Great video! But i, as a bassist who uses chorus almost all of the time, have to say the chorus setting you're using in this video seems much more like an intense Chorus (tbh more like a slap-back) setting a Guitarist might use and in contrast sounds (arguably) bad on Bass. The key to using Chorus on bass is to dial it into an extremely subtle tone. Little bit goes a long way and it will really richen up an already great bass-tone.
Yeah! Also, playing in a post-punk band, chorus basically IS the sound of the genre. Turn the chorus on just the mid - high ends of the bass to give it that hollow, haunting sound like Siouxsie or Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, etc.
I hope you do end up getting a pedal board set up. I personally have a tuner, compressor, and EQ as my bass set up. My only suggestion is that you do not anything from Tomtop. Save yourself the headache and purchase these pedals or something similar from either Amazon or Reverb. Again, good luck!
Could also swap out the foot switch with a soft click if it really bugs you. Can find them for about $5 on amazon. Just match up the specs you need. But, I agree, it’s an always on effect for me too.
@@coachster I think that the click the compressor made is not about the physical sound it makes. Its most likely about capacitor charging or at somepoint in the circuit there is a missing dc path to ground and it accumulates static charge or something when the pedal is off. Then when you engage the pedal the static or capacitor charge discharges and makes the pop sound. These are really a rookie mistakes and could be fixed with simple 0.01$ resistor in the design phase. Ofcourse I could be wrong but thats my educated guess.
Eetu Jääskeläinen yeah, that’s possible too. I would just start with a soft click switch first since it wouldn’t compromise the effects components. Also, changing the foot switch is a cheap and easy upgrade which with help with the audible mechanical click. I like them since I can kick them on faster. To me, the mechanical click is only useful if you tend to turn pedals on and off without looking since the positive feedback of that click tells you it’s on or off.
I'm not a bass player, but I know chorus was used on bass a lot in the 80's, particularly in New Wave and Goth bands; I'm thinking the Cure, SatB, Joy Division/New Order, etc.
love that...."to totally suck on multiple instruments...." I'm the same way....I have about $4000 worth of guitars and another $2k in gear...and suck on all of it... but still play my heart out on Sunday mornings at church.
Do not buy any of these pedals from Tomtop. I ordered 2 pedals from them. One of them does not work. When I asked for a replacement, they offered a $15 refund instead. The pedal cost me $26. Just buy from Amazon where you can at least get a replacment or send it back.
FWIW, the Chorus depth is set at max (dimed) for the demo, which is what you want for demoing the capabilities of the pedal, but not where you'd want to set it for playing (unless you're Journey, lol). I little hint of chorus can go a long way, I mean, listen to Duff's tone on Appetite....
80's music in general was very chorus-heavy. The first few metallica albums have a ton of chorus on both the bass and the guitars in the clean sections
The secret of bass overdrive is to have a good, clanky clean sound and drive it just a little bit, relying on the clean to give deepness and clarity to the tone. You need a pedal that has a blend option and blend just enough of that distorted sound.
@@johnjareo1047 Everybody gives me crap when I say this, but in the late 2000s I used to play bass in a rock band. My go to sound was a BOSS ODB3 in front of a clean amp : just a tad of drive, blend at about 9:30, scoop the lows and push the his. Jeez, that little yellow monster gave me all kind of satisfactions. People just expect it to sound good using it as a distortion pedal.
I thought your pedalboard was mounted in front of your laptop and you were donkey kicking the switches. Kinda sad to figure out it was a second camera.
Behringer Bass Limiter. This is the best pedal purchase I ever made. I’ve been playing bass for over 30 years. Playing has never been easier. I run all three knobs except level at 100% and adjust level as needed. You may like it some other way but I loved that setting. This makes every sound you make of equal volume so slapping, near bridge, near neck, muted. All same volume. Allows you to make the bass sound variable. I love it. All players should have one IMO
I love the EQ review with explanation of different frequencies. Maybe you could make a video on dialing in the bass EQ and share your experiences? I used to spend hours playing with EQ and trying to dial in a tone that sits well in the band and developed fixation with low mids which seemed to work miracles for me until I changed to a completely different sounding bass and whole thing started again. I'd love to hear some thoughts on this topic and I bet it would be useful to a lot of bass players. Btw. Choruses on bass are great. Being a fretless player I used it all the time as a part of my basic tone and to my surprise nobody in a band complained and they liked it. It seems to me that it enhances some harmonic content that makes the bass fuller and richer, but a good pedal should keep the fundamental intact, so the seemingly out of tune sound you're talking about doesn't happen. They do a lot of these dry-low/modulated-highs controls on bass choruses because of that, but there aren't many bass choruses in budget range. It just happens that Ensemble Queen sounds really bad to me. Not what I am looking for in a bass chorus. You can easily grab used Digitech Bass Multi Chorus (I don't think they make them anymore) for dirt cheap and they are really good, despite some people hating it just because it is digital (so is Ensemble Queen AFAIK). Right now I am waiting for my EHX Bass Clone which I wouldn't consider "budget" but isn't expensive either, with really high expectations. Hyped as hell, 'cause it sounds really good on most demos and people seem to generally like it. Cool video, cheers!
I bought the exact same EQ and Overdrive pedal, went to a rehearsal with my band, almost used the same adjustments and it does sound like a Samsamp. It has very good dirt without losing low end while using the EQ, very bright and metallic. If you don't want/like that brightness, just adjust your tone on the bass or pedal and you're good.
