Alex Bulli

Known from the following sources:

Reddit, r/offset, January 29, 2016, "Suburst Jaguar Bass" (which includes the following comment)

Second offset, first was the Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster

s/o to Chicago Music Exchange for being super easy to work with, and getting this across the country in record time!

Musician’s Friend, The Hub, "Vibing with Frankie and The Witch Fingers" (November 19, 2017)

Alex: [...] My first bass was the Squier Affinity P-Bass. I got it for free through a friend and played it in a band called Prince Moondog with two of these guys for like a year and a half, and used it in the beginning with Frankie. Finally, I just had to get a new bass.

Glenn: We basically shamed him into getting a new bass.

Alex: It sounded fine, but it wasn’t a great bass. It couldn’t be intonated properly.

Josh: It was your Dad who made you get a new one.

Alex: He called me up, ‘You’re about to go on tour; you have to get a good bass”. So I got one of the newer Fender American Jaguar basses with the P & J pickups, and a billion ways to blend them. It’s funny, there’s so many options, but I only use one. I use the Jazz pickup—not the active mode—passive mode with the volume all the way up and the tone at about 9, and it’s beautiful.

https://static.musiciansfriend.com/thehub/binaries/content/gallery/mf/interviews/alex-fender-jaguar-bass-frankie-witch-fingers.jpg

Alex on-stage at Desert Daze 2017 with his Fender Jaguar Bass.

Glenn: I’m surprised you didn’t get the [Gibson] EB-2 SG Bass. Or a Rickenbacker.

Alex: The Rickenbackers are a little harder to play. It’s like a different style of playing. I went to a local music shop one day and tried out a million basses. With that Jaguar, I just clicked with it instantly.

Reddit, r/offset, July 18, 2022, reply to u/[deleted]

Have an American Standard Jaguar that has been around the world, lost in airports, beer spilled in it, and still looks and sounds amazing.

Reddit, r/offset, October 13, 2022, reply to u/MaxCharmerMusic

If you can find one of the American Standard Jag’s on Reverb they’re pretty much the best bass you can buy

Reddit, r/Bass, March 3, 2023, reply to u/TrueHeadallefe

I also bought an American Jaguar and would never look back [...]

Reddit, r/Bass, March 18, 2023, reply to u/im-hippiemark

I went in looking for a 4003 for a 3-month tour, and ended up with a Fender American Jaguar - completely different thing and I’m much happier with it

Known from the following sources, besides this undated photo from Bulli's website titled “Alex+Bulli+at+Home.jpg”:

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, October 20, 2015, "NPD: Empress Compressor" (which includes the following comment)

Too many knobs / settings to do an in-depth description of this thing, but it's amazing. Prefer it to the Keeley 4-knob I was borrowing for shows, as it's easier to dial in exactly what you want (more intuitive controls + led readout + mix knob), and doesn't cut bass noticeably.

SolidGoldFX If 6 Was 9 Fuzz > Empress Compressor > Arc Effects Klone > Mr. Black Deluxe Plus > Stigtronics V-Drive > Red Witch Fuzz God II > EQD Monarch > Boss DD7 > EQD Speaker Cranker > EQD Sea Machine > SolidGoldFX Surf Rider

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, February 16, 2016, "I think I'm finally out of space" (visible) (includes the following comment)

SGFX If 6 Was 9 > Empress Comp > Mr. Black Bass OD > EQD Terminal > Arc Klone > Mr. Black Deluxe Plus > Caline Pure Sky > Stigtronics V Drive > Red Witch Fuzz God > EQD Monarch > DD500 > DD7 > EQD Speaker Cranker > Strymon Deco > EQD Sea Machine > SGFX Surf Rider

I know it's time to start getting rid of things, but there's nothing I want to get rid of.

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, November 10, 2016, comment on own post "NPD: Hail Satan Deluxe"

Bass pedalboard will be something like

Black LTD Bass OD > Hail Satan Deluxe > Empress EQ > Empress Comp > TU-3

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, June 11, 2017, "NPD: Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl mkII" (visible) (includes the following comment)

Chain is EQD Terminal > SGFX Apollo > Arc Klone > Mr. Black Deluxe Plus > Warped Vinyl > Stigtronics V-Drive > Empress Comp > Caroline Meteore > SGFX Surf Rider > DD500

• Instagram, @nikkipickle, March 20, 2019 (visible)

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, November 22, 2019, "Board could use a deep cleaning after 3 months of tour 🧼" (which includes the following comment)

Empress Comp is always on 4:1 ~50% blend, set for a a pretty large volume boost, smoothes out clean parts and the transition from clean to OD.

