Notes:

• This guide is based on my opinion and/or the general ‘buzz’ that surrounds the pedal.
• These are things I have bought for myself, or am considering buying.
• Rare, wait-list based, and generally unavailable pedals were not considered.
• No promotional fees have been paid to me by any manufactuer or dealer, they get mentioned because I like them.
• I’ll recommend Tonefactor as a dealer because I love them (and I stole a photo for this article).

Where to buy?

I don’t have any working relationships or deals with any of these people, but I might be ‘known’ because of my purchasing problem.

• Tonefactor.com – Great service, quick free shipping, and a pleasent community of gear junkys chatting about all things effects (and bacon).
• AnalogueHaven – Synth gear is the bread and butter here, but also stock a wide range of effects including some very small run and unique stuff.
• Pedalgeek – Solid service, knowledge, and selection.
• Analogman – A bit more limited selection than some of the others, but excellent service and top notch products and mods. Plus Analog Man’s guide to Vintage Effects book will make any effect-head happY!

Overdrive / Distorition

• Catalinbread – SFT ($159.95 Street):

  I’ve struggled for a long time hunting out a ‘low grind’ pedal that met my needs on bass guitar and had only found the desired sound in a couple of rare, expensive, and hard-to-find botique numbers. Playing with the SFT for the first time was like pouring water on lava… it was SMOKING. I’ve had it since it arrived on the scene, and it’s moved up to the number one position for my low gain dirt needs.

  When we originally set out on our quest to make the best Bass overdrive ever, we never imagined that it could also sound so amazing with guitar – but then we got to thinking about some of the classic late ‘60s/early ‘70s ‘Ya-Yas’ era tones and thought we should take a stab at them. And heck while we’re at it, it would be really cool if it worked for the more modern drop tuned heavy stuff too. Made sense since those tones were due in large part to guitars being played through amps designed for bass, right?

  And what about the Bass tones? We wanted a pedal that FINALLY let you control the amount of grind solely based on your finger attack. You know the feeling – full and rich and clean when you brush lightly and some nice wooly edge when you dig in. At the other end of the sonic spectrum we wanted a drive pedal that could deliver bone-crunching grind and still hold together without sounding thin or turning into a sludgy mess no matter how hard you hit it.

• Tech 21 VT Bass Pedal ($149 Street):

  I have no experiance at all with this pedal, but the general clamor has lingered for months and months now. Enough time has passed for intial hype-machine to wear off and I’m still curious. Would make a great stocking stuffer! ;)
  
  

  For bass players who demand to be heard, the sound of a tower of power pumping through a stack of 10-inchers is the legendary bass tone of choice, and the VT Bass bass pedal delivers. From chunky funk with the ubiquitous flip-top to the higher-gain growl of indie rock, this pedal has range to spare. Still need more? Lean on the Character control for the fat, distorted sound of Crimson and King s X—it all sounds massive. From clean SVT thump to dirty, earth-quaking crunch, you dial it in.

  Each pedal in the Character Series is loaded with the tonal DNA for a specific style of guitar amplifier. By simply twisting a few knobs, you can build those sought-after tones or hot-rod your own. From rare vintage classics to roaring modern icons, every variation is delivered in the distinctive voicing of that amp style. The intuitive amp-like controls let you get your hands dirty from the get-go to explore decades of blistering tones.

  Being a genuine SansAmp, each Character Series pedal is way more than a stompbox. Each can be used as a stand-alone pre-amp to drive a power amp, a studio mixer, or a PA system, with the rich SansAmp cabinet emulation that sounds huge&mmdash;even straight into a computer soundcard. Or plug them into your guitar amp to take your tone on the road.

Fuzz

• EHX – Bass Big Muff ($76.50 Street):

  This pedal isn’t the best of all possible worlds, but stands as a strong contendor for best-fuzz-for-your-buck, and is a marvouslous introduction into the world of Big Muff style pedals. Check out my review if you are really curious.

  The Prodigy reborn with underworld insticts comes to life wielding the drive of the original classic Big Muff Pi and the earthy support of a bass tailored design with no loss of low end. This is the pedal that bass players who loved the Big Muff sound have been waiting for.

  Product Features:

  • Controls for Volume – Tone – Sustain
  • Mini Switch for Bass Boost
  • Long, creamy sustain, fat fuzz sound, solid treble and transparent bass sound

• Wounded Paw – Battering Ram ($190 Street):

  The Battering Ram is one of those pedals that has captured my heart as a ‘toolkit’ pedal. Want to head to an audition, but not lug the whole mess? Battering Ram. Want to jam with some buddys and keep it simple? Battering Ram. Want to blow the doors off your girlfriend’s Honda civic? Battering Ram. Need to read the review? Battering Ram.