I was thinking the pedal board was upright sitting against your desk and when you went to switch them around 0:17 I thought you did like some weird fairy kick and was like, What Are You Doing?! haha :D
I recently joined a band that actually pushes me to better myself. That being said I wanted something to get my notes all to the same level, and have never even tried a pedal for bass before and that brought me to this channel. Thank you so much for the very detailed video, helps me out more than you know.
That was awesome! It's not cheap being a musician in general, but I'm glad people like you exist to find great deals and to share your knowledge! Keep up the great videos!
I’m not a bassists either. Been playing guitars and keys for 35 yrs. I have been puttering with home recording and your info on where to set the bass frequencies was great useful information we all can use. Thanks for another great vid.
I love the explanation of the EQ settings! After watching this I started using an EQ on my Zoom Multistomp, with your recommended settings, and I feel like I finally found the tone I was looking for!
Hey Dan, I discovered your channel only a few months ago and I can't stop binge watching your videos! I appreciate your approach to your instructionals and reviews. They are informative without dragging on unnecessarily or being insulting to newbies! Great job!!! Thanks for producing this channel.👍
I do play bass and really like this demo. I'm always love hearing these cheap demos by an actual bass player. Frequently you seem gear demoed by guitarist that don't really understand the role of a bass in the band or that play licks that'd never be useful. I'd love to see a video of making that Sansamp knockoff.
I had a buddy throw in his sansamp pedal along with a sub cab he sold me and I didn’t know how expensive they were at the time. I absolutely love it and am so glad I don’t have to worry about finding other bass pedals. But if I did, this video would be right up my alley.
The Tech 21 is really the best in bass drive. I've found a couple of promising alternatives. One is the Behringer V-Tone Bass Driver, and the other is the Caline Wine Cellar. They both come in at around 35-40 dollars and are basically circuit copies of a SansAmp-- the Behringer gets a little fizzier than you'd probably like if you're not careful, and the Caline doesn't have as much gain on tap, but they're both great options. I've used both... the Wine Cellar is a mainstay on my pedalboard.
thank you for your consistent examples with and without the pedal with fingers, pick and slapping. This is how to demonstrate the 'affect' of a pedal. Same riff, with lows and high notes, three different ways. Rigor is hard to come by....excellent. You have my subscription. And really, way do you have to pay $250 for a pedal. I bought a really nice used mexi jazz bass with EMG pickups on Craigslist for $200. And you want me to pay that much for a pedal??? Great job.
Ross Valery “Journey” & Cris Squire “Yes” both used chorus all over the place... Never thought they sounded out of tune, But like any effect it’s the proper application & the right placing in the song...
Great clip! I have two great chorus pedals on my board. They get used sparingly, about 1 out of 10 songs. But, that lush sound they produce is something everyone hears, and the band loves it too. I’d choose a chorus over drive or fuzz any day.
Hey Dan, I'm so glad you pointed out that most bass distortion pedals are not what you'd expect. I've thought the same thing with the three or four that I've bought and ultimately returned or trashed. I thought I was doing something wrong. Thanks for clarifying. Now, I know I said I would love the pedalboard before on previous "gift away" videos, but this would be my number one pick. If I did happen to be chosen for this (fingers crossed), I'd say go ahead and give that chorus pedal to someone who would really want it. I don't love the way chorus sounds on bass and I'm sure there's someone out there who has that perfect use for it, it's just not me. Thanks again for your time and effort put into these videos. I'm sure everyone will agree, you do awesome work and I look forward to your videos every week. Keep up the good work.
The compressor "pop" is from the footswitch itself. You can try adding an additional bleed resistor on the output to bleed more DC voltage, say 100kohm to ground. I did the footswitch swap to a soft latching and the resistor, dead silent no popping.
The Behringer Bass BDI 21 comes very close to that SansaAmp and it's a DI too. But I only use it as a DI box. I split my signal with a Boss LS-2 line splitter. Feed one part into an EQ drop out the bass and send that signal into a Behringer Vintage Tube Monster. The other part goes directly into another EQ, where I drop the mid range a little bit. That way I solve the problem of guitar distortion pedals mudding up the sound. Yeah .. I know, _real_ bass distortion pedals have a mix knob in them and a lo-cut on the overdrive/distortion circuit. But you can't change that lo-cut and a real EQ bring much more control. Those Bass EQs you found are sweet by the way. I had to get some used Boss GEB-7, because I did not knew about your pedal.
Pedal merge for OD and EQ. Go into a cheap splitter, split into two mono signal paths, send one into the drive and eq, and one into another eq, then into a blend pot for wet/dry in a dummy mini pedal shell (two inputs and one out), then have the blend pot output as you would a normal pedal in your chain. I did look quickly for a switchable and blendable fx loop to make it easier haha 😂 but with the size of mini pedals these days you can easily squeeze two or three units on one q tron sized shell.
Whoa, no ehx? Small clone chorus, what peter hook used. 80 bucks and also has a bass version. Small stone, best phaser out there (60 bucks), (bass) big muff, most used fuzz for bass, also comes in at 80. They're a staple!
A trick I used a lot in the power trio I played in years ago was when the guitar was really digging into a solo, I'd play something more simple like whole/quarter notes on the root and kick on a little Chorus to help it sound a bit more interesting. Then again, we were a living room band and never even made it into a garage, so what do I know? It was fun and totally worth the 75 bucks I dropped on my BOSS Bass Chorus pedal all those years ago. Another fun trick is to kick on the chorus and throw a harmonic and just let it ring out. Great sound.
MXR makes great affordable bass pedals. I'm a metal bassist, and the bass EQ is a definite need with overdrive. I actually use a cheap, not extreme distortion MXR pedal right now, drop distorion to little over mid and tone to mid. Equalize the low end and it sounds great. Thank you for the video!
