ilovefuzz.com

So I'm wondering if there's a pedal out there (preferably for bass) that's a filter with a manual sweep rather than an envelope follower? I'm a big fan of analogue synth-y low-pass filters with resonance that can really scream but all that funky auto-wah envelope filter shit does nothing for me. Kind of looking for seriously deep dub bass sounds and fat resonant filter tones. The only one I can find is the Xerograph which is a bit out of my budget when shipping/import duty to the UK is taken into account (as far as I know there's no UK dealer for Iron Ether stuff either)

Or, failing that, do any of the common-or-garden auto-wah pedals (Q-Trons, DOD, that kind of thing) simply have a way of turning the envelope follower off? I've been trying to find this out for myself but every single video demo of an envelope filter on bass makes me wish the effect was never invented...

Embrace Bill Laswell: DOD FX25. Sensitivity all the way down, play it softly so the filter never opens.

If you don't mind built in always on square wave fuzz there's something coming that might suit your needs.

FX25 will do this in spades. The main thing to look for is a bandpass filter in my experience, most bass envelopes I've come across don't have this setting and so won't get you THAT sound. Apparently the MXR envelope filter does a reasonable impression of it as does the Source Audio Manta although I can't vouch for those ones.

BOSS FT-2 has a manual/expression pedal mode. I made a demo with bass and synths years ago:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbMjehCBOGk[/youtube]

It doesn't do fat resonant filter sounds, though. It is more on the gentle side.

Definitely loved my Evil Filter for low pass stuff.
The chip it uses lets it get nice and dirty compared to other synth-based LPF's.

There's a moogerfooger one right?
You could mod a monotron pretty easily, swap to big jacks and stick it in an enclosure with/without ribbon controller.
A dude called Clacktronics used to make a wasp filter pedal, seen a few floating around over the years. Regret selling mine! There's also a mode machines one.
Not sure if the new Ehx monstrosity allows you to turn the lfo off?

The Xerograph is really nice, if you don't care about having envelopes on it Taylor might still make the regular Xerograph, cheaper than the Deluxe. Although harder to find used.

While the FX25 can act as a lowpass filter, you dont have fine control over the frequency, ie with the sensitivity all the way down, the filter is fixed at one frequency. You can't really play above the 12th fret on the A string. I love the FX25 personally, especially with a fuzz after it for synth toanz, but if you want something more tweakable, look elsewhere. I have no experience with either, but the MF-101 and Super Fatman/Protostar might fit the bill, as they both have dedicated resonance control, which the FX25 doesn't. The Lamda from Dreadbox is also an option.
That being said, for straight subby dubbyness, the FX25 is perfect

Perhaps an octaver could get you close too

To suggest more awesome, yet harder to find/pricier variants: Frostwave Resonator, SS/BS Pretty Years.
If you bide your time & shop around you can find the Moogerfooger secondhand for about $160

Edit: but what you should really get is a Dr. Scientist BitQuest for patch 2 (and the other 7)

The Xerograph is a tad pricey, but absolutely worth it. It's become a big part of my rig, gives me tremendous low end sweeps that just obliterate everything.

Seconding the Dwarfcraft Happiness. Plug in an exp and go. Or you can run it on an LFO, which also has sample/hold-like capabilities. And you can also switch it to band pass and high pass.

Plus one for the xerograph. Also 3leaf wonderlove is great and exactly what I use for this. Sweep with exp pedal is great. Has band pass and low pass options too.

Ooh, the Wonderlove is a good shout! OP, if you're based in the UK keep an eye on the bass direct website as they pop up used there for not lots of cash reasonably often (got mine from there).