I got the Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi and loved the fuzz, and the crossover feature and DI. But the tone control is somewhat limited and only affects the tone of the fuzz. So, I got the Xotic Bass BB Preamp for more overall tone control. Boy, am I glad I did! These two pedals together give me an enormous amount of different sounds! Throw in my Keeley Seafoam Plus on "bass" setting, my Keeley Bassist compressor and my Crybaby Geezer Butler Wah and I have a versatile metal setup!
The common complaint I see of bass drive pedals is that you can set everything so it sounds amazing on its own, and then as soon as you add guitar and drums, the bass disappears...usually it's because the drive pedal is sucking out the low end. So I think it would be really cool see a demo of some bass overdrives in a mix, and preferably you could check out some pedals with a mix or blend knob knob that adds the bass end back in. It also would be cool to see a demo of the Orange OB1-300 or 500 for the same reason...my understand is that when you add the overdrive, only the mids and the treble are distorted, leaving the low end intact. Great vids, keep 'em coming. :)
Well, it's hard to say as I'm from Finland, but the Mad Professor Blueberry certainly isn't fantastic. But this video has thus helped me to make a more educated decision on which bass OD to buy. Great job lads.
Hi Lee. Can you do the same thing but with bass compressors please? I'm looking to get one but unsure how they all compare. Great video, as always. Cheers
On my Muff I generally leave the tone on full whack because it feels like any lower than that it is cutting where most would be "flat" at 12 o'clock. I also get my best sounds by using the volume to drive a crunchy amp and dialing in just a touch of sustain for some Muff flavor.
Another great video, you guys have great chemistry. Loving the Ashdown setup since your video. Would love to see a look at the new class D acoustics too. Please keep the bass videos coming. Cheers from the states!
Just to annoy you with more request, could you do pre-amp coparison? With pedals like the techt-21 vt bass/bass driver, Two Notes Le Bass, Aguilar Tonehammer, would be pretty damn amazing
Agree with Captain. Though, the Big Muff sounded great IF you want the Big Muff sound. I happen to like it, but it is very distinct and usually unmistakable.
Hi Captain, the problem here is that you tried to dial the knobs to get something closer to an overdriven guitar, it is ok, you are a guitar player, but bass is a different animal, the frequencies needed to cut into the mix are totally different. They all sound good but they are targeted to different uses. The Xotic BB is the equivalent to the Xotic AC boost pedal or the EP Booster, one of your favourites, maybe that's the reason why you like that one the most. Sorry for my english! :S
I had a Muff, but I sold it and bought a Bass Soul Food. The Muff is just too much for me, no subtlety at all. However, I loved the 'Dry' option on the Muff, that really makes the pedal. If you're looking for full-on fuzz, the Muff is great.
Oh an idea for ya! 3 bass drivers to compare! Sansamp Bass Driver Di, VT Bass Driver and something else of a similar ilk.. One Q for Mr Anderton?? Are you going to get the new Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig in store?? Seriously keen to try one of them out!!!
I think the two notes le bass would also go well in this kind of comparison, I'm looking forward to seeing if it's channel blending mode will help preserve the low end that normally gets lost in Bass distortion pedals
What about a 4th test when you crank up the drive to 12 and play some Electric Wizard ? :D Btw, I would love to see a review on a multi effects thing like the Boss ME20B or similar. I'm sure you could bring some electro-pop-dance using fancy effects !
Didn't really like the Mad Prof Blueberry, it just sounded too muddy(?). It sounded better on the final 'Muse' playthrough, but only if everything was dialled perfectly. I do like the BB Preamp though
I agree and disagree. On it's own like we saw here, I agree that it didn't sound great but I did find what it was doing to the sound really interesting. I'm now tempted to get one to try in combination with other effects to see what kind of craziness I can create. But then my combo is so insanely bright that healthy dose of muddiness would be welcome.
Muff does the high-gain fuzz tone best, Mad Professor does the kinda "rude" Larry Graham dirty thing the best and the BB does the subtle adding a little bit of hair thing the best. I reckon the BB would be amazing at the end of a long pedal chain as a kind of "tone fixer" or to get back a bit of lost signal strength.
