A Small Fortune for a Small Pedalboard 

If the gig is local I'll normally just take my amps with me. I play a lot at the baked potato and have been using their house cabinet recently just for convenience. I'll take my own head and the pedals, which means my setup and breakdown is really quick. I would never use any kind of amp modeling to go ampless, I'm not a fan at all. If I was going to do a gig without an amp, I'd more than likely use something like the Caveman or the Nobel at the end of my chain to send a feed to the house, and make sure my monitor mix was on-point.

HAHAHAHHAA. I've actually tried to do that several times, but it just never seems to come out the right way, and I've thrown the videos in the trash. I've really tried hard to find a budget version of the board too... tons of $25 amazon purchases and cheap pedals from china etc... So far, no dice.

@@janekgwizdala 😆Could it be done with something like Line 6 HX Stomp?

A looper video could be cool. I'm actually in the process of looking for a new solution for touring. the TC Electronic Ditto loopers, which have been a staple of my pedalboards for many years now, are really not reliable at all. I've had them fail way too many times to be able to trust them anymore. The Aeros is great, but it's huge and doesn't run in series, only parallel. The regular looper in the stomp is nowhere near as robust as it needs to be to rely on it 100% of the time, and I've never really liked the Boss loopers. So the search continues, and this could make for a good video!

Yes! On the pedals too!

Except then the bond is between the glue of the dual lock and the painters tape, and not directly to the metal of the board. My pedalboards take such a beating on the road that I need that bond as strong and as long-lasting as possible. I'll gladly go through the task of removing it for a new build if it means I get a little more mileage out of the setup on tour.

I had the same reservation before trying it. So far after two tours in Europe and one in the US, I’ve had no issues. You can always try it with one or two pedals, keep some extra dual lock in your kit, see if you have any problems and if you do, it’s a quick fix. I’d love the feedback if that does cause any issues.

It's a tough choice with multi fx. You basically have to say to yourself "okay, I'm going to use this unit that makes 8,000 different sounds for just one or two things". But with my own music, which is always my main focus, I have the luxury of being able to change what those things are very regularly. Multi fx are great tools to build up libraries of different options and to be able to recall them at the touch of a button. The drag comes when you change the function of the unit from say octaves and fuzzes to reverbs and delays. You really have to change the location of the pedal in your signal chain, and that generally requires a board rebuild.

That's exactly what I'm doing a lot of the time. Having the option to route cables under pedals is sometimes the difference between a pedal making it on the board or not. I'm always trying to maximize the space I have, and that's the reason I start with the board-side dual lock from scratch each time.

depending on the *buyer* Fixed it.

Yes, the used market for Iron Ether pedals is astronomical right now. They are also rarely up for sale either, making it very difficult to include those sounds for someone on the outside looking in. There are pre-sales going on at the IE site though, and the prices are reasonable. The wait for the pedals won't be short, but it will be worth it.

Two different time zones

@@XxBigguy3xX the Apple watch can display multiple time zones

I'm a big fan of watches, and have a little collection growing slowly. That's why I have the "real" watch on the left hand. The apple watch is for health tracking. It's a big help keeping track of my resting heart rate, an approximation of my Vo2 Max, my step count, and a bunch of other fitness related functions. It has nothing to do with horology, just science.

@@jenniplease As can the Tudor...

I think there's a lot of potential for those pedals in a non-metal/djent setting. I have the Alpha Omega Ultra and the Microtubes X Ultra, and they are highly functional. I'm going to be taking them to the studio in a few months when I track my new record as I think there are some potentially very musical things to be gained from using them.

I think there is quite a big difference to my ear. But you have to take into consideration the context in which you're hearing that difference. When you're in a silent room and you A/B them next to each other, then there are definitely differences to be heard. Get either of them in a pedalboard in combination with other pedals, in a live band situation, and I think it's impossible to tell.

Yes and no... There are definitely synth options on this board, but the main reason for simplifying things was to actually be more conventional while still retaining synth and experimental options.

@@janekgwizdala Great thoughts!!!... Thanks for sharing... ❤...

It all depends on what I need at the time. It’s a great option when you need a nice warm vintage pre amp sound that takes up very little space. And at that price it’s hard to beat. It’s obviously very limited in terms of its features but it earns its place in a board very easily. I love it when i need something super punchy for s clean sound that’s also very light to travel with.

I'm a big fan of going to the multi fx first. I think it's a massive bang for the buck, and you get to explore, in the case of something like the HX Stomp, literally every kind of effect that's ever been made. To have all of that in one box, to experiment and get a feel for effects, and then be able to say to yourself "okay, I really like this thing but it doesn't sound the best in this unit. I'm going to invest in one or two single pedals to upgrade the quality of my sound"... You kind of can't go wrong.

