4 pedals for blues/rock

[korey L]

Im in a blues rock band and I need some effects to add to my bass lines. Id like to know 4 "essential" pedal types for blues/rock. If you know goood pedal types for blues/rock please post.

P.S. I do many solos in this band

[jg919]

Hi Korey L,
I play many variations of blues in a few outfits, and one thing that is ge=reat to add is dostortion/overdrive. It just adds a 'crunchiness' to your sound, and can reall make your dynamics stand out.
I have used the Boss bass-overdrive ODB-3 for a few years now, and find it is really versatile. Many other great ones include the Big Muff Pi, Bass-Blowtorch and various guitar-overdrives.

Another great one is an Octave-pedal. I have an old Boss OCT-2, which is great, and can add 1 nd 2 octaves below your notes (great for high-solo playing!).

If your really into solos, I also reccomend a looper - this means you can record (on-stage) a bass backing track (or multiple tracks) and solo over the top - a great crowd-pleaser!...think 'Slang' by Jaco Pastorius.

Cheers!
JOHN.

[Eric!]

1 lighter dirt, 1 heavier dirt, 1 swirly modulation (I prefer chorus), and 1 pedal that tickles you in funny places.


@John,
I heard that it was actually just a delay pedal that Jaco used, just with him setting the delay time long. Could be wrong, just what I heard somewhere.

[rratajski]

Roland Jet Phaser, bjfe Blueberry, Moog Ring Mod, Moog Taurus, and Moog Analog Delay.

I kid, I kid. I agree w/ Eric!

[gnasher1993]

If I was starting again, I would get:

Oxfuzz Germanium
Crowther Hotcake
MXR Micro Flanger
Ibanez AD-9

[BluesWalker]

I play in an electric blues trio. I like having a chours pedal available. It finds use when we player older, slower R&B type songs such as These Arms of Mine, These Lonely Nights, etc. Use of the pedal gives a different sound to increase variety, enriches the sound of these slower songs, and seems to fit well with this type of song. I used to use a BOSS chorus pedal and now I use a chorus type sound I programmed into my Boss GT-10B.

[Ian Perge]

Chorus was my "first" effect and in most ways still my favorite - you can use it on slower songs for a pseuo-fretless sound or to give "standout" parts or outright solos an ear-catching tone. A good-quality Overdrive/Distortion is also great to "fill out" the sound while there's a guitar solo or they're playing clean: my personal choice is an Xotic BB Bass Preamp but is a bit pricy, however their are plenty to choose from: 2 of the most known/used are the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI & VT Bass. Both have their positives - the Bass Driver gives you a quality DI on your 'board which always makes a Soundperson's live easier and therefore your FOH or recorded tone better, while the VT Bass gives you more & different sounds at your feet but is strictly an "effect" compared to the SBDDI.

For the other two I'd go with a Compressor, which in most cases is a much more subtle "effect" but used correctly will truly let your playing stand out in the mix, and an Octave Pedal - think Tony's Levin's line on "Sledgehammer" for this. By synthesizing a note an octave below what you're playing it can allow you to play higher on the neck which you might not do currently for fear on having The Bottom "drop out".

Those are the four I think would suit your style of music the best. There are effects I certainly love but I know have far less of a place in Blues/Rock such as an Envelope Filter and other Synth-type pedals, as well as more "extreme" Distortions. In fact, IMO those 4 not only suit your situation but would make a great effects "Starter Kit" for the vast majority of players looking to move past the world of Clean Bass...

[Swimming Bird]

I don't think there are ever any essential effects. Maybe typical ones for some genres, but who wants to be typical?

For an aggressive 4-pedal board to be used with blues rock, I would go mPOG >> Aggy Agro >> Morley Dual Bass Wah >> Electric Mistress

[Qvist]

Sansamp, you can never go wrong with a sansamp.

[punisher911]

I said it before and I'll gladly say it again.. lol I really enjoy my Digitech Hardwire Tube Overdrive. It quickly replaced my Boss ODB-3.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by Eric!

1 lighter dirt, 1 heavier dirt, 1 swirly modulation (I prefer chorus), and 1 pedal that tickles you in funny places.


@John,
I heard that it was actually just a delay pedal that Jaco used, just with him setting the delay time long. Could be wrong, just what I heard somewhere.

Depending on how blues you're staying, I might shy away from the heavier dirt, and my modulation taste runs more toward phaser, rather than chorus.

Definitely a great starting list, though.

[dannybuoy]

Did somebody say Blues? You need a Catalinbread SFT!

[Mudfuzz]

Originally Posted by korey L

Im in a blues rock band and I need some effects to add to my bass lines. Id like to know 4 "essential" pedal types for blues/rock. If you know goood pedal types for blues/rock please post.

P.S. I do many solos in this band

Hi, I sometimes play in a blues/americana band and I still bring my FX... so...

OD and or fuzz
OD: Devi Ever KP, DB, Mellowtone Hi5, death by audio interstellar overdriver, HAO Rust Boost, HAO Rumble Mod

Fuzz: anything old school, stay away from supper high gain megamuffs and heavy gated ones.

Tremolo, Trem on bass in my fave modulation and it sits very well in a blues setting, it's great for Bo Diddley tunes and getting organ sounds with a little dirt and playing octaves: I like the Fulltone Supatrem& Mojohand sugar baby but there a lot of other good ones out there.

Comp: deep subject go read bongo's reviews yo!, I use a Compulator.

[mpdd]

blue tube 903 pedal works for me

[Eublet]

The Aguilar Agro pedal is the coolest thing out there.

[Bassmike62]

Originally Posted by Eric!

1 lighter dirt, 1 heavier dirt, 1 swirly modulation (I prefer chorus), and 1 pedal that tickles you in funny places.

+1
You gotta have one just for pure fun !

[Kromwarp]

Tech 21 VT Bass, T-Rex Bass Sweeper Chorus, MXR Carbon Copy, Ibanez Tubescreamer

[bassguppy]

Flipster, VT Bass, EBS Multi-Comp, Boss OC-2 Octaver, some sort of boost/preamp.

[Crystalman85]

For blues and rock music, the Ibanez pd-7 would be right up your alley. this bass overdrive pedal preserves a lot of low-end. even at heavier settings. it's definitely bluesy sounding in my opinion.

[chicago_mike]

My Blues touring fx lineup:

Boss TU-3
BBE OptoStomp
DIY Bass RC Booster
MXR BOD Octave
MXR BEF Filter
Boss RC-2 Loopstation
Dunlop Bass Wah