# Total Bass Noob Question



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

I’m trying to spend some more time playing bass this year. I have about 4 hours of combined bass playing experience in my entire musical “career”. I’d like to put together a small, very basic pedal board for bass and, here’s the noob question, do I need to buy bass specific pedals for reverb, overdrive, etc.? Any recommendations appreciated.

Thank you.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Bass players don't need pedals.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I agree.

Anytime I see a bassist setting up a pedal board I bite my lip and wait for the Bass Balls effect, too much chorus, fuzz or compression.....

Straight into the amp please.


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

Milkman said:


> I agree.
> 
> Anytime I see a bassist setting up a pedal board I bite my lip and wait for the Bass Balls effect, too much chorus, fuzz or compression.....
> 
> Straight into the amp please.


I play at very low volume in my house. I never play publicly. I just want something that will add a little "grit" and "dimension" without having to shake the foundation.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

No you don't need bass specific pedals. That said some pedals just work better with bass than others. The main difference between reg and bass pedals boils down to one of the following things in 99% of cases:

1) blend setting (e.g. BOSS CE-2 vs CE-2B chorus) to mix some dry signal back into the the output.
2) different input filter cap points. This applies mostly to dirt pedals (dist/OD more than fuzz) which filter out the low end in order to sound 'tighter.' Many of them work for bass as is but it is a matter of preference . Some bass -specific modulation pedals also filter a lot of bass out of the effect path, and allow you mix the full freq dry back in with it (sort of 1+2 combo - e.g. MXR stereo chorus) - I never found this to my liking; the effect doesn't touch the fundamental and it's weird to me).
3) EQ points on tone controls

I use mostly guitar pedals though my chorus is a CE-2B copy (lives at about 80-90 % blend, so a CE-2 probably woulda been fine for me). I build a lot of my own pedals and I have experimented with changing input filter cap values and it makes a difference but I still like stock BOSS ODs on bass and don't bother modding them.

And don't listen to those naysayers above - of course the guy that admits he never plays electric anymore (in his NAD thread where he also asks for advise on the cheapest pedals possible, even considering Behringer stuff from Walmart ;P) - is gonna say stay away from pedals - cuz he's just into some down home hoe downs and there ain't no power out by the campfire. Depends on what the musical style is - you're not gonna shred in a country band.

Careful with reverb though. I used to be a huge amp reverb with bass guy and it can get murky. Like if you're rocking a dub then fine but otherwise a bit of short delay (+ some mild chorus approaches a reverb feel FYI) might be better.

So bust out what you already got and see what you like.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

If someone has 4 hours total bass playing time, I think I'd be concentrating on playing the bass rather than getting different sounds from the bass.

Sorry that's my opinion but do what you want.

I was also joking. Maybe you missed the ?

Another commandent of bass is, "Though shalt not play the high string".


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Geeze, you guys. He's tryna have some fun and stimulate the economy a little, whadda buncha luddites.

Granny got most of it, but it's the same as guitar pedals: They sound different with every rig so try before you buy if you can. 

You can even try whatever pedal board you have now, but some of the pedals will almost certainly chop off a big bunch of bottom end when you step on them - the more volume the worse the problem, not so bad for a home player.

I've got a bunch of stuff, I no longer sell here but a couple are on jiji and I have a lot more available if yer interested shoot me a PM.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Guncho said:


> I was also joking. Maybe you missed the ?
> 
> Another commandent of bass is, "Though shalt not play the high string".


Seriously? I think _you_ missed the smiley, bud. I got that, but the sentiment was doubled down on so I joked right back. Also, considerring that your joke is a real thing that people actually say to bassplayers it beared a rebuttal even if you were 'just joking' ( look up “its not just a joke” for the psychology of how that, namely 'chill I was just joking' is bullshit).

And re the high string thing, you can suck it on that score too HNG^%$B#(*:










Above the 12th fret too - I'm in yer spectrumz; stealing yer notz.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Maybe I should clarify my comments.