  Stomp on the OVERDRIVE switch and you turn the pedal on and activate the overdrive section. It’s a smooth overdrive which can go from completely clean to growling distortion.
  The LO switch adds in the lower frequencies to make it full-range for bass as well as guitar.
  The HI knob lets you either boost or cut the highs to dial in the tone you want.

  Stomp on the FUZZ switch and the fuzz section gets added on top of the overdrive sound. This is a parallel processed pedal which means the fuzz section works from the clean guitar signal and gets mixed with the overdrive instead of one section following the other like in most 2 stage pedals.
  The fuzz is a snarling, raspy beast which can get right out of control if you crank up the SUSTAIN. The deep lows are filtered out to keep it tight and bright. The TONE control goes from high-end cut to flat to a mid-cut, high end boost. And for another set of sounds there is the OCT switch to change the fuzz section into an octave up fuzz. Crazy.

  This pedal can be used in a number of ways. Have the overdrive on all the time for your basic tone and stomp on the fuzz for that important bridge, chorus or solo. Or use both sections to shape your distortion sound. Use the overdrive for the lower frequencies to keep the growl without getting muddy and use the fuzz for the searing top end. Or keep the overdrive section tame and use the fuzz section with the octave switch on to add that one bit of octave up.

  Update: Due to some requests the input and output jacks have been switched so the IN is now on the right and the OUT on the left. I haven’t updated the picture yet but all new orders will reflect this change as of July 8th, 2009.

• Fender – Sub-Lime Bass Fuzz ($139.99 Street):

  I don’t have this one currently, but its VERY high on my want to try list. Clips I’ve heard have been promising, and I love pedals that allow you to dial in your tone and then forget about it.

  It’s big, green and ferocious. Frankenstein’s monster? Good guess, but no. Introducing the Fender® Sub-Lime™ bass fuzz pedal.

  Set it at your feet between you and your speakers, and transform the sound of your bass with classic Fender fuzz ranging from the barest touch of evil to an utterly seismic roar. Best of all, tailor your tone by setting the crossover frequency wherever you want the fuzz to happen–low-frequency fuzz, high-frequency fuzz and anything in between–all without sacrificing all-important low-end muscle and fundamental bass tone.

  Dressed in sublime lime green, the big, heavy-duty cast design evokes Fender’s great old pedals of the ’70s and boasts an enormous control dial that fluoresces entrancingly from green to red.

  Simple volume and drive controls let you easily dial in the loudness and range of fuzz tones. Runs on 9-volt battery or DC power.

Envelope Filters

• 3Leaf Audio – Groove Regulator ($199 Street – Note: I paid wholesale for this pedal after doing the review and asking to buy one):

  I’m a simple man when it comes to filters, because they confuse me quickly and they don’t make children blind when I stomp on them like a fuzz does. That said, I like them! This pedal captures much of what was great about the Lovetone Meatball without the PhD in applied accoustics required to dial in that kick ass sound a second time! This one went under the review knife in August and came away sparkling.

  Welcome to 3Leaf Audio, home of the fattest, funkiest envelope filter ever created. Handmade in Seattle, Washington, the award-winning Groove Regulator is derived from the circuit of the legendary Lovetone Meatball and enhanced for extra funk. While many competitors are adopting a “more is better” mentality and cramming the most switches, knobs and jacks into their pedals as possible, the Groove Regulator represents the perfect blend of versatility and simplicity. It’s designed to sound good on any setting, without the hours of tweaking required from other pedals. It works with any instrument and is guaranteed to give you the most funk for your buck of any effects pedal out there.

• WMD – Super Fatman ($279 Street):

  So right after I finishing mentioning how stupid I am when it comes to filters, I recommend this knob heavy gizmo? Paradox or not, WMD cranked out a great pedal with the origional fatman, and this SUPER Fatman has the G.A.S. pumping through my engine.

  Features:

  • Fat & Warm Pure Analog Circuitry
  • 12 Filter Frequency Ranges
  • Tweakable Filter Feedback
  • LP/BP/HP Filter Modes
  • Reverse Sweep
  • Tweakable Attack Speed
  • .07 to 8 Hz Tri/Square LFO
  • CV/Expression Pedal Input
  • CV/LFO blendable with envelope
  • RGB LED shows ENV and LFO
  • Wet/Dry blend in or out of phase
  • Epoxy paint base and silkscreen
  • Standard 9V Power Jack

Other stomp-box fun

• Mojo Hand – Gyro - Vibrato/Leslie Simulator: ($239 Street):

  I’ve never used a vibrato/leslie simulator on bass. I sure would give it a shot though. Modulation is one of those flavors that I’ve not explored in any kind of length or breath and I’ve been building up a collection of reference items for each type. The Gyro definately has my attention and I’d love to sit down and spend some quality time with this yellow swirly.

