marc_bobro's Reviews

Awesome Synth, at least for bass

I am an electric bass player who is very picky about tone. I wanted an analog bass synth that was not meant to imitate an electric bass, but to sound excellent in its own unique bassy way. I tried three other analog bass synths before landing on the Pittsburgh Modular SV-1b. The SV-1b destroys the others. Super supple filter that sounds good wherever it is on the dial. And with some easy FM tweaks the SV-1b makes a killer kick drum.

Great sounding and useful effects pedal.

Serves a dual purpose—a compressor or an envelope filter, but not both. I use the compressor for drums (a little drive, and some filter manipulation where you can get super dubby with the kick) and sometimes for bass guitar (especially the envelope, where you have quite a bit of control). I've used the CV options on occasion, but haven't dialed that in yet. Great pedal!

Awesome and super lightweight cab

Sounds fantastic with both my Fender Bassman 100T and Music Man HD 150. Easy to transport with handles in back and big rubber wheels. And of course the neodymium speakers make the cab super lightweight. My only issue is with quality control. I bought the cab new and noticed right away that one of the speakers rattled at certain frequencies. One of the mounting screws was loose. Fortunately, it wasn't a bad speaker. But, still, cabinets shouldn't leave the factory with loose screws.

Unique and indispensable pedal

I use the Gamechanger Plus Pedal with electric bass and euphonium in a couple of ways: for ambient swells (using the ancillary "wet" pedal) and for sustaining notes or chords. The Plus Pedal gives incredible control and modulation possibilities for both. For instance, when I solo on bass or euphonium the Plus Pedal I can lay down sounds and then play over them. Other pedals can do this—such as the EHS Freeze—but this gives me a lot more ability to control parameters. So, really, there is no comparison.

Amazing and indispensable synthesizer

I use the Analog Keys live in an ambient, post-rock, shoegaze band.

Amazing all of the things the AK can do. Sound design is super fun. Performance mode is great live and for recording. Project and song management is a piece of cake. The CV outs are very useful. And not least of all, I think the AK sounds great with its own voice. I do not want it to sound like a Moog or a Roland or anything else. That is what Moogs and Rolands are for.

It is very well-built. Just watch the underneath of the keys—there is no protection there. Buy a case or gig bag for it.

Big sound, small frame.

Has its own sound—big, chewy, analog—that pairs extremely well with other excellent synths, including the Minimoog and the Perfourmer. Its presets are super useful, much better than the presets of a lot of other synths. And the built-in Sinevibes effects really bring the Typhon to life. A future classic is what I predict.

Unbelievable sounding and versatile overdrive/fuzz pedal.

Very versatile. I use it for both electric bass and electric guitar. Works great with volume pedal for ambient swells. Amazing sustaining fuzz for bass and guitar leads. The "More Heavy" setting doesn't color the tone at all. All it does is add heaviness, which can be heavenly.

Great chorus. Good echo. Stereo outs.

Natural, lush, and organic chorus that you can just leave on. Echo works well in series with other echoes or delays. I often use this last in my pedalboard because it has two outs.

Sounds amazing. 4 stars for now because I haven't gigged with it yet.

Versatile, all tube sound. Amazing vintage and overdrive channels. Overdrive channel, which you can blend in with the vintage channel, is awesome for punk. No overdrive pedal is needed. Punchy, sensitive, can get clean and clear on highs, but always feels super tubey. This amp makes you want to play. I love that it has a 25 watt setting as well as silent record. These are rare features on tube bass amps.

Now, unlike prior Bassmans this is purely for bass guitar. I tried it with my guitar(s). Way too bassy and boomy for guitar, even a drop C guitar. Also, do not silent record with guitar. It will overheat the heat sink very fast.

The autobiasing takes a few minutes and doesn't seem to stop until you move out of Standby mode. Then give it about 15 seconds and it's good to go.

Super useful and high quality

Great for layering live or recording, whether it's ambient, shoegaze, Frippertronics, or doom. Works well with any input sounds (e.g., guitar, bass, drums, samples). Very conducive to improvising.

Good workhorse of a bass preamp

If the bass amp you've got to play through sucks—and I've played through a lot of shitty bass amps in practice and as backlines—the easiest way to make your tone palatable is to use a preamp. The VT Bass gets the job done nicely, often with the level set pretty low. And be judicial with the character knob. And even in nice bass amps—such as my old SWR-400—a touch of VT Bass adds some juiciness to the tube preamp section. It also usefully boosts the volume. My Triad cab is not known for being the loudest. I'm giving it less than 5 stars because this pedal tends to be louder than my other pedals. When I'm playing a punk gig, it doesn't bother me, but I tend not to use this pedal to record. It's purely for performance.

Classic '80s Flanger

If you want to emulate awesome '80s bass flanging, this is the way to go. I like this better than the MXR Micro Flanger. It has more flexibility.

Pristine organic sound

The Mercury 7 never muddies up your sound, no matter the settings. And unlike other reverb pedals, no matter how high you have the mix and the decay, your notes, your melodies, will ring through all of the reverb you've created.