
Superb preamp and drive tones combine in a bass utility knife that’s built to last.
Versatile as preamp or overdrive. Built like a tank and feels indestructible. Quiet operation. Very easy to dial in sounds.
Slightly heavy. Could benefit from an XLR out.
$319
Origin Effects Bass DCX
origineffects.com
Origin Effects grabbed the attention of the bass community when they launched their Cali76 compressor, which is now widely acknowledged as an industry standard. Last year the company made another splash among bass players with the release of their BASSRIG Super Vintage and BASSRIG ’64 Black Panel pedals—recreating vintage tube bass tones with impressive accuracy. In a time when much of the musical instrument industry is going digital and embracing the potential of programmability and lighter, more compact products, Origin’s offerings remain stubbornly analog and vintage in look and feel. That’s certainly the case with the DCX Bass, a preamp that’s inspired by the legendary Universal Audio 610 recording console. Though some brave manufacturers admirably emulate the UA 610 in digital form, Origin didn’t seek to imitate the 610 down to the last detail. Instead, they used the 610 as a jumping-off point to create this preamp, EQ, and drive optimized for bass.
A Preamp of Many Hats
Like the UA 610 preamp, the DCX Bass adds color to a signal as well as precise control over level and EQ. It also enhances playing dynamics. Like many other Origin pedals, the DCX Bass is both simple and feature-rich. Four knobs regulate output level, drive, and low-frequency and high-frequency bands, and between those controls you’ll find two switches. A mode switch changes the function of the pedal from EQ mode to overdrive mode. The voice switch lets the user choose from dark, flat, and medium settings. It’s pretty straightforward on the surface. But when you plug in you realize the options and combinations add up to much more than meets the eye.
Cleaning Up in the Studio
Most bass players are accustomed to using straight-to-console tones without effects. But that rarely means your signal sees just a DI. There is almost always some compression and a slight, barely audible harmonic saturation from the desk that makes the low end sound magical. In my own studio work, I use this sound 80 to 90 percent of the time, so I’m pretty used to the way a good board preamp affects my basic tone. Eager to hear how the DCX approximated that sound, I plugged in a Yamaha bass with just a P-style pickup engaged, put the pedal in EQ mode, the voice switch in dark mode, set the drive at 11 o’clock, and both EQ controls at 2 o’clock.
“With the drive knob all the way up and the voice switch set to flat, I was rewarded with a thick overdrive tone with pronounced upper transients that are not at all harsh.”
In this setting, the DCX Bass added perceptible extra warmth. I didn’t hear extra low end, exactly, but I sensed a slower attack that made the bass feel just a little bigger and a bit more like clean ’70s direct tones. When I was moving across the frets on a bass with fresh strings, the fret noises sounded slightly more musical and less harsh—something I always appreciate in tube-driven studio gear. I was very pleased to feel that same sensation from a non-tube-equipped pedal.
Through the Gearbox, Into Overdrive
Flipping the mode switch over to OD transforms the DCX Bass into a roaring rock monster. With the drive knob all the way up and the voice switch set flat, I heard thick overdrive tone with pronounced upper transients that were not at all harsh. And even though the pedal doesn’t have a blend control, the low end remains solid when you use the pedal as a pure drive. To my ears, the drive tone lands squarely in the middle between a darker fuzz and a very bright distortion, like you might hear from Billy Sheehan. When I ran this extreme setting through an amp at a show, it just sounded gloriously like vintage indie rock, and my bandmates shot me smiles of approval.
Middle Ground
One task that can be difficult for many bass overdrives is generating a convincing “barely there,” kind of low-gain drive—the feeling that you get when 10" speakers are just starting to break up a little. I use this tone frequently. And by picking an Epiphone Viola Bass with flatwounds, I got it by switching the mode back to EQ, reducing the drive, and boosting the high frequency to give extra life to the flatwound tone. A palm-muted groove helped generate just the right amount of subtle dirt on the attack. In some ways, it’s the kind of tonality that can be felt by a player as much as heard. It guides you into different playing spaces, and it both sounds and feels great.
The Verdict
Origin’s DCX Bass is supremely usable in a day-to-day, professional playing environment. It’s quiet and free of extraneous noise. Even the most extreme settings never feel exaggerated or redundant, and the clean, warm sounds can make you play like you’re riding in the bench seat of an old Cadillac, going on a slow Sunday drive, without a care for who is behind you honking. The construction inspires confidence and roadworthiness. And whether you decide to use it as an always-on preamp or an engage-when-needed drive pedal, it is a capable tone-shaping piece—especially in a live setting, where rackmount, vintage studio gear is not an option.
- Origin Effects RevivalDRIVE Review ›
- Bass Pedal Wars ›
- Bass Pedals: Basic to Playhouse ›
- 10 Affordable Bass Preamps - Premier Guitar ›
The author, middle, with bassist Ross Valory (left) and Steve Smith (right) of Journey.
