Post by JAC on Aug 22, 2017 21:28:36 GMT
I have never really been much of an effects person, although I have owned a B3 (and previously a B2) for years, I only really used the preamps and cab sims on it (and the tuner). I nearly always played through a PC (even live) so if I needed effects I just added them in the DAW.
However, lately I have been looking to move away from the laptop set up, and put together a simple rig that gives me just what I need.
I haven't got the pedals I have on the list yet (I haven't even fully decided) and some of the ones I do have are only their until I decide what to replace them with, but I saw the need to put them on some kind of board to keep them tidy (i.e: keep her indoors happy ). I decided that I wanted something cheap that I could just throw away if/when it is no loger suitable.
After some searching, I found these at Leroy Merlin:
They are exterior tiles for making raised patios etc. Most are usually wood (or plastic wood imitation) but these are simple grey plastic and very cheap! Each tile is 4,50€ (40cm x 40cm) and they clip together easily in case you need a 30ft pedalboard
As these are made for walking and jumping about on, they are strong and don't flex when stood on. As they have so many holes, it also makes it easy to cable tie pedals down instead of velcro, which is ideal as I will probably still move things around. I haven't tied cables down yet for the same reason, but this current layout seems pretty comfortable. So anyways, this is my first pedal board:
The signal chain is:
Bass > Tuner > Compressor > Zoom B3 > Chorus > Meatbox > DI/Amp
I will leave my impressions and reasonings behind the choice of effects here, as it is always fun to come back and read in the future when tastes and opinions have changed
Tuner - Korg Pitchblack
Until now I had been using the tuner on the B3 or a selection of other cheap handheld tuners. I couldn't decide on what tuner to get and I came accross this one at a decent price used so I bought it. I haven't yet used it in bright sunlight (where some say it is not great) but as a tuner it is amazing in comparison to what I was using before. Very quick and easy to use.
Compressor - Amoon Dyna Compressor
The compressor world is confusing, and the more research I did, the less sure I was of what I wanted. I therefore decided to pick up a cheap compressor to play around with and to find out what I needed in a comp. The Amoon cost 30€ on Amazon and it is a rebranded Joyo, which is a clone of ... you get the picture. I only use it to slightly round out my signal at the beginning of the chain, and so far I haven't found myself missing anything in particular. Maybe as the effects get more use I will need to upgrade to something more specific, but for my current use it seems fine with no strange noises etc.
Multieffect - Zoom B3
I have had this pedal for a few years now and am finally getting to use more than just the preamps and cab sims. Chapters and chapters could be written about this unit (there are some amazing threads and patch ideas over on Talkbass). In my opinion this pedal (and the guitar version) were a huge leap forwards for Zoom multieffects. As I don't use many effects, the B3 gives me a plentiful selection for those few times that I want to add some special flavour.
Chorus - Behringer BCH100
I have had this pedal, along with a Behringer Overdrive, in a drawer for over a decade. I bought them, never used them, and there they sat (the OD still does ). I noticed that one of the effects I used the most was chorus, so I decided to get this out and on the board to free up a slot on the B3. This is definitely not the best chorus pedal in the world and will be replaced sooner or later, but it works and it gives me a nice subtle chorus when I want it. As with all the older Behringer pedals, it is not the quitest when it is off although this is by no means the worst I have heard. I could solve this by putting it in a loop pedal (I could throw one together with parts from the drawer it lived in) or just replace it soooner rather than later.
DOD Meatbox Reissue
This is a unique effect that is also known as a PA Killer It is basically an octave pedal with a sub boost in the lower frequencies. This pedal really needs a lot of subwoofer to give it's best, but I have found that a small ammount can also work well through my bass amp to give it a little "low end flavour" when wanted. As I do a lot of Hip-Hop and subs are always pentiful in the HH world, this is really like having a secret weapon. When engaged it is capable of pushing low end to the point of being uncomfortable (just what the kids want ). Juan Alderete uses the older version of this pedal with Mars Volta and also does a comparison video on YT between the original and the reissue.
DI - Whirlwind Director
I chose this DI just because I like it. I have a bunch of DI boxes from doing PA, but this is one of my favourites. I find it nice and transparent and although it isn't the smallest DI box out there, it is smaller than some of my other favourites. I may need to replace with a smaller one if I see the need for space, although it is pretty robust and would probably have no issue with another pedal on top.
Power Supply - Caline
This is a cheap 30€ power supply from Amazon. It has 7x 100mA and 1x 500mA outputs at 9v, along with 1x 12v and 1x 18v output (both 100mA). Based on the numerous reviews of this power supply on Amazon (in the EU and US) it seems that issues with this PSU depend on what pedals and amp you are using. In my case, I haven't experienced any noise yet, but I haven't really run the rig at at high gain level since I have it.
Looper - Pending
The space at the bottom right is for a micro looper. I want a small simple loop pedal on the board and I ordered one of the ones with USB for loading/saving loops from Aliexpress. I don't know what it will be like (it's another 30€ experiment) but I think it will come in handy.
So, that is my newbie pedal board. It is still work in progress and will probably all have changed soon, which is why I wanted to write this for reference
My next pedals on my list (apart from the swap(s) mentioned above) is a larger loop pedal and an octave pedal. For the looper I am lusting for a Boss RC-300 but it is huge and way over what I would like to spend. I think that the RC-30 will be a more suitable option. As far as the octaver, I am undecided, but I am contemplating getting the Digitech Whammy instead. Although I would need to add an extension to my board
However, lately I have been looking to move away from the laptop set up, and put together a simple rig that gives me just what I need.
