Band: Bassist at Echo Foundry
A short while ago SHED had the privilege of playing at the Melody Inn with several other bands one of which being Echo Foundry. After their rock solid set we got the chance to talk with their bassist and lead singer, Brock Roberts, about his unique rig.
For starters Brock plays an Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay 4HH Stealth bass and plays with a pick. This runs into his pedal board chocked full of all kinds of goodies and then into his Eden Metro 210 combo and 210 XLT extension cabinet. So let's take a look at Brock's pedal board:
The bass feeds into a Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner Pedal with bypass. The Boss TU-3 is reasonably priced, high quality, reliable and accurate tuner so it is no wonder that it is a common pedal among bassists as well as guitarists. The fact that it can be used as a mute switch just adds to its usefulness.
Next the signal travels to an Ibanez Weeping Demon Wah pedal. This is just a massively fun pedal and very versatile. SHED's bassist may have to try one out to see what's what.
From the Ibanez Weeping Demon Wah pedal the signal next runs to an MXR M87 Bass Compressor pedal. This particular bass compressor is highly regarded by bassists across the board. It is very very good at what it does and relatively affordable. For a review of this pedal by a bassist and gear enthusiast check this out here.
Next up is the Electro-Harmonix Bass Soul Food. For a seemingly unassuming pedal this is a sleeper in the right hands. Brock really seems to have found the right settings with this for his style of playing.
The DOD Meatbox Subsynth pedal comes next in the signal chain. It is always on and the result is an amazing low end. Combined with the MXR Octave Pedal Deluxe Brock arrives at the perfect pairing of these two pedals. This is another one of those sleeper pedals. Many musicians may overlook the value of having this tool in their arsenal; perhaps because they do not understand what it can do for them. So often musicians mix pedals that just don't play well together - this is not the case here. Brock has achieved a perfect balance.
The next pedal really needs no introduction: the Big Muff π. This long fabled pedal is perhaps the most recognized pedal of all. The Big Muff has come a long way since its introduction in 1969 but its iconic sound and look still remain even in its various iterations. The Big Muff π is one of two On/Off pedal on the board - the other being the MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe pedal below.
Following the Big Muff π is the MXR Smartgate pedal. Brock uses this to clean up any noise that can be generated by linking so many pedals together. Noise is a function of multiple circuits and the end result can be unwanted noise. The MXR Smartgate keeps everything under control in that department. It is an intuitive pedal that does exactly what it is supposed to do - shut the gate on unwanted noise.
The other On/Off pedal on the board is the MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe pedal. This is a versatile pedal that incorporates a crossover as well as a flanger If there were any pedal I regret not having it would be this one; small footprint with huge capabilities and seemingly endless possible combinations of effects.
The Ernie Ball Volume JR pedal and Sansamp Bass Driver DI round out this remarkable pedal board. Brock uses the Ernie Ball Volume JR pedal strictly as a volume pedal and a mute. As referenced above the Boss TU-3 Chromatic tuner can also be used as a mute switch but the Ernie Ball JR allows the musician to adjust volume without having to turn a volume knob on the bass while playing. The Sansamp Bass Driver DI has been a staple among bassists for a number of years. It gained popularity particularly among bassists wanting to travel light and run direct. Widely accepted among sound engineers as a quality DI and preamp has made it quite popular.
