after a few hours playing with the Bass POD Pro, I discovered that this thing has an integrated parametric EQ. it’s not specific to an amp model, so it’s pretty much the same thing that what I wanted to do with the Rocktron EQ6. there’s less channels but who needs 6 full parametric bands anyway ? so at this point I’m thinking that it will free one rack space and I even could sell the EQ6 (to buy other bass gear of course ).
For example I could replace my UX1 DAI by a UX2, which is more or less the same thing but with an extended connectivity, including two XLR inputs. it would allow me to record the two DIs (pre+post) of the POD Pro at the same time and mix the two sources in the DAW … that would be killer !
(in fact I think I could already record the two DIs at the same time with the UX1, but one of them would have to be plugged into a jack and the other one in the only XLR input ; probably worth a try)
edit : tested with the UX1, it works thanks to the insane connectivity on the Bass POD Pro
oh yes, the Bass POD Pro is about 20 year old ! this is the very first bass specific POD (here the Pro rackmount version, but it also exists as a bean-shaped normal POD, with less “pro” features ; think connectivity and A/D converters). then they made the Bass POD XT series, and the LowDown amp series with also the Bass Floor POD which was a pedal-shaped LowDown preamp with very few models.
I have a Bass POD XT on the road and I’d like to find a Bass Floor POD but those things are pretty rare, at least here in France.
As far as I know, Line6 has stoped making bass-specific gear a long time ago. I guess the bass players were not such a big market compared to the guitar players.
I have a POD HD500 that I use for guitar (and it sounds really great), it has one or two bass models but for some reason they don’t sound as good as the old models like I have on the TonePort UX1 with POD Farm, and on the Bass POD Pro.
here is a Line 6 Bass POD XT that I got this week. This thing was not #1 on my list but I had it for a very good price. it came CIB (“complete in box”) with all the cables and manual, and it’s in good shape :
don’t know really where to post that … maybe we should do a thread for us the preamp-nerds like @howard and myself
on this channel the guys are doing a big preamp “competition”, and for now they compared the SansAmp BDDI and the Darkclass B7K ! two huge references. so which one do you prefer ? :
I think I prefer the SansAmp, at least for the sounds I’m into. but I like the Darkglass a lot too.
the agressivity of the SansAmp reminds me a lot of the Gallien Krueger 800RB and the Ampeg SVT-CL (and not SVT-VR !). agressive but still fat and warm, where the Darkglass is much colder. the Darkglass agressivity sounds like a focused bump in the high mids.
I think I’m more into some kind of compromise between a bright attack/agressivity but still some fatness which could remind of the vintage-era. let’s say I’m more into an “extreme rock” than a “modern metal” tone.
if you ask me “do you prefer a bright agressive tone, or a warm fat tone ?” I would answer “yes.”
the more I think about my setup, the more I want to search for “standard” gear and get the best of it, more than searching for exclusive/expensive gear (Darkglass and this kind of stuff). at some point I think expensive gear is some kind of shortcut but not a garantee to get a good tone. not at all.
I gotta get in on this page with my pedal board! But - for the preamp discussion: I saw this at a gig yesterday. A bassist was using this in front of his Eden rig, and it all sounded killer:
Tube preamp, into tube preamp Eden head, into TC Electronics 2x10 cabs (2 of them).
His main gig is with Melvin Seals & JGB. Cool cat, killer sound. I’d never seen one of these before.
yeah @Gio show us your pedal board ! I’m doing knots in my brain about this but I think I just found a good idea might show this very soon. anyway I’m still very very interrested by your setup and the one of all other 'buzzians !
that said I’d like to avoid tube things for my personnal use, I think it’s not really needed for a good bass tone (and I won’t say the same about guitar tone where I have tubes everywhere …)
also what’s the exact name of the preamp you’re showing ? hard to read
I’m going to go with “I love them both”. The SansAmp sounds mean and the Darkglass sounds like it long ago chose the path of the dark side. Both are awesome.
Luckily it’s easy to have them both because the BDI-21 sounds a lot like the SansAmp with a mid scoop. This is what I am currently doing (Battalion behind the BDI-21)
I wish they had stuck to one bass for the comparison. I LOLed when the Dingwall came out (which probably already has a Darkglass on-board)
Guilty admission: I almost bought one of these too. Plus they are widely cloned. It’s one of those classics like the TS that you can’t go very wrong with, even if it isn’t super “special”.
Speaking of which, have you checked out the Bass Tube Screamer? Bass-oriented TS9. These sound close to what you like. I would absolutely have bought one if I had been looking for a warm overdrive. In the end I am glad I didn’t - the Battalion and the BDI do warm well - but it’s still a solid choice.
yeah the TS9 is very focused in the mid range, that’s why I modded mine with a switch which adds low end. but it still does not work good with a bass, it’s not “straight” enough. don’t know how to say. it’s too mellow, too flubby, too smooth.
anyway it sounds incredible with a guitar and an english amp.
Boss TU-3 into micro POG (mostly for warm, low octave) into MXR sub octave bass fuzz (for low crunchy synth mayhem) into tube screamer (stock - for awesome fuzz, leads, rocking out in general) into Moogerfooger (for sweet, funky envelope filtering) and then - if needed - into the DI of Rockage +5 (an active Rupert Neve Designs DI that, so the engineers tell me, sounds real good).
The reason I have the Pog and the MXR is because the MXR can only add the low octave when it’s on, and combined with the fuzz/distortion. The Pog is for clean octave, or for getting cool synth high octave sounds if I wanna.
This bunch of stuff is mostly for the new band I formed, Bronze Medal Hopefuls (first single comes out Valentine’s Day, and you better believe I’m posting it up here for y’all), but it’s come in handy all over.
).
thanks to the insane connectivity on the Bass POD Pro
and I’d like to find a Bass Floor POD but those things are pretty rare, at least here in France.
might show this very soon. anyway I’m still very very interrested by your setup and the one of all other 'buzzians !
