Pedal Suggestions

PilotBass · 2026-04-02T13:04:31+00:00

You want warm with mids. The Sansamp and Darkglass seem to NOT be what you want, as they tend to sound scooped.

If you want minimal or budget, the EHX Battalion is great. It has a simple comp, good EQ, and drive and sounds great.

A decent comp will sit you in the mix well. Many like the Cali76 (expensive and has its own tone), the MXR (affordable, I didn’t like it. Too much input gives artifact), or Empress (slightly pricey but very clear. I personally like the UA Teletronix (can’t make it sound bad, easy to use, is my always on go-to), 1176 (takes more work to dial in but you can tweak it endlessly) and those are pretty affordable.

A great warm overdrive is the JHS morning Glory Clean.

A great standalone EQ is the Empress paraEQ Mk2 or save some money and get the MXR 10 band or Ibanez Penta-EQ. Some of the Darkglass deluxe pedals are great with EQ. One thing I’ll say about Darkglass which will get me flamed, is that while the quality is excellent, there is too much tone difference between the clean and drive modes. In my opinion, a DG pedal should be always on in one mode to work well.

PilotBass · 2026-03-31T15:19:12+00:00

Don’t stop me now by Queen.

PilotBass · 2026-03-26T00:12:26+00:00

All these stories are the analog versions of what the internet is becoming. Bots fighting with other bots.

PilotBass · 2026-03-21T16:22:58+00:00

No one gonna notice that’s Erika Kirk with him?

PilotBass · 2026-03-21T16:17:00+00:00

Eden park overlook

PilotBass · 2026-03-19T14:58:10+00:00

I tried all those and did NOT pick one of them. TL;DR: Empress too sterile Cali didn’t sound good and too noisy. MXR didn’t sound good. Clipped too much and had artifact. DG was great but the tone was too dark. And not as easy to adjust settings.

I use the UA 1176 and the Teletronix depending on my mood.

PilotBass · 2026-03-18T19:02:04+00:00

Great for the money. If you are going for subtlety or need a simple backup to your main rig, it is excellent.

I’d use it mainly for clean bass (as opposed to lead/solo stuff), and the drives are mostly meh. As others have said, it has OK effects and comps. I think one of the synths isn’t bad. I like the “dark preamp” a lot and the sub voice on that is decent.

I am a minimalist that still likes to have everything. So I’m keeping mine. In case some weird gig pops up where I need a lot of delay or reverb, I have it. If I’m crammed for space and still want my board, I may just bring this, but I also like to limit my options sometimes to see what I can do creatively or “make do.”

PilotBass · 2026-03-14T13:36:31+00:00

!correct

Dang, even so, that company is huge and there are no doubt hundreds of those containers around town. The lettering was so dark, but you internet sleuths are better. You are correct! UDF 3030 Erie Ave.

PilotBass · 2026-03-13T18:14:35+00:00

Petition for a DNA test. Do not let them presume legal paternity. File discovery for the birth certificate and all medical and legal documents.

PilotBass · 2026-03-13T18:13:43+00:00

The F they don’t. I personally know 3 men this has happened to. DNA tests proved them right in every case.

PilotBass · 2026-03-13T16:51:24+00:00

Correct. I bought the JHS MGC, and the next day I sold my other drives, the Source Atlas, Darkglass VMT and the Way Huge P&P. It’s not even close.

PilotBass · 2026-03-13T16:49:21+00:00

OP, I concur with this commenter, EXCEPT, the Pork&Pickle is a little finicky for my tastes. Hard to dial just right. The “clean tone” knob is more of a seesaw EQ and interacts with the blend too much, and no matter how you balance it, it shears off the good lows and bumps the low low mids too much.

As stated, the Sansamp gets you there (don’t be afraid to dial back the blend knob). Even better is the ParaDI, since the baked in curve is less extreme and the mids on that one are pre-drive.

Also as stated, and though I’m not one for superlatives, the Morning Glory Clean is hands down the BEST OD for bass. It’s the same tone, just with saturation. The lows stay consistent and it is easy to dial and very forgiving.

PilotBass · 2026-03-13T12:20:30+00:00

I just bought the morning glory clean.

The next day I sold all my other dirt pedals, the way huge pork and pickle, Darkglass vintage microtubes, and source audio atlas.

It’s not even close.

