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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 2:46 pm
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Linnin, here's another one, this one from Rane:

http://www.rane.com/note101.html

Check out Figures 3 and 4, and it should be obvious that variable-Q, not constant-Q, is better for tone control. Look at that nice smooth hump in Figure 3 (variable-Q, moderate boost). That's exactly the sort of filter behavior that will give an instrument a nice balanced tone up and down the neck, and not favor specific narrow ranges.

Again, I hope this helps you (and Froi, too) understand the theory behind all this, so you can relate it to real-world sound.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 3:39 pm
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Linnin, I see you put a Basslite in that combo, not a Deltalite as I remembered. Anyway, same deal: same type of massive high-end peak. Also, it still has those upswept mids approaching the peak, just not quite as severe as the Deltalite's. It's got something to do with how the bargain Eminence neos are constructed. The Kappalites aren't as bad in this regard.

Just cleaning up the details here......

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 3:12 am
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Your objective discussion is very informative. I'm learning a lot of stuff. The more I learn, the more I learn that I need to learn more. :lol:

How would you compare Whirlwind with MXR? In a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate it? We don't have Whirlwind here but there is a distributor of a 10-band MXR EQ here. Haven't tried it, though, last weekend due to a very hectic schedule.


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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 8:54 am
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Well, the problem is, there's no common scale to compare them against, since they're somewhat different.

The MXR uses an 18 volt power supply. That means more headroom is available if you use an active bass and don't want to turn its volume down. And, it may be able to supply a higher output to your amp. However, these "advantages" really aren't advantages in the real world, because 1) that active bass can always be turned down, and 2) most bass guitars -- even the passive ones -- already have more than enough output to drive any bass amp to oblivion. Another advantage to the 18 volt operation -- and I think this is an important one -- is that you can probably use this unit in your amp's effects loop, which would reduce noise compared to using it before the amp's instrument input.

The MXR has lighted sliders, which might be helpful on a dark stage. The sliders will blink when overload is imminent.

MXR disadvantages: 1) The 18 volt power supply. If you're ever going to put this unit on a pedal board and want to power it with the pedal board's supply, it would be important to know if the pedal board even had an 18 volt output.

Noise-wise, the pedals carry the same spec: -100 dbu/dbv. (Same unit of measurement; one's just a more-modern nomenclature.)

If you can try these units in person, use the tone settings you plan on using, and make sure you listen very closely for noise. Try to test with an amp that has a tweeter, and make sure the tweeter is set for full output (if it has a switch or level control). In a DI situation, any noise you hear will be passed up to the console, and will appear in the mains for the audience to hear. Again, this is where the MXR might have an advantage due to its (probable) capability of running in an amp's effects loop, because what little noise it does generate won't be amplified by the amp's first stages.

If the effects-loop configuration is something you want to go with for the MXR, you'll want to be sure the amp's DI out is after the effects loop, not before it. One would hope it's after, but I've learned never to assume anything.

If I were looking for a simple EQ box to run my bass into, and from there into the amp's instrument input, I'd probably pick the Boss over the MXR, because none of the MXR's advantages would apply to me. That's assuming the Boss really is as quiet as the MXR, which its noise spec claims.

Hope this helps.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 8:59 am
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Forgot to introduce my last post with this point: I think the comparison to make is between the Boss and the MXR. I think I've already said enough about the Whirlwind, i.e. under what circumstances I would, and would not, use it.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 10:43 am
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Froi, in my long post above comparing the Boss with the MXR, I got more interested in the Boss than ever, and it's small enough to toss into a gig bag, so I just ordered one from Sweetwater. Karl (my rep) typically gets my stuff here in a few days, even with free/non-rush shipping, so it might show up by the end of the week. Three of my cabs have Foster horn tweeters, so if there's any hiss, I'll hear it. I'll post back here to let you know what I find. If you have any specific questions, anything you want me to check out, let me know.

I did not order the PSA adapter (22 USD, kind of steep!) because I already have lots of 9V tip-negative adapters lying around.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 10:56 am
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froi wrote:
Your objective discussion is very informative. I'm learning a lot of stuff. The more I learn, the more I learn that I need to learn more. :lol:

How would you compare Whirlwind with MXR? In a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate it? We don't have Whirlwind here but there is a distributor of a 10-band MXR EQ here. Haven't tried it, though, last weekend due to a very hectic schedule.

I have not played through the MXR, so cannot compare & contrast. MXR does make some excellent stuff and have been around as long as Boss and I would choose the MXR over the Boss.


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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 11:47 pm
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Thanks craig.p for the detailed input. I'll be out of town from tomorrow till weekend so probably I can try out both MXR and Boss by next weekend. I'll wait for Boss feedback.