To remove the pop of the switch watch the video on repair. Two 25c resistors on the back of the switch. Takes 5 minutes and then will be silent. Or replace the switch. It buy heaps (150) of pedals and most are great on guitar. Even the cheap wireless system 15$ are fantastic. I have had mine for a year and they work very well.
In he 70s there was a plug in effect called Vox Bass Treble Booster, It would boost bass low end and make it really rumble, or guitar high end and make any guitar sound as bright as a telecaster or even brighter.
Also instead of tweaking with the compressor, EQ, and overdrive pedals together to make them sound like a sansamp he could have just gotten a $30 behringer BDI21 which is a clone of the sansamp. Still a good video though I'm definitely gonna buy that compressor
Been doing some pedal shopping recently and I’ve been watching a lot of videos like this. This is the best one I’ve seen so far. Thanks & you’ve earned another subscriber.
bass pedal reviews! Halleleua! No one does Bass pedal reviews! Hardly anyone makes Bass pedals to do reviews avout! Huge thanks dan! another great one! Keep 'em coming! And YES! i would love to have those pedals as i'm building that pedalboard and it is ultimately going to be for both guitar and bass. Here's a suggestion... Get an Ibanez Mikro Bass and mod it. I did and they're very cool little basses and as low as $150 new means they're good mod platforms and available used for under $100 and they come in 4 and 5 string versions at a 29.6 inch scale length
Hey Dan, this is such a late comment, but the reason 1k htz stands out (for most listeners) happens to be because the ear canal happens to be a length and size that amplifies this frequency range. Similar idea to how certain halls or spaces (without any sound dampening) will really amplify certain frequencies.
Dan - your channel is a gift to all us DIY'ers. I found this vid looking for 'best bass chorus..' Yeah, I play with chorus. Curious as to which you tried before but your take on the Moore works for me. Incidentally, I learned my setups at an old store in my hometown from none other than that Chorused-out bass player on those Journey records. Small world, Thanks & All the Best
Wow best sounding Overdrive pedal for bass. Didn't expect that, sounds like a tube overdrive for bass. But that needs to be on a side chain with HPF. Thanks so much.
Man, great video! I made a budget bass pedalboard after watching your budget guitar video. I agree with you on most all of these effects. All my pedals I got for $60 or less including shipping. Most of the pedals were used off eBay or Reverb. Speaking of reverb, I have a reverb pedal at the end of my chain. It's rarely used because it does gets lost in a full band setting most of the time. Occasionally, it can be used for some cool "pad" sounds if you're short a keyboard player or for parts of a song that are broken down. I got a used Line 6 Verbzilla for $58 that looked brand new & came with its original box. I like this particular pedal because you have the Trails switch option to let the reverb decay off naturally after you turn it off. I currently have the Moen Unicomp, but this one is about to die on me, I think. Thanks to you, I'll probably replace it with that Caline pressure Point. Compression is on for me about 98% of the time. I might turn it off briefly when I'm going to engage the overdrive pedal I use, which I will now move on to... Joyo Sweet Baby Overdrive. It's a low gain OD & I believe fits in with your opinion about OD on bass. I don't use it much myself but it's there if I need it. I think these go for around 40 or less, brand new. For me, it's the best bang for buck. Gives me the sound I want, yet doesn't get too fuzzy or distorted. The way I have mine set, gives just a hint of dirt but still has nice low end. I was pleasantly surprised by this pedal. Boss Super Chorus (CH-1, I think) sounds great, in my opinion, on bass. Does have an EQ knob & doesn't lose as much low end, to my ears. The rate or speed range is a bit slower to me & I like that. Again, I agree with you about using it sparingly too. I got a used one for right at 60 in above average shape. A more beat up one will probably be cheaper if you don't mind paint chips & scuffs. Sorry for the long post, y’all. I was just trying to help add to conversation & maybe throw a couple other options out there into the mix. Thanks for letting me blabber!
Chorus in a band setting is a must for me. But it took me a whole year to get the settings dialed in. It’s nothing to do with the sound of the chorus. But with the right chorus set to do very very little actual chorusing it can really thicken up the bass (think of it more as doubling what you’re playing rather than actually applying chorus). I really recommend you try it because once I discovered that sound I’ve never looked back. Sounds great and makes the bass massive without stepping on the toes of another band member. Great video keep up the good work.
As a guitarist and bass player on the side, I tend to just use a tc forcefield compressor, a homemade noise gate and a crayon overdrive. Oh and a polytune! Not in the market for new bass pedals but I did enjoy this video 😁
Joyo Dr-J Sparrow is a cheap overdrive that I like. I use it with highest gain on that pedal but mix is almost all the way dry. Harmonies knob is also awesome on this unit.
Great review thank you. Very informative. I particularly like the Eq/Compressor combo. I think it’s an essential quality for that smooth consistent sound/tone like a high-end studio recording. Really nice.
The clairty of the eq pedal is really unmatched. I would say it's as important for a bass player as a compression pedal. It can clear your tone on an expert level so you don't have to rely on the sound engineer.
I really liked that brief run down of the EQ and the different frequencies. Could you do a more in depth one? Maybe with something like the MXR 10band EQ? Cheers
Really great, that you make this kind of videos. Especially for people who are just starting to learn guitar these videos about affordable/cheap great gear are awesome! Keep it up!
Almost 100k man! You deserve it, you have been a big influence in my guitar playing and how I look at guitars- I’ve been subbed for awhile, and I’m proud to see you get this far!
I’d love to get this pedal board along with the mod bass kit. I’m the bassist and lead singer in a death metal band and these pedals are exactly what I need to replicate my studio tone when I play live. I’m learning Luthier skills so I can start building my own equipment.
