 | Download Example 1 Fingerstyle - '75 Reissue Fender Jazz Bass |
| Download Example 2 Distorted - '75 Reissue Fender Jazz Bass |
| Download Example 3 Slaphapy - vintage Sting Ray |
| Clips recorded in Cubase with no EQ and no plug-ins. | |
DDyna is relatively new on the pedal scene and the company is probably best known for its Thinman overdrive. The Bass 10 is billed as a compressor, but to pigeonhole this device as a compressor alone is like saying a Precision Bass is strictly for rock ’n’ roll. The all-analog, true-bypass Bass 10 also has a 4-band EQ and a switchable overdrive. So with my pedal bias set aside, I was thrilled to find out where this one pedal could take me.
Busy Bass Box
With its 10 knobs staring you in the face, the Bass 10 can look a little daunting. For a non-pedal guy, this ordinarily would be enough to send me running, but I found the controls very logically grouped. The top four knobs are the EQ section (Bass, MidL, MidH, And Treble), the three controls on the left of the lower row (ODVol, Depth, Drive) control the overdrive section, while the three on the right (CVol, CRatio, Sust) control the compression. DDyna eliminated a little more guesswork out by using white, red, and blue accented knobs for each function.
Wider Perspectives
To get a feel for the many flavors of the Bass 10, I placed it variously between a ’75 Fender Jazz Bass Reissue, Warwick Streamer 4, and ’00 Music Man StingRay, and an Eden 500 WTX with 410XLT cab, an Ampeg B-18, and straight into Cubase with no plug-ins or preamps.
Jumping in at the top, I started with adjustments to the 4-band EQ. The level controls are bandpass filters that offer up to 18 dB of attenuation in each band with which to experiment. It doesn’t take long to dial in a great tone to suit a particular bass/ amp setup, and given a few minutes to tinker, you’ll find a pretty wide range of tone to suit your taste.
The primary job of this pedal—at least in name—is compression. And the Bass 10 handles the task very nicely with three simple controls: Volume, Ratio, and Sustain. Compression means different things to bass players and guitar players. And for bass players, really squashing a bass tone to gain punch can strip a low end of harmonics, overtones, and other nuances. The Bass 10 has a very relaxed squeeze, so to speak, so even when the ratio is cranked the pedal maintains the tonal integrity of the relationship between bass and amp.
I personally wouldn’t recommend setting the Ratio knob to 10, but rolling it back to the mid-level range, the Bass 10 produced some pleasing results, coaxing both definition and muscle out of various bass/amp rigs. Under the influence of the Bass 10, the StingRay became a virtual slap machine by taking on a more concise popping character. The Warwick, meanwhile, tended to become smoother and more controlled. As a lower-output passive instrument, the Fender seemed to benefit most from the Sust (sustain) knob, and the P-bass came alive with the sustain dialed to about 6, becoming more muscular and bossy without sacrificing any harmonic character. It seems that with this pedal, like life, moderation is key.
Get Dirty
The dirty side of the pedal is, well, just that. DDyna is best known for its guitar overdrives, and that experience pays off in the Bass 10. The red-knobbed OD section is, like the compression section, made up of three simple controls—Volume, Depth, and Drive. Some OD pedals kill bottom end, but that is certainly not the case here. The overdrive is warm and big, especially when running the Fender through the Ampeg. But you’ll want to keep the Drive somewhere in the middle unless you’re into particularly snarling grungy or post-punk tones.
The Depth control is interesting. It has two limit levels—a fixed one for high volume levels, and a variable level for using at lower volumes. And it opens up a lot of possibilities, whether you are a touch player, full-bore thumper, or need to move between those identities in a single performance.
The distortion is affected significantly by the compression settings. With the Drive and Depth at 5, and the compression basically off, the distortion takes on a subtle grit. When the compression controls are moved up to the halfway point to complement the overdrive, the signal breaks into a dirty, punchy sound that would please any aspiring Larry Graham. With more aggressive settings, the signal can get downright sick, especially with the Drive on full bore. My distortion of choice on this unit is with the Depth and Drive and all the compression controls around 7. This seems to deliver the fullest, most practical tone.
