thor for bass guitar

[lowstar]

hi everybody,

any bass players out there that are using the thor ? which changes, if any, did you incorporate ?
(i´m aware of this thread: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=52621.0 that mentions some of the possibilities for changes to bring it closer to the super bass schematic,  as well as changes in the bypass coupling caps)

cheers,
lowstar

[MarcoMike]

hi, here I am, bass player and owner of Thor!
mine is "stock" and I use it with guitar...but I'm gonna give it a try as soon as I get home.

I wonder why I have never tried it... even few days ago when I was looking for a good bass distortion... (and  found it, but I will share this secret only if the thor will result not suitable )

[tommy.genes]

I breadboarded both the stock Thor and one that used the substitutions mentioned in the other thread. I liked the distortion sound of the stock circuit much better, especially at medium gain settings, but it lost a lot of low end. The modded circuit definitely kept the low end, but I didn't like the distortion nearly as much. Now, I'm sure some bass players would love the sound I got from the modded Thor, but I'm learning that I am somewhat unique in that I like a bright bass distortion with a full but not muddy low end. It's almost (but not quite) like I want the distortion pedal to give me a pick tone while still playing my usual finger style.

I was planning to experiment to find a balance between the stock and modded circuits, or to perhaps to add a Hog's Foot or other cleanish-bass-boost circuit in parallel with the stock Thor, but alas I have not been able to get back to it in several months.

Please do share the results of anything you try.

-- T. G. --

[MarcoMike]

I totally agree on the "almost picking tone"!! the bass sound must retain its "roundness"

and about the thor.... I didn't like it on bass, the same way how I dont like the BSIB2 on bass....

The distorted tones I like to hear from a bass are of two kinds: -like starlight or hysteria (rounded) or like the beginning of Around the world, RHCP (uniform). I found tones I like with a  You know whose... Wolly Mammoth for rounded sounds and a MXR D+ pushing a WM for uniform ones.

thor is some kind of too compressed but with no sustain... 

just my POV, I still love the THOR on my guitar, thank you ROG guys! 

[snoof]

you could always try building the buff and blend into the crkt to get a smidge of clean low end.

[mnordbye]

The distorted tones I like to hear from a bass are of two kinds: -like starlight or hysteria (rounded) or like the beginning of Around the world, RHCP (uniform). I found tones I like with a  You know whose... Wolly Mammoth for rounded sounds and a MXR D+ pushing a WM for uniform ones.

While i'm not mainly a bass player, i happen to drag out the old warwick bass now and then. And i must say, the coolest DIY build for my part is still the bazz fuss from ROG. With a booster in front (i used the AMZ mini booster) and the bridge pickup only, i remember i got the "Around the World" RHCP sounds pretty good. Try it!

Magnus N

[lowstar]

you could always try building the buff and blend into the crkt to get a smidge of clean low end.

that´s what i actually did when i had finished the thor build (it was working alright)...as soon as the two circuits where joined with a little power filter circuit, i messed up something in the thor build...even after reverting the circuit to "just thor", i could never get it to work again...one of those rare instances where something like that happened to me, i spent some time trying to debug, but to no avail (and i´ve built many circuits that are WAY more complicated). it suddenly emitted a loud hum...i replaced all the fets, the ic, looked for shorts, audioprobed, ,measured voltages, replaced electros...nada. i guess i´d have to rebuild it from scratch, but i did not like it enough (without the blend) to do that. anyway, at the moment i can´t build or debug anything cause every year i have to break down my "lab" to make space for the friggin big xmas tree  .

And i must say, the coolest DIY build for my part is still the bazz fuss from ROG. With a booster in front (i used the AMZ mini booster) and the bridge pickup only, i remember i got the "Around the World" RHCP sounds pretty good. Try it!

the bazz fuzz i built aeons ago, and i don´t like it the slightest bit.

cheers,
lowstar

[rock_god_dan]

I built a blend circuit too in my metal zone clone, just to experiment with the low gain/clean blended sounds. Usually when there's a loud hum, the buffer IC is probably not getting any power - and therefore not buffering. I'm guessing that the distorted signal loops back into the input signal to create that feedback/hum. Am I making any sense? I'm not sure haha! Goodluck man.

Dan

[lowstar]

umm, no.
that same buff/blend is already working perfectly in another circuit, and the thor exhibited the same signs when i rewired it to just thor w/nothing else.
let´s see what the new year brings !

cheers,
lowstar