the rate knob which is the speed of the phase/tremolo etc. Finally, there's an auto/manual switch. In manual mode, you can sweep the effect either by turning the range knob or, much better, by connecting an expression pedal.

This is a 24V pedal but it came with a power supply so not too much hassle. Those with isolated output bricks like the BBE or the Voodoo Labs will be able to power it off two outputs of those.

So, how does it sound? Pretty good, all things considered. Given it's not too dear and it offers 4 different effects, I wasn't sure how much to expect. I'm not much of one for tremolo or vibrato so my observations here are limited by a lack of experience. Nonetheless, both gave entirely usable sounds, no noise and, on moderate settings, could be used as an alternative to chorus.

I bought it for the phase and the wah. Let's get this out first. The phase is not as good as a Small Stone (my personal fave phaser for bass). Not as dark as the Small Stone and doesn't seem to sweep/phase as much. But it is still good and, for me, good enough. Using it with the expression pedal is interesting. You can take it from no effect to full effect as you rock the expression pedal so can add a really different emphasis to different notes as you play.

Onto the wah. I'll be honest, I was expecting an envelope filter. This is NOT an envelope filter! In EHX's words, it's a neo-modulated wah! It's what I believe is an autowah. In other words, it 'wahs' at a fixed rate and depth that you select regardless of your playing dynamics. A bit like sweeping backwards and forwards on a wah pedal continuously. It's not dissimilar to tremolo on some settings. Where it comes into its own, again, is with an expression pedal. That turns it into a really good wah pedal. No low end loss. Play out your Cliff Burton fantasies! Very controllable. Excellent part of the pedal, provided you're not expecting an envelope filter.

Overall then, this pedal was in danger of being a jack of all trades and master of none. I'd say it's much better than that and I'll be keeping it. The phaser, although not going to set the world on fire, is good - just not as good as the Small Stone. I've really fallen in love with the Wah mode using the expression pedal. And while I said I'm not a Vibrato or Tremolo player, knowing they're there, I know I'll find a reason to use them for some different sounds! Despite it appearing to be a bit of a multi-effects, all the sounds are a serious step up from the multis I've tried. And it's really convenient in such a small pedal.

Overall? 4 out of 5 and great for anyone that wants a wide range of useable sounds.

[Kev]

if you want phase and filter then you need to check out the pigtronix ep-1

nice review, have to say its never been a pedal that has appealed to me, as i always thought it was a guitar pedal that wouldnt work well on bass

[cheddatom]

I like the old worm but it always seemed very noisy. This looks interesting, but not being able to footswitch between modes is a real bitch.

[redzombie]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='351298' date='Dec 10 2008, 10:03 PM']if you want phase and filter then you need to check out the pigtronix ep-1 [/quote]

This. If I had the money to buy expensive, boutique pedals, I'd order one immediately.

Thanks for the review, always good to hear about how the new toys in the box sound