Bass Box - Custom Junction

Fx pedals tend to cut the low end of your bass.  Bad news for a low frequency instrument.  Use this Bass Junction to keep your low end in tact while using any other effect you want! 

Custom Pedals like this one are built to order and therefore come with a lead time after purchase.  Currently the wait time for this junction is an estimated 8 weeks before it is ready to ship.  

Bass Box's Calling

For too long bass players have had to choose between using overdrive and fuzz and retaining their low end frequencies.  

We at Goodwood have both figuratively and literally put our foot down on this madness.  It's time for the Bass Box to appear on the scene. 

By running your overdrive, fuzz and any other effect you want in parallel with your core clean tone you can now retain your low end while running anything you like in parallel! 

Of course there is a lot more to this box than that, but as far as callings go - this foundational purpose is way up there... 

Selectable Options 

Outputs: 
a. 1/4" Outputs only - You can have standard 1/4" outputs across Clean, FX and Amp Out.  If this is what you need - Look no further.   

b. 1/4" and XLR Stereo Outputs - If you think it would be handy to have balanced outputs to allow you to run straight to FOH from your pedalboard you can select to have one, two or all outputs on Bass Box as both 1/4" and XLR outputs! Ground lift and phase control included with balanced outputs! 

These balanced XLR outputs would take the place of an on-stage DI.  

Manual & Specs

You can decide to use most instruments with this box. Synth Bass, Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass (if it has a pickup), Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, accordion... If it has an unbalanced 1/4" output, you can plug it into Bass Box.

Input Section 

There is one input on this junction.  It is buffered (see buffer specs below) and also comes with an always on tuner output. 

What is an always on tuner output? 

It means you can plug a cable into your tuner input.  No matter what is going on with your pedal chain your tuner will always receive signal. If you're muted, unmuted, taking a break, running 3 outputs or just one your tuner will always be tuning! 

If you want to silently tune, just hit the Clean and FX Mute on Bass Box and you're there - tuning to a hushed crowd awaiting your first perfectly pitched note.  

The input also sends off to your Clean Send where your effects chain will now begin with your Clean Loop. 

Loops 

There are two loops on the Bass Box: 

1. Clean Loop - Plug in to the Clean Send and Clean Return to access the clean loop.  In this loop you would typically run a string of foundational clean pedals.  Maybe a pre-amp, compressor, volume pedal - some people get a bit crazy and put an octave in here as well. 
The idea being that you put your core clean tone in this loop. Don't feel like you have to do this. Far be it from me to tell you how to layer sounds.  Break any and all rules but maybe use this as a starting point!  

2. FX (crazy) Loop - Use this loop to let your hair down.  Put some crazy overdrives, fuzz, synth, octave, chorus, delay, reverb... anything else that you may want to layer on top of your core clean tone.

The idea behind this loop is it can mess with your EQ (cut bottom end, add mids, tops etc) and you will still always be able to run your core, full frequency clean tone as a foundation if you choose to! 

One key note on the FX loop.  It comes with a phase / polarity inverting switch beside the FX return jack.  If your FX loop is out of phase with your clean loop, push this button to get back in phase! 

You can shape your sound further by muting whatever loop you don't want to use.  Play only the FX loop by muting clean, play only the clean by muting FX, mute both to tune (or when you get 'that look' from your drummer).  

How the loops interact with each other:

By default the FX Send receives signal from the Clean Return.  Another way to say this is the FX loop is fed by the Clean Loop pedals NOT your bass guitar.  

Example: If you have a preamp in the Clean loop and crank the treble (why not, right?) the pedals in the FX loop will also see that change to the treble control.  

If you want the Bass Input to feed the FX loop instead, send us an e-mail at info@goodwoodaudio.com and we can make sure this is the best option for you! 

Split/Sum and Phase Push Button

Split/Sum Toggle:

Ok.  This could be a potentially confusing paragraph but let's approach this together.   A band of bass players if you will. 

The Bass Box up until this point has been all about separating your clean and FX Loop (crazy) pedals so you can retain your low end.  Why on earth would you want to sum them together again? 

This is where the fun happens.  They key to separating the two lines of effects has been running them in parallel (giving your clean an 'output' before the FX pedals can shelve out that precious bottom end).  

The sum toggle, believe it or not, allows you to run your FX loop pedals AND clean loop pedals out of one output.  The key: They are still in parallel! This means you still get the clean bottom end and crazy FX loop without the downside of no bottom end! 

If you want to go back to FX and Clean out of their own dedicated outputs - no problem! Set the toggle back to the 'Split' position. 

Phase Push Button:

Gain pedals (more than any other effect type) have the tendency to invert your phase (or polarity).  If you're running a series pedalboard this isn't a concern, but since the Clean and FX loops are now in parallel, this could potentially cause issues if your FX Loop (which would typically have a drive / fuzz effect in it) inverts your phase in relation to your clean loop. 

If your pedalboard sounds a bit lifeless and (often) one of your Loops is significantly quieter than the other, hit the phase push button and see if that improves things!

Outputs

There are three outputs on the Bass Box: 

Clean Output - This is the output that typically receives the signal from the Clean Return (your clean loop pedals).  The only reason I use the word 'typically' is if you're summing the FX Loop.  If your Sum/Split toggle is set to 'Sum', the Clean Output will be receiving the Clean Loop and the FX Loop signal in parallel! 

If the toggle is set to 'split' it will only receive the Clean Loop signal. 

FX Output - This is the output that receives signal from the FX return (FX Loop pedals only). 

Amp Output - This receives both the Clean and FX Loops in parallel.  Always.  No matter what the Sum/Split toggle is doing.

Note - the volume / level controls on top of the box will control the levels feeding the Amp Output only.  This is the output you can balance your FX and Clean loops with to get your on stage balance correct. 

Footswitches And Level Controls

Footswitches:

There are two footswitches on board the Bass Box. 

Clean Mute - This will mute the Clean Loop on both the Clean and Amp Outputs.  The FX Loop will still receive and send signal to both the FX and Amp output when clean is muted. 

FX Mute - This will mute the FX Loop on both the FX and Amp Outputs.  The Clean Loop will still send to both the Clean and Amp Outputs as per normal. 

If your FX and Clean lines are summed to the Clean Output, the FX Mute will still mute the FX Line.  Wherever the FX line is being sent, it will be muted by the FX mute! 

Level Controls: 

There are two level (volume) controls on top of the Bass Box.  

These only control level being sent to the Amp Output, nowhere else! 

This allows you, the bass player, to fine to your stage mix without affecting what FOH (the sound engineer) has already set. 

Fully clockwise is unity gain, fully counterclockwise is off. 

Custom Junctions are designed to last and come with a 2 year warranty! 

All Custom Junctions are made with high quality, durable components.

IMPORTANT - Use only 9vDC centre negative plug to power! 

Current Draw/Power: 150mA, Center Neg 2.1mm

Bass Box Dimensions: 145mm x 121mm x 55mm

Input Impedance: 1Meg
Output Impedance (1/4" Outputs): 500ohms
Low impedance XLR outputs (if included).

Balanced Output Specs (When using Balanced Outputs in place of a DI) 
Freq. Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Dynamic Range: 93dB
THD: 0.005%
Low Output Impedance