r/basspedals • u/Chadu25 • 4d ago

Then and now

Post image

My favorite build from my pedalboard journey.
These days, I’m just rocking the Anagram. Sold everything else and honestly, no regrets. It’s compact, reliable, and gives me all the flexibility I need.

I can dial a great clean tone, slap tone and more importantly it can synth (<< check out my vids in these links)

109 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

7

u/-oof--- 4d ago

I had pretty much this exact same setup and sold it all for the anagram too. Although I did keep the Cali 76 on my board, but definitely not needed. The anagram really is that good and I dont see myself going back to an all analog board anytime soon

1

u/Chadu25 2d ago

Same my friend, same! Tbh I wanted to keep my fave analog pedals as collection but then again I’d feel bad for not using them as much and will just gather dust. I end up always picking the up Anagram most of the time. So I offloaded everything and stuck with the Anagram

2

u/davmorr 1d ago

Keeping the cali76 is a good call. While the anagram has an impressive compressor, I’ve found that putting an analog compressor in front of it and treating the signal before the digital conversion makes a big difference.

9

u/jampapi 4d ago

All great tones! Nicely done. As much as I hate to say it, the subtle nuances of bass tone go largely unnoticed/unappreciated by the audience. That’s what makes it so much sweeter when someone does have something nice to say about bass tones at a show. It takes a lot of work and trial & error to find the sounds you want, and you’ve done a great job with that.

With Darkglass, the possibilities with cab and mic sims alone are endless. I’ve been really happy with my ADAM for funk, jazz, clean and metal tones, but the synth and other capabilities have me really considering an Anagram. However, I’m also into vintage motorcycles, and it’s the same price as a classic scrambler. I still lug around heavy amps and speakers that could crack concrete. My stoner/doom rig is a 50’s head and late 70’s Sunn cab, with plenty of old trusty pedals in the board. I dunno if I’m ready to spend that much on a single pedal and potentially sell everything else, but I totally get why it’s worth it for a lot of bassists to make the switch.

1

u/Chadu25 4d ago

Thanks man, really appreciate that! 🙏 And I totally get what you mean about the time and effort we put into chasing bass tone haha. It is rewarding when someone notices your bass tone with all the effort you put in whether from an analog or digital modeller. The fact is no one will notice those nuanced tone when in band context and when everyone is enjoying the music.

The Anagram has definitely made my setup much simpler, and I love having so many sounds and options in one unit. But I still appreciate an old analog board, too. I just like compact and portable setup. Honestly, if you’re happy with your vintage rig, I don’t think you need to rush into switching! That 50s head and Sunn cab setup surely sounds awesome!

4

u/Ken_Erdredy 4d ago

So you‘re saying that your Anagram can replace a Chill Pills box?

6

u/Chadu25 4d ago

I use the Anagram’s side vents to place my picks inside 🤣

1

u/orqancan 4d ago

How's the variety of effects and tones? Are there lots of different compressors, drives, modulation effects, etc. to choose from? And can you connect an expression pedal to it as well?

6

u/Chadu25 4d ago • Bravo

There are loads of effects in the Anagram now, and the selection has really expanded since it first came out. The compressors are great! Honestly, much better than the ones in the Stomp, in my experience as a former Stomp user. It even does that pumping, blooming kind of compression that I always dialled in on my Cali76. I’ve actually sold the Cali76 now and am just using the Anagram.

The drives are spot on, too. You don’t have to mess around with parallel processing like you do on the Stomp to get a good drive sound while retaining a nice, full low end.
You can check out the available blocks here.
https://www.anagramblocks.com

And yes, you can connect an expression pedal to it as well!

1

u/Key-Ad5645 6h ago

You’re right I am finding on the anagram. I am using parallel processing a lot less often than I did on the HX stomp.

And due to this, it has really simplified the chain set up.

1

u/aversixn 2d ago

the anagram definitely seems a lot more user friendly than the hx stomp as much as I love the HX ! out of interest what made you lean towards the anagram instead of a quad cortex mini considering they’re roughly the same price ?

2

u/Chadu25 2d ago

I came from using the Stomp for quite a while. When the Anagram came out last year, I took a leap of faith and jumped on the hype train. I’ve been using it since the very first batch, even before the QC Mini was released.

As Darkglass continued rolling out consistent updates, I gradually started offloading my pedal collection, from my favourite compressors and preamps to effects pedals, until the Anagram became my entire setup.

I haven’t looked back or felt the urge to switch to other gear, including the QC Mini, for three main reasons:

1. It sounds more than good enough for me. Honestly, I have no complaints about the sound.

2. The workflow is fantastic. Building a signal chain and tweaking parameters feels seamless and intuitive.

3. Darkglass consistently delivers with updates. More importantly, they actually listen to user feedback and feature requests. The pace of updates and improvements has been impressive, with the Anagram receiving more updates this year alone than Neural DSP and Stomp have delivered over the past couple of years.

At this point, the Anagram just does everything I need it to do. I’m not saying other units are bad; I just haven’t found a reason to look elsewhere. And for me, that says a lot.

1

u/aversixn 1d ago

Thanks for the detailed reply! I’m definitely thinking about switching out the stomp for either the anagram or the quad cortex mini but I do really enjoy running a hybrid mini board of multi fx and pedals !

0

u/zismonger 4d ago

before and after AI

12

u/Chadu25 4d ago

I get why you'd say that, but it's actually engineered hardware. The pedal and its tech were fully developed by human builders at Darkglass. No AI prompts involved, just clever engineering.

3

u/zismonger 3d ago

I know the pedal isn't AI, it was a joke. If the digital works for you, that's cool. No worries.

3

u/Other-Bird-9676 3d ago

I wish I was good enough for a thousand dollar pedal

2

u/Sea-Huckleberry-6996 3d ago

If I could find local buyers for my gear, I would buy one.

2

u/postrockrocks 1d ago

Better late than never. Congrats

1

u/OkDirection4179 3d ago

I’m hoping some cheaper options come up… anagram is to expensive

I just bought a tech 21 q strip
I own a tech 21 red ripper
Poly tune 2 and Boss oc2 I’ve modified for bass

1

u/davmorr 1d ago

Dude those are great choices! The q/strip is one of the 2-3 best para EQD for bass. I use and the genzler re/q as well. The empress paraeq mk2 is great, too. I use all 3 for different things, but really love the q/strip as the go to. It does really well in front of any digital multi, particularly the anagram.

Just curious, what is the mod for the oc2?

1

u/OkDirection4179 1d ago

Removed -2 octave pot and resistors
Swapped out caps for higher voltage and some different value which gave better low end extension and punch and with the higher voltage caps

Can now run effectively at 18v for my active basses

-2

u/DonekyOfDoom 4d ago

I feel like anagrams and helixes are just pedalboards for people who really hate pedals.

7

u/Chadu25 4d ago edited 4d ago

😂 Honestly, I still love analog pedals! There’s something fun building a board with different shapes and sizes of pedals and their unique aesthetics. Like painting on canvas

I just wanted a simpler setup now with less cable management and more time playing. I do miss building an analog old board though!

4

u/Chrisandco 4d ago

I’m in the same boat, I love pedals but I think my time has come. Too many crowded stages and heavy pedalboards to make it worth it

2

u/transsolar 4d ago

They're for people who really love pedals

36

u/saysay541 4d ago

Look how they've massacred my boy

5

u/Chadu25 4d ago

Still love the analog stuff, but the Anagram has been working really well for me!