I don’t like effects on bass and bass players tend to be like a kid in a candy store as soon as they get a pedalboard.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

LOL - and guitarists aren't?

In both cases it depends on the person - some people are more tasteful/appropriate than others and to beat up on bass players specifically is to be massively self-biased. Just stop it with the tyranny of shoulds already. There are no rules. You don't have to like it or approve.

I like a lot of pedals on both guitar and bass. Not nearly as many as some people I have seen (even some famous). It works for the kind of music I play and the guitard is into it (he's got a pretty big board too).


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

All things in moderation. My personal rule of thumb has been little or no bass effects. By little I mean less by at least half than I would use on guitar. Very little chorus and reverb can fatten the tone lots enough, and bass distortion while it can make already indistinct tone and pitch even less distinct it often just sounds unrealistic...sometimes a signal boost is all that's needed. The Boss EQ pedal was a staple of my bass rig for years (I preferred it to the Boss guitar EQ for guitar too, due to the slider centres), it provided more than ample tone control and a volume boost if needed. The other pedal I like is a passive volume like the Ernie Ball.


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## Delores Streisand (Nov 4, 2018)

Milkman said:


> Maybe I should clarify my comments.
> 
> I don’t like effects on bass...


...therefore you should not use any.

Personally. I’d say to get a tuner and a good fuzz and maybe some kind of phase/flange can all be useful depending on the music you’re playing. A compressor can be very helpful too. I find that guitar effects are hit or miss. Some are great on bass. Some aren’t. You probably have a bunch of guitar effects already. I’d test drive those to see if there are any you really like on bass.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

See if you can pick up a Bronco 40. Lots of great sounds in there and great fir playing quieter. Be the same price as a couple of pedals.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Delores Streisand said:


> ...therefore you should not use.





Granny Gremlin said:


> LOL - and guitarists aren't?
> 
> In both cases it depends on the person - some people are more tasteful/appropriate than others and to beat up on bass players specifically is to be massively self-biased. Just stop it with the tyranny of shoulds already. There are no rules. You don't have to like it or approve.
> .


No, I don’t have to like it or approve, nor do I have to justify my posts to you.

It is what it is.

“tyranny”, LOL


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2019)




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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Delores Streisand said:


> ...therefore you should not use any.


No, therefore I don’t like them.

Do what you like.


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## Delores Streisand (Nov 4, 2018)

Milkman said:


> No, therefore I don’t like them.


I don’t like meatloaf or kale.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Mmm meatloaf.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Delores Streisand said:


> I don’t like meatloaf or kale.


Ok,

I have no problem with that.


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

First of all, thank you for all the suggestions and advice. I really do appreciate it. There are some very knowledgeable people on this forum. 

I should clarify that I am new to bass but not new to guitar and I am strictly a hobbyist--a basement player. I've played guitar for decades so it's not like I'm starting from square one when it comes to bass. I have a pretty good grasp of scales, rhythm, time signature, etc. The reason I'm asking about effects is that for the style of music I want to play it's impossible for me to get the tone I'm after at low volume. I play guitar the same way: quietly with some overdrive and a bit of reverb so that I can get that grit and dimension without scaring the neighbours or my wife  

Thanks again, everyone.

G.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I was just writing this response while you posted lol......

A couple of years ago I picked up a Bass and Amp to both learn to play it and lay some Bass tracks down for my years of guitar idea accumulation. I picked up a cheap Zoom B2 multi efects pedal just to see what different sounds I could achieve. Like others have mentioned, check it out with your guitar effects. If you're into any specific genre of music, check out what those Bass players use as well and judge from there. I'd just approach it like you approach guitar, sans the specific Tonal and technique/playing differences in the 2 instruments. I'll assume you already have a sound in your head, much like guitar, that you want to achieve and just need some direction where to find the sound. I'm still in the same situation because of the lack of time I spend on Bass as opposed to the guitars I play. Good luck.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

A pedalboard's not a problem. Using it judicially can be. Really depends on the genre, situation, gig, etc. 

