That fuzz bass - octave - analog synth sound...

[hieronymous]

...you get when your batteries are dying in your Series I - I experienced it for the first time!

I've been playing the doubleneck lately - had the 6-string neck redone to EADGBE like a Bass VI - I'm inspired by Roy Babbington of later Soft Machine fame (actually, they're back together and touring!) - he plays a beautiful white Bass VI in a video from 1973 - he plays it like a "regular" bass with his fingers, gets a great sound, just really inspiring to me. Here's the official ad for the concert CD/DVD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKDuevCr90Q

Here's a decent pic I found with a quick google search:



Sorry for the digression. Anyway, I've been playing along with albums with the doubleneck through my CAJ compressor & F-2B recently. Tonight I was having fun playing along with Workingman's Dead, but then some ugly noises appeared - at first I thought I was bumping the cable into the F-2B, but then all of a sudden the notes got all fuzzy, kind of like a Z Vex Woolly Mammoth - I realized the battery was dying - cool! I've heard about this but never experienced the fuzz-bass --> suboctave pedal --> full-on analog synth sound - sometimes regardless of what I was playing! Alas, it only lasted about a minute if that, then it went completely dead. I haven't changed the battery in a long time - in fact, the past few days might be the longest I've played this bass! Maybe some day I'll even play it out!

[elwoodblue]

 

[StephenR]

The battery in my Distillate went once on me mid-song on a gig. Sound went from "what's up" to farty fuzz to dead and it couldn't have taken much longer than 30 seconds. As you discovered it is eye opening experience the first time it happens. I made sure to never repeat the experience though I guess it might be pretty cool to sample the sound as the battery dies and then manipulate it.

[hieronymous]

The battery in my Distillate went once on me mid-song on a gig. Sound went from "what's up" to farty fuzz to dead and it couldn't have taken much longer than 30 seconds. As you discovered it is eye opening experience the first time it happens. I made sure to never repeat the experience though I guess it might be pretty cool to sample the sound as the battery dies and then manipulate it.

Yeah, I knew I didn't have time to set up to record - maybe I'll set up and see if I can do it again before I change the battery. What I really need to do is get a cable so I can use my blue box! My cable is busted...

[pauldo]

Same with my Distillate,  that “battery going dead tone” is wicked good!  Short lived but so rich and thick with many harmonic layers.

That isn’t hard on the electronics to be running lower voltage?

[gtrguy]

Maybe Alembic should foray into the stomp box world and make a pedal that has this sound!!!

[hieronymous]

So I put new strings on the fretless side of my doubleneck - LaBella "low-tension flats" - so far they seem higher tension than TI Jazz Flats but want to wait until I have more time to play with it - so:

I decided to try and capture the analog madness of Alembic electronics powered by a dying battery - I set up my recording rig ending in my Zoom H6 - edited it down in ProTools - it was much shorter than the first time, but I think I caught the essence - the first clip is just the moments the battery dies - but I also included a longer clip (#2) where you can hear the bass (trying to come to grips with fretless in low light with no visible markers)

fizz only: http://hieronymous.us/music/fizonly1.mp3

bass then fizz: http://hieronymous.us/music/fizzle2.mp3

The recording is neck pickup only - played through 1/4" jack to Rick-O-Sound box to CAE V-Comp tube comp to Alembic F-2B to Radial Pro2 DI to Mackie mixer to Zoom

Enjoy but watch out!

[jacko]

I was convinced I'd blown a speaker at rehearsal last night till I plugged the studio fender in and it was as solid as a tree. Ended up having to borrow a battery from the LEDs to get the MK back up and running. First time I've experienced the Fuzz box effect of dying batteries. In the past, when I've forgotten to do my 6th month change, they've just gone dead with no preamble.

Graeme

[mario_farufyno]

Thirsty Circuit's Fuzz mode.

Series 5 pin power suply could get a "dead battery switch", like a 5V feed option instead regular 9V. 

[hieronymous]

I was convinced I'd blown a speaker at rehearsal last night till I plugged the studio fender in and it was as solid as a tree. Ended up having to borrow a battery from the LEDs to get the MK back up and running. First time I've experienced the Fuzz box effect of dying batteries. In the past, when I've forgotten to do my 6th month change, they've just gone dead with no preamble.

Graeme

Glad it wasn't your speaker!

Thirsty Circuit's Fuzz mode.

Series 5 pin power suply could get a "dead battery switch", like a 5V feed option instead regular 9V. 

Thirsty Circuit - cool name for a song or a band - or an effects pedal! I think I could emulate it with an octave and the Z Vex Mastotron

[mario_farufyno]

ZVex fuzzes are the best