Recently built an Arkaim Fuzz, and it doesn’t really work with my basses. I’m working on the issue and think it should be useable. I’d rather not go through this issue again, so what DIY pedals should be bass ready, if any? Preferably anything but distortion, fuzz, or OD as I have enough of those at the moment. Like a phaser, EQ, reverb, or some sort of modulation pedal.
DIY Bass Pedals
- Thread starter Ajonymous
- Start date
Bricksnbeatles
Member known well
The bad stone is my preferred bass phaser. Lectric makes a PCB for it called the Bloodstone
For flanger, you can’t really beat the BF-2 for bass (except the BF-2B), so the Byzantium flanger from here is a great choice.
OC-2 is a classic on bass too if you want synthy dub sounds, so the Ocelot Octaver might be a good choice to try out too!
Not too sure about diy chorus options that are good for bass, since my preferred bass chorus sound is the detune mode of a digitech whammy.
Not sure what your thoughts are on envelope filters, but there are plenty of options on that front— I use a Mutron 3 clone that I built from a FuzzDog kit, and I have a Lowballer PCB from here that I need to build soon.
The rest of my personal preferences for bass pedals are pretty niche, so I’ll let someone else contribute their thoughts on that front.
Calling all bassists!
Hey, @peccary @Mentaltossflycoon and @jimilee — y’all have any thoughts on the matter?
For flanger, you can’t really beat the BF-2 for bass (except the BF-2B), so the Byzantium flanger from here is a great choice.
OC-2 is a classic on bass too if you want synthy dub sounds, so the Ocelot Octaver might be a good choice to try out too!
Not too sure about diy chorus options that are good for bass, since my preferred bass chorus sound is the detune mode of a digitech whammy.
Not sure what your thoughts are on envelope filters, but there are plenty of options on that front— I use a Mutron 3 clone that I built from a FuzzDog kit, and I have a Lowballer PCB from here that I need to build soon.
The rest of my personal preferences for bass pedals are pretty niche, so I’ll let someone else contribute their thoughts on that front.
Calling all bassists!
Hey, @peccary @Mentaltossflycoon and @jimilee — y’all have any thoughts on the matter?
Feral Feline
Well-known member
Ocelot Octave
Low Tide
Byzantium Flanger
The Creamery Comp
Thumbsucker Comp
Dual Effects Loop switcher
Unicab sim
Black Tiger Boost
CDXL filter
Duck Box filter
Waddle Box filter
Leprechaun
Octagon
Organ Donor
Unison Double-Tracker
Module8
XC Phase
Woodpecker tremolo
HAARP
Squidward
Tearjerker Wah
Caesar Chorus
Cepheid Chorus
Low Tide
Byzantium Flanger
The Creamery Comp
Thumbsucker Comp
Dual Effects Loop switcher
Unicab sim
Black Tiger Boost
CDXL filter
Duck Box filter
Waddle Box filter
Leprechaun
Octagon
Organ Donor
Unison Double-Tracker
Module8
XC Phase
Woodpecker tremolo
HAARP
Squidward
Tearjerker Wah
Caesar Chorus
Cepheid Chorus
Mentaltossflycoon
Well-known member
Non dirt on my board currently:
Thumb sucker
Meatbox(soysauce)
Roboto
Ocelot
Arcadiator w mod board (parasit)
Prunes & custard (fuzzdog, yeah its a dirt but if you don't have this do this one for sure)
Sonic reducer (parasit)
Ehx zipper (lectric flyleaf)
Chunk systems brown dog (mbp gas tank, i only include this fuzz as a required pairing if you build the following pedal)
Chunk systems 00funk envelope filter(mbp junk trunk)
Arachnid w custom eeprom (mostly for the Daydream and multitracker)
Leprechaun
Viib
Hydra w a 2knobjob
Xc phase might get a 2knobjob
Low tide
Tremulous loon
In my 31 years of low end obsession, have yet to enjoy a reverb on bass, fingers crossed on my Moonn Space Is Fun when I finish it. Kind of a chorus hater too.
Other notables I talk up all the time:
Freqzeq
Unicab
Moonn Drömtydning (DBA echodream II)
Aion spectron, worth the effort but not the pedalboard real estate.
I'm hoping to finish up an electric druid filter fx soon, biggest draw is the expression controlled lpf.
Fuzzyfox -I really like the sound of my p bass through this but in a rehearsal last week, it got more lost than I thought it was going to so I'm calling it a go to recording tone but not so much for live work. Hoping the brassmaster cuts that octave fuzz mustard next week.
Any of the other parasit sub octave circuits like the 8bitar or sidescroller.