Remember, in most cases, what the purpose of the instrument is - tying in rhythm and melody. If that gets lost, to me it becomes a problem. If you are covering Primus or something, that's a little different and you should expect the guitar to help out, like a good winger covering for a pinching defenceman.

Again, it's so situational to me. If you are playing with others and don't get invited back, you may want to reconsider how you've approached things. This goes exactly the same for guitar players, which can fall into the same 'missing the wheat for the chaff' problem, so it isn't an anti-bass sentiment - it is a pro-ensemble sentiment.


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## GUInessTARS (Dec 28, 2007)

When it comes to bass tone and effects, the question should always be - what would Bootsy do?


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)




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## Corndog (Dec 22, 2018)

For bass pedals, not essential but really good to have. tuner, eq, grit or overdrive and a compressor.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Hummm... we're to start...

A top quality compressor is at the top of the list.

I'm a succer for phasers... love the effect...

You can never have to many fuzz pedals... and add a whah while your at it...

Throw some echo in the mix and go nuts... your on a space odyssey. ..

Let's not forget a good bass flange and an EQ to get that pitch just right. ..

And if a guitarist says something because your unpacking your pedal board. Tell him to fuck off ...you're here to have fun not to be his bitch and keep his timming in check.


Rock on !HNG^%$


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

It's a bit more expensive than your average pedal, but you my want to consider something like the Tech 21 Bass Driver DI. It will give you a bit of drive and EQ, and if you do ever decide to play a gig, you can use it to plug directly into the PA.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

OK, this thing where sound guys decided that bass always goes DI and guitars get mic'd is bullshit though. ... but sure, it's an option.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Granny Gremlin said:


> OK, this thing where sound guys decided that bass always goes DI and guitars get mic'd is bullshit though. ... but sure, it's an option.


Amen brother. 
'You can mic the bass or tell the guitar player he's getting DI'd too, see how that works out for ya'.  (and I'll need a 300 watt monitor, thanks)


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

jb welder said:


> Amen brother.
> 'You can mic the bass or tell the guitar player he's getting DI'd too, see how that works out for ya'.  (and I'll need a 300 watt monitor, thanks)


The DI outs from both my GK Fusion and especially Mesa D-800 are great. When I ran the Mesa, I told sound guys ‘fine but fair warning, I’m giving you post so my fx are comin at ya’. Never had a problem, and always had lots of cab to hear myself, and the rest of the band never complained they couldn’t hear me. Probably helps I have a hpf at the end of my board, set about 40, so there’s not a ton of rumble and I can tweak if need be.


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

I experimented with a few different guitar reverb pedals last night and for my purposes (low volume practice in the basement) they were perfect. I'm sure my wife and daughters especially enjoyed the part where I played the bass riff from "Walking on the Moon" for 2+ hours. Haha. I also tried a couple of different guitar OD pedals, and like others mentioned previously, I lost a lot of bottom end with those so I'll probably grab a bass specific OD in the near future. 

Thanks again for all the input--the bass experiment continues. Have a good one.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

keto said:


> The DI outs from both my GK Fusion and especially Mesa D-800 are great. When I ran the Mesa, I told sound guys ‘fine but fair warning, I’m giving you post so my fx are comin at ya’. Never had a problem, and always had lots of cab to hear myself, and the rest of the band never complained they couldn’t hear me. Probably helps I have a hpf at the end of my board, set about 40, so there’s not a ton of rumble and I can tweak if need be.


See and that's cool 1) you're into it, it's yours, you know it and you like it and 2) it's POST AMP. When the sound guy does it he takes the DI it pre amp, which is a whole other ball of wax - you loose all that tone shaping and whatever amp drive (in my case a quad of KT88s - that does noticeable things) that you are used to at jam, not just the speaker (which for bass can be a limitation, even if you're of the Geezer Butler or early Pete Quafe schools of bass tone).

