Malekko Diabolik + Starcaster Bass

[hollowhero]

Thoughts?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DU_ReODLlE[/youtube]

[rot gut]

still don't know what it does besides being a fuzz.

[jrmy]

It's potentially interesting, but since it seems like he's saying it's related to the Assmaster, I'd like to see a side by side A/B test to hear where they differ.

[wdinc01]

I gotta say, the video did a pretty good job convincing me not to get one.

[backwardsvoyager]

I gotta say, the video did a pretty good job convincing me not to get one.

agreed. that did... not sound good to my ears..

[hazelwould]

At least one dude is happy. Lol

[Grrface]

I gotta say, the video did a pretty good job convincing me not to get one.

agreed. that did... not sound good to my ears..

[justinmj]

Ouch. Oh well. I'll certainly give you that the video does not sound inspiring. Camera microphone, quiet amp, lots of string sound in the room. And truth be told, I winced and cringed (winged - is that a word?) when I heard myself rambling on about "clean level" and "dirty level" controls...obvious. Frankly I just find myself awkward and embarrassing in videos, and I certainly dislike playing in them. Whatever.

Anyway, all that aside: I have to say, you may want to give this pedal a fair shakes if you get a chance to play one in person. It is descended from a non-germanium B:assmaster, which was always my favorite one, and I used it for years to good effect with Nine Inch Nails and Beck live. This one has slightly more low end. It's probably the closest to the setting on the B:assmaster with both switches set to the left. But it is its own beast. When I said "touch sensitive" in the video, what I meant was that it does something like what the B:assmaster or Crowther Prunes & Custard does which is to say that it has that "wwwwoooaaaaa" pitch envelope sound, depending on your playing dynamics. Like a B:assmaster, obviously, but with a slightly different "ramp". And as I described in the video, the size is more convenient, and it's pretty affordable, etc. But still definitely handmade in Portland and proper Malekko. I worked hard on it, and am happy with it. "At least one dude is happy" indeed. Used it live with Beck at the Treasure Island festival in SF last weekend and it was pretty crushing on stage with massive low-end and a cool buzzy character, corroborated by people I talked to who were out front. Anyway, my two cents.

Best,
Justin

[jrmy]

Thanks for weighing in, Justin! I dug the sounds, just wanted to hear it next to an Assmaster. Your description goes a long way towards convincing me to try one - I dig my silicon Assmaster, so the fact that the Diabolik is similar but different definitely makes me want to track one down and give it a shot.

[zRobertez]

I FUCKING LOVE BECK.

[justinmj]

Cool, thanks jrmy. Sorry my video left lots to be desired. Yeah, I like my silicon B:assmaster too. Not sure how different you'd find the Diabolik, but it's worth checking out sometime for fun. Maybe someone better at it will post a video comparison sometime. Diabolik is a good point of entry for those who don't want to shell out the $ for the B:assmaster, and want a similar tone in 1/2 the size. That was part of the motivation, anyway. Plus I just wanted it minimal, no fucking around with switches. My favorite setting, good to go.

[behndy]

fucker. don't make me fanboy over you on this site.

(when you started playing with NIN is when the bass started getting interesting)

I GOT TO MEET AND TALK TO JMJ FOR A HINUTE AT A NAMM A FEW YEARS AGO AND IT WAS SO HARD NOT TO GOOSE HIS BUM DURING CELLY PICTURE TIME.

(loooooooveeeeeeeee youuuuuuuuuuu squeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

[Deltaphoenix]

Oh Shit, ILF has gone commercial, I am out.

I kid, JMJ is rad player and I dig his attitude-"I will fucking velcro this pedal to my bass for live tweaking".

[justinmj]

This place = incredibly entertaining. The wit springs forth here...I love it. Srsly, can I stay? I've been lurking to glean good info on and off for over a year, but this is my first post sesh.

Look I totally respect if some of you guys think my pedal is stupid. Just wanted to speak up on it for a sec and suggest you to try it out beyond weak video world, cuz it's actually pretty good. Enough said.

Making you a commercial sellout by association,
Justin

[behndy]

squuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE[/b]