Thumb sucker
Meatbox(soysauce)
Roboto
Ocelot
Arcadiator w mod board (parasit)
Prunes & custard (fuzzdog, yeah its a dirt but if you don't have this do this one for sure)
Sonic reducer (parasit)
Ehx zipper (lectric flyleaf)
Chunk systems brown dog (mbp gas tank, i only include this fuzz as a required pairing if you build the following pedal)
Chunk systems 00funk envelope filter(mbp junk trunk)
Arachnid w custom eeprom (mostly for the Daydream and multitracker)
Leprechaun
Viib
Hydra w a 2knobjob
Xc phase might get a 2knobjob
Low tide
Tremulous loon
In my 31 years of low end obsession, have yet to enjoy a reverb on bass, fingers crossed on my Moonn Space Is Fun when I finish it. Kind of a chorus hater too.
Other notables I talk up all the time:
Freqzeq
Unicab
Moonn Drömtydning (DBA echodream II)
Aion spectron, worth the effort but not the pedalboard real estate.
I'm hoping to finish up an electric druid filter fx soon, biggest draw is the expression controlled lpf.
Fuzzyfox -I really like the sound of my p bass through this but in a rehearsal last week, it got more lost than I thought it was going to so I'm calling it a go to recording tone but not so much for live work. Hoping the brassmaster cuts that octave fuzz mustard next week.
Any of the other parasit sub octave circuits like the 8bitar or sidescroller.
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Bricksnbeatles
Member known well
Also with my comments on the BF-2 vs BF-2b– I've just looked at some gut shots, and while it's difficult to make out component value differences, it's clear that the BF-2 and BF-2B were built on the same PCB, and it seems that they used identical component values on everything except the BBD– the BF-2 uses an MN3207 while the BF-2B uses an MN3204. If there are any other component differences, it's unfortunately not visible in the pictures I've looked at, but the difference between 512 and 1024 stages should be an appreciable enough difference if you want to be more suited to bass. Idk if @PedalPCB has seen a BF-2B schematic or traced one and can confirm that the BBD is the only difference, but it seems likely enough as the difference in stages would be make for an octave of a difference in the sweep. The BF-2B also used Mitsubishi M5218a chips in place of the JRC4558D used in the BF-2 in the gut shots I looked at, but that wouldn't make any appreciable difference– probably just different manufacturing years causing different availability, but they're both regular old op amps so nothing to really consider there.
the chip diff is a matter of life cycle on the box IE when XX chips were available/cheap to buy. anything based on either a CE-2(b) or EHX small clone works for chorus on bass. Most guitar pedals DO work with a bass, just not so much recording or gigging but if having a wtfyn moment at home/with friends. I get giggles runnign a MBP glasshole(mutron phaser clone) in to aa Spirit Box preceded by either a flanger or a modded small clone I got from guitar pcb. Wierd sound? yep, but just so scifi funkadelic and prog rock you don't care to try learning that 12th song for a country/hair metal set you agreed to play at the bar.
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Dan0h
Well-known member
Very nice list. This has inspired me to make a bass pedal board. My bass needs more attention, I think it’s jealous of all the guitar time.
Bricksnbeatles
Member known well
The op amp yes, just a matter of availability and price at the time/location; the BBD difference is a distinct difference between designs though
Passinwind
Well-known member
What sort of bass EQ widgets would be useful to you (or anyone else here)? That is my natural wheelhouse since I've been doing onboard preamps for various luthiers and larger format preamps and bass amps for myself and the occasional friend for quite a while.
As far as EQ pedals, this one was originally meant for onboard use but most people seem to end up doing it in pedal format: https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/pw3b-lpf-open-source-onboard-preamp/ . There are a couple of new versions in the works but most or all will involve hand soldering SMD parts, so maybe not ideal for where you are on the learning curve right now.
jimilee
Well-known member
The Ross phaser had a permanent place on my board. I have a CE-2 chorus that handles the low end like a boss. I used a couple of diy delays, a green Russian, a modified klon, a BYOC bass overdrive, a Dunlop bass phaser, a soul preacher compressor, and an expander that a group of us went in on. I think it had something to do with Baja man. Madbean makes a killer swah that sounds great on bass.
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peccary
Well-known member
Is there a DIY for an "always on" hpf for bass (~35hz) that you're aware of?What sort of bass EQ widgets would be useful to you (or anyone else here)? That is my natural wheelhouse since I've been doing onboard preamps for various luthiers and larger format preamps and bass amps for myself and the occasional friend for quite a while.
As far as EQ pedals, this one was originally meant for onboard use but most people seem to end up doing it in pedal format: https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/pw3b-lpf-open-source-onboard-preamp/ . There are a couple of new versions in the works but most or all will involve hand soldering SMD parts, so maybe not ideal for where you are on the learning curve right now.
Were getting the band back together so I may find it handy down the line.
peccary
Well-known member
Madbean has a section for bass pedals. I have built the Edgelord and if you're looking for a bad ass bass filter it's worth looking at. I've also built the Madbean Boom Boom. It's an octave fuzz tuned for bass and there's nothing really like it. It's almost synth-ey and is super gnarly.