These do sound great. Thanks for taking the time to find good ones, I love watching the budget videos. And of course, your honest opinion on the products is always appreciated. keep the great content coming, Dan
I have a Mooer Slow Engine, a Joyo Ironman Wow Wah, and a Mooer Bass Sweeper on my board. The Slow Engine gives the volume swell I'm after, the Wow Wah is made for Guitar but with some tweeking of the controls I got it sounding pretty good for bass and my Bass Sweeper gives me the Synth tones I need ... especially for songs like Pony. All under $100.
Dude I've been waiting for this. Really looking to build my bass setup. You confirmed my thoughts that eq and compression are my first buys. But that overdrive/sansamp sound was unexpected. Thanks again!
Do not mind too much about the pedal popping; the pedal switch can be easily rewired and one small value "bleed" resistor will ensure the output capacitor remains at line voltage, which is the very reason why the longer you keep the effect disengaged, the cap will accumulate DC voltage and the pop will sound louder when all that DC voltage dissipates at once when the effect is engaged. Just a few bucks ($3-4), few tools (soldering iron, solder and flux) and some spare time gets the issue resolved.
I have been a subscriber to this channel for couple years now. I love your demos, reviews and sharing all things musical. I play bass. This is a great review of some great budget pedal options that are actually useable. Love your giveaways hope these go to a good home and find lots of use.
Regarding cheap equipment I use second hand stuff with two success guitar pedals : Dod Milk Box - compressor with the old shape cow skin and cream control, it handles well the low end and cut on purpose high frequencies via dedicated control Boss XT2 Xtorsion - can range from overdrive with low drive to heavy Muse bass distorsion, incredibly massive low end as designed for nu metal detuned purposes, contour knob allow interesting EQ Digitech bass synth - i bought new 40€ it's really versatile and able to render some Depeche Mode bass synth. Love this review and the home made Rick shaped bass 😍 Seeking for an EQ the one tested looks like a Moer clone (?) I'd probably get
I'm not a bass player, but I'm thinking about building one bass guitar.... after this video, maybe I will buy some compressor... Now some random touhgts: I do like the prototype bass shape... but I do not like the pickup frame . I do not like that curious bass shape on the background.... but interesting.... but too exotic for me! Keep on the good work, Dan!
@@kikisakura8189 nah man I got a job and I'm trying to get into college plus I'm also learning how to draw. I spend most of my free time practicing that
I use chorus on full depth but only middle rate, and it sounds great whether alone or in a band setting. It's possibly the coolest bass effect there is. Flanger and phaser are in the running too.
![The Ultimate Bass Multi-Effect Pedal For Under $100?! - Zoom B1 Four [Demo]](/img/n.gif)
I like your version of "budget". So much more realistic for a lot of us compared to a lot of youtubers.
"These are the best pedals for a budget player. Okay, first off is this super cheap $400 EQ pedal..."
And he put links, my fucking hero!
So true
"This tremelo will only run you 350 quid, so pretty inexpensive"
Ahem, _Andertons._
Great video! But i, as a bassist who uses chorus almost all of the time, have to say the chorus setting you're using in this video seems much more like an intense Chorus (tbh more like a slap-back) setting a Guitarist might use and in contrast sounds (arguably) bad on Bass. The key to using Chorus on bass is to dial it into an extremely subtle tone. Little bit goes a long way and it will really richen up an already great bass-tone.
Thanks for the tip!
Perfectly said my man!! Beat me to it!!
Yeah! Also, playing in a post-punk band, chorus basically IS the sound of the genre. Turn the chorus on just the mid - high ends of the bass to give it that hollow, haunting sound like Siouxsie or Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, etc.
The way he used about all of the effects sounds like a guitar player trying to play bass.
Jesse is spot on. If it's a bass it wants chorus...but not intense chorus.
As a bass player on a budget, these are the types of reviews I look for,something I can afford and they work good as well. 👍
I hope you do end up getting a pedal board set up. I personally have a tuner, compressor, and EQ as my bass set up. My only suggestion is that you do not anything from Tomtop. Save yourself the headache and purchase these pedals or something similar from either Amazon or Reverb. Again, good luck!
Good thing compression is one of those "always-on" bass effects.
Exactly, I'd be happy with a compressor pedal that had no switch....
Could also swap out the foot switch with a soft click if it really bugs you. Can find them for about $5 on amazon. Just match up the specs you need. But, I agree, it’s an always on effect for me too.
@@coachster I think that the click the compressor made is not about the physical sound it makes. Its most likely about capacitor charging or at somepoint in the circuit there is a missing dc path to ground and it accumulates static charge or something when the pedal is off. Then when you engage the pedal the static or capacitor charge discharges and makes the pop sound. These are really a rookie mistakes and could be fixed with simple 0.01$ resistor in the design phase. Ofcourse I could be wrong but thats my educated guess.
Eetu Jääskeläinen yeah, that’s possible too. I would just start with a soft click switch first since it wouldn’t compromise the effects components. Also, changing the foot switch is a cheap and easy upgrade which with help with the audible mechanical click. I like them since I can kick them on faster. To me, the mechanical click is only useful if you tend to turn pedals on and off without looking since the positive feedback of that click tells you it’s on or off.
no when you use a Big muff Pi, you want to use the BMP own compression. You just choke the effect.
I'm not a bass player, but I know chorus was used on bass a lot in the 80's, particularly in New Wave and Goth bands; I'm thinking the Cure, SatB, Joy Division/New Order, etc.
Indeed. Even Jaco used it!
