The Orange Bass Butler is genuinely one of the most complete bass solutions I’ve ever used in pedal form. It’s a bi-amp preamp that runs two completely separate signal chains in parallel: a clean, full-frequency bass channel and a gain-laden guitar channel, exactly like a real bi-amp rig. The 18V power supply delivers serious headroom, keeping both channels tight and punchy even when you’re really digging in.
What makes the Bass Butler special is how well thought-out each channel is. The bass side keeps it simple with volume, highs, lows and compression. The guitar channel is where things get wild, with five controls that can take you from musical overdrive to absolutely crushing modern tones. Both channels have their own balanced XLR outputs with dedicated cabinet simulation, so you’re ready to record or go direct to the PA right out of the box.
The guitar (dirty) channel runs along the top row. Reading left to right by panel position: Vol, High, Middle, Low and Gain. The clean channel sits below on larger knobs: Vol, High, Low and Comp. A stomp switch in the centre blends the guitar channel in and out, with a blue LED for power and a green LED when the dirty channel is active. There’s also a ground lift switch and an expression pedal input for hands-free control.
In the demo above I’ve set up sweeps for every main control: High Clean, Low Clean and Comp Clean for the bass channel, and High Dirty, Middle Dirty, Low Dirty and Gain Dirty for the guitar channel. Each sweep isolates one parameter against the same riff so you can hear exactly what it does.
The bass channel delivers that solid, fundamental low end you’d expect: tight, clear and articulate. The Comp knob adds studio-style compression on top, and the Amp Out Mix preset (guitar channel gain at 7.8, comp at 7) shows how the two sides complement each other rather than fighting. The Clean // Dirty DI Out preset dials the clean channel’s volume right back so the dirty side’s DI voice steps forward. The Dirty Only preset isolates the guitar channel entirely, showing just how aggressive it gets on its own.
The Gain Dirty sweep makes the range clear: low values give musical crunch that still sits in the mix, and the top of the sweep pushes into modern high-gain territory with serious bite.
The Guitar Butler is the obvious sibling to compare. Both run on 18V, share the same footprint and offer balanced XLR outputs with cab simulation for direct recording or live use. The Guitar Butler is built around a guitarist’s needs: a vintage clean channel and a JFET dirty channel, with a footswitchable second master volume and an effects loop. The Bass Butler swaps that structure for a bass player’s priorities: a dedicated clean channel with on-board compression and full low-end shaping, running in parallel with the guitar-style dirty channel. You lose the effects loop and the footswitchable master, but you gain a purpose-built bass preamp alongside the dirt. If you play bass, the Butler version is the right choice; if you play guitar and want the same direct-rig convenience, the Guitar Butler is where to look.
Bass players who need a single box covering fly-rig, studio DI and live direct are the obvious audience. The bi-amp setup suits anyone who blends clean and dirty signals by nature: post-rock, prog, modern metal, or any genre where low-end clarity matters as much as the grind.
The honest caveats: it’s large (roughly three Boss-sized slots) and the 18V power requirement rules out most daisy-chain setups. If you just want a bass overdrive without the full preamp package, there are simpler options. But for bass players after a complete fly rig or studio tool, the Bass Butler delivers the lot in one box.
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