The Verdict
The DDyna Bass 10 is packed with features that can help you move and expand your tone in a ton of different directions. The pedal could benefit from some additional features, like a switch so you can use the EQ independently and an XLR output for using the unit as a direct box. But if you’re looking for a smooth, even compression pedal to broaden your bass rig’s tonal palette, this pedal packs a lot of sonic versatility into a single box.
Buy if...
you’re looking for a simple way to shape the tone of your bass and expand performance dynamics.
Skip if...
you prefer your signal chain to consist of nothing more than a cable.
Rating...
Street $289 - DDyna Music Company - ddynamusic.com |
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Listen | Download Example 1 Chunky Rhythm |
| UNK Standard in bridge position into a modded Epiphone Valve Jr. head and 1x12 cab with Eminence Red Fang. Close mic'd with SM57 and run into a ProSonus Audiobox and Cubase 4 | |
It’s the Same... Only Different
Interestingly enough, the Thinman manages to be simultaneously unique and unremarkable. The unit as a whole is well-constructed, featuring 2-layer thru-hole PCBs, Neutrik connectors, true bypass circuitry and a die-cast aluminum enclosure, but the flat gray paint job and simple black graphics give the Thinman a plain- Jane face. The naked pot shafts give the pedal a raw, unfinished vibe—I honestly thought the knobs had been lost in transit upon first opening the box—but once you plug in, radiation green LEDs shine from underneath, lighting up the controls brilliantly. It’s likely one of those love-hate things, but once you get used to twirling the pot shafts sans knobs, it really helps the Thinman stand out next to your other boutique ODs.
Likewise, the Thinman’s controls are initially a little foreign, but after some total immersion, you’ll settle right in and find it to be a tonally complex alternative to those other Volume- Tone-Drive boxes. This is because the Thinman is based around two distinct signal-limited types: a medium-hard signal limiter, adjusted by the Limit knob; and a bias limiter, controlled by the Bias control. These controls work in concert to set the pedal’s limiter thresholds, and each one affects the signal in distinct ways. I found the Limit knob to be the most responsive alone, producing a rounder sound at lower settings and an edgier, electric wire sound at its highest point. But they’re at their best when both knobs are adjusted in concert, creating some delicious textures—think of it as Vietnamese food after a life of fastfood Chinese.
But it Sounds... So... Fat
It should be said that however you set these knobs, the Thinman for the most part stays the same at heart. Described as a “light-medium overdrive,” the pedal probably falls more towards the medium side of the scale. With the help of the Volume knob it can cover a lot of ground, from semi-clean boost to full-on bite, but at its core is a circuit designed for the thickest rock sounds. The Thinman truly excels at creating fat, luscious chords without losing definition—with all the knobs sitting at noon, this pedal became my secret weapon for beefy rhythm tracks. Anyone looking for a straightforward classic rock companion will love this box, and it’ll fit right in on the next Kings of Leon single, too.
Adventurous players and pedal geeks will also be happy to hear that the Thinman is a true team player, acting as the perfect starting point for a stacked overdrive chain (the company also highly recommends this, which is something you don’t always see publicized). I spent hours putting every fuzz and overdrive I had behind the Thinman, and they all sounded better than I ever remembered them. Next time you want to create a wall of thick but distinct chords, start with this pedal.
The Final Mojo
It probably goes without saying that anyone still questing for a single transparent OD will want to stay away from this one—it doesn’t hijack your tone, but it has no problem adding some heft and low-end either—but guitarists jonesing for a rock-oriented OD that does things a little differently should definitely log some time with the Thinman. you’re looking for classic rock in a box, or you dig stacking overdrives.
Buy if...
you're looking for classic rock in a box, or you dig stacking overdrives.
Skip if...
you need a box hat keeps its mitts off your tone completely.
Rating...
MSRP $159 - DDyna Music Company - ddynamusic.com |