Sisters of Mercy made good use of chorus, too. Justin Chancellor of Tool also uses it sparingly for effect in places to add atmoshpere.
Steve Severin of Siouxsie & the Banshees had a unique sound, loved it.
Barry Adamson of Magazine used it and often not sparingly. Permafrost has a glacier full of it on bass and it's brilliant.
Omg thanks for this info 💓
Cool! I don't do effects but I just bought a couple basses in my quest to totally suck on multiple instruments, so it's an interesting video to me.
love that...."to totally suck on multiple instruments...." I'm the same way....I have about $4000 worth of guitars and another $2k in gear...and suck on all of it... but still play my heart out on Sunday mornings at church.
This is a very helpful comment. Thanks.
As a beginning bassist, I appreciate the info that you provide. Much more informative than a lot of the dedicated bass channels. Thank you!
Do not buy any of these pedals from Tomtop. I ordered 2 pedals from them. One of them does not work. When I asked for a replacement, they offered a $15 refund instead. The pedal cost me $26. Just buy from Amazon where you can at least get a replacment or send it back.
Why am I watching this? I don't play bass. I guess that's what happens when you have a great chanel to watch.
I agree
Yup
I’m a bass player and this was exactly what I was looking for.
Thanks 🙏
I’ve been watching a ridiculous amount of bass pedal demo videos and this is one of the better ones.
I'm building a bass pedal board for my daughter and I threw the kokko overdrive before the preamp and I got a killer tone. Totally by surprise!
FWIW, the Chorus depth is set at max (dimed) for the demo, which is what you want for demoing the capabilities of the pedal, but not where you'd want to set it for playing (unless you're Journey, lol). I little hint of chorus can go a long way, I mean, listen to Duff's tone on Appetite....
If you're in a new order cover band you need it on full
Yeah I thought similar - I feel he should have busted out a fretless to really make the chorus shine!
80's music in general was very chorus-heavy. The first few metallica albums have a ton of chorus on both the bass and the guitars in the clean sections
0:16 lol, it looks as if he is lifting his foot and hitting the switch on the pedal .
😁Glad I'm not the only one who saw that.
yea lol
It took 4-5 rewinds for me to understand what you were talking about but wow, now I can't unsee it. Thanks!
The secret of bass overdrive is to have a good, clanky clean sound and drive it just a little bit, relying on the clean to give deepness and clarity to the tone. You need a pedal that has a blend option and blend just enough of that distorted sound.
Yep. Mxr-M80 does the trick
@@johnjareo1047 Everybody gives me crap when I say this, but in the late 2000s I used to play bass in a rock band. My go to sound was a BOSS ODB3 in front of a clean amp : just a tad of drive, blend at about 9:30, scoop the lows and push the his. Jeez, that little yellow monster gave me all kind of satisfactions. People just expect it to sound good using it as a distortion pedal.
That prototype bass is killer
It really fucking is
copycat Rickenbacker 4003
Kicks ass even without the effects.
I thought your pedalboard was mounted in front of your laptop and you were donkey kicking the switches. Kinda sad to figure out it was a second camera.
I refuse to believe that isn't what's happening.
Behringer Bass Limiter. This is the best pedal purchase I ever made. I’ve been playing bass for over 30 years. Playing has never been easier. I run all three knobs except level at 100% and adjust level as needed. You may like it some other way but I loved that setting. This makes every sound you make of equal volume so slapping, near bridge, near neck, muted. All same volume. Allows you to make the bass sound variable. I love it. All players should have one IMO
I love the EQ review with explanation of different frequencies. Maybe you could make a video on dialing in the bass EQ and share your experiences? I used to spend hours playing with EQ and trying to dial in a tone that sits well in the band and developed fixation with low mids which seemed to work miracles for me until I changed to a completely different sounding bass and whole thing started again. I'd love to hear some thoughts on this topic and I bet it would be useful to a lot of bass players.
Btw. Choruses on bass are great. Being a fretless player I used it all the time as a part of my basic tone and to my surprise nobody in a band complained and they liked it. It seems to me that it enhances some harmonic content that makes the bass fuller and richer, but a good pedal should keep the fundamental intact, so the seemingly out of tune sound you're talking about doesn't happen. They do a lot of these dry-low/modulated-highs controls on bass choruses because of that, but there aren't many bass choruses in budget range.
It just happens that Ensemble Queen sounds really bad to me. Not what I am looking for in a bass chorus. You can easily grab used Digitech Bass Multi Chorus (I don't think they make them anymore) for dirt cheap and they are really good, despite some people hating it just because it is digital (so is Ensemble Queen AFAIK). Right now I am waiting for my EHX Bass Clone which I wouldn't consider "budget" but isn't expensive either, with really high expectations. Hyped as hell, 'cause it sounds really good on most demos and people seem to generally like it.
Cool video, cheers!
I can't believe how fast your channel's growing! Good for you man!
I’m not really a bassist but this video opened my eyes to bass having more than one sound
Dude, there's guys doing such cool stuff with basses. Sam Wilkes being my current favourite specially when he plays with knower!
I bought the exact same EQ and Overdrive pedal, went to a rehearsal with my band, almost used the same adjustments and it does sound like a Samsamp. It has very good dirt without losing low end while using the EQ, very bright and metallic. If you don't want/like that brightness, just adjust your tone on the bass or pedal and you're good.
I was thinking the pedal board was upright sitting against your desk and when you went to switch them around 0:17 I thought you did like some weird fairy kick and was like, What Are You Doing?! haha :D
I recently joined a band that actually pushes me to better myself. That being said I wanted something to get my notes all to the same level, and have never even tried a pedal for bass before and that brought me to this channel. Thank you so much for the very detailed video, helps me out more than you know.
