New Gear Review: BASS9 Bass Machine by Electro-Harmonix

Electro-Harmonix adds the BASS9 Bass Machine to their popular line of “9” pedals—can this pedal morph your guitar into your dream bass?

Electro-Harmonix have had their range of “9” pedals for quite a few years now. With the aim of turning your guitar signal into a Hammond B3, electric organ, and Mellotron, models such as the B9, C9, and Mel9, respectively, have made their splash with guitarists. It’s surprising to me that the newly released BASS9 Bass Machine is only now making its debut after its somewhat less-likely predecessors.

The BASS9 has, as you’ve probably guessed, nine variations of sounds to choose from, seven of which are based on real basses, and two of which emulate synth bass sounds. So how does it compare to the previous entries in the bunch, and more importantly, how convincingly does it replicate your favorite four-string?

Features

Like all Electro-Harmonix pedals, the BASS9 is designed and assembled in New York City. Housed in a sturdy metal case, five knobs populate the front panel, one of which is dedicated to choosing which mode you are in. It also comes with the appropriate 9V power supply, which is always appreciated, so you can use it without having to futz with your own power sources.

Despite the fact that there are nine modes to choose from, each with their own nuances, using the pedal is a simple affair, and you can jump right in without really consulting the manual. There’s a mono input jack, as well as two separate outputs—one for your dry signal, and one for a mix of the dry and wet signal. The Effect knob controls the volume of the effected signal, while the Dry knob controls the volume of the dry signal, as you’d expect. The fact that you are always able to separate your dry signal is very useful, as you can record that separately and then run it back through the BASS9 if you’d like to try an alternate setting.

As mentioned, there are nine sounds to choose from via a white rotary knob, which range from an emulation of the classic Fender Precision Bass, to a bowed bass sound, all the way to the Flip-Flop preset, which is an emulation of the old Electro-Harmonix Octave Multiplexer—one of the first pitch-shifting pedals the company ever developed. Two control knobs affect various parameters of each sound, and they are different for each setting. It’s best to start with both turned all the way counter clockwise, and then increase the value and see what that does to the sound when experimenting.

In Use

Similar to the Mono Synth and Bass Mono Synth pedals, Electro-Harmonix suggest putting the BASS9 first in your chain to ensure proper pitch tracking. They also note that the tone of the pedal’s output is going to be very dependent on the tone going into it, so different pickups and tones might work better with certain patches. I found that sticking to the bridge pickup of my guitar worked well for producing a richer tone through the BASS9.

The first setting is entitled Precision and is going to be the first and last stop for many users, as it’s based around modeling the famed Fender P-bass, a well-known and loved sound for a variety of genres of music. With this setting, control knob 1 mixes between an output of one or two octaves down from your original signal, while control knob 2 mimics the tone control on an original P-bass—higher settings for brighter sounds, lower settings for darker tones.

Put quite simply, Precision sounded great right away—convincing, warm, musical, and importantly, it tracked very well. I would have no problem using it in place of a regular bass in the context of a full band mix. It’s best to treat the output from the BASS9 as you would a normal bass, so EQ, compression, and limiting will all help your resultant sound sit better in the context of a track. I found that leaving it on one octave down with the tone control at about noon gave me a sound with both enough body and girth to warrant no further tweaking. A/B-ing between a track recorded with the BASS9 and a real P-bass was quite remarkable, especially when each instrument was played in a similar manner; i.e. with fingers as opposed to using a pick.

Setting two is called Longhorn and is an emulation of 50s Danelectro six-string basses. In this case, control knob 1 adjusts the pitch in half steps, allowing you to create interesting harmonic relationships between your original signal and the resultant bass sound. When set all the way counter-clockwise, Longhorn simply pitches your guitar sound one octave down. Control knob 2 in this case adds a fairly brash tremolo effect to your tone; both depth and rate are controlled by one knob, so subtlety isn’t the first word you’d think of when applying this effect, but it works well as a one-stop tremolo if you aren’t too concerned about those details. The Longhorn setting is a bit pluckier and has slightly more treble in its resultant sound as compared to the Precision setting, though it would be useful for typical rock or country bass sounds as well.

