Joben Magooch
Well-known member
So I don't know if this is the case for anyone else here...but I am a pretty big effects nerd when it comes to guitar but fairly vanilla and/or inexperienced when it comes to bass. Which is a bit ironic as I got my start as a bassist and have played it for longer and still to this day am probably split 60-40 between guitar and bass playing (and sometimes that swings to 40-60 
)
Anyways when it comes to a bass rig I've more or less always made a guitar board my first priority and then just try to find places for it to pull double-duty on bass when possible. That's worked out okay in the past. I used to have my whole rig based around an HX Stomp which was a GREAT little bass machine but I've since moved on from that - the guitar side of things is all sorted out, but now I'm looking to make a standalone bass rig as well.
So here's where I'm at for the moment. I don't use a ton of effects on bass in the first place, though am branching out a bit and do like the option...
With that in mind the heart of it at the moment is a Line 6 M9. Typically I use this for a few simple effects like compression and octave (I think the octave is surprisingly good on bass tbh) as well as very rarely modulation. It has a built in noise gate which is nice too. I've got the expression pedal to go with it but it doesn't get used a ton.
Beyond that I've been looking for an excuse to try out the Equilux/Equinox build and think that would be a pretty handy piece to have on board.
With those two "core" pieces out of the way I've really just got two more considerations I'm looking at for the moment.
One is an ampsim/preamp and the second is some kind of direct box.
When it comes to Amp Sims / Preamps...I pretty much am always playing direct to board/PA. For those of you in the same boat, do you bother with any sort of cabinet simulation at all, or just go preamp in? I've been thinking about trying one of the Darkglass builds - B3k or Vintage Microtubes - as a preamp but I don't know if they'd need any sort of cab emulation to go with it or if they're both fine on their own. I don't need a ton of drive but like to have just a little touch of grit/breakup (perhaps the VMT is a better choice in that regard). I also thought that running the Equilux post-preamp would perhaps then serve to do any "sculpting" that a cab sim might provide, if needed.
And then direct boxes: Anyone here made their own? I really like the idea of the "Motown" or "Wolfbox" style DI although I know sourcing some of the parts can be a bit pricey. I've also been reading up on an active design, "Bo Hansen" which sounds promising though I've not looked into it too deeply. Anyone have any input on DIY DI's?
)Anyways when it comes to a bass rig I've more or less always made a guitar board my first priority and then just try to find places for it to pull double-duty on bass when possible. That's worked out okay in the past. I used to have my whole rig based around an HX Stomp which was a GREAT little bass machine but I've since moved on from that - the guitar side of things is all sorted out, but now I'm looking to make a standalone bass rig as well.
So here's where I'm at for the moment. I don't use a ton of effects on bass in the first place, though am branching out a bit and do like the option...
With that in mind the heart of it at the moment is a Line 6 M9. Typically I use this for a few simple effects like compression and octave (I think the octave is surprisingly good on bass tbh) as well as very rarely modulation. It has a built in noise gate which is nice too. I've got the expression pedal to go with it but it doesn't get used a ton.
Beyond that I've been looking for an excuse to try out the Equilux/Equinox build and think that would be a pretty handy piece to have on board.
With those two "core" pieces out of the way I've really just got two more considerations I'm looking at for the moment.
One is an ampsim/preamp and the second is some kind of direct box.
When it comes to Amp Sims / Preamps...I pretty much am always playing direct to board/PA. For those of you in the same boat, do you bother with any sort of cabinet simulation at all, or just go preamp in? I've been thinking about trying one of the Darkglass builds - B3k or Vintage Microtubes - as a preamp but I don't know if they'd need any sort of cab emulation to go with it or if they're both fine on their own. I don't need a ton of drive but like to have just a little touch of grit/breakup (perhaps the VMT is a better choice in that regard). I also thought that running the Equilux post-preamp would perhaps then serve to do any "sculpting" that a cab sim might provide, if needed.
And then direct boxes: Anyone here made their own? I really like the idea of the "Motown" or "Wolfbox" style DI although I know sourcing some of the parts can be a bit pricey. I've also been reading up on an active design, "Bo Hansen" which sounds promising though I've not looked into it too deeply. Anyone have any input on DIY DI's?