That was awesome! It's not cheap being a musician in general, but I'm glad people like you exist to find great deals and to share your knowledge! Keep up the great videos!
It’s cool how your explanation of the bass EQ is the same as I have discovered when tuning car audio bass.
That's crazy how good that overdrive sounds with a little bass added back in with the EQ pedal
I’m not a bassists either. Been playing guitars and keys for 35 yrs. I have been puttering with home recording and your info on where to set the bass frequencies was great useful information we all can use. Thanks for another great vid.
I love the explanation of the EQ settings! After watching this I started using an EQ on my Zoom Multistomp, with your recommended settings, and I feel like I finally found the tone I was looking for!
Hey Dan, I discovered your channel only a few months ago and I can't stop binge watching your videos! I appreciate your approach to your instructionals and reviews. They are informative without dragging on unnecessarily or being insulting to newbies! Great job!!! Thanks for producing this channel.👍
I am really buying this EQ and Od!! Awesome review.
I do play bass and really like this demo. I'm always love hearing these cheap demos by an actual bass player. Frequently you seem gear demoed by guitarist that don't really understand the role of a bass in the band or that play licks that'd never be useful. I'd love to see a video of making that Sansamp knockoff.
I had a buddy throw in his sansamp pedal along with a sub cab he sold me and I didn’t know how expensive they were at the time. I absolutely love it and am so glad I don’t have to worry about finding other bass pedals. But if I did, this video would be right up my alley.
The Tech 21 is really the best in bass drive. I've found a couple of promising alternatives. One is the Behringer V-Tone Bass Driver, and the other is the Caline Wine Cellar. They both come in at around 35-40 dollars and are basically circuit copies of a SansAmp-- the Behringer gets a little fizzier than you'd probably like if you're not careful, and the Caline doesn't have as much gain on tap, but they're both great options. I've used both... the Wine Cellar is a mainstay on my pedalboard.
thank you for your consistent examples with and without the pedal with fingers, pick and slapping. This is how to demonstrate the 'affect' of a pedal. Same riff, with lows and high notes, three different ways. Rigor is hard to come by....excellent. You have my subscription. And really, way do you have to pay $250 for a pedal. I bought a really nice used mexi jazz bass with EMG pickups on Craigslist for $200. And you want me to pay that much for a pedal??? Great job.
Ross Valery “Journey” & Cris Squire “Yes” both used chorus all over the place...
Never thought they sounded out of tune, But like any effect it’s the proper application & the right placing in the song...
Great clip! I have two great chorus pedals on my board. They get used sparingly, about 1 out of 10 songs. But, that lush sound they produce is something everyone hears, and the band loves it too. I’d choose a chorus over drive or fuzz any day.
Hey Dan, I'm so glad you pointed out that most bass distortion pedals are not what you'd expect. I've thought the same thing with the three or four that I've bought and ultimately returned or trashed. I thought I was doing something wrong. Thanks for clarifying. Now, I know I said I would love the pedalboard before on previous "gift away" videos, but this would be my number one pick. If I did happen to be chosen for this (fingers crossed), I'd say go ahead and give that chorus pedal to someone who would really want it. I don't love the way chorus sounds on bass and I'm sure there's someone out there who has that perfect use for it, it's just not me. Thanks again for your time and effort put into these videos. I'm sure everyone will agree, you do awesome work and I look forward to your videos every week. Keep up the good work.
The compressor "pop" is from the footswitch itself. You can try adding an additional bleed resistor on the output to bleed more DC voltage, say 100kohm to ground. I did the footswitch swap to a soft latching and the resistor, dead silent no popping.
The Behringer Bass BDI 21 comes very close to that SansaAmp and it's a DI too. But I only use it as a DI box. I split my signal with a Boss LS-2 line splitter. Feed one part into an EQ drop out the bass and send that signal into a Behringer Vintage Tube Monster. The other part goes directly into another EQ, where I drop the mid range a little bit. That way I solve the problem of guitar distortion pedals mudding up the sound. Yeah .. I know, _real_ bass distortion pedals have a mix knob in them and a lo-cut on the overdrive/distortion circuit. But you can't change that lo-cut and a real EQ bring much more control. Those Bass EQs you found are sweet by the way. I had to get some used Boss GEB-7, because I did not knew about your pedal.
Pedal merge for OD and EQ.
Go into a cheap splitter, split into two mono signal paths, send one into the drive and eq, and one into another eq, then into a blend pot for wet/dry in a dummy mini pedal shell (two inputs and one out), then have the blend pot output as you would a normal pedal in your chain.
I did look quickly for a switchable and blendable fx loop to make it easier haha 😂 but with the size of mini pedals these days you can easily squeeze two or three units on one q tron sized shell.
Whoa, no ehx? Small clone chorus, what peter hook used. 80 bucks and also has a bass version. Small stone, best phaser out there (60 bucks), (bass) big muff, most used fuzz for bass, also comes in at 80. They're a staple!
A trick I used a lot in the power trio I played in years ago was when the guitar was really digging into a solo, I'd play something more simple like whole/quarter notes on the root and kick on a little Chorus to help it sound a bit more interesting.
Then again, we were a living room band and never even made it into a garage, so what do I know? It was fun and totally worth the 75 bucks I dropped on my BOSS Bass Chorus pedal all those years ago. Another fun trick is to kick on the chorus and throw a harmonic and just let it ring out. Great sound.
That pop is usually stray capacitance. Use a buffer or change your cable
MXR makes great affordable bass pedals. I'm a metal bassist, and the bass EQ is a definite need with overdrive. I actually use a cheap, not extreme distortion MXR pedal right now, drop distorion to little over mid and tone to mid. Equalize the low end and it sounds great.
