CROW HILL’s Icky Bass: Vintage Growl Meets Fuzzed-Up Fury

CROW HILL aren’t here to play it safe, and the Icky Bass proves it. This beast is a mashup of historical oddity and modern mayhem, named after the White Stripes’ iconic album and ready to make a mess in your DAW. The intro sets the tone: we’re not dealing with a vanilla sample pack, but a rare Fender Rhodes piano bass, reimagined for today’s sonic troublemakers.

The video wastes no time giving us the backstory. The Rhodes piano bass was meant to be a portable bass solution back in the ‘60s, but never really caught on – probably because most bands didn’t want to sack their bassists. Still, its tight, percussive attack and growly attitude made it a cult favourite for those in the know. CROW HILL tap into this legacy, but with a twist that’s anything but retro purist.

The Icky Bass starts with a rare Fender Rhodes piano bass, not the usual full-size Rhodes you see in every vintage gear video. This thing’s got a punchy, percussive tone that’s perfect for cutting through a mix or rattling your neighbour’s windows. It’s the kind of sound that makes you want to ditch polite basslines and go full-on psychedelic.

CROW HILL make it clear: this isn’t just a nostalgia trip. The piano bass’s unique attack and growl are front and centre, and the sampling captures all the quirks that make the original so sought after. If you’re after something that stands out from the endless parade of soft synths, this is your new secret weapon.

Here’s where things get rowdy. The Icky Bass isn’t just a clean sample – it’s been shoved through Jack White’s Knife Drop fuzz pedal, a collaboration with Eventide that’s all about sub-octave filth and analog snarl. The result? A bass sound that can go from warm and punchy to absolutely monstrous at the twist of a dial.

The video shows off the main controls: the Knife dial lets you blend between pure Rhodes and full-on fuzz carnage, while the Expression dial gives you extra timbral control. It’s simple, brutal, and effective – exactly what you want when you need your bass to punch through a rave bunker or soundtrack a bar fight in a spaghetti western.

CROW HILL don’t stop at fuzz – they’ve packed the GUI with effects to twist the Icky Bass into whatever shape your track demands. Auto wah brings that classic sweep, reacting to your playing for extra funk or filth. Chorus fattens things up, splitting the signal and adding shimmer that’ll make your basslines sound twice as big.

Phaser and reverb round out the arsenal, letting you go from tight and punchy to swirling, spaced-out madness. The video cranks each effect so you can really hear what they do – but trust me, you’ll want to watch (and listen) for yourself. Words can’t do justice to the sheer range of tones you can wring out of this thing.