Trust me - it is a bass guitar! "But it has six strings?" "And is that a tremolo?" "Aren't those P90 pickups?!?!?" "Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!"

The Eastwood Sidejack BassVI does have all of those features, but it's still a bass - and, a pretty darned awesome bass at that! 

The Sidejack is part of Eastwood's line of 60's Mosrite-inspired designs. They also offer an electric guitar as well as a baritone guitar. But what's the difference between this instrument and a baritone guitar? The tuning! A baritone guitar is typically tuned a 4th below standard tuning from B to b. Thie Sidejack is tuned a full octave below guitar tuning E-e (the bottom 4 strings are the same as a standard bass guitar). Eastwood has successfully married the cool aesthetic of the popular 60's surf guitar with the unique utility of the iconic Fender Bass VI!

I acquired this instrument with the specific intent of using it with my new side project, Crazy Aces, an instrumental band marrying elements of 60's twang/surf music with rock, punk and Japanese eleki. The Eastwood has delivered the goods far beyond my expectations!

Aesthetics/Construction

Eastwood imports instruments from overseas to Canada for final fitting and setup. This is an increasingly popular business scheme with many instrument companies & fortunately Eastwood is doing a great job with it! My Sidejack arrived in-tune, set up well and with nearly flawless finish! 

 The carved and bound basswood body has a beautiful vintage cream finish that you really need to see in person to appreciate! It's a subtle shade of off-white that gives the instrument an appealing depth. The black 'binding' is painted-on, but still looks sharp! The only finish issue I could nit-pick is a tiny amount of black overspray on the headstock edges. Still, the finish is smooth and far better than the price point would suggest!

The body carving is a nice touch on the top of the guitar & there is a belly contour on the back. Overall, the instrument is on the heavy side but the neck shape is comfortable. The scale length is 30" from nut to bridge and is glued to the body with a traditional neck heel transistion. The truss rod is accessible from the neck & is covered by a black plastic cover which I wish was contoured the same as the headstock, but functions just fine.

The hardware is of remarkable quality considering the budget price! The sealed tuning machines work flawlessly & with consistent tension. Note the cool 'wavy' tuning buttons! They are also sturdy & accept the heavier bass strings with ease. The tremolo unit is very similar to the Fender BassVI version, but without the position-lock feature. Still, it works surprisingly well & returns to pitch admirably. I don't honestly use the tremolo much, but it's up to the job if needed. The bridge is intonation and height adjustable and is solid. It comes complete with saddle rollers. Where the Sidejack really shines is those pickups! P90's on a bass are a novel thing - but man-o-man do these pickups sound good! Punchy, present and with average output compared to a passive jazz bass. The Sidejack sounds like a bass, not just a reedy guitar! Standard 3-way toggle selection and passive tone & volume round out the electronics.

 How does a 30" instrument stack up to other guitars in terms of size? Well, right down the middle! 

The Eastwood Sidejack BassVI flanked by a standard 34" scale bass and a 24 3/4" guitarSounds

Right off the bat, the Eastwood sounds like a solid bass guitar. The bottom 4 strings are close to 'normal' bass gauges and provide familiar fundamental and power. The pickups are full, clear and clean. They are single coil, so thay can pick up some noise when solo'ed, but when both pickups are on - it's as quiet as a church mouse! 

The playing experience is a little different due to the short scale and tight, guitar-like string spacing. You can still dig your fingers in for fingerstyle playing, but using a pick feels more natural on the Sidejack BassVI. The string gauges have been well chosen & are a little stiffer than you might expect from a 30" scale. There's plenty of snap & resistance! 

The treble strings extend well out of traditional bass guitar range, so expect different tones and textures from them. Chording is actually quite effective, especially in upper registers. 

As expected, the two pickups yield different but complimentary tones. The neck pickup has a nice girth, but with plenty of brightness. The bridge has more snarl and a throaty punch. Either pickup is useful on its' own playing traditional musical styles. 

I've recorded a clip to demo the raw sound of the instrument, along with a couple of in-context samples that show how effective the Sidejack Bass VI is in traditional bass roles.