To this end (and also for better isolation, when recording 'live off the floor') I am considering getting an RNDI (has post amp DI option and no speaker sim - don't want that) and I have the parts to make a dummy load for it (pure resistive 200 watt handling, and I will aslo try using an actual speaker voice coil for simulating the reactance). They ain't cheap so kinda watching to see if a used one come up (they are rarely sold - new and people like them, and the used price ain't much better so may as well get the Warranty) and will take the plunge next time we're trying to rec something. Until then I will keep showing up to gigs with me own RE20 (aside from the smaller ones where I just blast the audience straight from the stage amp - nothing in PA aside from vox).


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

jb welder said:


> Amen brother.
> 'You can mic the bass or tell the guitar player he's getting DI'd too, see how that works out for ya'.  (and I'll need a 300 watt monitor, thanks)


I would actually prefer a DI over a cab mic, if the DI is done right. I've tripped over the cab mic more than once - and that makes me look tipsier than I probably am. 

The DI out of my PowerStation is great - it get's all the post amp artifacts I hear on stage. I expect nothing less from the Kemper, which I'll run direct out as well. Just a lot more complicated to get the settings I want, with so many speaker emulation options that can be tailored for each of the amp profiles I use.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

I used to be a plug and play guy, but now have a decent sized (8) pedal board. I should add though, that I do not use an amp or cabinets live anymore. 

Some guitar effects like chorus, phaser, flange are fine with bass. Anything that shapes your eq (octavers, pre-amps, eq) or adds distortion, you should get bass -specific pedals.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

bw66 said:


> It's a bit more expensive than your average pedal, but you my want to consider something like the Tech 21 Bass Driver DI. It will give you a bit of drive and EQ, and if you do ever decide to play a gig, you can use it to plug directly into the PA.


Those are great pedals as an effect, a pre-amp, a DI or all. I had the first generation for a while, then got the 2nd generation (with mid control) and then settled on the MXR DI+ as it has 2 usable channels.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

keto said:


> The DI outs from both my GK Fusion and especially Mesa D-800 are great. When I ran the Mesa, I told sound guys ‘fine but fair warning, I’m giving you post so my fx are comin at ya’.





High/Deaf said:


> The DI out of my PowerStation is great - it get's all the post amp artifacts I hear on stage.


Yeah, I understand that it can work well done right. My comment was about more vintage type amps and the sound guy saying, 'plug your bass straight into this DI box, I'll take the xlr out, then you can run it to your amp input'.
Um, no.


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## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

If you play by yourself in your basement, effects on bass can be fun, but in a live band setting most of them will get lost in the mix or infringe on other band members’ sonic space. 

I’ve tried a few bass overdrive pedals, and most were unsatisfying. To get that gritty sound you hear on some recordings, you really need an amp that can get you in that territory. For the basement, I found the Ampeg Micro VR amps can get you in the ballpark. 

The best bass “effect” I’ve used is a pick. It can really help cut through a mix by enhancing attack and pushing the mids. It can also make the aforementioned grindy amp grindier. Switching between no-pick and pick can be like switching on a pedal to change your sound. 

Same goes for varying your right-hand position to get a brighter or softer sound. When playing with fingers, don’t be afraid to move closer to the bridge or even right over the neck. 

So what pedals do you need? A tuner pedal is a must. A compressor can be helpful (or perhaps necessary depending on the genre), but the amp can be doing some of that work if it is being pushed. An EQ can be useful if you are going direct and don’t have the benefit of amp tone controls. Just remember, just because you are playing bass doesn’t mean you can take the treble out! An overdrive pedal must have a mix control to blend in some dry signal. A totally overdriven tone may sound louder to your ear, but it is adding higher overtones while diminishing the fundamental (bass) note. Just cranking up the bass EQ on the overdriven tone gets you that “buzzy fart bass” tone.

I get that there is a place for stuff like chorus on bass, but I find that when it is used it is often over-used. It’s like some weird percussion sound that has a place once in a set, but gets annoying when you hear it over and over again. 

Delay and reverb are just going to muddy things up. Maybe they can make neat transitions between songs, but in 99% of cases, these will not be appropriate within the song. 

