... Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 We haven't really ever had a long discussion about said pedals. I do rather enjoy that 'search' feature. I may be in the market for a set and I'm wondering if anyone here has, or has tried, any of the modern copies of them. It looks like a set of Taurus I pedals is going to run around $2000, and I certainly don't need them *that* badly. The copies are a much more realistic ~$450. Any advice, experiences, horror stories? It would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 In my dream, I have a set of them too (not made by Behringer ). I haven't seen too many brands of them in the general market; mostly Fatar and maybe Roland. I considered getting the Fatar for about $450 once, but it was just a controller; I would have to shell out extra bucks for a synth module And I barely had the money for the pedals to begin with. So I passed, and woke up from my Mike Rutherford/Pete Trewavas fantasy and made all those low booms with my 5 string. But someday... "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Another step towards the Jonesy side, eh Bump? Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Good question. I've been keeping my eyes open for a bass pedal deal as well. I've always wanted to give holding a sustained string or synth sound underneath a bassline a try. I mean, Geddy Lee does it, right? It's got to be cool then... So, the best thing that you're probably going to find nowadays will be a midi bass-pedal controller. Here are some models: Roland PK-5 and PK-7(?) Korg MPK-13 Elka DMP-18 Hammond XPK-100 Fatar MP-1 (older model), MP-113, and MP-117 Fast Forward Design's Midi Step Many of these go on Ebay for around $200. All of these are controllers only...you need to hook it up to a midi sound source (like a Roland/Edirol Sound Canvas or a keyboard with midi-in, etc.) to actually get any sound out of it. There are tons of sound modules and keyboards fairly cheap on Ebay of course. Also, I've been told that you can use something like one of the generic midi controller pedals made by Behringer and others (the type used to change patches on a midi effects processors, etc) to trigger sounds in a sound module. I've never tried it, and the pedals aren't arranged like a piano, but you might not care. These go for around $100 new...you can probably find them quite cheap used. Here's someone who builds an analog pedal synth: Analog synth bass pedals on Ebay Here's a guy on Ebay who builds circuit boards to make your own pedal-to-midi unit: Bass pedal to midi circuit board on Ebay I kinda like his homemade box with 13 stompbox pushbuttons on it (see the pictures in his listing)...simple to make and you don't have to lift your heel off the floor! Would be pretty cheap to build...just cover it in carpet and it would look fairly professionally done (can you tell I've been considering this? ) He also makes an analog synth version of this board, but I don't know how it actually sounds. Email him and see if he's got some sound samples. Analog Synth circuit board on Ebay If you have your heart set on strictly a Moog Taurus, I'd just watch for one used on Ebay or anywhere else. I kind of like the midi approach...I could initially plug it into a crappy old Boss DR-5 sound module that I already have, then if/when I actually get good enough to use it in a performance, pick up a sound module or keyboard that has good sounds, and just plug and pray...er...uh...I mean...plug and play! HTH, Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Will The Rock get out of bed for $450 bass pedals? For $2000 of vintage analog goodness, you can shake loose some fillings and probably even a kidney stone. A modestly priced solution is a set of MIDI bass pedals and a $399 Alesis Micron . I've played it's big brother, the Ion. For the money, it sounds very good and has many cool features. Speaking of Taurus pedals, I saw Bob Moog demo Voyager here last year. During a Q&A, he did say that there's an outside shot he might bring back Taurus pedals. But, you're talking $2500-3000 for a new version of the real deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Would you (or I) run a separate amp for it, or just straight into the board? Would be nice to hear/feel the rumble from the source rather than from a reflection or even a monitor, but then you've just doubled your gear and footprint. "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Originally posted by Danzilla: Would you (or I) run a separate amp for it, or just straight into the board? Would be nice to hear/feel the rumble from the source rather than from a reflection or even a monitor, but then you've just doubled your gear and footprint.If you've got a decent bass rig, it ought to handle the synth sounds pretty well...probably much better than a keyboard amp, IMHO. Direct to FOH is always an option of course... Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Yo Bump, Have you checked the Behringer website yet? Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prague Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I already have some modules that will give me the sounds I'd need. I will eventually end up with the Fatar MP-117. A single octave isn't enough. The Taurus II had a C to F pedalboard. It's a Moog Rouge sound engine which had only two oscillators. These are usually cheaper than the Taurus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Actually, at a dinner Bump and I attended at NAMM, I asked Bob Moog yet again about Taurus 3. He said he was exploring the actual pedal options, sine the synth engine had already been developed. Since the Taurus 2 was just a Moog Rogue, I took it to mean that he had redesigned the Voyager engine into a single oscillator module . That could have some serious thump. The micron/fatar pedal combo is a great compromise. I used to have both Taurus models, and they were great, but as Prague says, 1 octave just isn't enough. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Originally posted by Dr. Sweet Willie: Yo Bump, Have you checked the Behringer website yet? Peace. --SWFor midi bass-pedals? Give us a link, SW... Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Um, Dave, it was a joke. Walks like a duck, talks like a duck, even looks like a duck but doesn't bear the "duck" brand label on it and costs notably less than other ducks -- then it's a Behringer. Peace. --s-dub PS: Bump, sorry if I've led this discussion mildly astray and that I've got no substantive help for you. Come to think of it, though, maybe Behringer does make Bull bass pedals... spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Duh...guess I was half-asleep when I posted this... Originally posted by Dr. Sweet Willie: Um, Dave, it was a joke. Walks like a duck, talks like a duck, even looks like a duck but doesn't bear the "duck" brand label on it and costs notably less than other ducks -- then it's a Behringer. Peace. --s-dub PS: Bump, sorry if I've led this discussion mildly astray and that I've got no substantive help for you. Come to think of it, though, maybe Behringer does make Bull bass pedals... Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hey Bump: Here's something new. I was talking with Howard Cano (muppephone on Ebay) about his analog synth circuit board. Apparently, he's working on a full synth board ala Moog Taurus that he plans to sell for $200. This is the board only...it's then a matter of wiring it up to an old organ pedal, or just mounting stomp-box style foot-switches in a wood box, or anything in between. I'm thinking about doing that myself. Anyway, here's what he told me via email: All of my products are, and will be, assembled and tested circuit boards. The "big" synth has two oscillators, noise source, a real 24 dB/octave low-pass filter, ADSR envelope generator, VCA, and fully-programmable presets. Think Moog Taurus, but updated with the programmable presets. It will interface to pedals just the same as my current products. I keep on moving the completion date back, since I only work on it when I'm in the mood, but I'll shoot for releasing it on Ebay in about a month or so. The price will be around $200. (Moog Taurus pedals go for $700-$800, and don't have the programmable presets.) Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 It's nearly a year later, but here is an update on this topic. I am now the proud owner of: Hammond XPK-100 pedals Korg Triton rack module I scored the Triton on Ebay for about half of what it goes for new; and that ruled. I've been playing around with the whole setup for a few days now and so far I'm very pleased. The Triton has a metric ton of ways it can do stuff. I think I'm going to need to get a degree in quantum mechanics to figure it all out. Them keyboard players and their midi. I'm just a caveman, their modern ways frighten and confuse me. The XPK-100 only has an octave at it's immediate disposal, but I've already sorted a clever way to switch through multiple octaves with it by setting some very basic patch changes. This weekend I'll be spending mas time building patches for the upcoming Late September Dogs cd release show. We realized that a lot of songs sounded better/fuller recorded because of additional parts that we just couldn't execute live. Our feasible options were a.) adding another person to the band, b.) playing to a click/recorded track with those parts on it, c.) me covering additional keyboard stuff with my feet. We obviously went with option 'c'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Congrats, Bump! The Triton is my staple engine. Now you have eight slots to fill with expansion cards...I thinking christmas and birthday list for all your bandmates. (Seriously, they are getting crazy cheap since the launch of the Oasys). Be sure to play with the phrase-sequencing arpeggiator...you can trigger off grooves from the pedalboard. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 By the way, if any other Lowdowners are thinking about going the Taurus-ish route, GC is selling a rackmount sound module right now for stupid-cheap that would be a good engine for a set of pedals. I don't really want to spam this board on a non-bass item, so PM me if you want details. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClarkW Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 I've got a Roland PK-5 that I plug into an Alesis NanoPiano when I want to pretend to have an organ. The Alesis has some decent synth sounds, but I've never made much trouble of doing the Geddy thing. With a decent sequencer module, though, you could easily trigger sound samples, playalong tracks, and all sorts of musical goodies with some of the available foot pedals. The PK-5 is in the $450 range new and eBay generally runs in the $300 to $400 range. Bumpcity, I covet your Triton... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTRBass Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 I had a set of Taurus I's many moons ago, but I didn't own them. I did own the "ahem" Taurus II's and happily sold them not long after. I have a Fast Forward Design Midi Step I bought new in 1987 still working perfectly. Currently the sounds are from an E-MU Vintage Keys Pro rack module, which has several dead close taurus pedal patches. Go find one of those on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Ya know, I bought the circuit board I mentioned above and the foot switches with the intention of building a wedge-shaped footboard and mounting the switches to it in a piano-like fashion. This has been sitting in my music room waiting for me to put it all together for almost a year now...I need to get off my duff and do it! Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 I've been 'using the search'. Any developments from you guys? Feel the groove internally within your own creativity. - fingertalkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Well, there's been more discussion here: LINK to BASS PEDALS THREAD And Dave, I owe you a string pad sample of the Darkstar...I had a tooth pulled yesterday, so I feel better. I'll get it to you this weekend. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted November 1, 2006 Author Share Posted November 1, 2006 I'm still using the Hammond/Triton setup that I talk about above. It brings me much happiness and I still don't even begin to do everything that it *can* do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Originally posted by zeronyne: Well, there's been more discussion here: LINK to BASS PEDALS THREAD And Dave, I owe you a string pad sample of the Darkstar...I had a tooth pulled yesterday, so I feel better. I'll get it to you this weekend. Ouch. 09, hope you feel better...no big hurry... Just in case anyone's interested, this is sitting on Ebay right now...Cibes...neverheard of it, but looks similar to an analog Taurus. Cibes Bass Synth Pedal on Ebay Also, check www.basyn.com for a compact analog synth pedal based on a circuit board from Howard Cano (similar to the midi board I mentioned above, but self-contained and analog)... Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Originally posted by Dave Sisk: Just in case anyone's interested, this is sitting on Ebay right now...Cibes...neverheard of it, but looks similar to an analog Taurus. Cibes Bass Synth Pedal on Ebay Whoah! That is WAY overpriced. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yogi Posted November 3, 2006 Share Posted November 3, 2006 Originally posted by Bumpcity: I'm still using the Hammond/Triton setup that I talk about above. It brings me much happiness and I still don't even begin to do everything that it *can* do. If you can talk those LSD kids into covering "Jacob's Ladder" I will fall down at your pedals and worship at every show. "Expectations are the enemy of music." - Mike Keneally Hi! My band is... my band is... HALF ZAFTIG | Half Zaftig on MySpace | The Solo Stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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