The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bass Amps & Effects => Topic started by: Pilgrim on November 12, 2008, 04:45:42 PM
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Every now and then my 'satiable curiosity gets the better of me.
I just bought a Bad Monkey overdrive, modified by Humphreys for bass service. It ought to be here next week - about the time I go out of town for four days.
Review coming as soon as I get a chance to mess with it. It will have to be pretty sweet to displace my Boss SD-2, but if it sounds different enough it may join it on my board.
I think I'm having too much fun playing with OD and distortion, even when I don't use it much.
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And now I can't report anything - because my loving fam'bly decided that it should wait for Christmas and has stashed the box somewhere in the house. I am officially unauthorized to hunt for it, so I'll have to wait until the end of December.
That REALLY puts a damper on effects GAS.
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Well, you'll just have to buy a new bass to tide you over.
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I got one a yr ago. LOVE it. It'll be worth the w8. Tube OD is where it's at & U can dial in all the LOWS U need
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Well, you'll just have to buy a new bass to tide you over.
Would you care to persuade my lovely wife of that? I think she'd prefer that I actually finish either the Lyle Hollowbody I've had sitting for 2 years, or get moving on the Aria Diamond (Hi-Flyer) refin.
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I think a few more people than just your wife are waiting for you to get moving on the Hi-Flyer! I would :mrgreen:
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Well, I DO have a rare 4-day weekend coming....maybe I can get part of the workbench cleaned off..... :o
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Just a gentle nudge!
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I have had a lousy cold and all I've gotten done so far on the Aria this weekend is to check the truss rod, dab some Vaseline on the nut to lube it, and then re-glue the fretboard. I also got the Chief Wahoo sticker off the body of the bass.
Here's a shot of the way I clamped the neck:
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/PB270100.jpg)
I used a nice piece of pine 1x4 on the fretboard, and to prevent flattening the back of the neck I used a couple sheets of dense rubber (actually for plumbing applications but hanging around in my parts stash) with a 2x2 to distribute the clamping force along the area where the fretboard was loose.
This was a success and the fretboard is secured now.
Of course, I also replaced the transmission mount on my daughter's Camaro, strung Christmas lights, smoked a 22-pound turkey and a rack of ribs on Thanksgiving, and spent a few hours teaching my online course. Having a cold really slows ya down.
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"Having a cold really slows ya down."
Whiner! :mrgreen:
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I also got the Chief Wahoo sticker off the body of the bass.
What! ??? Now the Indians won't win a World Series for another 60 years! Worse, you've now let the mojo escape from the bass. :P
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What! ??? Now the Indians won't win a World Series for another 60 years! Worse, you've now let the mojo escape from the bass. :P
I think if you can get some sealer on it pretty quickly you can prevent the escape of too much "mojo" ;D
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What! ??? Now the Indians won't win a World Series for another 60 years! Worse, you've now let the mojo escape from the bass. :P
We watch Major League every now and then - I think that makes up for it.
My motto: "All the mojo in the world and a buck will buy you coffee in a cheap restaurant."
Sounds like something from a detective novel, dunnit?
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Some people really believe that some sort of spirits inhabit the wood. I'm not talking about religions that claim there are spirits in live trees. I mean there are people who believe that about dead, lacquered guitar bodies.
Maybe the sanding sealer keeps the mojo from escaping. ;)
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I think I once got some mineral spirits trapped in the wood, played hell with the finish! ;)
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Mineral spirits! It all makes sense now! ;D
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I think I once got some mineral spirits trapped in the wood, played hell with the finish! ;)
I've had more difficulty from spirits trapped within ME. ;D
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The Bad Monkey is here - and my daughter didn't even remember she had it. It was late Christmas Day before I remembeed that it should have appeared under the tree.
So - I got it - it's heavy! I don't know if all Digitech pedals are heavy, but this one sure is. I also discovered that it's the guitar Badder Monkey mod, but more about that in a moment.
I'll add pix this evening.....
Front panel and close-up:
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/PC270228-1.jpg)
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/PC270231.jpg)
Separate outputs for amp and effects:
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/PC270230.jpg)
Input side...
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/PC270229.jpg)
I tried it vs. the Boss SD-2, and it's definitely different. Much more an overdrive, less tendency towards distortion, and with a lot of effect dialed in, definitely a tube OD sound. In contrast the SD-2 I've been using is distortion, and using the Lead channel even with minimum effect, it's very aggressive. These are VERY different effects!
The Monkey seems to preserve the note attack reasonably well, which is definitely something I'm looking for. Whether the SD-2 does is something I'm still working on.
Here's the interesting side story - I finally realized that Humphreys made both guitar and bass mods - and I didn't know which one I had. I dropped him a note on his website: http://www.haudiomods.webs.com/index.html and asked him if there was a way I could ID it. He answered me within an hour on a Saturday, and told me to check the label location - on the side is bass, on the end near the DC input is guitar.
I emailed back and said mine was guitar - and I wasn't sure whether I should just play it or sell and go after a bass model. Within hours, he offered to convert it to the bass version at NO charge! His emails were pleasant and helpful, and he said I would be happier with the bass model. I'll be sending it to him tomorrow - return postage and a thank-you gift both enclosed.
I'm thinking that all the very positive things said about Mark Humphreys in various reviews of his mods are very likely to be true!
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Now that's customer service. :thumbsup:
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Yesterday I received the Badder Bass Monkey back - and by great good fortune, it arrived about an hour before band practice!
My thoughts - I really like this unit. It provides a very tube-OD sound, nice and growly, but without breaking up and getting into outright distortion. With proper gain settings the initial note attack seems to be preserved pretty well. For numbers like Jack The Ripper, it's perfect. I also like it a lot on the Peter Gunn Theme - it adds a nice touch and grit to that classic bass line.
I'm happy with it. I can see how some guys could end up using it for almost everything, but I won't be doing this. However, I think it's in for a long stay on my pedal board.