I haven't got the pedals I have on the list yet (I haven't even fully decided) and some of the ones I do have are only their until I decide what to replace them with, but I saw the need to put them on some kind of board to keep them tidy (i.e: keep her indoors happy ). I decided that I wanted something cheap that I could just throw away if/when it is no loger suitable.
After some searching, I found these at Leroy Merlin:
They are exterior tiles for making raised patios etc. Most are usually wood (or plastic wood imitation) but these are simple grey plastic and very cheap! Each tile is 4,50€ (40cm x 40cm) and they clip together easily in case you need a 30ft pedalboard
As these are made for walking and jumping about on, they are strong and don't flex when stood on. As they have so many holes, it also makes it easy to cable tie pedals down instead of velcro, which is ideal as I will probably still move things around. I haven't tied cables down yet for the same reason, but this current layout seems pretty comfortable. So anyways, this is my first pedal board:
The signal chain is:
Bass > Tuner > Compressor > Zoom B3 > Chorus > Meatbox > DI/Amp
I will leave my impressions and reasonings behind the choice of effects here, as it is always fun to come back and read in the future when tastes and opinions have changed
Tuner - Korg Pitchblack
Until now I had been using the tuner on the B3 or a selection of other cheap handheld tuners. I couldn't decide on what tuner to get and I came accross this one at a decent price used so I bought it. I haven't yet used it in bright sunlight (where some say it is not great) but as a tuner it is amazing in comparison to what I was using before. Very quick and easy to use.
Compressor - Amoon Dyna Compressor
The compressor world is confusing, and the more research I did, the less sure I was of what I wanted. I therefore decided to pick up a cheap compressor to play around with and to find out what I needed in a comp. The Amoon cost 30€ on Amazon and it is a rebranded Joyo, which is a clone of ... you get the picture. I only use it to slightly round out my signal at the beginning of the chain, and so far I haven't found myself missing anything in particular. Maybe as the effects get more use I will need to upgrade to something more specific, but for my current use it seems fine with no strange noises etc.
Multieffect - Zoom B3
I have had this pedal for a few years now and am finally getting to use more than just the preamps and cab sims. Chapters and chapters could be written about this unit (there are some amazing threads and patch ideas over on Talkbass). In my opinion this pedal (and the guitar version) were a huge leap forwards for Zoom multieffects. As I don't use many effects, the B3 gives me a plentiful selection for those few times that I want to add some special flavour.
Chorus - Behringer BCH100
I have had this pedal, along with a Behringer Overdrive, in a drawer for over a decade. I bought them, never used them, and there they sat (the OD still does ). I noticed that one of the effects I used the most was chorus, so I decided to get this out and on the board to free up a slot on the B3. This is definitely not the best chorus pedal in the world and will be replaced sooner or later, but it works and it gives me a nice subtle chorus when I want it. As with all the older Behringer pedals, it is not the quitest when it is off although this is by no means the worst I have heard. I could solve this by putting it in a loop pedal (I could throw one together with parts from the drawer it lived in) or just replace it soooner rather than later.
DOD Meatbox Reissue
This is a unique effect that is also known as a PA Killer It is basically an octave pedal with a sub boost in the lower frequencies. This pedal really needs a lot of subwoofer to give it's best, but I have found that a small ammount can also work well through my bass amp to give it a little "low end flavour" when wanted. As I do a lot of Hip-Hop and subs are always pentiful in the HH world, this is really like having a secret weapon. When engaged it is capable of pushing low end to the point of being uncomfortable (just what the kids want ). Juan Alderete uses the older version of this pedal with Mars Volta and also does a comparison video on YT between the original and the reissue.
DI - Whirlwind Director
I chose this DI just because I like it. I have a bunch of DI boxes from doing PA, but this is one of my favourites. I find it nice and transparent and although it isn't the smallest DI box out there, it is smaller than some of my other favourites. I may need to replace with a smaller one if I see the need for space, although it is pretty robust and would probably have no issue with another pedal on top.
Power Supply - Caline
This is a cheap 30€ power supply from Amazon. It has 7x 100mA and 1x 500mA outputs at 9v, along with 1x 12v and 1x 18v output (both 100mA). Based on the numerous reviews of this power supply on Amazon (in the EU and US) it seems that issues with this PSU depend on what pedals and amp you are using. In my case, I haven't experienced any noise yet, but I haven't really run the rig at at high gain level since I have it.
Looper - Pending
The space at the bottom right is for a micro looper. I want a small simple loop pedal on the board and I ordered one of the ones with USB for loading/saving loops from Aliexpress. I don't know what it will be like (it's another 30€ experiment) but I think it will come in handy.
So, that is my newbie pedal board. It is still work in progress and will probably all have changed soon, which is why I wanted to write this for reference
My next pedals on my list (apart from the swap(s) mentioned above) is a larger loop pedal and an octave pedal. For the looper I am lusting for a Boss RC-300 but it is huge and way over what I would like to spend. I think that the RC-30 will be a more suitable option. As far as the octaver, I am undecided, but I am contemplating getting the Digitech Whammy instead. Although I would need to add an extension to my board