Fretless is, as you’d expect, an emulation of a fretless bass in both electric and upright forms, though to my ear, it leaned more on the side of the former than the latter. In a nod to the famed jazz bassist Jaco Pastorious, control knob 2 adds a chorus effect to the sound, which again increases in both depth and rate as the knob is turned up. If you’re looking for slightly more subtle bass sounds for jazz or lounge music, Fretless works well in a pinch, though it’s going to be less capable of reproducing the nuances provided by a real upright acoustic bass, as several variables go into recording such an instrument.

The Synth setting is one of two sounds on the BASS9 that is meant to emulate synthesizer basses; in this case, the subject is the famed Moog Taurus, which has been renowned for its super low sub capabilities. Control knob 1 again adjusts the pitch of the output signal, with the choice of octaves or fifths being available. Control knob 2 controls the amount that an envelope filter affects the sound; as you increase the knob, bigger sweeps of the envelope are possible.

While it’s nice that Electro-Harmonix have included this sound on the BASS9, it feels a bit like an outlier on the pedal, and those who are looking for more control over their synth bass sounds might be better suited with the Bass Mono Synth. That pedal’s ability to store presets and expression pedal input gives it more usability in this context.

The same thing can be said for the 3:03 setting on the BASS9, which is again similar to the Acid setting on the Bass Mono Synth, but with slightly less control. While the 3:03 setting is certainly usable, it wouldn’t be my first choice for replicating those tricky Roland sounds, which have as much to do with the sequencer and accent functionality on the famed TB-303 as the envelope itself.

Despite the somewhat ambiguous name, Virtual is one of the most useful settings on the BASS9, as it offers slightly more timbral variation to the sound, as opposed to dedicating one of the control knobs to an effect that may or may not be what you’re looking for. Control knob 1 is said to affect “body density” while the second knob is dedicated to “neck length”, but these knobs are quite interactive and can lead to a few timbral settings not possible with the Precision setting.

Similarly, the Bowed and Split Bass presets offer quite a lot of mileage as well. Bowed adds an adjustable attack envelope to your signal to simulate a bowed bass sound, while Split Bass separates your guitar signal above F# on the D string and only pitches down notes below this range. Using this setting also adds an auto-wah that is controlled by knob 2; this effect isn’t really necessary to make use of this setting but it’s a fun addition nevertheless, and is one of the more flexible effects baked into the BASS9.

Using the BASS9 was a simple affair, and the inclusion of a dedicated dry output meant that it was easy to track sounds for re-amping or re-effecting later on. The knobs are also sufficiently spaced out on the front panel, unlike some other Electro-Harmonix designs, and it’s quite easy to read the various labeled settings, even while leaning over a pedalboard in a dark room.

To Be Critical

In the manual, Electro-Harmonix has included suggested settings for each patch, as well as blank patch sheets for user settings you’d like to store. The fact that so many sounds are possible from the BASS9 is both a blessing and a curse, as flipping through the settings quickly while the control knobs are at random positions can create some surprising sounds. This holds especially true when using one of the settings in which the knobs can be set to intervals between octaves.

It would have been nice if the BASS9 stored the settings for the control knobs with each sound. As is, it takes a bit of dialing in when you switch settings, as you are more than likely going to have very specific ways you’d like to use the pedal.

Summing it Up

Despite any minor quibbles, the Electro-Harmonix BASS9 does what it advertises quite well—taking an electric guitar tone and turning it into several variations of very realistic (and very usable) bass sounds. The processing time it takes is negligible, so it can be used in both studio and live settings, making it quite easy to replace that flaky bassist who keeps missing practices.

Solo performers who employ loop pedals could easily work the BASS9 into their rigs to add a low element to their sound without the need for any further instruments. It also can just add an element of experimentation to your guitar recordings when used with some of the settings that introduce effects to the resultant sound.

At around $221, the BASS9 is not an inexpensive investment for your studio, but if you’re looking for a pedal to fill in your low end needs, it should be at the top of your list.

Leo Maymind is a producer, DJ, and writer living in Los Angeles, CA. He is obsessed with sound, and you can reach him at lmaymind@gmail.com.

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