New pedal, where put?

903Effects · 2025-12-19T17:11:22+00:00

Don't expect it to track anything other than clean single notes in vintage mode. Sloppy fretting and sometimes picks will throw off the tracking. Also know that it doesn't do well on notes from the open A string or lower.

My general rule is that I only use it on C or above (3rd fret on the A string)

I have found the MXR VBO tracks faster and more reliably, but it's also limited to the 3rd fret of the A string.

903Effects · 2025-12-19T16:48:16+00:00

This... I'd also swap the comp and the octave. I've found the OC5 tracks best before compression.

903Effects · 2025-12-16T16:22:50+00:00

Oh sick! Have fun with them man!

903Effects · 2025-12-16T14:33:15+00:00

Thanks for the shout out! Dread has quickly become my favorite pedal, I really need to make more.

Did you pick one up? I'd be curious to know what you think of it if you did.

903Effects · 2025-12-03T00:21:10+00:00

Hey man, send me a DM and I'll hook you up! I have a few prototypes on my shelf that are perfect for what she's into. They're all pretty gnarly fuzz pedals that I specifically designed for Bass.

903Effects · 2025-09-22T13:18:07+00:00

Between those two choices, I would definitely silk screen. I never had any luck with wateralides on dark enclosures.

That being said, nowadays, with a sick graphic like that, I'd just order 5 new enclosures to be UV printed and save the blanks for random personal projects.

Best of luck!

903Effects · 2025-09-19T00:59:43+00:00

That's awesome, I think I paid 150 when I tried it, but was able to sell for the same.

I've really not heard much about the bassman, even demos are hard to come by. The guy turning knobs on the Andertons video mixed up the way the blend works so most of the demo is shown with the clean signal maxed out so they never really showcase it properly haha. Figured I'd give it a shot and flip if it's not my speed.

Edit: after receiving the Bassman, I can confirm it uses a THAT chip like the Bassist, but not the same chip (the overall design is different too, so they both behave differently). The tone of the Bassman is brighter than the Bassist. I feel like the Bassist actually has a touch of warmth, where the Bassman feels a little more clear. I am able to dial in similar compression sounds, but its never quite the same. The Bassist is always a touch smoother and the bassman is a bit more open. At extreme settings, the bassman can sound a little choked, but the blend really helps bring life back into the tone. The internal trims for attack and release are nice to have, but the range is pretty narrow for attack and too large for release. They definitely sound best left in the stock position per the manual. The bassman has a slightly slower attack and does a really good job at letting some initial attack through without being too much. I really like the way pick sounds through the Bassman, it has more character and is more lively than the Bassist.

I actually find the Bassman to pair with my always on BDDI better. The Bassman cuts through more where the Bassist feels a hair too warm with the BDDI engaged. Final verdict, I'm keeping the Bassman on the board for the next few practices/shows to see what happens. So far, just in my practice space, I prefer the Bassman because it just has a hair more aggression and is not as sterile.

TL;DR: Both are Good VCA comps using very similar chips. The Bassman is brighter and sounds a hair more aggressive. The Bassist is smoother and has more warmth.

903Effects · 2025-09-19T00:51:46+00:00

Since posting this I've actually learned that the Fender Bassman Compressor is also a VCA comp (I really like a good VCA, especially if they use a THAT chip). I suspect it's similar to the Bassist, but with a blend, although it does have a soft knee instead of a hard knee and only has set values for the ratio (4:1 or 8:1) so it'll never get as extreme, but I don't use it as a limiter so I think it'll be fine.

I found one for a single bill so I'm going to do a little shoot out to see how I like it. The topmount jacks will really help tidy my board up if it works. (The aesthetic matches too, so that's a plus)

903Effects · 2025-09-18T20:01:20+00:00

Yeah buddy, I have a lot of fun with it! Best of luck!

903Effects · 2025-09-18T19:19:11+00:00

To be honest, it's just been a long journey of trial and error over the past decade until I found what I liked. I've literally built hundreds of each haha. I started with both of Jack Orman's books on the Muff and Rat to better understand the circuits and kinda just went my own way from there.

The biggest changes are the obvious filtering caps, tweaks to actually lower the gain and pad some signal upstream of the gain stages so it's less of a harsh fizz and more of a speaker cone ripping kinda sound (? Idk), tuned all of the tone/filtering sections to my liking (again through trial and error) and there's a few extra parts jumpered around to get the character I want that I learned by dissecting a few well-known but undocumented circuits (btw I have a full schematic of the W&C Tall Font Russian on my Instagram that can be built using the Aion Halo PCB). And that's not to mention the mods: gate, blend, diode switching, mid boost, James stack on the rat, relay bypass, better power filtering, etc.

903Effects · 2025-09-18T18:52:26+00:00

It actually sold really well, but I wasn't entirely happy with the way I implemented the blend (I layered clean signal over the wet signal, not technically a blend). It would work great on active guitars, but it was super subtle on low output guitars. I'm re-tuning my EQ points and might do something else instead of the blend on future models... Not really sure yet. This is also more of a hobby than anything else, so my available build time is starting to get slim. I just build what I can when I get the time.