Is it one of the very early OC-2's? with the "R" - Octaver? if so, those run at 12v and not 9, so that could be the source of your volume issue. I wouldn't use anything in the HX Stomp aux loop. There is a massive issue with the EQ caused by the digital to analogue conversion not being set up the right way. I've been asking for it to be fixed for a long time, and so far it's still unusable for me.

it's important to note that I don't ever run the OC-2 and the FMeron at the same time. They just happen to fulfill similar basic functions in terms of octavers and synth sounds so they end up next to each other in the beginning of the chain. The FMeron is really about having a very convincing synth sound on the board with great tweaking options in terms of the shape of the waveform. The OC-2 is just a subby sinewave that is pretty one dimensional.

I buy the Mogami cable in bulk on Amazon: a.co/d/9pSZ0WW With my main bass I generally run it in active 100% of the time. It's only when I'm using something like a P-bass in combination with one of the preamps you mentioned that it ends up being a passive signal. You do get better results with some pedals when you run the bass in passive, but that's really personal preference at the end of the day.

I use Mogami cable and Squareplug SP550-S's when it comes to the flat connectors. I use the SPS5's for the straight connectors.

@@janekgwizdala Some Boy! ❤️❤️

They're still alive!

It's always a tough call when you use multi fx and single pedals in a pedalboard. There are just some things, regardless of how good the multi-fx is at replacing them, that simply can't be at that position in the signal chain. I end up using the Stomp for harmonizer patches, and for tone generators and sequencing.

I think the question is more what does it do well for my music rather than the bass specifically. If it's bass-specific stuff you're looking for, then it's going to be a little more limited than the way I use it. I'm using the Stomp as a harmonizer, an analogue synth, a sequencer, and a bunch of other weird shit. Not conventional at all, and not really a selling point for any other bass players. But check out people like Adam Neely who i believe uses the Stomp as his only unit, or at least he used to. It is obviously very effective for his band sungazer, and makes for a very compact way to travel with all your sounds.

Can definitely do some watch videos… maybe on my clips channel. I took the BP-1 off this board because I needed something simpler and compact. I wasn’t too bothered about the DI aspect of the chain. In fact, I rarely use the DI of the BP-1 when I’m playing live. It’s just a really nice preamp for me.

I think they are very close to the feeling being the same with the Stomp. The issue is always more about where I have the Stomp in my signal chain. To use the EP booster clone I would have to have it first in the chain. I would then lose all the other things I use it for like sequencing, modular synth, and harmonizer patches.

You need to make sure you're adjusting your input and output gains on each preset if there's a massive difference in volume between them. And be aware that your signal will jump in volume when you use the parallel path option in a patch.

The Ottobit is incredibly powerful. It has one of the best filters in it I've ever heard, and that alone is worth the price of admission. Then you get into all the things it has to offer, and you'll be there for a few years discovering new things every day with it. Just be warned that there is no mix knob. I have to run it in with a blender pedal to really make use of it musically.

I've never tried it, but I have heard a lot of things from people I trust that have used the unit, and I would not go out of my way to try it anytime soon. It seems like a good idea, with the prospect of being robust and an industry leader, but from everything I've heard it seems to have fallen short of a lot of its goals.

@@janekgwizdala Thank you for your answer Janek 🙏!

Space is at such a premium on these boards I tour with, I simple can't waste a single inch of space if I want to maximize the results.

I'm really the wrong person to ask if you're set on going ampless and want to use cab and amp sim. I'm not a fan of that setup at all, and would never use it personally. My philosophy has always been to work on having a great tone with my instrument with no gear at all, and if I want to go ampless, I would have a preamp/DI that I could sent a great clear sound to the house, and then dial in my monitor onstage. Even though I play with an amp almost always, it's completely flat 99% of the time. I play cabs that give basically no color to my sound, so the concept of having a cab or amp sim seems pointless to me. I can understand it if you play in a situation where you need a massive dirty Ampeg SVT sound, and you really rely on your amp for your sound. In that case, there are tons of options. The Darkglass stuff, the new DI from Ampeg, the Line6 HX Stomp... so many things you could use.

I would put the compressor before everything in the chain. If I use compression it's normally before anything like an octave or modulation etc.

@@janekgwizdala alright, and about the volume knob of the cs3, you would always turn to the max? Thank I'm a huge fan!!

@@andretillmann7278 The setting of the pedal is always unique to the player and the situation.