Thank you for the video!
i loved how he just played the Around The World intro and also thanks for this video ive really been searching for a few affordable pedals :)
I'm not a bassist but,they sound good to me ,nice demo , great prices too ! Thanks ! :-)
To remove the pop of the switch watch the video on repair. Two 25c resistors on the back of the switch. Takes 5 minutes and then will be silent. Or replace the switch. It buy heaps (150) of pedals and most are great on guitar. Even the cheap wireless system 15$ are fantastic. I have had mine for a year and they work very well.
In he 70s there was a plug in effect called Vox Bass Treble Booster, It would boost bass low end and make it really rumble, or guitar high end and make any guitar sound as bright as a telecaster or even brighter.
I’m surprised you didn’t have the joyo ultimate drive instead. That pedal kills on bass, essentially a cheap ocd pedal.
Also instead of tweaking with the compressor, EQ, and overdrive pedals together to make them sound like a sansamp he could have just gotten a $30 behringer BDI21 which is a clone of the sansamp. Still a good video though I'm definitely gonna buy that compressor
Been doing some pedal shopping recently and I’ve been watching a lot of videos like this. This is the best one I’ve seen so far. Thanks & you’ve earned another subscriber.
Peter Hook-Joy division. Chorus all day. Great video! I never use my effects (maybe fuzz) with my band, but I'm addicted to these things!
bass pedal reviews! Halleleua! No one does Bass pedal reviews! Hardly anyone makes Bass pedals to do reviews avout! Huge thanks dan! another great one! Keep 'em coming! And YES! i would love to have those pedals as i'm building that pedalboard and it is ultimately going to be for both guitar and bass. Here's a suggestion... Get an Ibanez Mikro Bass and mod it. I did and they're very cool little basses and as low as $150 new means they're good mod platforms and available used for under $100 and they come in 4 and 5 string versions at a 29.6 inch scale length
Hey Dan, this is such a late comment, but the reason 1k htz stands out (for most listeners) happens to be because the ear canal happens to be a length and size that amplifies this frequency range. Similar idea to how certain halls or spaces (without any sound dampening) will really amplify certain frequencies.
Great video, thanks. I’m definitely getting that EQ pedal
I love the combination of the Overdrive pedal with the EQ pedal. This was a good Bass pedal demo.
Dan - your channel is a gift to all us DIY'ers.
I found this vid looking for 'best bass chorus..' Yeah, I play with chorus. Curious as to which you tried before but your take on the Moore works for me. Incidentally, I learned my setups at an old store in my hometown from none other than that Chorused-out bass player on those Journey records. Small world, Thanks & All the Best
Thanks for the recommendation, Dan! Didn't want to spend that much to get those groovy tones. This is totally awesome!
Thank you Dan!
You nailed it with the EQ pedal. It seems to be exactly what I’m looking for.
That Bass EQ had some awesome sounds. Nice job!
Wow best sounding Overdrive pedal for bass. Didn't expect that, sounds like a tube overdrive for bass. But that needs to be on a side chain with HPF. Thanks so much.
Man, great video! I made a budget bass pedalboard after watching your budget guitar video. I agree with you on most all of these effects. All my pedals I got for $60 or less including shipping. Most of the pedals were used off eBay or Reverb.
Speaking of reverb, I have a reverb pedal at the end of my chain. It's rarely used because it does gets lost in a full band setting most of the time. Occasionally, it can be used for some cool "pad" sounds if you're short a keyboard player or for parts of a song that are broken down. I got a used Line 6 Verbzilla for $58 that looked brand new & came with its original box. I like this particular pedal because you have the Trails switch option to let the reverb decay off naturally after you turn it off.
I currently have the Moen Unicomp, but this one is about to die on me, I think. Thanks to you, I'll probably replace it with that Caline pressure Point. Compression is on for me about 98% of the time. I might turn it off briefly when I'm going to engage the overdrive pedal I use, which I will now move on to...
Joyo Sweet Baby Overdrive. It's a low gain OD & I believe fits in with your opinion about OD on bass. I don't use it much myself but it's there if I need it. I think these go for around 40 or less, brand new. For me, it's the best bang for buck. Gives me the sound I want, yet doesn't get too fuzzy or distorted. The way I have mine set, gives just a hint of dirt but still has nice low end. I was pleasantly surprised by this pedal.
Boss Super Chorus (CH-1, I think) sounds great, in my opinion, on bass. Does have an EQ knob & doesn't lose as much low end, to my ears. The rate or speed range is a bit slower to me & I like that. Again, I agree with you about using it sparingly too. I got a used one for right at 60 in above average shape. A more beat up one will probably be cheaper if you don't mind paint chips & scuffs.
Sorry for the long post, y’all. I was just trying to help add to conversation & maybe throw a couple other options out there into the mix. Thanks for letting me blabber!
Man that od/eq combination sounds killer!!!
Chorus in a band setting is a must for me.
But it took me a whole year to get the settings dialed in.
It’s nothing to do with the sound of the chorus. But with the right chorus set to do very very little actual chorusing it can really thicken up the bass (think of it more as doubling what you’re playing rather than actually applying chorus).
I really recommend you try it because once I discovered that sound I’ve never looked back. Sounds great and makes the bass massive without stepping on the toes of another band member.
Great video keep up the good work.
Just bought 3 out of 4 of these for my board. Thank you for the demo. Super helpful!
