EHX
WAMPLER
By Rich Osweiler
By Jason Shadrick
So, you’re a bassist ready to take
compression into your own hands
and plunk down some cash for a
pedal. But you don’t want to spend
a ton and need something really
easy to use, because compression
is complicated voodoo, right? Not
with Electro-Harmonix’s new Bass Preacher. It’s a simple yet
effective affair that’ll help you tame your dynamics with tight
tone, yet set you back less than a hundred bucks.
The Bass Preacher is a compact box that houses an unfussy
control set of a volume knob, a sustain knob for the amount
of compression, and a 3-way attack switch to adjust how
quickly the pedal engages the compression. Easy, right?
I don’t have a need or taste for super squashing, but it’s
there by setting the attack to fast and pushing the sustain dial
to its upper range. For those slapping the bass, you might
find your comfort zone somewhere in the fast-attack area,
but a medium attack with the sustain at its higher settings
will yield a sound with more natural character. Playing with
a pick, I found a solid set-it-and-forget-it tone using the
medium attack setting with the sustain control set to about
11 o’clock. My dynamics were kept in check, my high end
stayed intact, and I had just the right level of note peaks
getting through. Easy to use and easy on the wallet, the Bass
Preacher’s sermon is worth checking out.
The newest iteration of Wampler’s flagship
compressor is a mini affair with a few
convenient tweaks. Under the hood, the
circuit is nearly identical—with control
knobs for sustain, level, and blend along
with a pair of mini toggle switches for attack
and tone. For me, a good compressor is an “always on” effect
that helps to give my clean sound a bit more bounce and my
dirty tones more sustain. I started with both toggles off (which
is equal to turning the tone knob completely counterclockwise
and the attack knob to 9 o’clock) with the level and sustain at
noon. I tend to start the blend knob at about 9 o’ clock and
slowly move it up until I begin to hear too much squish. As
with the original Ego, the range and flavors of compression are
all there. From Nashville-style chicken pickin’ to smooth Larry
Carlton leads, the squish-to-size ratio was heavily in my favor.
I found the attack and tone controls to be slightly
lacking. But it was a very small price to pay for the added
convenience and simplicity of the truncated size. Although
parallel compression isn’t exactly a new concept, the blend
knob was absolutely the MVP. It allowed me to not let the
sheer physics of compression take over my sound and attack.
At this point, I can’t imagine playing a compressor without a
blend knob. With its plethora of tone-shaping options and
ability to squeeze onto nearly any board, the new Mini Ego is
a welcome evolution.
TEST GEAR Fender Precision, Gallien-Krueger 800RB head,
TEST GEAR Fender Stratocaster, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Chasing
TC Electronic RS410 cab
Vintage Guitars Challenger, Bogner Goldfinger 54 Phi
Bass Preacher
$79 street, ehx.com
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
Mini Ego
PROS Simple control set.
Inexpensive way to get
compression on your board.
CONS The simple controls
may leave seasoned compressor
users wanting more.
Value
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
PROS Classic compressed
tones. Wonderfully compact
size. Great blend knob.
CONS Attack and tone
controls could be more
dramatic.
Value
CLICK HERE TO HEAR this pedal.
premierguitar.com
$179 street,
wamplerpedals.com
CLICK HERE TO HEAR this pedal.
PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2016 139