Recorded direct into Focusrite Saffire 6 interface into MacBook Pro using GarageBand. A Fender American Professional P bass was used for both clips.
Clip 1 - Depth and rate at 4 o’clock, bass at 1 o’clock, treble at 10 o’clock, x-over engaged.
Clip 2 - Depth and rate at 12 o’clock, bass at 12 o’clock, treble at 12 o’clock, x-over disengaged.
Since the advent of the electric bass, the role of the bassist has certainly evolved in terms of technical sophistication and sonic textures. Adventurous low-enders back in the day were enhancing their signal chain by introducing guitar effects pedals that gave their tone, as well as the music, a unique texture. And in time, pedal builders began fine-tuning their products to cater to the frequency spectrum of basses. Electro-Harmonix, now an elder statesman of effects design, has tweaked a number of their formulas to suit low-end sounds, exemplified in their latest release called the Bass Clone. It’s a take on their mighty modulator Small Clone, but with added features to benefit today’s bassists.
Clone Components
EHX’s Small Clone consists of a depth switch and a rate knob, and the tones gleaned from the pedal provide lush modulations and classic chorus sounds. In lieu of the depth switch, the Bass Clone employs a depth dial with a wide range of modulation. And to its right lies the rate control to manipulate the speed of the modulation.
While this pair of dials is conventional to most chorus pedals, what resides below the duo gives the Bass Clone its own identity. The x-over (aka crossover) switch alters the frequencies in which the effect is applied. In the up position, the chorus effect does not impact the lower frequencies, thereby preserving the foundation, or clarity, of the low end. The down position allows the full spectrum of the signal to be effected.
The other two dials on the Bass Clone are more than simple EQ controls. Low end from just the drysignal can be increased or decreased with the bass knob to help alleviate any potential tone sucking from the engaged effect. Meanwhile, the treble dial boosts or cuts highs from the effected signal and provides the means to change the character of the chorus from warm to bright.
Other features include stout 1/4" jacks and the means to power the box with either a 9V battery or adaptor. The Bass Clone is housed in a tough aluminum shell with the Small Clone’s familiar black-and-purple color scheme.
Love Child of Kurt Cobain and John Scofield
Initial experimentation took place with the Bass Clone placed between a Fender American Professional P bass and a Bergantino B|Amp paired with a Bergantino HD112 cab. Starting with all knobs at 12 o’clock (and the x-over disabled), the tone evoked memories of 1991, when Nirvana’s “Come as You Are” waspumping through the airwaves. Cobain was an avid user of the Small Clone, so it’s only fitting that this next iteration of the EHX classic would share its timbral characteristics.
Ratings
Pros:
Easy to sculpt a wide range of cool chorus effects at a pretty awesome price point.
Cons:
Upper ranges of treble control too hissy for studio applications.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$68
Electro-Harmonix Bass Clone
ehx.com
Engaging the x-over sparked low-end cut, as it was intended to do, but the cut was somewhat unpleasant. However, this was easily resolved with a boost of the bass control. It managed to balance the unaffected signal with the modulated sound and thereby maintain the foundation of the P’s notes. In fact, this became my preferred setting as I explored the depth and rate dials.
EHX has provided ample amounts of modulation and speed with the aforementioned controls to reward players with loads of tonal possibilities. My inner Star Wars geek smiled when setting the depth at 9 o’clock and the rate around 11 o’clock, which gave the voice of my P bass a villainous, James Earl Jones quality. John Scofield and Charlie Hunter disciples will dig the Bass Clone in its extreme settings, as the pedal can nail the quivering, organ-esque tones made famous by those guitar heroes.
My only concern with the Bass Clone was the hiss produced with the treble control in its upper ranges. To be fair, some audible hiss with an analog chorus is pretty typical depending on the settings. This was easily tempered by dialing it down, but could be problematic when/if brighter tones are desired. Fortunately, the hiss I heard at home was not as evident onstage. For a jazz/blues gig, I swapped the P bass for a Sandberg TM 5-string and ran a backline GK rig. Overall, the EHX pedal provided a nice spice to my tonal cocktail. For instance, I set the depth and rate at 12 o’clock during a dynamic take on Hendrix’s “Little Wing.” This gave a spacey, airy texture to long notes—nicely enhancing the trippy vibe of the tune. Feeling adventurous later on, I maxed the dials and played percussive, staccato chords over Miles Davis’s “So What.” The tones I gleaned that evening impressed my bandmates, and my experience with the Bass Clone enhanced creativity and musical fun via its multiple modulating features.
The Verdict
If it weren’t for the occasional hiss factor, Electro-Harmonix’s Bass Clone would be an absolute home run. It’s impressively user friendly, can produce familiar tones of decades past with ease, and the 2-band EQ and x-over switch offer handy enhancements to the chorus effect. The Bass Clone will suit the professional or the Padawan, and its quality effects come at a price point that thumbs its nose at the competition. Go ahead and check out the other, more-expensive chorus pedals, but once you compare them with what the Bass Clone has to offer, you might end up leaving the store with some cash left in your pocket.
Watch the Review Demo:
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.