First, the bass plugged directly into a di (Groove Tubes 'The Brick' tube di) and recorded in ProTools. No eq, compression or processing was applied to this clip (other than mp3 conversion). There are 3 ascending/descending major scales starting with the neck pickup, then both pickups together and lastly just the bridge pickup. Played with a pick, all controls on full:

Second, the sound of the neck pickup played fingerstyle in a 'traditional jazz' setting. Again, no eq or compression, tone control at about 85%:

Last, an example of how I use the Sidejack as a "tic-tac" instrument. "Tic-Tac" bass was developed in the late 50's in both country and surf music. 'Spaghetti Western' music also used the technique to great effect. 'Tic-tac' refers to the use of a BassVI or Baritone guitar to double a recorded upright or muddy-sounding bass part. The effect gives a 3-d type tone and helps to make a bass line really 'stick out' in a pleasant way! In recent years, this technique shows up in songs by Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley and many others! Here's a clip that gives you an idea how it works. The music starts with drums, adds the "muddy" bass (in this example an old Yamaha hollowbody with flatwound strings) and then the Eastwood is used to add the 'tic-tac' attack! Some eq and amp simulation was used in this recording:

Style, tone and flexibility! And all for about $649.00 U.S.! 

Available direct from Eastwood Guitars, or at dealers across the U.S.A. and Canada!
 

Video Demo:

Here's a performance of me using the Eastwood Sidejack BassVI live with Crazy Aces! Recorded on a crappy cell-phone camera, but it still sounds great!
 

Tech Talk:

Eastwood Sidejack BassVI

at Eastwood Guitars

Strung up with a custom set of D'Addario XL nickel roundwounds

gauges: .025, .035, .045, .055, .075, .095

full disclosure: I did receive this instrument direct from Eastwood at a slight discount as I have an informal relationship with them.

Aftermarket Strings for the Kala U-Bass

Info at the Itailian Aquila website

The Kala U-Bass (read more here) has become an invaluable and beloved instrument to me!  It's essentially a baritone-size ukulele with specialized strings.  The resulting tone is more akin to a traditional acoustic double bass than a ukulele.  It's truly a tonal wonder! my Kala U-bass sporting a set of Aquila Thundergut strings Part of the instruments "magic" is the polyurethane strings that are used by Kala.  A company called Road Toad manufactures these black polyurethane strings and sells them under the name 'Pahoehoe'.  I honestly was very happy with these stock, original equipment strings despite a few peculiarities and maintenance issues.

I found out about the Aquila aftermarket 'Thundergut' U-Bass strings on the internet, specifically a bass-related forum called talkbass.com .  I watched a youtube clip

First off, a little about the original equipment Pahoehoe strings: I really do love the tone and extremely rubbery feel of the original Pahoehoe's. I still do!  They sound huge and the extremely loose tension and bouncy feel force you to play very differently than a traditional bass or bass guitar.  In fact, pretty significant adjustments need to be made to your approach to playing the instrument and even note selection adjustments in some cases.  The sustain is short, but the big tone complements this well. There are some notable drawbacks to the Pahoehoe strings, however - tuning stability is rather poor. I found myself needing to retune every 5 or 6 songs or so after the strings' "breaking-in period" which lasted almost 2 weeks!  The Pahoehoe's were also rather difficult to install, especially the 2 treble strings.  It took me (a competent guitar and bass tech) over half an hour to install and tune up a new set of Pahoehoe strings.  Still, despite these drawbacks, the stock Pahoehoe strings are well worth the effort.

On to the Aquila Thundergut's:  The first thing to notice is the white color.  At first, I was not enthusiastic about the aesthetic change, but I've come around to digging it!  The sound is very similar to the Pahoehoe strings, however the Thundergut has far more treble detail and more acoustic volume.  The volume from the instruments pickup is also a touch louder.  The real difference is the feel & stability!  The tension is much higher with the Aquila's.  You lose a bit of the rubber-band like quality, although the strings still feel very different than any steel or traditional gut string you may have played.  This higher tension facilitates higher speed playing and glissandos as well as helping to stay in tune when sliding to notes!  Players who had a hard time transitioning to the U-Bass would definitely find the Aquila's easier to get used to.  