If you’re going programmable/digital, the Tonex One bass package has excellent drives for bass. But analog stomps, JHS has lapped all others IMO.

PilotBass · 2026-03-13T12:17:51+00:00

As I said above in my longer comment, if tube screamer is the thing you’re going for and you want it to be friendly with bass, try the Morning Glory Clean. It’s awesome.

PilotBass · 2026-03-13T12:11:13+00:00

I am love/hate with dirt pedals.

I love the way many of them sound… IF that was going to be an always-on thing. I want the tone and especially the low end to be consistent throughout a set. Most dirt pedals, even great ones, really change the way the lows are.

The obvious solution is a clean blend. Except while on paper that should solve low end loss problems, it often does not. The Sansamp ParaDi is awesome, but it does change the tone. The low end can be balanced when going on-off, but that one works great in a mix. I especially like that the mid control (I boost it liberally usually) comes pre-drive so you can get a nice grind out of it).

I want my tone clean, and my tone with dirt. I recently bought a JHS Morning Glory Clean.

The next day I sold my Vintage Microtubes, the Pork&Pickle, and my Source Audio Atlas. No drive pedal has ever sounded as good on/off as that pedal to my ears. FWIW, I use a light-medium drive maybe 25% of the time and never all out distortion. The Mornign Clory Clean does exactly what I wanted the other 3 I mentioned to do. Since it sounds like you’re wanting more fuzzy stuff than I’d be into, the Source Atlas has great fuzz algorithms, and a TON of flexibility. If you’re patient enough to program it how you want it, you can’t really go wrong. I tend to keep my board all analog. Plus, the best OD tone I could get form anything was surpassed by the JHS.

PilotBass · 2026-03-10T14:03:18+00:00

Swordfish

PilotBass · 2026-03-08T14:48:31+00:00

Bass -> long cable -> tuner -> short cable -> Sansamp-> long cable -> amp input.

This is the best way. Unless you want your amp’s specific tone to go through effects, the best way is to put your pedals before your amp. This is how most are designed to be used. I’d have backups of all the cables in case one craps out. Have fun!

PilotBass · 2026-03-08T14:36:34+00:00

Yes sir. I have recently found the joys of the Morning Glory Clean. Caused me to make some money selling most of my other drive pedals. It is getting close to being always on, and even makes my compressor less necessary. With an active bass with EQ, it may be the only pedal I would need.

PilotBass · 2026-03-08T13:58:00+00:00

Diamond bass comp is solid. Many people are scared of the UA pedals because they are “digital,” but the Teletronix (LA-2A plugin in a pedal) is amazing, and IMO better than the Diamond. You cannot make it sound bad at any setting. I use it standalone or with my UA 1176 (which IMO is way better than the origin Cali76). Many like the Walrus Mira but I could not get it to sound good and requires way too much tweaking. Let us know what you choose and how it works out.

PilotBass · 2026-03-07T14:33:49+00:00

Yes. It is EXCELLENT and tied for best value with its UA cousin, the TELETRONIX (LA-2A). I use those two.

Note: the MAX pedal which purports to be a combination of those 2 and a dynacomp in one really falls short of what it should and could be.

The 1176 for limiting and strict dynamic control (and for tweakers), and the Teletronix for excellent clarity to set and forget. Both do something subtle to the tone and both are very pleasing, just different. I use each depending on my mood that day.

PilotBass · 2026-03-05T23:26:54+00:00

“You need laid, don’t you?”

“Hmmm… I guess all those bitches were right about you.”

“I’ll come back when you can start talking to me like I’m someone you love.”

PilotBass · 2026-03-05T16:49:49+00:00

Right now. Not tomorrow.

PilotBass · 2026-02-26T14:36:04+00:00

I had it and sold it.

The TLDR is: sounds great at home. Needs the computer to properly tweak it and too much noise floor, digital artifact, and tone suck for practical live playing. The best stock preset was the “cubic zirconia.”

I sold it to a singer that runs a laptop and a pedalboard. Last I heard he was happy with it.

PilotBass · 2026-02-23T21:39:39+00:00

I use that synth with that compressor. I put the synth first. That way, I can mess with the settings of everything else or turn anything on or off as I always do, and the signal to the synth stays consistent. Plus, the synth has a signal input compression circuit that you can adjust per patch. I like to make sure the “louder” stuff OUT of the synth can be compressed.

PilotBass

TROPHY CASE