Fender Jaguar > Tuner > Dark World > Mr. Black Bass OD > Empress Compressor > V4B

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, November 5, 2020, reply to u/devwastaken

Empress Compressor if you’re looking for an upgrade - very uncolored sound so it would be a little different than the boss

Reddit, r/Audiomemes, December 15, 2020, reply to u/acidtechnoscientist

looks down at empress comp with -12db at a 50% blend ��

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, February 12, 2021, reply to u/Itsaghast

Itsaghast Yep, first Empress pedal and I'll definitely keep them on my radar.

orewhat If you need a compressor check theirs out, it’s insane

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, March 5, 2021, reply to u/Bliany

Empress comp on bass is fkn heavenly. Run that into into a dbx 160 comp for recording 🤤

Reddit, r/basspedals, March 31, 2022, reply to u/[deleted]

Empress if you can afford a used one, MXR Studio if you can't.

[...]

edit: the few extra bucks for the empress will be immediately apparent when you start dialing in the blend knob

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, February 23, 2024, reply to u/Jameshardy1988

Compressor

I use the Empress one - absolutely amazing

Can be totally transparent, or entirely smashed super fast limiting that makes a clean amp sound like a 1920’s blues recording

Reddit, r/basspedals, April 22, 2024, reply to u/[deleted] ("Suggest me a compressor...")

Empress or Cali76 honestly

Featured in Instagram posts dated December 12, 2013 and September 11, 2015. It can also be seen in this photo from Bulli’s website, titled “ Alex+Bulli+at+Home.jpg”.

December 12, 2013

( ( ( r e v e r b ) ) )

Featured in this May 22, 2014 Instagram post by Frankie and the Witch Fingers bandmate Josh Menashe and in this September 19, 2020 Instagram post by Bulli. It is also mentioned in the following Reddit posts:

April 14, 2017, "New Vibrato / Tailpiece for JMJM?

I love my lil Squier JMJM more than any of my other guitars...

But the stock vibrato leaves a lot to e desired, it's just a bit loose, meaning I can pull it a minute amount and get no pitch bend, then barely apply more pressure and get like +/- 5 cents instantly, making it hard to be really subtle with. And the arm falls out constantly.

Any upgrade suggestions? I know the Mastery setup is normally recommended for jazzmasters but I've read conflicting reports of how they work out on the Squiers

Thanks!

May 10, 2022, reply to u/ItsSadButtDrew

The tuning on the stock jmjm is unreal - you can drop the low e all the way down to a super low a for some crazy raga drone metal shit

Visible in this September 11, 2015 Instagram post.

Visible in this September 11, 2015 Instagram post and in this photo from Bulli’s website, titled “ Alex+Bulli+at+Home.jpg”.

Featured in this April 14, 2018 Reddit post and mentioned in this July 24, 2022 Reddit reply.

Reddit, April 14, 2018, "NPD: Hudson Broadcast & MF Delay" (with the following comment:)

Got the MF Delay about two weeks ago, and came back home to find the Broadcast waiting for me this week after ordering in February. I’ve really wanted both of these for a while, and wanted to wait for the honeymoon phase to wear off before posting / reviewing them.

MF Delay is phenomenal, I can’t believe they were on sale for $100. Keeping the drive around 9 o’clock thickens up the wash without adding too much of a volume bump when the pedal is turned on/off. Delayed notes are present without sticking out, and disintegrate nicely after a few repeats.

The Hudson Broadcast is what I’ve been looking for in guitar overdrive. Natural-sounding, wide ranges of gain are super easy to dial in, the knob ranges from essentially no OD to more gain than I need, but doesn’t fall apart or get too squishy. Second channel is just the right step up from the first one, regardless of where the gain knob is set. Independent volumes per-channel help out a ton, although they’re normally pointed in almost the exact same direction.

18v sounds even better than 9v operation, I’d love to try it on 24 sometime. I’m not sure of the exact circuit topology, but it seems like the volume knobs almost have a sweet spot of 1/2 o’clock (slight volume increase), seems to fill out the bottom end a tiny bit. Not sure if it’s hitting the transformer harder, changing the impedance coming to/from it etc, but it just generally seems to create a slight but pleasant tonal shift. Could just be how it’s hitting my JMP’s preamp, but seems to have at the same spot regardless of where the preamp gain is set

If you have a Broadcast, I’d suggest trying it first in the chain. It sounds 99% the same anywhere (after buffers, after other TB pedals, etc, there’s no “bad” place to put it) but like most germanium-based things it seems to feel best when it’s looking straight at your pickups.