@linnin: I just heard of MXR recently and do not know that it's been existing for a while. I guess it's because it has been out here not for long yet. I hope I can try it when I come back. Thanks!!!


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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 11:56 am
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Okay, the unit showed up today. Typical fast shipping by Sweetwater.

The unit is heavy and feels built like a tank. There's a look and feel to the unit that speaks of quality and longevity. Made in Taiwan, with the high quality you'd expect from that fact, and it's all-metal.

The jacks feel like they're quality—somewhere between the junk certain manufacturers use and the traditional Switchcraft "clench of death" jacks. Much closer to the latter, though.

Much of the unit's real estate is taken up by the footswitch pad. That means less area is devoted to slider range, and so you need to be careful when dialing in. Total slider range is about 25 mm. A couple of millimeters of slider motion will make a difference in what you hear, since the range is ±15 dB.

The footswitch pad, height-wise, is slightly above the slider bank. This means there's almost no chance of stepping on a slider and breaking something when you engage or disengage the unit during a performance.

The footswitch itself is FET-based, not mechanical, and so it's completely silent. The unit is also silent signal-wise. Even at high volumes, I could hear no evidence of switching or hiss.

A lot of thought went into the center frequencies and the Qs of each slider. The two lowest ones (50 and 120) operate over a fairly wide range, which is perfect for making broad-based tone changes. The next two (400 and 500) run in an extremely narrow range. The 350-600 Hz range is "gank range" for bass guitar, and many players, including me, like to notch that out a little without having the notch spill over into the upper and lower adjacent ranges. This unit will do it.

The next two sliders (800 and 4500) aren't quite as narrow as the 400 and 500, but they're still narrow enough to boost or cut specific frequencies without spilling over into adjacent territory. I've personally never understood the need for varying gain in the 800 Hz range, but some players do, and so it's there if you need it. The 4500 is great to bring out slap overtones, but again without paying the price of boosting the entire upper midrange. It would also be good for taming drivers that are hot in the upper mids, or for knocking down everything from about 4 K upward (with the 10 K pulled all the way down, too, of course).

The last (10 K) slider is shelving, which makes total sense in a cut scenario, because there's nothing up there anyway for bass guitar, unless you're running effects that generate their own extremely high-end content from a BG signal. However, even something like an overdrive/distortion unit wouldn't operate in that high a range. A full cut should effectively eliminate any residual noise the unit puts out—that's the advantage of shelving for top-end cut—though, again, I couldn't hear any noise from this unit at all.

The Boss battery-swap drill is new to me. You loosen the black thumbscrew at the bottom of the footswitch plate, and that allows the plate to be lifted. The battery sits in a compartment underneath. I would've made the battery clip leads a couple inches longer, but other than that, a battery swap should be uneventful if you're careful not to yank on the wires when you pull the clip off the dead battery. However, let's add some context: In the real world of performance pedals, you'll probably be powering this and the rest of your pedals from AC adapters or from a central source like a Voodoo. And so I would consider slightly short battery wires a non-issue.

I'm running off the adapter that came with my Tech21 BDDI. No problems whatsoever. Also tried it with the adapter I bought with my MXR M89 overdrive. Again, no problems whatsoever. You do not need Boss's proprietary adapter.

Hope this helps.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 4:42 am
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Thanks craig.p for that wonderful review. I might have the time to go to the music store this week to try it out. I just so lazy today being so tired after a 4-day out-of-town gig.


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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:32 pm
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I haven't used a BOSS EQ pedal, but I think I can vouch for their pedals in general, at least with durability is concerned, plus they've always did the job and sound pretty good, at least to me. MXR is pretty good too, from my experience. I love my MXR M81 Bass Pre. I use it in the studio with excellent results. Personally, I wouldn't risk cheaping out and going with a Behringer, simply because most of their stuff is made with plastic. It might do OK in a studio, but if you're gigging, I'd be a little hesitant with that one, but that's just me. You may have different results and it's ultimately your decision.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 4:10 am
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Thanks PaulLF for the additional input. For now, I'm looking into Boss GEB-7 and MXR's 10-band EQ. I may be able to try these within the week.


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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:55 am
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Location: On the loo, regretting that gas station burrito.
Cool. 8) I only have three knobs (bass, treble, mid) for my Orange Terror Bass 1000, so I know what you mean sometimes wanting EQ. It does have two tube pre amps, so that makes up for a lot of it.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:46 pm
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I was able to try Boss and MXR yesterday and I find both okay. I actually prefer the MXR because it has 10 bands. Unfortunately, the store does not have any new stock other than the display unit that also serves a demo unit. So, I just got the Boss EQ. I just hope that I made the right decision. :)


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Post subject: Re: Bass Equalizer on a Rumble 500
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:36 am
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Either one should do the job, so you probably did good, as long as you like the tone you get from it. 8)

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