frogbass77's Pedalboard

I was able to buy one second hand for 30 bucks and all I can say is that it is good, precise and quick !

This compression pedal designed for bass but probably also very usable on guitar is fantastic for the price, with all the settings you need. It features both output and input settings, which is great. A ratio knob, which makes it very versatile. Classic attack and release settings. As well as a tone knob for the brightness or darkness of the sound. Most important of all, it is rather transparent and produces very low noise. My favourite compression pedal so far !

A very good octaver, with a marvellously sounding octave down, and with the possibility of adding another interval: a fifth up (hence the name the 85 ?), another octave up or 2 octaves down ! You have a blend setting and a level setting for the classic octave down as well as a level for the other interval. The most precious setting is “focus”, which is useful for putting forward more harmonics or brightness. This pedal is very versatile and very rich in different tones. The interval can sound very natural or very synthetic but that is what I like about it… You can transform your bass in an organ with this thing ! You also have the possibility to plug an expression pedal, which I have not tried yet, in order to get a pitch shifter like effect probably.

The Blumes is in my opinion and for my taste one of the best and most versatile overdrive for a bass or a downtuned guitar period. I canot see why it is so underrated. Great sound, right amount of dirt and a lot of gain and power! Really impressive! Addendum: I initially gave it 5 stars because it is a fantastic pedal and despite the fact that it broke down after a few weeks. Indeed, EarthQuaker Devices offer a lifetime warranty, even for second-hand products and has a fantastic and very efficient customer service that responds very well. I sent it to Akron, OH and was able to get it back as new within the shortest delay despite the fact that I live in Europe... But within a few weeks, it broke down again. So maybe I picked a bad batch... But between the shipping cost and the tariffs that are appplied, I would have to pay again about $65 to have it fixed again, knowing it may break down again! What a pity for such a product. P.-P.-S. : EQD finally offered to change it almost completely so I should have it back as new and without any problems !

Great sound, wonderful at keeping and even boosting your low end. But not very versatile, and, though I like my pedals simple and minimalistic, the fact that the settings for Blend and Tone are hidden inside the pedal is somehow frustrating… this is all the more disappointing than this is more a mini-preamp than a proper drive. In a band situation helps you cut through but don’t expect too much dirt in your sound…

Seems like everyone loves to hate this pedal. There is even a YouTube video claiming that the delay of the same series, which I happen to have also, is better at doing the job ! Might be a matter of taste though. It is indeed one of my favourite bass choruses. I used to have a Boss CH-1, which I loved, as a fan of new/cold wave bass sounds of the 80s, and this DigiTech is not so noisier by the way, as I read so often. But I also like the DigiTech very much as it is subtle and cold, has a kind of wannabe modern but vintage anyway vibe to it. I can’t explain, I don’t put that much Chorus into my sound, but it is almost always on with this pedal…

With a cheap pedal like this one, don’t expect too much. The choice of the frequencies is also questionable and it may be a little noisy if pushed too hard. But if you do use it well and don’t want to pay 150 bucks for an eq pedal, it does a good job!