First pedalboard done!

Chain:

Boss FV-500H mono volume
Peterson StroboStomp HD tuner
Boss BC-1X Comp (always on)
Boss OC-5 Octave
Jam Rattler Bass
MXR 10-band EQ (always on)
EH Bass Clone chorus

Then off to amp and/or house system

I know there will be lots of opinions and perhaps questions. Let me have it. :smile: I know enough to put this together and I like the chain the way it is. It sounds great and I’ve dialed it in quite nice so far, but only at home. Will be interesting to see how it performs on stage soon!

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How is the volume pedal working out for you?

It works perfectly fine for my needs. It’s not an active pedal, so technically it ā€œshouldā€ go last in the chain or at least before modulation pedals. But I like having my volume right at the front of everything. Keep in mind, I have an active bass, which means I have a buffer at the head of the chain already. Since I have an active bass, a mono passive volume pedal doesn’t matter as much. It does what I need it to do: adjust the volume without tone suck.

You may also wonder why I’m not using the tuner out port on the pedal. It’s because using both the out to the chain AND the tuner out to the tuner causes ā€œparallel load,ā€ which isn’t good. I just use it all in a single chain. Works exactly as I want it with zero issues.

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I switched it around today just to see if it made a difference (volume next to last in chain instead of first), and no noticeable change to my ears. I’ll leave it there for now since it’s not hurting anything and may give me an edge down the road :wink:

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This is the new layout. The Bass Clone is flipped sideways to keep the output facing the rear of the board instead of to the left, aimed awkwardly at the Boss volume pedal.

I’m also replacing the Bass Clone with a Boss Waza Craft Dimension-C chorus, as I was able to test one out recently and LOVE the sound of that one over the BC. The BC is a great chorus pedal - and less expensive - but the Dimension-C will better suit my taste. Just made that decision today, and didn’t lose anything except a return shipping fee.

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Genuine question.

What’s the advantage of a volume pedal vs volume knob on my bass?

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It gives more. I can have my bass turned all the way up with the volume pedal down, but then press the pedal and get more. It also puts volume at the foot rather than the hand/finger during playing. Probably the same reason my car’s throttle pedal is at my foot and not my hand, as my hand has to concentrate on steering and drinking my coffee :smile:

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Ok but couldn’t I just have my bass dialed out then turn it back on the volume knob.

When I want a boost I turn up the volume knob on my bass?

Trying to not GAS for a volume pedal I guess :joy:

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Sure, it usually works perfectly fine that way. That’s why a volume pedal is not the first must-have on every lists :grin:

I see two advantages of using a pedal:

  1. As mentioned, you do not need hands. When for example, guitars change volume drastically due to switching on/off effects during a song, a pedal would give you a way to adapt yours which does not require turning knobs (a clean boost would work the same of course, just on/off instead)
  2. If you can set the volume at min and max, it gives you a more consistent level every time. A knob might be too sensitive for someone’s liking. Again, it works like an on/off boost, just with some more freedom in between those extremes.

Bonus - I am not sure it’s real:
3) The tone might change slightly (again, idk/idc) when you change the volume on your bass because… physics. The pedal would avoid this side effect.

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If you don’t have a buffer or an active circuit in the volume pedal, so will it :slight_smile:

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Excellent summary! Also, my volume pedal can run as an expression pedal. Which means I can run an effect loop that would allow the pedal additional functionality to volume (such as a delay or tremolo effect). :wink:

But yes, it’s far less touchy than a base knob, and during a set I can’t have such dramatic changes in volume with my finger as I’m playing. It just works better at the foot.

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The only use that appeals to me is changing volume while using high compression or gain (which is also naturally highly compressing) or wanting to do stuff like swells using your for so your hands don’t have to mess with the knob.

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Are you running your compressor before the octave? I said to someone on here yesterday that I’m doing the same, but now I’ve got it in my head that I’ve actually done it the other way and that feels right :sweat_smile:
Tracking pedals before comp I think.

Also that Jam Rattler is on sale near me but I can’t justify it right now :sob: sounds monstrous from what I’ve seen in vids

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I’ve always heard compression should be as close to the bass as possible. I did try it reversed and didn’t like it as much. I like my dirt to come after comp, but I think itā€˜s very much personal preference. The comp seems to keep the tone under control and warmer before any effects are applied.

And yeah, the Rattler is a beast. I can’t quite make Muse’s Hysteria sound like Chris’ version because he’s got other effects going on…and a sound engineer. :rofl: But the Rattler fuzz is just killer and the Nordstrand Big Singles on my bass give it some excellent shape.

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I had the same back and forth when deciding where to place my wah. It ended up before the comp, closer to the bass. Might still change it I dunno :person_shrugging:t2:

You’re setup looks sick man.

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Well thank you! :smile: I’m replacing the Bass Clone chorus with a Boss Dimension-C, but otherwise it’s ready to rock.

I’d put the wah before the entire chain, personally, but as with everything else, it all depends on what sound you want.

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Order I would generally recommend that worked for me was:

Tuner (with buffer) → compressor → tone generators (octavers, etc) → distortion (overdrive, distortion, fuzz, etc) → modulation (chorus, phaser, flanger, etc) → amp sim (tone coloring preamp, etc) → delay → reverb → audio interface

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Thanks Howard. :smile: I knew you’d jump in eventually. Sounds like I have that order exactly how you do, except I have the volume pedal before the modulation. Thanks!

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