Mudslinger
Get the mud out of your bass effects
![]() |
![]() |
The GT Mudslinger rack effect module is a GT original module design that doesn't compare to anything we're aware of. It isn't really an effect itself. It is a module that lets you use other effects without making your bass tone muddy. Many effects don't sound good with bass, but the Mudslinger may allow you to use those effects without the muddy, flabby, flubby tone they often create. Keep your rhythm nice and tight, but add some effect flavor without the mud!
Description
The Mudslinger is a GT-original pedal design, and doesn't compare to anything that we know of. The Mudslinger helps bass players get the mud out of their effects, and makes it possible for bassists to use a wider range of effects that aren't typically bass-friendly.
Most effects just don't work very well with bass. Even bass-heavy guitar parts sometimes don't sound great with effects. The low frequencies just don't sound as good to our ears when they are manipulated in effects circuits. The tone becomes muddy, flabby, or farty. String definition can be lost and notes blur together. When those things happen, the rhythm can become indistinct or get lost. In most cases, there is little that can be done. Some effects will let you reduce the bass. That may be OK for guitar, but not so great for bass. Or you can dial back the effect to make the mud a little less noticeable. But the mud is still there, and the effect is less pronounced.
The Mudslinger offers an alternative approach. Instead of cutting the bass, it separates the signal into lo and hi paths, splitting it at a specific crossover frequency that you can select. The hi path contains notes and harmonics above the crossover frequency. The lo path has the low notes below the crossover frequency. The hi signal is then routed to a Send/Return loop, where you can add your effects. The lo signal remains unchanged and does not go through the effects loop. The hi path content will generally work OK through effects without becoming muddy. The lo content retains its punch and doesn't get muddied up with the effects. Your bass line continues to rock along and anchor the rhythm while the higher content adds effect flavor. The wet hi signal and dry lo signal are joined with a Mix control so you can adjust the blend of the two signal paths. The combined signal then goes to a Volume control and out. This allows the use of guitar and bass effects without nearly the level of muddiness you would normally get. But equally important, your primary bass/rhythm notes are unaffected and are not cut back or turned into mud. Très cool, n'est-ce pas?
We buffer the input to minimize tone loss going into the Mudslinger. We also buffer the signal inside the Mudslinger so that no tone is lost as we split the signal. And just to make sure, we also buffer the return signal from the send/return loop in case you have long cables or lots of effects in the loop.
The Mudslinger runs with +/-9V dual rail power to provide an ample 18V of headroom.
What if you don't put any effects in the loop? That defeats the main purpose of the Mudslinger, of course. But you may still find it useful for shaping your bass tone. Your input will still be split into the hi and lo paths at a crossover point of your choosing. They will then both be sent, dry, to the Mix control, giving you the ability to control the lo vs hi mix in your dry tone, with 3 crossover points to choose from. That results in a simple, customizable 2-band Tone control. The Tone control on your bass still works, providing you with a variety of simple tone control options.
Of course, in normal GT style, there are options. First, we provide 3 switchable crossover points at 100Hz, 150Hz, and 200Hz. We can adjust these three values to other values, although there are some restrictions on what exact values are available. Just check with us if you have other values you'd prefer. It's generally a good idea to have a fair range in these values, as guitar effects get muddy, or fall apart at different frequency ranges.
Another feature is a bit subtle and is optional. As described above, you would hook other effects to the Send/Return loop in the Mudslinger. They can still be individually turned on and off like normal. And you can also have effects before and after the Mudslinger. But what if you want to use those effects in the loop without the Mudslinger being engaged? Since they are technically connected "inside" the Mudslinger, they wouldn't normally be available if the Mudslinger was off. Then you might need to have extra effects connected downstream of the Mudslinger to use when the Mudslinger is off. That sounds expensive, and we figured out how to make it unnecessary. When the Mudslinger is turned off, we connect the Send/Return loop between the In and Out jacks of the Mudslinger. That means those effects can then be used when the Mudslinger is off. When you turn the Mudslinger on, we reattach the send/return loop inside the Mudslinger so the Mudslinger can do its job with those effects. This switching can be combined with our Switch + and Switch X modules to turn the Mudslinger on/off with the effects in the loop
There is the possibility that something in your loop might change the phase, resulting in some thinning of your tone. We provide a Phase switch on that path that might be able to help if that happens. Most of the time you won't notice it having any effect.
All sounds good, right? Well, there's one thing that's a little annoying. When you switch between different crossover points, it requires switching in 6 different parts of the circuit. Current (affordable) technology in toggle switches provides only 3 or 4 simultaneous switches from a single switch. To switch 6, we have to use two separate switches. Instead of a single switch, you have to toggle two switches together. If you don't toggle them together, you won't hurt anything, but you may not get what you would want. For example if you set the Lo path for 100Hz and the Hi path for 200Hz, you'll lose signal from 100Hz to 200Hz. Or if you do the opposite and set the low path to 200Hz and the Hi path to 100Hz, you'll be sending the 100-200Hz band through both paths. Of course, those mismatches may result in tone you like...
Configurations
- Mudslinger - Doesn't compare to anything we're aware of
Options
- Custom Crossovers - 100/150/200Hz is the default. If you want different ones, let us know. 100 / 200 / 400Hz is another likely choice. There are some limits on the possible values, but that is much too complicated to explain here. Just let us know what you want and we'll work with you if we can't find a way to get those values.
- No Loop Switching - By default, when the Mudslinger is off we connect the Send/Return loop between the In/Out jacks so that the effects in the loop are still available. If you don't want the loop effects to be available when the Mudslinger is off, this option will give you that.
Front Panel
- On/Off indicator LED
- Mix
- Volume
- Phase switch
- Hi and Lo Crossover switches
Rear Panel
- Audio In
- Audio Out
- Effects Loop Send
- Effects Loop Return
- On/Off Footswitch
- On/Off Override
- DC Power
- DC Power LED
Module Width
- 2". Wing versions not presently available.
Power Consumption (aprox)
60 - 65mA
Base Configurations
Part # | Description | List Price |
MOD-MUD | Mudslinger module | $225 |
Options
Part # | Description | List Price |
MOPT-MUD-XOVER | Custom Crossovers | $0 |
MOPT-MUD-NOSWITCHING | No Loop Switching | $0 |