My Thumb likes to be told what to do, but not how to do it... a short story.

hmmm.... the more I think and hear about it, the more I am convinced. Definitely gonna look into biamping, or at least two channel crossover amping. Separating the highs and lows seems the best option for tone control. Not the easiest option, but probably the best.
 
I really... and THE ROCK SAYS REALLY... recommend against true pure-crossover bi-amping. There's a natural and SIGNIFICANT scoop at the crossover point, and the tone ends up very lumpy. Maybe, just maybe, it won't be that bad if your treble cab's a guitar cab, but splitting the signal outright is a huge waste of a bass cabinet. Trust me - if you're going to split the signal, split it like I do - low and full-range. You will not be disappointed. The only way you're not wasting a bass cabinet is if you set the crossover point to something like 80Hz - and who the hell wants a huge scoop at 80Hz!?!? And even then, you're left with 1 cab that sounds like a crying whale and another cab that sounds sort of like a regular bass cab...

Heck, if you want, get a sealed 410 or something as your full range cab; something with a naturally high frequency response. That way, you get a natural, albeit fake 'crossover', since the bass rolloff will be around 60Hz.
 
Just a thought to try out: Aguilar Tone Hammer. It has a special character that could complement your bass the way you want. Also you will have room for detailed midrange manipulation since it has sweepable mids. I have a feeling it is a simple enough piece of gear to let your Thumb's character shine through.
 
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Interesting, thanks for the replies guys! I thought about the Tone Hammer, I'll talk another look at it. As far as signal splitting, yeah, separating out some lows and amplifying the full range is a better solution, one cab low, one cab full range. That Reddi tube looks interesting too, pricey though. I'll continue my quest in those directions...

:)
 
Just picked up a Mesa/Boogie M9 Carbine and Powerhouse 210 cab today. The valve preamp on this thing is impressive! Today I took a giant step forward in the direction of the tone I want from my Thumb. I ordered a Tone Hammer too, should get it in about a week.

So yeah, I just put a big fat diamond on my Thumb ring! I'll see in a week if the Aguilar TH polishes it any more.
 
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Maybe You could try the outboard Sadowsky preamp? Boost a little bass and treble, and it will color your tone and add a compression feel to the sound. Maybe you'll like it.
 
I give up on peddle eq's...

Well... after trying out several peddle eq/DIs I've come to realize my Thumb doesn't need or want one. I just tried out the MXR Bass DI+ and the Aguilar Tone Hammer, and of the two, the Tone Hammer is best for my Thumb... However, I sent it back because my Thumb still sounds best without it... Again, lesson learned.

As I mentioned above, the Mesa M9's valve preamp is by far the best enhancement to my Thumb's tone I ever heard. I just wish it was in peddle form so I didn't have to turn on the 900w sucka for headphone practice, heh heh. Whatever, I'll use the extra electricity for the great tone.

I think I would still like a good overdrive or boost peddle to push the Thumb tone a bit before the amp, maybe to help break up the valve pre if needed. I'm looking into that now. :roll:

I may reconsider the Avalon U5 again, or the REDDI, both look like to be what I'm searching for in the tone department. My bank account won't like it though...

Cheers mates!
 
Seymour Duncan makes a booster pedal, check it out. (Thanks to Luke for bringing that to my attention.) Also, if you 're willing to mod your bass there's the TC line of onboard boosters by Bartonlini, TC-5 gives you a minimum of 6db of boost (supposedly clean as it is not a full blown pream-eq). I play very lightly and the occasions where I want to drive something more are very frequent, so I 've been thinking about that on board. For boost I am using the Tone Hammer at the moment, because of its added tone shaping potential but it's not very transparent and it's slightly hissy with treble. Big fat sound though.
 
Avram said:
Well... after trying out several peddle eq/DIs I've come to realize my Thumb doesn't need or want one. I just tried out the MXR Bass DI+ and the Aguilar Tone Hammer, and of the two, the Tone Hammer is best for my Thumb... However, I sent it back because my Thumb still sounds best without it...
Click to expand...

That was my conclusion too. More than that, flat EQ was the best setting for me also!
:-)
 
Sorry I didnt reply to your PM Avram, I only just noticed it today.
Both channels on my Microbass 2 are dead quiet. There must've been something not right with yours.
With a great bass, like your Thumb, the Microbass 2 isnt really going to improve it's tone, but plug in a completely passive P-bass & man, it really shines.This is where this pedal really shines, but we both know how many P-bass's we have.
I use it mainly because it brings together in one unit, every possible feature I could ever hope to want or need. Like the A/B box, splitter/ blender,pre/post DI, tube sim, ground lift, -10 dB, headfone amp, you know the drill. Swiss army knife of pedals etc etc. It replaces the need for separate, individual devices in one quality unit, with the advantage of being powered in every possible way, from battery, mains to phantom power.
Rather than actually improve a great quality basses tones, it more or less makes it more versatile, rather than improves it.
It's the one pedal I personally couldnt live without.
I find I normally just plug in & set everything flat, but if the need arises for any of it's features, they're there.
Cheers mate.
 
Try the TONEBONE BASSBONE from Radial Engineering! it did wonders for my Corvette by giving it a full, rich and fat tone :)
 
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I like my Boss GT10b. I run it in some sort a parallel-mode, so 50% signal is getting through unprocessed, 50% are only affected by the "Natural" compressor. Helps a lot.
 
Here's something no-one has touched on....which strings are you using?

Though it always sounds like a Thumb, I've found different sets can really change the character of mine.
 
WhiteKnuckles said:
Here's something no-one has touched on....which strings are you using?

Though it always sounds like a Thumb, I've found different sets can really change the character of mine.
Click to expand...

indeed, nickels could help get a "fuller" tone.
 
Thanks for the post Greg! I really did like the Microbass, and was sad to see it go. I'm going to give the Submarine or Submarine Designer from Zeibek a try. I'm also ordering a Fulltone Fatboost for my friend to use on her guitar. I'll hook that up to my bass too as I am on the fence about the Submarine vs Fatboost for a clean, low/low-mid enhancing booster. I think this is what I need more than a full on pre-amp/eq.

I just got one of
FEA Growler.jpg

It is a line splitter (effected and by-pass) plus a 2 channel harmonic enhancer. It helps to warm up the mid-high/high harmonics from the D and G strings, and does some low-mid enhancing too. More testing is in order (just got it 2 days ago), but so far I am really impressed. My Thumb sounds like my Thumb, but a little smoother (less harsh) up top.

I also just ordered
FEA 2ch Mix.jpg

Which I will use to recombine the two signals. This way, no matter what I run my bass signal through, there can always be a clean (undistorted) signal mixed in. Been wanting to try this for a awhile.

I figured I'd run the two channels:
Channel 1 - boost/overdrive/fuzz effects
Channel 2 - clean signal and modulating effects (like chorus, octave, envelope, delay, etc...)

I'll see how it goes in a few days... :P
 
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