+ArielsSmartyPants you can get close with a RIck in to a Fuzzrocious Oh See Demon or any of the Darkglass pedals. Best natural, amp-like sounding overdrives I heard so far for bass. Of course, having a Rick is the most important part.
Big muff works best before subtle overdrive. I have My darkglass always on and when I feel so the Muff gives this sparkly, gnarly fuzz like no other. The dry mode is the only usable one. The others will instantly disappear in the mix.
I think xotic was most usable of these even though I'm from Finland. Here everyone has Simble in their guitar pedalboard these days... I would like to see bass multieffect pedal review =)
Right up my street this one! To be fair the Big Muff was always gonna smash it with Hysteria because that's what Chris Wolstenholme uses along side a Animoto overdrive! I woulda liked to have heard the Finish pedal with the Bug Muff for that last bit but there ya go.. Well played Nathan considering you played it in completely the wrong place mate haha ach whatever :-p
The BB to me is a more refined product than the other two, but had a very nice sound for all three. The muff did surprisingly well in the first two considering it's a fuzz pedal, and was by far and away the winner of the third sound; it would definitely be my choice taking into account cost. If cost were not a factor it would be between the EHX and the BB. The blueberry sounded like shit to me
seems like a waste of money to get a big muff and use it like this. my sustain is almost always above half. but I guess I like a lot of fuzz, it is a very dynamic pedal for what it is.
Nathan was in the zone! Wow! I suspect he's a Larry graham fan or he just woke up itching to play. Cap, let'em play. Cap, your settings were too guitar like, no low end. You stayed away from vast regions of the various controls.
Disappointed with the tone of the Blueberry. I love Mad Professor's guitar ODs, but not this. The MXR Bass Overdrive would smoke this. The other two were good, but not mind-blowing.
+Martin Cliffe I personally think it sounds way better with a Jazz-style bass. Our bassist has one, and it sounds amazing, and he´s playing a Squier 5-string Jazz-bass.
I've never really tried to get any sort of subtle grit out of the big muff, always seen it as an all or nothing kind of pedal
Yeah, that's how I use mine. I set it to "Bass Boost", crank all of the knobs up and just go with it. I bought it solely for the purpose of grinding.
Is slapping really the best way to be showing off 2 overdrive pedals and a fuzz pedal?
Christopher McGuinness probably not but a slightly overdriven slap bass can sound cool
Larry Graham used overdrive on his bass. I think it was a Jet Drive or Super Jet Drive.
Definitely
Can you do a video on octave pedals or compressor pedals for bass please
Is it just me or did the Blueberry just sound awful?
The big muff though set to dry sounds badass
I've always loved the BB preamp. Need to get myself one.
Love me some good old muff
The muff is great for balls to the wall distortion, and the BB is great for an overdrive, and the other one... Eh.
"We've been listening to a guy called Larry Graham..." a bit like saying "We've been listening to a guy called Jimi Hendrix"
Actually mr. Capt'n Lee, the EHX big muff is true bypass!
I got the Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi and loved the fuzz, and the crossover feature and DI. But the tone control is somewhat limited and only affects the tone of the fuzz. So, I got the Xotic Bass BB Preamp for more overall tone control. Boy, am I glad I did! These two pedals together give me an enormous amount of different sounds! Throw in my Keeley Seafoam Plus on "bass" setting, my Keeley Bassist compressor and my Crybaby Geezer Butler Wah and I have a versatile metal setup!
interesting....a pre amp, an overdrive and a fuzz pedal in a shootout with each other, instead of similar pedals.
you guys should do an episode on envelope filters and/or bass synth pedals!
Darkglass pedals! All of them!
Such a great demo, entertaining, natural and useful.
I would like to see, and hear, some bass synth pedals. Please do that.
Owning a Bass Big Muff, I was quite surprised how nice it sounded as a gentle drive. I'm used to using it for the usual bollock-shaking antics
The common complaint I see of bass drive pedals is that you can set everything so it sounds amazing on its own, and then as soon as you add guitar and drums, the bass disappears...usually it's because the drive pedal is sucking out the low end. So I think it would be really cool see a demo of some bass overdrives in a mix, and preferably you could check out some pedals with a mix or blend knob knob that adds the bass end back in.
It also would be cool to see a demo of the Orange OB1-300 or 500 for the same reason...my understand is that when you add the overdrive, only the mids and the treble are distorted, leaving the low end intact.