All I can say is wow. You could easily play a whole set with just these two pedals.

Reddit, July 24, 2022, reply to u/small-breakfast's "Do you have an always-on, first-in-chain pedal?"

Hudson broadcast with the gain around 11 o’clock 🤤

Alex Bulli uses the Nobels ODR-1 Natural Overdrive pedal, as discussed in a Reddit thread by user gguy48. In a February 26, 2023, response, the ODR-1 was highlighted for its ability to provide a consistent tone across various backline amps while on tour. Additionally, on November 26, 2023, user orewhat praised the ODR-1 for its touch responsiveness and dynamic range, emphasizing its versatility in both clean and overdriven settings.

In a Reddit comment dated December 25, 2023, Alex Bulli is mentioned using the Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz, specifically in mode 2 with the gain set to zero. The source author describes it as "$20 well spent."

In a Reddit post dated June 24, 2016, Alex Bulli's use of the Ibanez Tone-Lok FZ7 Fuzz is highlighted. The post describes the pedal as "spitty & aggressive" with a retained low-end on guitar, and details its integration into Bulli's effects chain, including its interaction with the Arc Klone. The user shares excitement about the pedal's performance and affordability, despite a photo quality issue due to a damaged camera lens.

Featured in this September 11, 2016 Reddit post, which includes the following comment:

Kind of got this on a whim because it was cheap on Reverb. Sounds like a better Blues Driver, can't really imagine using it on the Standard mode that often. I'm not really sure what to use it for though, maybe I just have too much low-gain drive on my board, but I haven't found myself using it as much as I thought I would these first few days (got it on Tuesday).

Sounds good with the gain on 0 as a boost, or to play White Reaper songs with the gain around noon / 2 o'clock. I don't love how the tone knob sounds when it starts getting opened up more, little harsh in the highs maybe?

I'd love to hear from people about how they use their BD or BD-2w. I like the sound well enough, just haven't been able to figure out where in my pedal chain it should go, or what kind of sounds to really use it for.

I play a JMJM or Tele into a Marshall JMP with a ton of other little boxes inbetween

SGFX If 6 Was 9 Fuzz > Empress Comp > EQD Terminal > Ibanez FZ-7 > Boss VB-2w > Arc Effects Klone > Caline Pure Sky > SGFX Apollo > Mr. Black Deluxe Plus > Stigtronics V-Drive > Red Witch Fuzz God II > EQD Monarch > EQD Sea Machine > DD7 > Strymon Deco > EQD Speaker Cranker > DD500 > SGFX Surf Rider

Featured in this August 25, 2017 Reddit post, which includes the following comment:

D@+@ <0rrup+€r

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Edit: Here's a quick Tascam / iPhone demo, just did a quick take playing a bassline for a while, then made gibberish noises over it on a second pass.

https://soundcloud.com/a-b-33759113/data_corrupter

Drum Track: Figure App > iPhone speaker against tele pickup > Tascam | Main Synth: Tele > Data Corrupter > Arc Klone > Tascam | Third Track: One pass of random gibberish sounds / riffs with Data Corrupter and other pedals (Oscar Fuzz, Arc Klone, Warped Vinyl, DD500, etc etc. This one is buried and I bring it in later on

More weird sounds come in about halfway, and after the drums drop out it's just the Data Corrupters noise w/ other pedals, some reverse stuff.

Recorded playing out of the tape deck > stereo > iPhone voice memo because I can't find a single 1/8" cable in the house.

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Original Post:

After staying up until 3am last night watching every single video I could find of this thing, I called all the stores in town this afternoon and eventually found one left in stock. I was worried that all the (professional) demos sounded way too good, too pristine, too "straight out of the gameboy", and that they had to be heavily doctored / gated in post to get a usable, non-digital sound.

After about a couple hours of tinkering it became obvious that that was NOT the case, and once you figure out how to work with the pedal (neck pickup, 7th fret and up) it will basically turn anything you play into a rich, saturated, wobbling chiptune symphony.

