When it comes to classic rock bass guitar tones, Ampeg always comes to mind. Now they’ve figured out how to get those great tones in a pedal.
The controls are quite simple; a three band EQ and volume knobs do exactly what’s expected of them, but the ultra-low, and ultra-hi really add an extra depth in the low and high ends, respectively. Bassists are a lot simpler to compare to guitarists, especially when pedals and external gear are concerned, so it’s not hard to dial in great tones with just a few knobs, and a couple of buttons.
Plugging into the front end of an amp brings that warmth and punch that Ampeg’s known for. The EQ section works incredibly well, with both active and passive basses. When engaging the ultra hi and lo functions, some additional tailoring of the EQ might be needed, as they do make a noticeable jump tonally, so feel free to tweak away. It’s flexible enough to make things pop, but stays in the right range for bass guitar.
Live, it brings those classic sounds to players who may not want to commit to a vintage style rig. Plugging one of these into the front end of any amp makes it hyper easy to warm up even the most sterile solid-state amp rig. And for $99, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than a vintage rig.
Using one of these in a recording setting, instead of a plug-in, can make a recording session a lot easier, saving processing power on the DAW, and getting a great warm bass tone that won’t get forgotten at the start – something that’ll make a mixing engineer happier. For players who may already have an Ampeg amp, but the hassle of bringing their rig to recording sessions is a burden, this pedal may be the easiest way to deliver that tone without having to load up the van.
This new pedal from Ampeg totally falls in that “great bang for the buck” category. For recording it’s a slam dunk, and for live use it offers up that classic natural bass tone, without space issues. Any bass player looking to expand their tone in an easy-to-use format should consider this as a solution that doesn’t compromise.
PROS:
great format and price for classic bass tones.
CONS:
none.