Great vids, keep 'em coming. :)
Well, it's hard to say as I'm from Finland, but the Mad Professor Blueberry certainly isn't fantastic. But this video has thus helped me to make a more educated decision on which bass OD to buy. Great job lads.
Hi Lee. Can you do the same thing but with bass compressors please? I'm looking to get one but unsure how they all compare. Great video, as always. Cheers
Maybe split the signal so the bass doesn't lose bottom? Probably might also need 2 cabs
On my Muff I generally leave the tone on full whack because it feels like any lower than that it is cutting where most would be "flat" at 12 o'clock. I also get my best sounds by using the volume to drive a crunchy amp and dialing in just a touch of sustain for some Muff flavor.
Another great video, you guys have great chemistry. Loving the Ashdown setup since your video. Would love to see a look at the new class D acoustics too. Please keep the bass videos coming. Cheers from the states!
Just to annoy you with more request, could you do pre-amp coparison? With pedals like the techt-21 vt bass/bass driver, Two Notes Le Bass, Aguilar Tonehammer, would be pretty damn amazing
I second this!
Please review a Rickenbacker 4003?
Agree with Captain. Though, the Big Muff sounded great IF you want the Big Muff sound. I happen to like it, but it is very distinct and usually unmistakable.
would love to see you guys show off the le bass pedal
My favourite bass with my favourite pedal (Big muff)!
Hi Captain, the problem here is that you tried to dial the knobs to get something closer to an overdriven guitar, it is ok, you are a guitar player, but bass is a different animal, the frequencies needed to cut into the mix are totally different. They all sound good but they are targeted to different uses. The Xotic BB is the equivalent to the Xotic AC boost pedal or the EP Booster, one of your favourites, maybe that's the reason why you like that one the most. Sorry for my english! :S
Out of these I like the Blueberry. Darkglass makes amazing pedals though!
the EHX Big Muff in "dry" mode sounds freakin' awesome! Goes to show that "boutique" aint always best.
I had a Muff, but I sold it and bought a Bass Soul Food. The Muff is just too much for me, no subtlety at all. However, I loved the 'Dry' option on the Muff, that really makes the pedal. If you're looking for full-on fuzz, the Muff is great.
Dear Captain, I'd love a demo of the new Ibanez Fretted Basses !!
Oh an idea for ya! 3 bass drivers to compare! Sansamp Bass Driver Di, VT Bass Driver and something else of a similar ilk.. One Q for Mr Anderton?? Are you going to get the new Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig in store?? Seriously keen to try one of them out!!!
I think the two notes le bass would also go well in this kind of comparison, I'm looking forward to seeing if it's channel blending mode will help preserve the low end that normally gets lost in Bass distortion pedals
Preferred the BB on first demo and Blueberry on the second. Nice balance between bass and harmonics on both.
Enjoying the bass vids, keep 'em coming!
What about a 4th test when you crank up the drive to 12 and play some Electric Wizard ? :D
Btw, I would love to see a review on a multi effects thing like the Boss ME20B or similar. I'm sure you could bring some electro-pop-dance using fancy effects !
Could you do some reverb pedals?
Didn't really like the Mad Prof Blueberry, it just sounded too muddy(?). It sounded better on the final 'Muse' playthrough, but only if everything was dialled perfectly. I do like the BB Preamp though
I agree and disagree. On it's own like we saw here, I agree that it didn't sound great but I did find what it was doing to the sound really interesting. I'm now tempted to get one to try in combination with other effects to see what kind of craziness I can create. But then my combo is so insanely bright that healthy dose of muddiness would be welcome.
Can we get a Short Scale Bass Rundown?
Muff does the high-gain fuzz tone best, Mad Professor does the kinda "rude" Larry Graham dirty thing the best and the BB does the subtle adding a little bit of hair thing the best. I reckon the BB would be amazing at the end of a long pedal chain as a kind of "tone fixer" or to get back a bit of lost signal strength.
Compression and modulation pedals next please!
darkglass stuff
That BB preamp
COMIC SANS
oh man i thought the same................
Nice demo guys, but I'm getting the feeling you can't get a Chris Squire kind of sound with a pedal.
