Broughton HPF gig review

[Gustopher]

I used my always on HPF last night for the first time at a gig. I just wanted to share my experiences with it and sing some praises.
Stage was a raised hollow platform kind of thing, pretty bad to be boomy and noisy. I was using my 1x15 and Carvin BX500. I ran my chain like this;
Bass > HPF > Line 6 M5 > Amp
I setup to sound check and had the Broughton turned all the way down and it already sounded a little tighter than normal... so I turned it up until I lost low end and back it down a little. It sounded so punchy and powerful. I bumped my eq around 100hz and it really hit hard. I was running my master volume lower than ever and it was still louder than I needed, the headroom and perceived volume increase was insane. I actually got compliments on my bass sound from a couple guys and that never happens, typically the only thing I ever hear about is how good our guitar players are lol. I’ll never play without this little magic box again. Best investment I’ve made for my sound ever.

As a bonus, the place had Easter decorations up and my bass matched, lol

 

[jbybj]

Science, as you just confirmed, is real. I love it when a small simple device can inspire.

 

[BossOnBass]

I realize you made this post about your HPF, but I gotta tell you that bass looks sweet!

 

[Gustopher]

I realize you made this post about your HPF, but I gotta tell you that bass looks sweet!

It looks less great up close, it’s a rattle can paint job and isn’t the smoothest... but it definitely gets attention and is my favorite bass by far.

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Yeah that thing really makes your amp’s job easier. I’m using his RFE at the end of my signal chain, and it truly is the bees’ knees.

 

[Feral Feline]

What do you use your M5 for?

 

[Gustopher]

What do you use your M5 for?

Chorus, a fuzz for one or two songs and a little dirt. Sometimes a Wah, but didn’t need it last night. Also a great tuner. Overall, it’s a fantastic pedal and I highly recommend it for anyone that needs one thing at a time because most everything it does, it does well. The noise gate on it is nice too.

 

[VitoMB]

I would say that Josh and team has made the perfect HPF that I can run at 18Volts with my active bass. I run it at end of pedal chain, just before going into a SVT-3PRO and 410hlf. This cab is very boomy otherwise. Now it is tight while still have lot of low end. It is day and night!

 

[cusar5]

As simple as it is, the HPF is one of Josh's best designs. It's so small you can even mount it between the rails of some boards, as I've done with my PT-Jr:

 

[burgerdj]

Yeah, it’s killer and I love the form factor. It has totally redefined my relationship with my Mesa Walkabout - which is a fantastic amp, but has a tendency to boom on a hollow stage.

 

[juancaminos]

HMMM, interesting

 

[40Hz]

You betcha! A high quality HPF (Broughton HPF is definitely high quality) is one of the the four most important pieces of gear in an experienced bass player's toolbox. Glad you got a chance to check yours out in the field. You can argue the pros and cons of a HPF all day. (And some people do.) But it's the real world that proves the science that says: when it comes to bass frequencies, sometimes a little less is a whole lot more.

 

[40Hz]

Josh and team

Just out of curiosity, does he actually have a team?

I was always under the impression that he flew solo with his pedal business.

 

[Feral Feline]

Chorus, a fuzz for one or two songs and a little dirt. Sometimes a Wah, but didn’t need it last night. Also a great tuner. Overall, it’s a fantastic pedal and I highly recommend it for anyone that needs one thing at a time because most everything it does, it does well. The noise gate on it is nice too.

Thanks. I have one, so I'm always interested in how other owners use their's. Flanger for me, other modulation and reverb, auto-wah occasionally and Whammy-like stuff. I used to use a bit of the dirt, but have that more than covered elsewhere now. Tuner is indeed excellent and replaced my Korg, M5 was my main tuner before I got a Turbo. I'll have to check out the Gate, I played around with everything when I first got it, but that was years ago. Good reminder to re-explore, get out of my M5 rut.


Back to topic at hand... HPF makes such a huge difference for my upright. I got my FDeck before Broughton was making a name for himself, but if I didn't have Francis' HPF-Pre III, I'd go for a Broughton in a cold-Canadian Minute.


Josh's "Team" are all his cheerleaders in the Broughton thread.

 

[juancaminos]

I'd like to try their HPF, but the RFE has me intrigued. I really like a bright sound which brings fret noise and "clank" but it's out of stock.

 

[Kukulkan61]

I haven’t had the opportunity to gig with mine yet..

 

[Drzejzi]

I have a Chaos HPF, built by a local builder, and with it I'm finally able to dial a good tone in a band context with my ATK I finally can turn the bass knob up without having too much sub bass and unusable low bass frequencies.

 

[40Hz]

I'd like to try their HPF, but the RFE has me intrigued. I really like a bright sound which brings fret noise and "clank" but it's out of stock.

Out of stock?

Welcome to the world of Broughton pedal enthusiasts.

 

[baxter_x]

@OP, why don't you use the HPF available on your Line6?
I was used to using the same HPF as yours but got rid of it since I use my Axe FX II XL. The virtual Ampeg SVT that I use has a "built in" HPF. So no need for another one.

 

[Gustopher]

@OP, why don't you use the HPF available on your Line6?
I was used to using the same HPF as yours but got rid of it since I use my Axe FX II XL. The virtual Ampeg SVT that I use has a "built in" HPF. So no need for another one.

A) I didn't know the M5 had one (got it second hand and haven't really dug into everything it can do yet)
B) I like having the knob to quickly dial in where I need my roll off to start without going into menus etc...