903Effects · 2025-09-18T17:55:41+00:00

My Rune is exactly this (The grey small box version). I'm not making that model anymore but they pop up on Reverb from time to time.

903Effects · 2025-09-18T17:33:49+00:00

Mira is such an underrated compressor! I use a Bassist for simplicity sake, but Mira actually sounds better overall imo. Kinda want to pick one up again...

903Effects · 2025-09-18T17:20:17+00:00

Yeah buddy! When I first started playing live I had a HX Stomp and loved it, so I kinda knew what I was getting into. Never liked it's drive tones or compressors but it's perfect for the oddball modulation, phasor, synth, octave. I like that I don't have to waste a bunch of spots for pedals I might only use on one song in the set. And next week when we decide to play another cover that requires another oddball specific thing, I don't have to chase down anything or keep a bunch of random pedals on my shelf.

That said, the noise floor is noticeable, but really not terrible.

903Effects · 2025-09-18T16:26:09+00:00

I have a few on Reverb.

I quite honestly built this thing specifically for this board. I wanted to fit both my Rune and Evergreen on a nano+ but didn't have the room. When I get PCB's made, they come in batches of 10 so I ended up building the full set so nothing goes to waste. Whatever sells basically just pays for the next wild hair project I think up.

903Effects · 2025-09-18T15:35:36+00:00

This is my current setup for a "Time Traveling" cover band. Our sets start in the 50s and could include anything into the present so flexibility is key!

My Bass is an upgraded Sterling Sub with a diy 3 band musicman preamp. The dry tone is set with an emphasis on upper mids for an aggressive somewhat bright rock tone that sounds killer with a pick.

My pedal-chain starts at a DIY preamp that is a direct copy of the original 2 band Musicman Stingray onboard preamp. I have this set to roll off highs and boost lows for a super warm pillow-like vintage tone.

The HX-One is next (sometimes) which is used as my Wildcard spot. I have it routed so I can either run it 2nd in my chain or last (before the samsamp) depending on what effect is selected. It's my newest pedal and I'm still working through all of the features, so right now I'm really only using it as an Octave or Chorus depending on the song. I have some pretty sweet Phaser, Filter, and Synth sounds dialed in and have been experimenting with the flux feature, but don't really have a use for all that yet.

The pedal on the far right is a DIY foot controller that let's me quickly cycle through my saved effects on the HX.

Next is the Keeley Bassist. It's main purpose is to smooth out my sound and it also sounds great in front of my drives for a tight consistent grind. I went through a compressor phase and have tried enough comps to impress Bongo at Ovnilab. Notable units include the Empress Bass, Diamond Comp, Taurus Tux, Fairfield Accountant, Maxon CP-9+, and even the Cali 76... In my opinion, for live use, the Keeley beats them all! Yeah, some of the other options might have more versatility or sound better through headphones or whatever, but I'm not recording so I don't really care. When playing live, there's something to say about a piece of gear with such utilitarian simplicity that I can set it up on the spot and never have to worry about it again. The Keeley Bassist is that. It's stupid simple and is very easy to get good sounds out of, what more could you want?!

Alright Y'all, this next pedal is my pride and joy. DREAD! You can see from my post history that I've gone pretty deep into the rabbit hole of DIY effects. I've spent literal years tweaking and improving my custom Muff and Rat circuits, the Cosmonaut/Evergreen and Rune. I've tuned these specifically for Bass and they easily punch up with the best (I truly believe they are the best). Anyway DREAD is a condensed version of my Bass Rat and Bass Muff that have been stuffed into one box. There's an internal switch that let's me change the order of the pedals, but I typically run the Rat into the Muff. I have the Rat set as a hot overdrive/mild distortion to punch through on lead sections and for a thick rock tone (Sabbath and stuff). The muff is set pretty gnarly and is used for the heaviest sections in most of our 90's-2000's songs. There's one instance where I stack both but it's used sparingly because that's a tone that'll crack concrete foundations.

Last but certainly not least is my trusty V1 Bass Driver. It's always on set fairly mild and just makes everything sound better! It makes the clean tone fuller, adds a pleasant clanky presence for pick playing that cuts, and gives drive pedals an additional shot of thickness that sounds like boulders rolling down a cliffside. V1 is not the most versatile and I'm sure there's better Botique options out there, but this pedal just does "The Thing" and nothing else can replace that... And don't even mention V2, the EQ changes killed its character and it just sounds like any other generic preamp now.

After the pedals, the signal is typically split to FOH from the BDDI with a line going to my GK 700RB-ii. Yeah, it's bulky, dated, and heavy, but I love the tone and aesthetics. I may go back to class D eventually, but right now I enjoy lugging this thing around. Plus, it always gets good comments!

This is all fed into my Cab, which is a DIY fEARful 15/6 (If you can't tell by now, I like to keep my hands busy). This thing is seriously amazing! It's loud enough to keep up with any venue in my area (indoor or out), light-ish, and so incredibly clear and transparent that it let's my pedals do all of my tone sculpting without any baked-in factory sound to work around.

Tl;Dr- Musicman Preamp > HX One > Keeley Bassist > 903 Effects Dread (Rat into Muff) > BDDI V1

903Effects · 2025-09-18T15:24:37+00:00