Electro Harmonix BASS9 Bass Machine Effects Pedal

The BASS9 Bass Machine revolutionises guitar playing by converting any standard guitar into nine distinct bass instruments without requiring special pickups, MIDI connections, or instrument modifications. Built on the same proven technology that powers all EHX 9 Series pedals, including the award-winning MEL9® Tape Replay Machine, this pedal features a newly developed algorithm specifically optimised for transposing one to two octaves down with exceptional dynamics and tracking performance.

A rotary switch provides access to nine carefully crafted bass sounds: PRECISION pays homage to the iconic Fender P Bass®, while LONGHORN emulates the distinctive Danelectro® 6-string bass perfect for baritone tones. FRETLESS offers both electric and standup fretless bass sounds, and SYNTH delivers a tribute to the classic Taurus® Synthesizer. The VIRTUAL setting allows users to adjust bass body density and neck length for varied tones, whilst BOWED provides classic bowed bass sounds.

Advanced playing options include SPLIT BASS, which enables guitarists to play bass on lower strings (notes below F#3) whilst maintaining chord and melody capabilities on higher strings. The 3:03 setting offers a polyphonic salute to the sought-after Roland TB-303® vintage bass synth, and FLIP-FLOP draws inspiration from EHX’s Octave Multiplexer, providing ’70s-style logic-driven sub-octave generation with glitch-free tracking.

The pedal features independent Effect and Dry volume controls for precise mix adjustment at the Effects output jack, plus an always-active Dry output that maintains unity gain. Controls 1 and 2 are specifically designed to adjust unique parameters for each program – for instance, in PRECISION mode, CTRL 1 manages sub-octaves whilst CTRL 2 replicates the original instrument’s tone control functionality.