Part of Electro-Harmonix’s 9 Series, the BASS9 miraculously transforms your guitar into a bass instrument. This isn’t simply an octave pedal; it actively mimics the sounds of 9 legendary bass sounds.
It doesn’t end there. As well as recreating classic baritone, fretless and fingerstyle bass guitar tones, it also offers beautifully-tracked bass synth sounds, including Taurus and 303. Yet another mind-blowing sonic tool from EHX!
Here’s what Electro-Harmonix say:
The BASS9 Bass Machine transforms a guitar into nine different basses and requires no special pickups, MIDI or instrument modifications. It relies on the same technology powering all EHX 9 Series pedals, like the award winning MEL9 Tape Replay Machine, but features a new algorithm maximized for transposing one to two octaves down with superior dynamics and tracking.
A rotary switch allows the user to select the sound of their choice, as follows:
- Precision: Pays homage to the iconic Fender P Bass
- Longhorn: Emulates the Danelectro 6-string bass, ideal for baritone type tones
- Fretless: Features both electric and standup fretless basses.
- Synth: A tribute to the classic Taurus Synthesizer
- Virtual: Lets the user adjust the bass’s body density and neck length for a variety of bass sounds
- Bowed: Classic bowed bass
- Split bass: Makes it possible for the guitarist to play bass on the lower strings (all notes below F#3) and chords or melody with the higher strings.
- 303: A polyphonic salute to the sought after Roland TB-303 vintage bass synth
- Flip-flop: Inspired by EHX’s Octave Multiplexer, it provides a ’70s style logic driven sub-octave generator that tracks without glitches.
Simple controls
The pedal is equipped with independent Effect and Dry volume controls so guitarists can precisely tune their mix at the Effects output jack, plus an always-active Dry output jack that outputs the input signal at unity gain.
Controls 1 and 2 have been designed to adjust specific parameters for each of the nine programs. For example, in PRECISION, CTRL 1 controls the sub-octaves while CTRL 2 imitates the original instrument’s tone control.