Stomp xl every time

The Stomp is far more versatile. I think you have to have a big budget and a specific need to justify also getting an H9. I use the H9 for huge stereo reverbs and harmonizer patches sometimes.

He mentioned that he replaces the board side every time-and that is the side of Velcro that wears versus the mates on the pedals.

@@kkchristy That doesn't look like Velcro to me. I'm pretty sure it's 3M Dual Lock.

@@MichaelSchuerig ah great point-thanks for clearing that up!

It's way too messy to put strips of dual lock down. I want the build to be as clean as possible every time, and I want as much pedalboard area available for cable management such as the cable tie anchors.

It goes in the pelican case with the built-in padding. No bag.

5? I thought 2 looking at the thumbnail.

@@DVDFRMN once I saw all the pedals, i knew it was gonna be more. Iron Ether pedals aren’t cheap, plus all the others

@@_B_E_A_D_G_C i forgot about all the stuff below, of course he had to have an HX stomp in there, i forgot how good those Iron Ether pedals are, might have to invest...

@@DVDFRMN yeah they are great from what I gather. Just hard to come by , like most small batch boutique pedals . I’m on the waitlist for a few of them

I think you maybe meant the H9 and not the M9 right? I have used the Stomp XL a lot on pedalboards before, and I'm sure it'll make a comeback when the need arises. The current thought behind having the regular stomp and the H9 on the board is that they are being used for very different things. I think one of the weaknesses with the Stomp is the current lineup of reverbs. So i'm using the H9 mainly for reverbs and a little modulation sometimes. The Stomp is more about harmonizer, modular synth, and sequencer patches right now.

@@janekgwizdala Yup, I meant the M9. Would love to hear some examples of how you incorporate two different multi-effects units. The M9 is next on my list to add to the board.

I think it's one of the best units on the market for bass. The options are almost limitless, and I've been using it for many years now.

I do use DI/preamps on my boards, just not on this one. I knew I was playing some local gigs in town that didn't need a dedicated DI on the board, and I wanted to save a little weight. So I opted out of the Caveman or the Noble, and just went with the light and simple EP Booster by Xotic.

I could probably answer this: So typically with signal chain rule of thumb is anything that's tracking your signal like an octaver or digital modulation pedal (like a whammy) should go first. You can put a compressor right behind an octaver if you want to create massive sustain by setting the attack knob to the right so its fat and held out. The general order for things is as follows: Compressors -> Octavers -> Any Fuzz/distortions -> Envelope filters/auto wahs -> (any time based effects i.e. phaser, delay, chorus) -> reverb -> lastly a looper or tuner. Boosts conventionally can be used right behind any distortion pedal to saturate it and drive it more, but also Janek just uses it as a preamp. Hope this helps.

My signal chain, if I'm going for some conventional sounds, normally follows the same basic rule each time: Compressor/Preamp up front, then Octaves, distortion/fuzz, harmonizer, filter, modulation, reverb, delay, looper.

That pedal is basically a unicorn. I cannot find a single thing that comes anywhere close to making those sounds. I'm glad I have one, but if it gets lost or broken, I'm going to be scouring the internet for a long time trying to get a replacement. 😢

On this board it's in series. The function of the Stomp always depends on the board build and the current set of needs.

For compact options I'd check out the Cali 76 Compact Bass or the Empress Bass Compressor

They are just made with different chips, and have a character that I like. The newer pedals are all trying way too hard to be perfect, and in doing so they totally miss the point of what makes the old OC-2's so unique and quirky.

The old OC-2's are kind of shitty. That's what makes them unique, quirky, and very musical in my opinion. All the new stuff is striving for perfection, and that's the exact opposite of what I'm looking for in a subby sound analogue octaver.

OC-2, PN-2, SG-1, PS-5, DM-1

@Janek Gwizdala DM-1 is by far the biggest surprise on this list. Would love to see a video on how you use this pedal

It is a hassle, but it's waaaaaay cleaner to custom cut the small strips for each pedal whenever I'm building a new board. The clutter of having tons of dual lock all over the surface would hinder the tidiness of the board, and restrict where I was able to anchor cable ties etc.

Btw, my guess was 5k

I'm not a huge fan of daisy chaining the power. If it's possible to have dedicated spots for each pedal, I'll take it every time.

I think my first thought would be having an option to come out of the pedalboard two ways: 1) quarter inch into an amp and 2) DI/XLR out into the house or console. Just having a nice DI somewhere in your chain, either post or pre effects would be a simple fix. 👍

Great thank you so much! I thought that might be the trick but wasn’t sure about the di box position in the chain.

