NPD: Fender Downtown Express (first impressions)

[glassmoon]

So, a new pedal - one to replace a couple - to lighten the load (my 50+ year old shoulders will thank me later) - and in general, as I strip away all the "need for more gear" part of my personality...
Firstly, a huge thanks to @MattW for coming through on this deal - you are the man!!

 

 

So I haven't played this in a band context (that's tomorrow evening), but these are my first impressions 

A. Build quality

• there is literally nothing I can say that is a negative on the build.  Besides the fact that it is not lightweight as in, it's not a BOSS pedal if that's what you're wondering
• the brushed aluminum shell is stellar - and looks really classy

B. Sounds

• The EQ is very usable.  I particularly like how the mids sit with the SD MM pre in my bass - almost like they are doubling up on the frequency response... 

  • Bass: +/- 17 dB @ 35 Hz (This is a shelving EQ , not a peaking equalizer, so 35 Hz indicates where the boost is highest)

  • Mids: +/- 19 dB @ 500 Hz (This is an RLC resonant equalizer, so there is a peak at that frequency. The inductor in the circuit creates some pleasing artifacts, particularly in the “cut” or CCW settings)

  • Treble: +/- 14 dB @ 4.5 kHz (This is also a shelving EQ)

           I have used an MXR M81 for a long time now, and those are just gold IMHO, so doing a before/after comparison is perhaps not fair at all - the MXR is just lovely....
           .... but I think if you want a nice EQ to add some smoothness and perhaps to boost the lows a little, this does the business rather well.

• The compression is very usable, but sensitive (I need to get used to the RMS thing) 
  Having used a Carl Martin comp/limiter for the last 15 or so years, I have been unbelievably spoiled, but it's all about swings and roundabouts, and I can't say this is a massive step backwards.
  It is just not as musical ... I think that's it.  But as I am playing with less and less (obvious) compression these days, I think this is a win.

• The overdrive is something that for me was just a "nice to have, maybe I'll use it, maybe I won't"... but it works really well with my octave to create a pseudo-synth vibe, which for things like Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars, is actually now a big plus.  On it's own, there isn't that much of a blend, so your own sound is not really "there"... but with the octave, it's a thumbs up.

 

So yeah - not the most "bass the world" kind of review... more my first impression and opinion.  I think this is definitely worth every penny of it's price tag, especially if you, like me, are looking to consolidate into a smaller, easily transportable footprint.  if you want the best EQ, the best compression and the best OD, then sure, individual pedals are your thing - but that requires (more than likely) a pedal board, and that means weight... a compromise, absolutely... a worthwhile one, absolutely

 

Julian

Edited October 6, 2021 by glassmoon

[MattW]

Nice review, glad you are liking it!! 👍

[glassmoon]

Right... Quick (late night) post-rehearsal check-in.

 

Positives: 

This unit is the real deal. It delivers better than expected. The EQ is solid, the compressor is better in the band mix, and the drive, coupled with an octave, delivers a usable amount of sizzle without too much "noise". It took me a while to dial in the kind of drive tone for the job (both with octave a la synth vibe and on it's own for the whole driven tube effect), but it does deliver more than less I believe. Not perfect, but usable.

 

Negatives:
I miss the musicality of my Carl Martin compressor and the MXR pre.  Buuuuut, that is just because I was spoiled with those two units. Drive would be better served with a blend rather than a level control. I would like to have the ability to push the drive, with a fairly dark (less treble) tone. The drive I have is more than I'd like in order to actually hear the effect...and more can equal a less than "clean" sound. But that's a long way away from a real downside I'd like to believe.
 

All in all, size, weight, ease of use and "the ear factors", make it a definite winner. I'd like to A/B this against the TC Electronic SpectraDrive. The TCE does have a 4-band eq, but no mute. And no tuner out to take advantage of the mute. I use a clip on which negates the mute, but as I use an active bass,the ability to save battery life by unplugging....well, you can see where I'm going.

 

Happy boy here....