For me, the added treble response is of little benefit as I tend to go for a deeper, less bright tone with the U-Bass. However, players looking for a more 'modern', full-range tone will love the Thundergut's!

Tuning stability is probably the greatest benefit of the Aquila string.  My set of Thundergut's took only minutes to install and reached tuning stability in only 2 days!  Tuning stability has remained at least 50% better than the stock strings.

 The Aquila's come as a raw string with no ball end or grommet like the Pahoehoes have.  In the 2 pictures below, you can see how I 'salvaged' the red retaining grommets from the stock black Pahoehoe strings and used them on the Thundergut after tying a knot at the bridge end.  The good news is that the Aquila is far easier to install as they stretch less to get to pitch and 'grab' the tuning posts better!  A little less elegant than the Pahoehoe's crimped and grommeted end, but still entirely serviceable!

a set of Pahoehoe strings - note the crimped end and red grommet/washers

Thundergut ready for installation with tied end and 'borrowed' red grommet

Sound

Overall, both strings sound remarkably similar.  The Aquila definitely exhibits more treble range (almost too much in my opinion), but it is easy to 'tone down' with eq.

First, two clips demonstrating the basic 'idea' of a U-Bass with Aquila Thundergut strings installed. The first clip is with no eq, the second clip with about -12db of cut at around 2khz (more like I like it!).  Neither clip has had compression or post-processing.

Secondly, a comparison of the Thundergut's and Pahoehoe's.  Each clip was recorded straight to ProTools with no equalisation, compression or gain compensation.  This is what you get plugged straight in.

Road Toad Pahoehoe:

Aquila Thundergut:

Combination Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz Pedal with parallel blending and 3 band eq.

      The Multidrive at Empress Effects Website 

A brief admission:  I purchased this Empress Multidrive fully intending to use it in my electric guitar rig, not my bass rig!  However, I’ve found that the other Empress pedals that I previously acquired all worked quite well with bass – I regularly use an Empress ParaEq on stage and in the studio.  Empress seems to have put high sound quality and low noise at the forefront of their design approach & all of their pedals that I have tried (and bought each time) have proved to deliver to this end.  Just like my other Empress effects, the Mutidrive works just as well on bass as it does on guitar with a full-spectrum frequency response and with the high headroom necessary to reproduce modern bass sounds well.

Aesthetics/Construction:

The Multidrive features the same robust Hammon steel enclosure as its brand’s brethren.  The same high quality brushed aluminum knobs and flawless finishing & labeling are also consistent.  Despite the multitude of knobs and switches (10 knobs, 5 toggle switches and 2 footswitches), the layout is logical and fairly easy to read.  The input/output jacks are metal and the standard Boss-style 9v adapter jack is side-mounted next to the output jack.

Empress’ pedals all are very feature laden & as such the internal circuit boards employ lots of mini-components.  Still, like all of the Empress pedals, there is no space inside for a 9v battery. This is an increasingly common trend in pedal effects and tends to be seen more in the ‘boutique’ brands offerings.  You’ll need either a ‘wall wart’ style adapter or a pedalboard power supply (such as VoodooLabs or T-Rex, etc...).

The white on gray lettering on the pedals surface is perfectly rendered, but could be hard to see on a dark stage or studio as there are so many items and the lettering is so small.  The control scheme is logical & consistent, however, which helps to make identification easier and intuitive.

The footswitch and 3-way mini toggle switches are all top quality & operate flawlessly.  The Multidrive features true mechanical bypass.

A note on the 3 ‘effects’:

‘Overdrive’, ‘distortion’ and ‘fuzz’ are all terms that describe a similar audible effect.  Essentially these effects clip the dynamic range of the soundwave to various degrees & thus impart a different texture to the sound.  “Overdrive” is generally used to describe a guitar or bass sound that exhibits only a little bit of clipping & still retains much of the source instruments pure tone. “Distortion” is often applied to all 3 of these clipping effects, but can also refer to a more hard-rock oriented clipping that compresses the dynamic range somewhat and begins to impart added harmonic content.  Fuzz is used to refer to the most obviously clipped tones & can sound either very compressed or wildly out of control!  Fuzz tends to add so much clipping and harmonics that it is difficult to hear the original instruments inherent tone. Varying degrees and textures of fuzz keep many a guitar & bass player awake at night, pondering the sonic peculiarities and possibilities…

Function & Features:

The Empress Multidrive is unique in how it incorporates the 3 different effects into a single integrated unit.  All 3 effects blocks (overdrive, distortion and fuzz) are fed independently from the input jack, process the sound independently, and then are mixed in parallel into the eq circuit & out of the pedal.  Most of us are used to using effects in series, where one tone is fed into the next, not “mixed”.  So, if you are using both ‘overdrive’ and ‘distortion’ modules of the Multidrive simultaneously, you don’t get the expected relationship of “an overdrive making a distortion sound more distorted & louder”, but rather the type of sound you might expect from running two different pedals into 2 identical amps.  It’s an almost 3-D sound & has lots of experimental potential! 

The 'Distortion' module features an extra 3-way toggle that selects 3 very different distortion textures.  Crunch, Mild and Lead.  The Crunch texture is a very typical thick Marshall type drive.  The Mild setting is rather low-gain and sounds more like an overdrive, but a tiny bit more compressed. The Lead setting has lots of gain on tap & is perfect for, well,.. leads!

Each of the 3 effects modules has a 3-position filter control.  The options are 'none' (full range signal), 'lp' (only the lows are let through) and 'hp' (only the highs are let through).  The filters are centered at 500hz, so if you select 'hp', all frequencies below 500hz will be muted. In 'lp', all the sound above 500hz is muted. This is useful when combining different blends of modules. You can, for instance, only apply fuzz to your high end, while simultaneously using overdrive on your low end.  Wicked!  This is where things start getting creative!

The eq section of the Multidrive is post-clipping and acts as a master eq that is active at all times on the signal.  There is also a master ‘level’ control for setting the final output volume of the pedal.  The ‘Low’ eq control is a shelving control that starts at about 150hz and offers +10/-10db of boost or cut.  The ‘Hi’ eq shelf begins at 3khz and also features +10/-10db of boost or cut.  All 3 eq knobs feature a mid-detent for easily finding the flat setting.  Nice!  The mid control offers +10/-10db of control at a selectable center frequency of 250hz, 500hz or 3khz.  It’s an extremely powerful eq capable of dramatic sculpting of the final tone of the pedal!  There’s not a deeper sub eq relevant to bass guitar, however the Multidrive passes the full audio spectrum through & sounds big and full with no low end cut that plagues many distortion units for bass use.  The ‘Bass” control @ 150hz is very effective for adding massive girth!

Perhaps the most confusing feature of the Multidrive is the ‘Select’ feature.  It does not switch directly through the 3 effects types, but is rather a 2-channel preset system for selecting either individual effects or combinations of the effects blocks.  There is a dip-switch terminal inside the pedal that configures the two preset choices.  Either choice can include none, one, two or all three of the effect modules.  For example, you can set up one ‘selection’ as all 3 modules activated & the second ‘selection’ as just the fuzz module.  Or, you could set up your first ‘selection’ as overdrive + fuzz and the second ‘selection’ as everything off (muted).  Any combination is possible, but you are limited to 2 footswitchable presets!  In order to use all 3 modules, you must make sure that your 2 ‘selections’ have all of the modules enabled.  Using each modules dedicated ‘Volume’ control enables you to use effects independently by simply turning them down all the way.

The Sounds:

It would literally take me weeks to record all of the possibilities that the Multidrive is capable of.  Plus, every instrument & amp combination imparts its own tonal factor to the equation (not to mention the player!). I have attempted to record a series of simple, brief clips that demonstrate some of the range of the pedal.  These sounds also represent tones that I personally would find useful in real-world musical situations on bass guitar.

Each clip was played on a stock Fender ’57 Reissue Precision bass.  The bass was plugged straight into the Multidrive, then into a Line6 LowDown bass amp.  I use the LowDown’s xlr out straight into ProTools with absolutely no compression or eq, hardware or software!  I use the LowDown because it’s my opinion that bass guitar sounds best through an amp, particularly with clipping effects!  I’ve used and tested many small studio-friendly bass amps & the Line6 Lowdown’s react very much like a “real” amp.  None of the clips were treated with any post-recording eq or processing other than volume normalization (minimal) and mp3 conversion.  If I used a pick, it is noted below – otherwise all clips were played traditional ‘fingerstyle’.  While I didn’t record clips, I did test the Multidrive with an active bass.  It responded equally well and as predictably as the passive instrument.

-First off, the raw bass-through-amp tone.  just to give you an idea of what the more subtle Multidrive settings are doing to this clean tone in the clips to follow.

-Next, A very light amp-like overdrive setting.  Just a hint of break-up and growl. Overdrive module, with  'Gain' and 'Volume' at about 1o'clock. Eq set flat

-More clipping for a vintage fingerstlye-rock tone. Distortion module set to 'crunch', 'gain' a little past 1o'clock, 'volume' at 11o'clock.  Just a touch of 'hi' eq boost- about 1o'clock.

-A more aggressive distortion with a pick.  Good for riff-rock with a little bit of mid-scoop. Distortion module set to 'lead', 'gain' at 1o'clock, 'volume' at 10o'clock.  Slight 'hi' roll off and 'mid' set to 500hz and cut at 11o'clock.

-A more polite fuzz tone. Fuzz module with 'gain' at 10o'clock, 'volume' a little past 12o'clock. Just a teeny-tiny amount of 'low' boost.

-A nice modern scooped, angry fuzz! Played with a pick. Fuzz module set to 3o'clock on the 'gain' knob, 'volume' dialed back to 10o'clock. 'Hi' eq cut slightly back, 'mid' eq cut to 10o'clock at the 500hz setting and a tiny amount of 'low' boost.

-Example of 2 tones blended together employing the low & high pass filters!  Clean low end courtesy of the overdrive module set to 'lp' mode, 'gain' a bit above 9o'clock, 'volume' at 1o'clock.  The righteous grit comes from the distortion module set to 'hp', the 'crunch' setting, 'gain' at 4o'clock and the 'volume' set to 10o'clock.

-And finally a blend of clean lows from the overdrive module + sizzling highs from the fuzz module. A pick was used. Overdrive set to 'lp', 'gain' a little above 9o'clock, 'volume' set 1o'clock.  Fuzz module set to 'hp', 'gain' a little past 1o'clock, volume on 10o'clock.

There are many, many more combinations and tones available.  This just scratches the surface as to how I would use the Multidrive.  It's a very versatile machine in a remarkably small package!  About $299.00 retail.

EXAR Electronix BD-04 Bass Distortion, OC-04 Octavium and MK-04 Moby Dick Bass Chorus reviews.

EXAR's North American Distributor

Aesthetics/Construction:

 All 3 of the EXAR pedals I was submitted for review arrived in the original packaging with 9v batteries installed and operating perfectly.  All 3 pedals have an attractive matte-black coating of paint as well as easy to read graphics and lettering. 

Honestly, the pictures I had viewed online of the EXAR line led me to believe that the housing would be lightweight plastic – akin to the enclosures that many budget pedals such as ARION use… this is not the case, however!  The pedal chassis is surprisingly heavy and sturdy.  I have no doubt that the EXAR chassis’ will outlive their owners! 

I was less impressed with the footswitch system, however.  It is made of aesthetically matching plastic, but feels cheaper to the touch and does not feel securely mounted to the pedal.  There is obviously a hinge inside, but it doesn’t rotate on a consistent axis.  Instead, it appears that the switch plate floats above a spring-loaded actuator.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the switch plate was broken off or otherwise failed under rigorous touring & stage performance conditions.  The bottom of each pedal has a great, solid rubber pad that rivals BOSS’ pads. 

Each of the ¼”  input and output jacks are metal and firmly mounted on the sides of the box.  The 9v dc adapter jacks are top-mounted and accept standard ‘BOSS-style’ 9volt negative-tip power in addition to the rear battery compartment.  The battery compartment does not require a screwdriver to access, but rather a plastic tension-hinge.  In my opinion this type of battery door is faster and easier to access, but also is prone to breakage and loss.  The doors do fit well and feel reasonably secure, however.

The knobs on all 3 pedals are push-on plastic with matching colored accents.  The turning resistance of all of the pots was firm and smooth- very confidence inspiring.  The settings should remain intact during transit with no problem.

Overall, the build quality is exceptional for pedals at this price point! 

Common Features:

The three EXAR pedals that I received for review all feature EXAR’s relay-controlled true bypass switching.  Relay controlled mechanical switching is the most sophisticated and desirable method of true-bypass.  I normally only expect to find it in the more expensive of effects pedals.  EXAR’s implementation performed as expected with noiseless, immediate switching and no noticeable change of tone when bypassed (using reasonably short cabling).  The pedal footswitch ‘throw’ is also very short and engages immediately upon ‘down’ pressure.

All of the pedals feature a fairly high 1-megaohm input impedance.  They played equally well with my passive and active instruments!

EXAR MK-04 Moby Dick Bass Chorus

In all fairness, I should admit that I’m not a big fan of chorus effects in general.  It may be an unfair bias on my part, but every time I hear bass or guitar chorus, it immediately invokes images of 80’s hair-band rockers flitting about on stage with fluorescent pointy-headstocked instruments.  To many people, there is nothing wrong & everything right about this picture.  (I’m not one of those people.)  ;-)

Despite my discriminatory stance, I have maintained one or 2 chorus pedals in my arsenal for the occasional situation where chorus is absolutely necessary.  I’m always searching for “just the right” tone and performance, so despite my lack of enthusiasm for chorus- I’ve owned a bunch!  Recently, I’ve settled on either a chorus patch on my EH POG2 or a more flexible chorus from a T-Rex Sweeper.  Neither has been particularly inspiring, but they have gotten the job done.  In the past, I've used an ancient Arion Bass Chorus and a great Fulltone Choralflange (the Choralflange was just more chorus than I needed!).

In stepped the EXAR Moby Dick…  Wow, this is actually a bass chorus that inspires! (inspiring even to a ‘hater’ like myself)  The pedal, foremost, is quiet with no added ‘hiss’ or odd warbling between notes.  It’s definitely studio-friendly.  The simple and familiar Rate, Depth and Effect Level controls all function as expected.  There is plenty of range to the ‘Rate’ and ‘Depth’ controls that make it easy to find typical wide, shimmering sounds and all the way up to crazy wobble-drenched detuned-ness.  The ‘Tone’ knob really sets the Moby Dick apart.  It seems to be a particularly effective tilt-eq that allows you to dial in a bright & in-your-face chorus shimmer, or a darker & more delightfully-subtle warm sibilance.  The EXAR is covering the ‘classic’ liquid chorus tones that a couple of my clients’ music calls for, but it also has a range of other personalities that might just give me reason to call on it as a more creative ingredient.

Color me dumbfounded, but I expect the Moby Dick is going to be my first EXAR pedal purchase!

In the first clip below, hear how the Moby Dick preserves the low-end and fundamental tone of the instrument (first half of clip uneffected, second half with chorus engaged).  The second clip demonstrates a more "wet" and melodic chorus with a little reverb added:

 From EXAR’s American Distributor, $129.95 including shipping!

EXAR Moby Dick Bass Chorus

EXAR OC-04 Octavium Multi-Octave Divider

Unlike my general lack of regard for ‘chorus’ effects, I’m a rabidly stalwart proponent of octave-down effects for bass!  Since getting my first octaver almost 2 decades ago, octave-down has become one of my own “signature” go-to tones.  Octave-down (and occasionally, octave-up) isn’t only about helping a bassist fill the mix out in a power trio- there are dozens of ways to use it creatively to sound more ‘synthy’, help support upper-register runs, etc..

Just as a general gauge of my addiction to octavers, consider the fact that I usually own 4-5 different octave effects and always have 2 on my pedalboard at the same time.  (I use too many different octave-down textures for me to be happy with just one pedal!)  Currently I’m favoring the MXR Bass Octave Deluxe and Aguilar Octamizer on my pedalboard.  I also keep an EH POG2 handy as well as the Line6 digital algorithms in various formats (POD X3, Lowdown amp and recording plug-ins).  In the past I’ve used & owned the BOSS OC-2, EBS Octabass, EH Micro POG and Ashdown Sub-Octave (probably others as well…).

So, it shouldn’t surprise that I was very excited to try out the EXAR Octavium!  The Octavium combines features of the popular BOSS OC-2 and EH POG series.  It has classic -1 octave down, -2 octave down and a fuzzed octave up (very similar to an Octavia).  Along with these octave-generated sounds, the EXAR lets you blend in the dry bass or guitar signal.  Additionally, the -1 and -2 octave sections have a dedicated tone control for each which modifies the generated tone respectively.

First off, it’s important to note that the Octavium is monophonic (with the exception of the +1 setting, details below).  It can only reliably track a single note at a time.  Playing two or more notes simultaneously causes the pedal to track incorrectly, causing unpleasant warbly sounds or generating incorrect pitches altogether.  The documentation doesn’t confirm it, but this leads me to believe the Octavium is all-analog (no digital conversion or pitch detection).  I generally prefer the tone of analog octavers, so that’s ok with me!

For bass guitar, -2 octaves  really isn’t super useful.  Indeed the -2 tone generated by the Octavium is so low & flabby that it isn’t easy to incorporate seamlessly into the music that I play.  It could be interesting as a synthy sub-harmonic generator for some styles, but the tone of the generated -2 octaves isn’t particularly strong or resonant despite the tone controls efforts.  I found the same to be true running the Octavium through my electric 6-string guitar rig, the -2 sound just wasn’t authoritative.

The -1 octave on the EXAR really does sound cool, however!  On bass, it tracks reliably and consistently down to about F# or G on th low ‘E’ string.  The tone range makes it possible to dial in thumpy lows or a more growly synth-like tone.  The Octavium tracks rather quickly as well & didn’t feel sluggish with higher-register runs.  Pretty impressive for a pedal costing less than $150!  Honestly, however, I don’t think that it tracks or sounds quite as good as the similarly priced EBS Octabass (priced around $160).  Of course, the EBS doesn’t have the -2 octave or cool +1 octave (read on…).

Octave up with fuzz was the classic ‘Octavia’ pedal made legendary by Jimi Hendrix.  The EXAR ‘Octavium’ was clearly geared toward mimicking the classic effect & does a remarkable job with just one knob!  On bass, the +1 tracks well and the fixed fuzz amount is well,.. pretty perfect!  I really liked the +1 setting on electric guitar, too.  It sings and has a great overall shape despite just having control only over the mix of the +1 and dry instrument signals.  Comparing it the POG series of octave-up’s, I actually like the EXAR’s tone better (of course the POG’s don’t have the added fuzz).  I could see my self getting some traction even on bass out of the EXAR’s +1 octave!  It should be noted that the +1 Octave setting does track polyphonically (more than one note simultaneously).

I’m an octaver snob.  And I’m proud of it!  That said, while I’m not “blown away” by the Octavium, I definitely think it’s worthy of auditioning for anyone looking for an analog octaver.  There are ‘sexier’ octave-downs on the market, for sure- but the EXAR offers 2 extra effects rarely seen in an analog pedal.  Plus, analog octave pedals are really instruments in their own sense- requiring the user to learn how to play it with touch sensitivity, hand technique and attention to the pedals’ limitations (definitely part of the charm of analog octavers!). The Octavium could just be your favorite, if not mine.

A few quick & dirty clips that demonstrate a few things...  The first clip is the -1 Octave effect. At the end of this clip I descend dowt to the open 'E' string to show how well it tracks down to about 'G' or even 'F#'.  The second clip is the -2 Octave effect and the last clip demonstrates the +1 Octave Fuzz (in this mode the Octavium even tracks chords well without any glitching!):

A definite value in the crowded octaver market at $149.95 direct!

EXAR Octavium

EXAR BD-04 Bass Distortion

When it comes to ‘dirty’ bass, I’m not afraid.  In fact, it’s rare that I play or record with a totally clean tone.  I like grit.  Sometimes I like a lot of grit!  I’ve found that a musically overdriven, or even fully distorted bass tone works great in almost any ‘popular’ style.  I generally have at least one gain stage clipping whether I’m doing pop, rock or country.  Music sensibilities are changing & it’s definitely o.k. to let the bass tone rock these days!  I’m actually finishing work on a ‘modern country’ record where I’ve had an overdrive + distortion going on every song.  It’s a good time to be a bass player…

I’ve been through a lot of dirt boxes over the years, folks!  With most, I found a sound or two that I liked – but just wasn’t always perfect enough to keep for very long.  From fuzz to distortion to overdrive - I find uses for all of them.  My favorites glued to the pedalboard for well over a year have been an EBS Valve Drive (for light overdrive chores- it’s almost always on) and a Fulltone Mosfet Bass-Drive in the loop of an Exotic X-Blender (the X-Blender turned the Fulltone into a tone monster with a lot more flexibility both live & in the studio!).  Along with those as my dirt vanguard I also regularly employ a Fender Sub-Lime Bass Fuzz, Xotic BB Preamp and an old & trusted BOSS ODB-3 (much maligned, but I’ve gotten some great distortion sounds from it!).  I’ve also owned and auditioned dozens of others (Big Muff variations and clones, the venerable Mesa V-Twin, Wooly Mammoth, Z-Vex Box of Rock, B:AssMaster, HBE Hematoma, etc, etc, etc…  All of this pedal-format goodness get’s pumped into one of my all-tube touring rigs for even more crunchiness.  Did I mention I’m not afraid of dirt?

The EXAR Bass Distortion’s controls looked instantly familiar as they closely mimic the BOSS ODB-3.  So, I was kind of expecting a similar sound.  They turned out to be quite different tonally!  The EXAR is definitely rude & aggressive.  Its’ grit-texture is a bit closer to ‘fuzz’ in my opinion, but without the frying high-end and glitchiness.  Even at low ‘Distortion’ settings, the EXAR still clips easily.  At first, I had trouble coaxing lower-gain, dynamic overdrive out of it - but after spending more time with it I managed some decent amp-like mild grind.  Still, it just wants to distort! But, let’s not overlook that it’s called a “Distortion"!  One nice thing is that it responds to both active & passive sources remarkably consistently.

Honestly, the EXAR BD-04 didn’t really work great for me.  That’s not to say it doesn’t kick-butt at what it does though!  It distorts quickly and is a little bit ‘sputtery’.  The attack of each note can be harsh regardless of eq settings.  (It’s actually quite reminiscent of an active bass plugged into a Wooly Mammoth.) The ‘mix’ function is very handy, but does little to tame the mid-forward honk of each note.  All of this brashness, however, does help the EXAR stick out well in a mix.  It is transistory and brash & makes no apologies.  Despite all of this attitude, there is virtually zero noise between notes without sounding ‘gated’!  Pretty impressive!

Speaking of noise performance, the EXAR excels at being quiet – no matter what the setting.  The treble eq adds no appreciable noise in a studio environment up until the last 5-10% of it’s range.  The bass eq is very effective and can boost or cut a broad amount.  The eq section is independent of the ‘distortion’ and ‘mix’ function as well, so it acts perfectly as a 2-band cut/boost eq!

Overall, I liken the EXAR Bass Distortion as being a very close cousin to the more widely-available BOSS ODB-3.  Where the BOSS is very scooped & fizzy, however, the EXAR is very throaty & mid-boosted.  Otherwise, both pedals function nearly the same.  If you tried and liked the ODB-3, but found it too scooped and trebly- the EXAR might be a perfect substitute.

It’s not for me, but performs impressively as a mid-forward true distortion.  The eq offers more low end than anyone could possibly need and it doubles as an effective 2-band eq.

Two clips, the first demo'ing a lower-gain overdrive, the second showing the more agressive side of the EXAR Bass Distortion: 

A worthy alternative to that ubiquitous yellow pedal you see everywhere!  Only $129.95 shipped to your door… 

EXAR Bass Distortion

Notes about the clips:  All clips recorded with a passive Fender American Vintage Reissue '62 Jazz Bass.  Signal chain was bass>EXAR pedal>Line6 LowDown amp set to the 'British' model and very clean>xlr from LowDown into MBox2Pro converter>ProTools.  No eq or compression was used, only normalization and mp3 conversion on the recorded audio files.