The Aion Meridian has bass specs in the build notes amd is a cool compressor with a color knob that dials in even or odd harmonics and has an exciter knob that does who knows what but I find it useful.
Effects Layouts has a number of bass friendly builds as well and are worth checking out.
My favorite PPCB board for bass so far is a fuzz so you may not be interested but modding the Gnat board to a Dizzy Tone is pretty simple and gives a great over the top fuzz that still holds down the low end surprisingly well.
I haven't built the Mofeta or the Uni Cab yet (I've got the boards, just haven't gotten to it) but I expect I will like them from what others have said.
The Aion Meridian has bass specs in the build notes amd is a cool compressor with a color knob that dials in even or odd harmonics and has an exciter knob that does who knows what but I find it useful.
Effects Layouts has a number of bass friendly builds as well and are worth checking out.
My favorite PPCB board for bass so far is a fuzz so you may not be interested but modding the Gnat board to a Dizzy Tone is pretty simple and gives a great over the top fuzz that still holds down the low end surprisingly well.
I haven't built the Mofeta or the Uni Cab yet (I've got the boards, just haven't gotten to it) but I expect I will like them from what others have said.
Passinwind
Well-known member
And a simpler 12dB/oct HPF, which I think is the format Josh Broughton uses: https://www.musikding.de/MINI-HP-VONG-filter-kit
And then Francis Deck's fdeck HPF units are open source and he's published the schematics.
I just finished up a board layout for an HPF/one band PEQ combination that will run on +/-15V for more headroom, using a DC-DC converter to allow operation on a standard 9V supply. The design has been well vetted in my DIY bass amps and should give legit studio quality even with the most demanding instruments, or be able to drive pro format PA amps directly. I'm open to barter and whatnot as long as I don't have to do a crazy amount of support beyond a BOM and schematic. But all my stuff requires intermediate level SMT soldering skills, FWIW. Nothing tiny, just mostly 1210, 1206, SOIC-8, and occasionally a few 0805 ceramic caps. All the critical caps are through hole, mostly polypro, and easy to find at Mouser or Digikey.
If you just want a standalone fixed 35Hz 4th order HPF it could be really small, something like two TL072 would easily get it done. You could probably even get by with just one if it's gonna be sandwiched between two other pedals, or driven by an active bass. I'll be happy to work up an LTspice model and share with the class since I already have all the building blocks worked up.
peccary
Well-known member
(docs) https://schalltechnik04.de/en/instructions/vong-filterung
And a simpler 12dB/oct HPF, which I think is the format Josh Broughton uses: https://www.musikding.de/MINI-HP-VONG-filter-kit
And then Francis Deck's fdeck HPF units are open source and he's published the schematics.
I just finished up a board layout for an HPF/one band PEQ combination that will run on +/-15V for more headroom, using a DC-DC converter to allow operation on a standard 9V supply. The design has been well vetted in my DIY bass amps and should give legit studio quality even with the most demanding instruments, or be able to drive pro format PA amps directly. I'm open to barter and whatnot as long as I don't have to do a crazy amount of support beyond a BOM and schematic. But all my stuff requires intermediate level SMT soldering skills, FWIW. Nothing tiny, just mostly 1210, 1206, SOIC-8, and occasionally a few 0805 ceramic caps. All the critical caps are through hole, mostly polypro, and easy to find at Mouser or Digikey.
If you just want a standalone fixed 35Hz 4th order HPF it could be really small, something like two TL072 would easily get it done. You could probably even get by with just one if it's gonna be sandwiched between two other pedals, or driven by an active bass. I'll be happy to work up an LTspice model and share with the class since I already have all the building blocks worked up.
Thank you! I've saved this post so I can come back to it.
I had something in mind similar to the Broughton one but that was fixed - truly set-and-forget, like you mention in your last paragraph. That would be my ideal. If you end up working something like that up for passive pickups down the line I would be extremely interested.
I am intrigued by your HPF/PEQ circuit, though. I have about ten too many irons in the fire right now but once I finish a couple of things up I will probably reach out. I've seen your work for years over at TB and would really dig building something you designed.
Feral Feline
Well-known member
All the suggestions I made earlier were limited to PPCB (and limited within that pool itself), as going outside of that opens a wormhole in the space-time continuum...
Mentaltossflycoon
Well-known member
SillyOctpuss
Well-known member
Has anyone used any of the FV-1 projects like the Arachnid with bass? I'm about to build a pedal for a friend as a birthday present and thought that might be fun but have no idea how it'll be with a bass and don't own one to test it out before I give it to him.
peccary
Well-known member
I have the Underminer as well. I didn't find it too useful on bass but it's super fun with an analog synth! Your recommendations are always worthwhile for bass, though, so I may have to play with it on bass some more and find what I was missing.
peccary
Well-known member
I built the Leprechaun for a buddy of mine a while back and it worked really well with bass from what I remember.