As a guitarist and bass player on the side, I tend to just use a tc forcefield compressor, a homemade noise gate and a crayon overdrive. Oh and a polytune! Not in the market for new bass pedals but I did enjoy this video 😁
thank you for your earnest diligence in checking out effects pedals under 100.00.
Great review. Never thought about using effects on the bass... sounded great.
HAPPY 99K, ALMOST THERE!!!
Joyo Dr-J Sparrow is a cheap overdrive that I like. I use it with highest gain on that pedal but mix is almost all the way dry. Harmonies knob is also awesome on this unit.
Great review thank you. Very informative. I particularly like the Eq/Compressor combo. I think it’s an essential quality for that smooth consistent sound/tone like a high-end studio recording. Really nice.
The clairty of the eq pedal is really unmatched. I would say it's as important for a bass player as a compression pedal. It can clear your tone on an expert level so you don't have to rely on the sound engineer.
I really liked that brief run down of the EQ and the different frequencies. Could you do a more in depth one? Maybe with something like the MXR 10band EQ? Cheers
I love all your budget videos. You understand that alot of us live paycheck to paycheck. Keep going Dan!
Really great, that you make this kind of videos. Especially for people who are just starting to learn guitar these videos about affordable/cheap great gear are awesome! Keep it up!
Always good to know there are cheap options for those starting out their pedal journey! I think I may get the EQ just to try it out. Thanks!
Almost 100k man! You deserve it, you have been a big influence in my guitar playing and how I look at guitars- I’ve been subbed for awhile, and I’m proud to see you get this far!
I’ve been waiting so long for this video!
I’d love to get this pedal board along with the mod bass kit. I’m the bassist and lead singer in a death metal band and these pedals are exactly what I need to replicate my studio tone when I play live. I’m learning Luthier skills so I can start building my own equipment.
Bass + Chorus = Peter Hook
I guess he’s never heard of Peter Hook
YES!!!
Siouxsie & the Banshees in 2 effects
Pretty much every new wave band. When he started playing, it immediately reminded me of that sound.
You are so close to 100k I bet you hit it tomorrow. Congratulations!
I’m so glad I found this channel. Well done
As a beginner bassist, it was very beneficial to learn those EQ tips. Almost want to get rid of my Fender amp and use that "ghetto sansamp" set up.
These do sound great. Thanks for taking the time to find good ones, I love watching the budget videos. And of course, your honest opinion on the products is always appreciated. keep the great content coming, Dan
I see you got better on bass aswell :D
Cant wait for full video on this bass!
Also i'd love to get that eq pedal! My cheap Behringer overdrive eats all of the low end :/
I have a Mooer Slow Engine, a Joyo Ironman Wow Wah, and a Mooer Bass Sweeper on my board. The Slow Engine gives the volume swell I'm after, the Wow Wah is made for Guitar but with some tweeking of the controls I got it sounding pretty good for bass and my Bass Sweeper gives me the Synth tones I need ... especially for songs like Pony. All under $100.
Dude I've been waiting for this. Really looking to build my bass setup. You confirmed my thoughts that eq and compression are my first buys. But that overdrive/sansamp sound was unexpected. Thanks again!
Do not mind too much about the pedal popping; the pedal switch can be easily rewired and one small value "bleed" resistor will ensure the output capacitor remains at line voltage, which is the very reason why the longer you keep the effect disengaged, the cap will accumulate DC voltage and the pop will sound louder when all that DC voltage dissipates at once when the effect is engaged. Just a few bucks ($3-4), few tools (soldering iron, solder and flux) and some spare time gets the issue resolved.
Great vid, but an especially good explanation on use of the EQ pedal. Thanks!! Sparks
I have been a subscriber to this channel for couple years now. I love your demos, reviews and sharing all things musical.
I play bass. This is a great review of some great budget pedal options that are actually useable. Love your giveaways hope these go to a good home and find lots of use.
Congrats on 100k mate... You deserve it!
Very helpful with that eq part, thank you, man!
You’re welcome!
I own two of the Caline compressors, I love'em, can't complain.
The od and eq sounds great together. I’ve been playing bass for years without any pedals. Might be time to add a few to my rig. Thanks for the tip.
Regarding cheap equipment I use second hand stuff with two success guitar pedals :
Dod Milk Box - compressor with the old shape cow skin and cream control, it handles well the low end and cut on purpose high frequencies via dedicated control
Boss XT2 Xtorsion - can range from overdrive with low drive to heavy Muse bass distorsion, incredibly massive low end as designed for nu metal detuned purposes, contour knob allow interesting EQ
Digitech bass synth - i bought new 40€ it's really versatile and able to render some Depeche Mode bass synth.
Love this review and the home made Rick shaped bass 😍 Seeking for an EQ the one tested looks like a Moer clone (?) I'd probably get
I'm not a bass player, but I'm thinking about building one bass guitar.... after this video, maybe I will buy some compressor...
Now some random touhgts:
I do like the prototype bass shape... but I do not like the pickup frame .
I do not like that curious bass shape on the background.... but interesting.... but too exotic for me!
Keep on the good work, Dan!
That EQ-Overdrive combo sounds great!
Your bass playing makes me wanna learn how to play bass
@@joeyvitale3241 no lol
Did you do it now? No better time to learn bass then in quarantine!
@@kikisakura8189 nah man I got a job and I'm trying to get into college plus I'm also learning how to draw. I spend most of my free time practicing that
Congratulations Dan! A 100K subscribers!!! A milestone, up to the next!!! 😍😘😀
I use chorus on full depth but only middle rate, and it sounds great whether alone or in a band setting. It's possibly the coolest bass effect there is. Flanger and phaser are in the running too.
100K!!! Congrats Dan! You deserve it so much (: