ElectroHarmonix Bass Big Muff Pi

126 Guitarist March 2009
ELECTRO-HARMONIX STEEL LEATHER, KNOCKOUT & BASS BIG MUFF PI £49, £40 & £49
BASS
Electro-Harmonix Steel
Leather, Knockout & Bass
Big Muff Pi
£49, £40 & £49
Under £50 each! Bargain ‘bassment’ prices with top-shelf
performance from Electro-Harmonix by Roger Newell
W
hile the convenience
and compact
elements of bass
multi-effects units cannot be
denied (and every home studio
should certainly have one),
when it comes to live
performances many players
still prefer to use individual
pedals. Truth is most bassists
really only favour one or two
specialised sounds on stage so
just having those to hand makes
sense (it’s less confusing and
there’s less to go wrong!).
What’s more, in many cases the
individual models do their
specific jobs rather better than
a multi-effects unit can.
Long gone are the days of
trying regular guitar pedals
and hoping they work for bass.
These days there are a host of
specifically designed stompers
and the Electro-Harmonix
range holds some of the most
intriguing. Here we examine
three of its latest designs that
are not only different but
relatively inexpensive as well.
Steel Leather
Bass Expander
The smallest of our review
models, the Steel Leather is
part of the Electro-Harmonix
Nano Series. Built within a die-
cast chassis it’s very tough and
roadworthy and, although
compact, it does a lot for
something so small. What does
it do? E-H says it’s the opposite
of a compressor: it enhances
and excites your sound to make
it punch out in a mix.
Practically, that means
thinning out muddy lower
midrange and exciting the top
to make it cut, with added
dynamics relative to your pick
attack: it’s not just a tonal thing.
When the effect level pot is set
at zero the dry signal is
unaffected, but there’s loads of
adjustment so it’s best to be
cautious as this pedal is all
about sensitivity and relies on
the volume of your individual
notes. The response control
alters how the strings speak in
relation to each other so if it’s
set low, only the louder notes
are effected. For a balanced
sound turn this control up until
you hear a more even effect.
This not only gives more note
definition to your bass it also
adds a percussive element that
improves punch and projection.
It’s not really designed for use
in the studio, as it can be a little
brash, but during live
performances it really shines.
With its enhanced attack
abilities it enables those
sometimes elusive upper notes
to cut through the boom of the
lower strings, so if you need to
solo or even pop and slap, this
will ensure you get a more even
sound. Cut the flab, stand out in
the mix: that’s what it does.
Knockout
This very aptly named attack
equaliser neatly passes the
signal from your bass through
a seven-pole low pass and six-
pole high pass filter; in other
words it sets you up for a
seriously punchy delivery. With
just three controls on board it
again works incredibly simply
and has the ability to turn a very
average sounding bass into a
mighty beast – so imagine what
it can do with a great guitar!
These controls are essentially
three volumes, one for low
frequencies, one for high, and a
dry that adjusts the input gain.
That means you can use any one
to enhance an area where you
think your bass is lacking, or by
gradually balancing these level
controls you are presented with
a whole new world of tonal
possibilities that targets both
Whether you require a hint of
overdrive or downright dirty,
white flag-waving speaker flatulence,
the Big Muff is the unit for you
Photo gr aPhy by j oby s essio ns
GIT313.rev_ehx 126 29/1/09 6:18:14 pm