To sum up: if you already have guitar effects, play with those on bass in your basement, but they won’t be overly helpful at a gig. If you want a gritty tone, you might want to look at a new amp, but if it must be from a pedal, look for something with a mix control. Lastly, look at getting tonal variation from your right hand position or a pick.


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## Gavz (Feb 27, 2016)

DOD Carcosa Fuzz. Affordable & versatile. Glad I found mine, it's the only pedal effect I use with my basses. Sounds great with active & passive.

Of course I may change my mind if I ever come across a Micro Synth for a good price.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Double.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

To @troyhead , modern bass fx (thinking OD & distortion here) are designed to sound good live. I’ve used them on every gig the past 3 years, and I know I sound good in the mix. Heck, the first one in line is an old Ibanez PD7 and I love it, great full range fairly tight not over the top grind. Read about it on talkbass, ebay landed about $100CDN.

To @Gavz agreed on Carcosa, does a nice range of things really well on bass, from slight to fuzzy. A wee touch of very bottom loss maybe, I have it’s volume set to make a statement so don’t care.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

@JethroTech Tell us what pedals or multi-effects you have now.

Some distortion pedals work for bass and some don’t.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

See if you can get this Boss BR-800 for $200.

BOSS Digital Recorder BR-800 Portable 4-Track MIDI I/O Line XLR | Pro Audio & Recording Equipment | Edmonton | Kijiji


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

jb welder said:


> Yeah, I understand that it can work well done right. My comment was about more vintage type amps and the sound guy saying, 'plug your bass straight into this DI box, I'll take the xlr out, then you can run it to your amp input'.
> Um, no.


Exactly. Post amp DI (like amps that have one built in as @High/Deaf does) are very different because you get to keep your tone shaping. For this reason I am considerring getting an RNDI (will take a speaker level signal) - just to avoid arguing with sound guys about it because nobody needs their buzz harshed before they go on stage. That's my wife's job anyway.



Gavz said:


> DOD Carcosa Fuzz. Affordable & versatile. Glad I found mine, it's the only pedal effect I use with my basses. Sounds great with active & passive.


+1. I have been ogling the newish Spiral fuzz (originally Black Rose fuzz, but threat of lawsuit from someone or other forced a name change) which is the new product from Tom Cram (formerly of DOD and involved in the design of the Carcosa Fuzz, which he says was a favorite of his and the Spiral is based upon that circuit, which is in turn based on the vintage Maestro FZ1-S).


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## _Azrael (Nov 27, 2017)

This thread is getting a bit nerdy for a dude that just wants to play bass at home.

If you want a little bit of grit without loosing your low end, try a MXR Bass Fuzz. It’s a tone bender with a blend function and great for getting a bit of grit without going over the top.

If you want to go over the top, get a Rat (old school approach) or an MXR Bass Distortion (Rat with a blend knob).

Alternatively, get a SansAmp Bass Driver DI (for the classic SansAmp sound) or the VT Bass DI (tries to do a better job of emulating an Ampeg SVT).

For modulation, pretty much anything works... chorus, phase, flange. I don’t bother with bass pedals, just use the ones I already have for guitar.

Filters can be a bit weird on bass. Then again, filters can be a bit weird on guitar... wah, OC2,

Reverb/Delay are great for solo bass.


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

Thanks for all the help so far...










*An update*: I grabbed myself a couple of bass overdrive pedals. An MXR Bass Fuzz Deluxe and a Bass Big Muff. I got a really good deal on the pair when I bought the seller's bass as well. I'm not really able to articulate what it is that I like or dislike about each of them, it's just one of those things I hear, but I'm favouring the MXR over the Big Muff but they both do EXACTLY what I wanted: low-volume grit for a basement player. Thanks again everyone for the input.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

I see the Boss GT-1B is cheap now.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

GT-10B $150 at Edmonton North L&M blowout sale.
Inventory Blowout Sale 2019 - Edmonton North


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