  True Pitch Shifting Vibrato as well as Rotating Speaker Simulation. The 3 way toggle chooses between Vibrato, Leslie, and Blended (which mixes the two). Expression pedal jack controls speed. Works in conjunction with Mojo Hand’s upcoming Ramp Unit. True Bypass Switching Powder Coated, Screen Printed enclosure.

• Boomerang Musical Products – Boomerang III Looper ($439 street):

  My best purchase of 2009! I’ve been through a host of loopers that I could never really get the hang of. This bad-boy is dead easy to use. I thought I was going to miss the quantize function that Boss Loopers bring to the table, but frankly after just a little bit of practice I was able to work it out.

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Top item in the 2009 holiday bass effect buying guide?

• SFT
• VT Bass
• Bass Big Muff
• Battering Ram
• Sub-Lime Bass Fuzz
• Groove Regulator
• Super Fatman
• Gyro
• Boomerang III
• They all suck, who is this guy anyway?

View Results

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Been a little busy and distracted, but my absence is (as always) to be followed by a flood of activity. I’m working on a couple of videos that should see the light in the next few days. I’ll also be doing a few highlights of newer products I’ve seen floating around to prepare you for the POST x-mas self-shopping season.

Manufacturer D*A*M
Model: Meathead Dark
MSRP/Paid: £155/$325
New/Used/Loan: Used
Battery: Yes
Power Supply: Yes
Size: 3″ W, 4.5″ L, 2.25″ D (Approx: including Jacks and knobs)
Available from: Vintage and Rare Guitars

From the maker:

For those of you who do not know and haven’t worked it out as yet. This is the Meathead “Dark” Named and brought back to life by teh good Pope and based upon the very early Meathead as used by the handsome fellows of Slomatics. These are heavier than the the bass heavy set of Black ‘n’ Gold Meatheads we sold a while back. These are HEVAY.

Quick history lesson.

The very very early Meatheads were basically a dark Overdrive booster. More closer to the Muff Fuzz than the Fuzz Face, which the present day Meat is obviously related too…though I could say its related to a Tone Bender MKI.5 or even a Vox Distortion Booster but that will confuse matters so I won’t.
It was intended just as simple kick up the asre box for a tube amp and kinda like an intro to D*A*M stuff for folks not wishing to take the gamble on our other gear. This idea didn’t last very long, well as long as it took until I scored a tasty 1970’s hammerite blue DMI Fuzz Face. This thing was a horrid chewy bastard and gated like hell fire but was somewhat endearing to me. I cloned the circuit in this pedal and tweaked it to how I saw fit. Louder, more gain, more focus, less noise. To quote: “Volume! Clarity! bass! We must have bass!” That pretty much sums up where I was taking things. Any ways, The stage was set. The Meathead was born for real. An ugly little purple bastard that would chew of your face, spit it out and then take a piss on it.

I starting selling the things on eBay and a few via the site. People were confused. “Its too loud!, how do I turn it down?, can’t you make one with two knobs?, can I have my money back? and so forth. One of the few guys that actually “got it” was David from Slomatics. This gave me great hope. Wow! This guy actually likes the pedal and digs that it has one knob. Its weird, when you start out in this game as you really only know what you like personally, I like simple pedals. One knob seemed obvious to me but it don’t mean that anyone will buy em.

The confusion gang was kinda out weighing the the getting it crowd so I eventually changed the Meathead to a more mid humped contraption. This was more aggressive than the current standard model and probably made matters worse. I eventually found a middle ground, which wasn’t until say 2007, where the standard became as such. Plenty meat but with enough salad to make it palatable.

So the Dark. A beast from days gone by. This is how the Meathead (proper) was meant to be. No salad, nah fuck it, no dressing or ketchup even, just a huge slab of raw bloody horribleness.

I guess I have just been the divining rod in this affair. This nasty little fucker wants to exist so allow it to be so.

And no you can’t have a switch fitted to switch between the two flavours! That isn’t the point. That pig won’t fly.

Initial thoughts:

I’m a D*A*M whore and this pedal is just another symptom of that condition. It’s the rare pedal that I keep around for the long haul, as I’m fickle. When something isn’t working for me, regardless of its cool factor, it has to go. That has been the case with all of the D*A*M pedals I’ve had since the Ram Head (my precious), but I’ve got high hopes for this little guy.

Created a page to keep track of the stuff that I do with the Schumann PLL.  Since it’s such a unique beast, and I’ve had such an obsession with it for so long, I figured it needed its own home.

Schumann PLL Page currently includes:

• Demo videos
• General description and history
• Information from Schumann’s website
• PDFs of instruction manual and settings sheet.
• Photo Gallery
• Description and instruction of settings for momentary switch.