I'm typing this quickly on my phone so I can get back to playing, but my mind is blown at how rich / organic / lively these entirely synthesized sounds feel. A good excuse to crank the bass and volume knobs way up and shake your entire house - very exciting addition to the collection.

I'd recommend watching the: Vintage King, EQD, and Reverb pedal demos.

Chain is currently: Data Corrupter > Oscar Fuzz > Arc Klone > Deluxe Plus > Warped Vinyl > Stigtronics V Drive > Empress Comp > Surf Rider > DD500

Featured in this November 5, 2018 Reddit post, which includes the following comment:

Wanted to check out Fairfield's stuff for a while now, could not have been happier to see this come up on Craigslist.

Fairly clean if you want it to be, but it really shines when you let some of its character come through. Ended up at the end of the chain because it takes a bunch of delay/verb/gain without getting muddy, and the 3-way tone cut makes it easy to switch guitars or amps without worrying about a knob position.

The overall EQ & shape of the grit lend nicely to a jangly, broken Fender sound (Women, Omni etc), especially with the Sag knob rolled back.

Board: Broadcast > Warped Vinyl > Gravitas > Stigtronics Drive > MF Delay > Surf Rider > Deco > Barbershop > DD500

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DEMO

DEMO

https://soundcloud.com/a-b-33759113/barbershop-overdrive-demo

:00 - :08 light Surf Rider & Deco Slapback

:08 - :15 add Barbershop (volume boost, drive & sag at 11 o'clock)

:15 - :37 add second stage of Surf Rider

:37 - :44 add Broadcast low gain

:44 - 1:00 add Broadcast high gain

Jazzmaster > Broadcast > Surf Rider > Deco > Barbershop > '77 JMP

Featured in this January 29, 2018 Reddit post, which includes the following comment:

Was trying not to get too excited about these until I heard one in person, but they knocked it out of the park.

Pristine “Fender” sounds in an unbelievably light box - this could absolutely take the place of your usual amp for a fly-out gig, or save you a ton of money on gear rentals for an international run of shows.

My biggest fear was that the 1/4” jack on the front was the input, which would inevitably get destroyed within days. It’s the headphone out, which would make this perfect late-night practice amp.

Featured in this January 13, 2017 Reddit post.

Featured in this October 22, 2016 Reddit post, which includes the following comment:

Pretty simple idea, but an amazing pedal. Got it primarily for bass but will trying to get some weird sounds on guitar too.

Very low noise floor, totally silent unless everything is being boosted drastically. Haven't figured out where in the signal chain it will go, probably after most of my fuzz & drive to shape the overall sound.

Anyone want a GE-7 with a missing slider cap?

In a Reddit comment dated May 25, 2023, user Ok_Section_7017 discusses the Fender Bass VI, mentioning that Alex Bulli and a friend ordered these instruments simultaneously. They note challenges with intonation using the stock strings and saddles, and plan to switch to La Bella flatwounds for better performance. Despite its current limitations, the instrument is described as fun to play, though not yet ready for recording or live performance.

Mentioned in this April 9, 2017 Reddit post.

Been trying to work on some demos all weekend and keep getting the same error every time I attempt to use my Focusrite (I know) Saffire Pro 26.

Bulli's first bass, used in the early days of Frankie and the Witch Fingers. Bulli mentions it in this November 19, 2017 Musician’s Friend The Hub interview and in this March 3, 2023 Reddit reply.

Musician’s Friend, The Hub, "Vibing with Frankie and The Witch Fingers" (November 19, 2017)

Alex: [...] My first bass was the Squier Affinity P-Bass. I got it for free through a friend and played it in a band called Prince Moondog with two of these guys for like a year and a half, and used it in the beginning with Frankie. Finally, I just had to get a new bass.

Glenn: We basically shamed him into getting a new bass.

Alex: It sounded fine, but it wasn’t a great bass. It couldn’t be intonated properly.

Josh: It was your Dad who made you get a new one.

Alex: He called me up, ‘You’re about to go on tour; you have to get a good bass”. So I got one of the newer Fender American Jaguar basses with the P & J pickups, and a billion ways to blend them. It’s funny, there’s so many options, but I only use one. I use the Jazz pickup—not the active mode—passive mode with the volume all the way up and the tone at about 9, and it’s beautiful.

Reddit, r/Bass, March 3, 2023, reply to u/TrueHeadallefe

lol I toured the us and europe with a squire [sic] affinity p, yes

An OEM Oscar FY-6 is featured in this August 8, 2017 Reddit post and mentioned in this November 19, 2017 Musician's Friend The Hub interview. Progress on an attempt to clone it is documented in this November 14, 2018 Reddit post.

