Who plays without effects AT ALL?

[NickInMesa]

I tried a few things, like a Chorus pedal, but it is so finnicky to get right, I wonder why bother.

I figure all I would use between my bass and amp is a compressor/limiter (looking for a dbx 260), and that's about it.

I am not here to bash and mock those who use effects, it's a preference.

[sobie18]

No FX here.

[RestInPieces]

No effects here although i'm thinking of buying a distortion pedal but i've tossed all my money into the blowing wind so the distortion pedal has to wait

[PJSShearer]

I normally play without any FX at all - I have a chorus in case we're playing any Paul Young numbers - but I very rarely use it. In the past I've dabbled with compressors and envelope followers, and found that the amount of time they were used didn't justify the batteries they chewed, so these days - I just plug in :-).

[DWBass]

None here and I always send a clean signal to FOH. What you hear is all me and my bass!

[tinjenbass]

I rarely use any effects at all. I own 2 pedals(chorus, envelope/wah) and I haven't used them in forever. Just the bass. I can get a really nasty sounding distortion out of my amp if needed(ampeg SVT 5 Pro) But I'm usually not using anything.

[stflbn]

Depends what you consider effects. I use an EBS Multicomp and EBS Microbass, but both are for clean purposes and not effect purposes.

[Febs]

I will occasionally play a theater gig where the book calls for a specific effect, but 99% of the time I use no effects at all.

[bobba66]

Gotta tuner. Tried a Cry Baby about 30 years ago but lost interest.

[ggunn]

I have a couple of boxes that I fool around with in my studio sometimes, but for gigs I usually just plug straight in.

[Hoover]

I tend to be rather bipolar about the topic: When I'm playing with straight-ahead bands I prefer using no effects at all, nothing between me & the amp except a good cable. When I'm playing with more adventurous, experimental, left-field ensembles, I use quite a few stompboxes. The musical context determines my equipment, from what bass I bring to whether or not I use any effects at all. But I rarely use "some", it's pretty much All or None.

[Ubersheist]

Depends on the gig and the song. In the jazz improv band, I almost always have absolutely no effects at all. One guitar cord going straight into the head. Nothing.

In the rock/reggae band, it varies from song to song, with some songs entirely mashed up from effects, others there's no effects at all.

[Mr 600]

I use a DOD compressor when I play live. Sometimes I play around with a phasor or flanger at home just for kicks.

[JulienJeff]

sansamp VT bass is the only effect I use.

[Phalex]

Volume pedal is the only thing I own. I really only use it as a kill switch for changing basses.

[Gard]

Signal chain:

brain > hands > strings > wood > onboard preamp > cable > Boss TU-2 > cable > amp (di to FOH) > speaker cable > cabinet

[jwbassman]

I have a few effects, but 99% of the time I play without. I usually have them with me in my bag, but I never set them up, unless I know I'm going to use them for something specific.

[tycobb73]

None at all. The GK head has a mute on it for chaging basses. I use my Tascam Bass Trainer as my tuner at the start of every show. The GK head is also compressed enough that I feel i don't need compresion. Oh wait, our soundguy puts reverb over the top of everything. So I guess I use reverb.

[Din Of Win]

IME, MOST bassists i know play w/o effects. In fact, i'm one of the few i can think of that even has a pedalboard.

In my current main-band i use a boss EQ and that's it... my 20 other pedals get to stay at home My band mates freak out when i bring even a fuzz to practice...

[jollygiantchris]

I have a **** ton of pedals but I rarely use them...It seems like 99% of the stuff I write is clean or just amp overdrive. Mostly because when I use effects I tend to totally overdo it.