Do you know who’s hanging around your gigs? Our columnist shares a story about the time Journey’s bassist was in the audience during soundcheck.
I’ve always loved what I do for a living. Even long before it became a career, doing the work every day to get better was something I fell in love with right away. As a result, I’ve never had any issues with stage fright or nerves when it comes to performing—even if there are some mega-influential or important musical people in the room.
Luckily, throughout my career, I usually only find out if there’s been someone major in the audience after the show. I’m not very social on tour these days. I’m the last one to soundcheck or show and the first one out of the venue afterwards. I’m often asleep in the hotel before some of the rest of the band have even left the venue.
But once in a while, I do get caught off guard—and this little story from a night on tour last week highlights how you just never know who’s listening … or watching.
I’ve been playing with Steve Smith (former drummer of Journey and inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) for over 10 years, first as sidemen with Mike Stern in a band with Randy Brecker, and for the past five years as a member of Steve’s band Vital Information. Throughout that entire time—hundreds of shows, rehearsals, soundchecks, recording sessions, and clinics—I haven’t once played a Journey bass line around him.
It’s that thing of being way too on the nose to even hint at. Knowing that the Journey chapter of Steve’s life is musically very much in the past, it honestly just never crossed my mind. So, what on earth possessed me to start playing the bass line to “Any Way You Want It” during soundcheck in Oakland last week?!
I don’t even get through the first two bars of the song when I hear, “Looks like I’ve been rumbled….” I look up, and there’s Ross Valory, the original bass player for Journey.
I had never met him. I had no idea anyone besides the band and the crew were even in the venue during soundcheck. Aside from the embarrassment of doing that in front of one of your bass heroes, it really got me thinking about how you just never know who is listening.
I don’t know who the phrase “be ready when the luck happens” should be credited to—or if that’s exactly how it was originally said—but I’ve thought about little else since my Ross Valory moment. If you’re considering a career in music, or working to further the one you already have, it might be something worth thinking about for yourself.
“I had no idea anyone besides the band and the crew were even in the venue during soundcheck. Aside from the embarrassment of doing that in front of one of your bass heroes, it really got me thinking about how you just never know who is listening.”
Like I said before, I’ve been in love with the work since the beginning. I still set aside vast amounts of time every day to practice and work on my music. I’m constantly tinkering with my goals, large and small. I’m realistic about the time it will take to reach them, the work I need to do to get there, and the fact that some goals may well change over time—and I have to be totally okay with that and adapt as quickly as possible.
The success of the work and the attainment of the goal is also going to rely at least a little bit (and if I’m being honest, sometimes a lot) on luck. Being ready to capitalize on luck involves constantly updating my daily routine. I have to find the balance between working on very specific elements of my playing for long periods of time, and letting them go once I know they’re an internal part of my vocabulary.
Jazz pianist Chick Corea talked about memorizing versus knowing a piece of music. When you read through a chart and start to memorize it, you’re essentially just taking the music from the sheet and creating a picture of it in your brain. You then end up looking for that picture the next time you want to play it—and all you’ve done is take away the physical paper while keeping the concept of reading. That’s not knowing the material like it’s a natural part of your vocabulary. The repetition I aim for in my daily routine is what helps me play the language of music as fluently as I speak English.
The confidence gained by putting in the work can make you so much more ready for your moment than you’ve ever been before.
Set goals, love the work, and always be ready.
You never know who’s listening….
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you don’t need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kiesel’s new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com
The Sunset is a fully analog, zero latency bass amplifier simulator. It features a ¼” input, XLR and ¼” outputs, gain and volume controls and extensive equalization. It’s intended to replace your bass amp both live and in the studio.
If you need a full sounding amp simulator with a lot of EQ, the Sunset is for you. It features a five band equalizer with Treble, Bass, Parametric Midrange (with frequency and level controls), Resonance (for ultra lows), and Presence (for ultra highs). All are carefully tuned for bass guitar. But don’t let that hold you back if you’re a keyboard player. Pianos and synthesizers sound great with the Sunset!
The Sunset includes Gain and master Volume controls which allow you to add compression and classic tube amp growl. It has both ¼” phone and balanced XLR outputs - which lets you use it as a high quality active direct box. Finally, the Sunset features zero latency all analog circuitry – important for the instrument most responsible for the band’s groove.
Introducing the Sunset Bass Amp Simulator
- Zero Latency bass amp simulator.
- Go direct into the PA or DAW.
- Five Band EQ:
- Treble and Bass controls.
- Parametric midrange with level and frequency controls.
- Presence control for extreme highs.
- Resonance control for extreme lows.
- Gain control to add compression and harmonics.
- Master Volume.
- XLR and 1/4" outputs.
- Full bypass.
- 9VDC, 200mA.
Artwork by Aaron Cheney
MAP price: $210 USD ($299 CAD).