Reddit, r/guitarpedals, August 8, 2017, "'All you need is fuzz' - 1960's Oscar Two-Knob Fuzz" (which includes the following comment)

This beautiful black box was the first pedal I ever used, and my dads first when he got it in the late 60's. He doesn't remember much about it other than that it used to have a plate that said "Oscar" on the front, and I can't find anything about it online.

What I've gleaned is that Shin-Ei licensed some circuits to the Oscar company in the late 60's for American sale & distribution. This only has two knobs (fuzz and volume), but no tone switch like the Shin-Ei Superfuzz.

Spitty, thick grains of fuzz that come and go really quickly, really nasty and organic feeling while you're playing. Very touch sensitive, like playing into an ancient, broken amp with tattered speakers. The EQD Terminal can get kind of close to matching this things sound, but has way more bass doesn't work as well with light playing.

Inside of the pedal has a 9v snap, but my dad always had an adapter to use 2x AA's instead of a 9v, which I think only gives 3 volts of combined power. I tried it on the Iso-Brick from 6v-9v, but switched back to the AA's pretty quickly.

I had more fun playing with just this for a few hours yesterday than I have with a full pedalboard in ages.

All you need is fuzz.

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https://soundcloud.com/a-b-33759113/oscar-fuzz-twinkle

https://soundcloud.com/a-b-33759113/oscar-fuzz-chords

Voice memo quality, but you can get a rough idea of the sound.

Reddit, August 8, 2017, reply on the aforementioned post to u/vox_repeater

Putting this into a board is definitely a chore due to the left-mounted jacks - combined with he fact that it absolutely has to be first in the chain or else the fuzz sound devolves into something resembling a bunch of forks in a blender.

Musician’s Friend, The Hub, "Vibing with Frankie and The Witch Fingers" (November 19, 2017)

Alex: I still have the very first fuzz pedal I ever owned, something my dad gave me. It was made by this company Oscar, who made pedals for Shin-Ei in America in the ‘60s. It’s not the Super Fuzz and it’s not the Companion Fuzz. It’s a kind of weird blended circuit. I opened it up recently, trying to clone it. All the capacitors are all the same values, but they’re wired in these crazy configurations. I’ve been using that one forever. It’s by far the best thing. I got an EarthQuaker Devices Terminal Fuzz for bass that’s almost identical to that fuzz, I think it’s a JAX clone. That’s when I realized that I really liked the Oscar.

The HUB: You probably feel better gigging with the Terminal, though?

Alex: Yeah, you don’t want to take something that old out.

Reddit, r/diypedals, November 14, 2018, "Where to find companion-style enclosures?"

Really want to get an angled / flip bottom enclosure for a companion style fuzz I’m working on, but am having the hardest time finding anything.

Greatly appreciate any leads - have almost resigned myself to getting a normal enclosure, cutting it at an angle, and making my own bottom for it.

Image for reference: https://goo.gl/images/nvc78j

Thanks in advance!

Alex Bulli uses the Ampeg V-4B bass amplifier head, as indicated in multiple Reddit discussions. In a 2019 post on r/guitarpedals, Bulli describes the V-4B as integral to their setup, enhancing the sound alongside a Mr. Black Bass OD pedal. Further comments on r/ToobAmps and r/Bass over the years highlight Bulli's preference for the V-4B, emphasizing its sound quality even in various performance settings ranging from small clubs to large amphitheaters.

Known from two Reddit posts:

Reddit, r/Bass, April 6, 2016, "Anyone have an SVT III (non-pro) Manual?"

I have an SVT III (non-pro model, pretty different internally from the 3-Pro) and was hoping that someone either has a .pdf of the owners manual, or a physical copy they would be willing to photograph.

Reddit, r/Bass, February 11, 2017, "Is an Ampeg V4B actually loud enough to gig/tour with?"

Pretty self-explanatory. Currently using an 200 watt SVTIII & it's loud enough 93% of the time

Borrowed for live shows, as stated anecdotally in this October 20, 2015 Reddit comment by Bulli on his post from the same day, "NPD: Empress Compressor".

Prefer it to the Keeley 4-knob I was borrowing for shows, as it's easier to dial in exactly what you want (more intuitive controls + led readout + mix knob), and doesn't cut bass noticeably.