+ArielsSmartyPants you'd need a Rickenbacker...
+ArielsSmartyPants you can get close with a RIck in to a Fuzzrocious Oh See Demon or any of the Darkglass pedals. Best natural, amp-like sounding overdrives I heard so far for bass. Of course, having a Rick is the most important part.
Big muff works best before subtle overdrive. I have My darkglass always on and when I feel so the Muff gives this sparkly, gnarly fuzz like no other. The dry mode is the only usable one. The others will instantly disappear in the mix.
Bass + Muff
are my two favourite things
I think xotic was most usable of these even though I'm from Finland. Here everyone has Simble in their guitar pedalboard these days... I would like to see bass multieffect pedal review =)
Step it up a bit:
Deluxe Big muff and Darkglass for next vid !
The Muff feels most flexible to me.
Right up my street this one! To be fair the Big Muff was always gonna smash it with Hysteria because that's what Chris Wolstenholme uses along side a Animoto overdrive! I woulda liked to have heard the Finish pedal with the Bug Muff for that last bit but there ya go.. Well played Nathan considering you played it in completely the wrong place mate haha ach whatever :-p
I love you guys, but I find it funny as hell to hear you talk about Larry Graham like you just heard of him a couple of days before this taping, lol!
Thank you, nice demo
Do some Darkglass and JHS demos!
can somebody explain briefly why 10" speaker for bass, and 12" for guitar? bass is bigger, or... ?
+Oxy A smaller speaker will usually reacts faster. Means you're less likely to get flubby/woolly bottom end.
Do sounds like death from above 1979!
The BB to me is a more refined product than the other two, but had a very nice sound for all three. The muff did surprisingly well in the first two considering it's a fuzz pedal, and was by far and away the winner of the third sound; it would definitely be my choice taking into account cost. If cost were not a factor it would be between the EHX and the BB. The blueberry sounded like shit to me
I'd like to have the Xocit built into my bass as an EQ and run other pedal s on a board.
IMO the big muff sounded the best :)
that is not how i would have set the pedals at all... fiddling is an art itself
3 very different pedals: fuzz, OD, preamp. Don't understand what the point was...
Lee is so out of his element in these bass videos it's hilarious.
No Darkglass or Wren and Cuff or Sansamp
Big muff for the win
Video suggestions 1. Compare bass octave pedals. 2. Review the cry baby bass Wah.
I actually quite liked the blueberry
seems like a waste of money to get a big muff and use it like this. my sustain is almost always above half. but I guess I like a lot of fuzz, it is a very dynamic pedal for what it is.
Nathan was in the zone! Wow! I suspect he's a Larry graham fan or he just woke up itching to play. Cap, let'em play.
Cap, your settings were too guitar like, no low end. You stayed away from vast regions of the various controls.
BEARFOOT blueberry is the real deal!
SOUND LIKE DEAN DELEO FROM - STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
BB all the way
The EHX Bass Big Muff IS true bypass.
HYSTERIA!!
+j3sperado 123 It's funny that the Big muff is so associated with that bass line, it's like one of 6 layers that make up that tone.
Disappointed with the tone of the Blueberry. I love Mad Professor's guitar ODs, but not this. The MXR Bass Overdrive would smoke this. The other two were good, but not mind-blowing.
+Martin Cliffe I personally think it sounds way better with a Jazz-style bass. Our bassist has one, and it sounds amazing, and he´s playing a Squier 5-string Jazz-bass.
Do not play slap on distortion again, please, that's annoying
I dont like any of them
Well, maybe the muff, but its fuzz
boss odb3
I really hate that Mad Professor, which isn't normal.
I think "Xocit" is a very poor chinese-made fake "Xotic".
These 3 are all pointless, the EHX Deluxe Big Muff Pi is where it's at!
+Robert Thomas yeah, the deluxe version is really quite good
TC Electronics Mojo Mojo
TC Electronics Dark Matter
Amptweaker Bass Tight Fuzz Pedal
Amptweaker Bass Tight Drive Pedal - Special Modded Version
Wampler Low Blow Bass Overdrive
Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra Bass Preamp Pedal.
To my ears, the Blueberry drive sounded awful.
+Patrick Tracy at first i didn't like the blueberry at all but now ive warmed up to it and i like it