JAM Pedals WaterFall Bass

The WaterFall Bass is JAM Pedals' bass chorus and vibrato pedal, a bass-specific version of the company's WaterFall. It is built on an analog BBD (bucket brigade device) circuit, the same delay-line chip family used in classic analog modulation pedals, and JAM Pedals says it "adds movement and width while keeping" the bass's core character intact¹. The company describes the result as "warm, fluid movement with depth and space while retaining the bass's core character"¹.

For a bass player, that matters because chorus circuits can thin out low end. The WaterFall Bass is voiced to avoid that, and at its maximum Speed and Depth settings it produces rotary-speaker-style movement, a Leslie-like effect¹. It is a compact pedal: 7.5 x 12 x 5.6 cm (2.9 x 4.7 x 2.2 in) including jacks and controls, weighing 300 g (0.66 lb)¹.

The controls

The WaterFall Bass keeps the control set of the guitar WaterFall: two knobs and two toggles. The C/V toggle selects chorus or vibrato, and a +/- toggle selects subtle or more pronounced modulation. Everything is on the surface of the pedal, with no menus or hidden parameters¹².

The C/V toggle is the heart of the pedal's flexibility. In chorus mode the modulated signal is blended with your dry bass signal, giving the shimmering, doubled sound heard on countless recordings; in vibrato mode the dry signal is dropped and the pitch of the whole signal wobbles. The +/- toggle then shifts the overall range of the Depth control, so a player can set the knob for subtle thickening in one position and switch to a deeper, more obvious sweep without re-dialing².

Delicious Audio, describing the standard WaterFall's layout, notes the same arrangement: "one to select between chorus and vibrato modes"⁴. At high Depth and Speed settings the standard WaterFall creates Leslie-style rotary effects, and the Bass version behaves the same way at its maximum settings¹⁵.

WaterFall vs. WaterFall Bass

The WaterFall is the original guitar version, a chorus/vibrato pedal with the same analog BBD circuit, true bypass, 47 mA current draw and 9V DC center-negative power⁵. The WaterFall Bass carries the same "BASS CHORUS/VIBRATO" designation and the same control layout, but JAM Pedals voices it to preserve the low frequencies a bassist needs, describing the circuit as retaining "the bass's core character"¹.

Both pedals are part of JAM Pedals' modulation lineup, which also includes the Ripply Fall and Harmonious Fall. Players shopping the wider chorus category can compare it against other options on the chorus pedals page, or against vibrato pedals if pitch wobble without the blended dry signal is the goal.

Hand-painted artwork editions

JAM Pedals sells the WaterFall Bass in hand-painted artwork editions alongside the standard finish. Each is a one-of-a-kind piece painted by hand, and the pedal you receive will differ in detail from the photos shown¹⁵.

The artwork editions carry the same circuit and sound as the standard pedal: JAM Pedals' own phrase for them is "Same sound, different artwork"⁶⁷². For the WaterFall Bass, the named custom artwork versions include the "Relic" and "Achenbach" editions²³. The guitar WaterFall gets a wider set of artwork editions, including the "Bewitched", "Relic", "Spookful", "Poison View", "Stalagmite Prince", "Split Difference" and "Achenbach" versions⁷⁸⁹.

Background and players

JAM Pedals offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on the WaterFall Bass: if within 30 days of receiving the product you are not satisfied, you can return it for a refund¹. For UK buyers, the pedal ships DDP with 20% UK VAT and all duties included, with no extra charges on delivery¹.

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