I can’t recommend pedals as I don’t know the kind of room you’re playing in. With that much compression and eq in your current signal path, it seems like you feel the need to work the sound a lot for the room. I would personally strip it all down to as little as possible and work on the natural sound of the bass before you add a bunch of stuff.

@@janekgwizdala ok. I do have problems hearing myself on stage even with in ears. I don't get the impression that I'm being heard. It's about 50 feet wide and 9 feet ceilings. I'm on a stage that could fit about 3 mini grand pianos. The sound engineer keeps telling me to turn down. I wish I could hear myself in my in ear monitors.

The room has carpet everywhere.

@@XxBigguy3xX If you don't have an amp onstage, why is the sound engineer telling you to turn down? You could play at max volume on your instrument, and it's the engineers job to adjust that for the house. Unless one of your pedals is sending a signal so hot that it's clipping, the engineer should just concentrate on doing their job in the house. If you're on IEMs, do you have a separate monitor engineer? if so, there shouldn't be an issue with hearing yourself. That's just a question of knowing what to ask for in a mix, and making sure the monitor engineer can deliver that to you. Once the amp is out of the picture, there is no "can you turn down". Only, "hey, I need some more bass in my mix".

@@janekgwizdala gotcha.

It's by far the most musical pedal for this sound I've ever tried. It takes a while to get used to the tuning, but once you have it in context in your signal chain, it's an incredible pedal.

@@janekgwizdala thanks a lot, I'll look into it.

Space and efficiency is the key here. I need every spare millimeter on the board, so it has to be from scratch each time.

@@janekgwizdala I want to be like you ...but i lazy and i have a huge pedalboard jajajaja

Unfortunately I don't know those units and haven't played them. I am a big fan of tape echo though, and there are some pretty killer blocks in the HX stomp for that kind of sound that I'll use from time to time. The Eventide H9 Max also has some great sounding delays that I have used in the past.

At well over $1,200, the gigrig is something I could never justify using for what I do. I'm guessing that if you have a serious touring gig with a huge pop act, or you're part of a massive rock band, it makes a lot of sense. In fact, I think those are the situations that switchers tend to make the most sense anyway. You could of course add any kind of cover band, wedding band, or original band where you play the same set, or at least the same book of songs, every single gig. If I was in that situation, I would totally have every sound I needed pre-programmed and available at the touch of a button on a switcher. But what I do is improvise, and as soon as you introduce a switcher, it takes away a lot of creative options. I think it's also a preference thing. I'm sure there are people out there who play improvised music that have incredible setups that involve switchers. But my preference is to be hands-on and move knobs and press switches. I've tried using the Boss ES-5, the morningstar MC3, MC6, and MC8 as well as the ML5. I've also tried programming some midi controlled stuff into the HX Stomp XL to control other pedals on my board. But it's a lot of information to retain as to where everything is, and so far has only hindered performances rather than enhancing them. I'm sure with the right person doing the setup and the programming I could find some things that might work well for my own band, but I've yet to get to that point.

@@janekgwizdala Thank you so much for finding the time to give such an in-depth answer. I really appreciated it🙏🏻

I'm using the Squareplug SP500 Low Profile for the right angle plugs, and the SPS5 for the straights. I love them, but I can't say I've done shoot outs between these and any other brands. They were just recommended to me by someone I trust very much.

It hasn't been on my live board for a while, but I do use it at home for recording from time to time.

@@janekgwizdala so what are you using for live compression? I guess with nothing there the signal is more organic sounding?

Actually @janek how is your ep booster set… you said like a preamp?

@@roballanson9228 It's always on, but with the volume at zero and the internal dip switch set to the "vintage" setting.

@@janekgwizdala cool I have to give that a go :) thanks

I use the tuner in the Line6 HX Stomp

You clearly have much more important things to occupy your time with. Hats off to you for that!

00:45

I don't actually have any affiliate links for anything... I need to look into that. But you can find it on amazon. Just search for Dual Lock by 3M.

@@janekgwizdala Thank you!

It's way cleaner to do it like this. Space is at a massive premium, and I need every square inch of the board operating at maximum capacity for me.

It's too messy to carpet the board. I need to use all the space efficiently, and keep each build as clean as possible.

The FM8, while very good at what it does, is not a pedalboard. It doesn't allow for the same kind of live improvisation that individual pedals afford me in this configuration. Multi-effects as an element of a pedalboard can be a great enhancement, but alone they don't offer enough real-time manipulation for what I do. If I was on a gig that played the same set with the same collection of sounds every night, an FM8 would be a no brainer.