back to basics! confessions of a once pedalcohlic

[varunkapahi]

it started a few years go with two pedals, a boss eq and a behringer limiter. then it grew like wild fire and i soon had like 8 pedals exchanging, selling, buying, trading etc
now i have almost sold everything and have a basic tuner- vt bass - ehx bbm fuzz setup which i plug into sometimes or take out for gigs only mostly! i'd say the lustful relationship is taking a break for now

it has almost come around in a circle! my problem was i thought effects will make me awesome! well pedals did make me cool but i realized pedals are colors but you need to learn to play first. yes that was dumb
so am back to the woodshed working on my chops and selling most of my extra gear which does not get much use now that am not playing with bands much and paying for lessons!

anywho am not dissing effects, i love them and i sold most of them because i'd like to get different ones of each kind sometime in the future. lessons i learned from my crazy pedal phase

1. effects dont make you a superb bass player
2. they can give you amazing sounds which can be awesome
3. pedals do go bad! (bypass switching, power etc fails)
4. a pedal board does save a lot of time and messing around
5. effects with clean blend win over others!
6. tb classifieds is awesome and is a gas station when you are in the zone!
7. you have a go through a whole bunch of pedals before you figure what you really like

far future gas list:
mxr envelop filter, the blue one i cant recall the number
vt deluxe
a compressor, this might come soon though


thought i'd share, it was a great learning experience but am over it! for now or so i think

[cheapbasslovin]

Well learned.

I would suggest holding off on a compressor unless you are only going to use it on gigs and recording. Don't practice with it. It can hide flaws in technique and become a crutch.

It's sort of like a nail gun; you can build an entire house with it, but you should really be able to use a hammer if you're employed as a carpenter.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by cheapbasslovin

Well learned.

I would suggest holding off on a compressor unless you are only going to use it on gigs and recording. Don't practice with it. It can hide flaws in technique and become a crutch.

It's sort of like a nail gun; you can build an entire house with it, but you should really be able to use a hammer if you're employed as a carpenter.

yeah i just feel like getting a compressor for the tapping type stuff i have been working on, no matter how much you practice some compression really helps when playing tapping pieces you know. heck if sheehan and wooten do it, so who am i

edit: and thanks dude! i was thinking about getting my flame suit

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Wait....8 pedals counts as an addiction? Call me Keith Richards

[cheapbasslovin]

I love my effects, but if I never ran without them my technique would turn to #%&$% in a heartbeat. I've gone through a few bouts of reestablishing good habits when I went on effects binges. My effects sound better when I play well, anyway.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

Wait....8 pedals counts as an addiction? Call me Keith Richards

heh i know its no biggie but getting them all the way here one way or another was a pita, for me it was never like go and buy! i had to make a dozen arrangements. anyway 8 was the max number i had in one go think, i understand thats nothing by your standards but its cool really

[Staccato]

Guitar/bass, here's the axe pedals-current lineup:

-Boss OD3;
-Boss GEB7 EQ;
-Korg Pitchblack;
-Digitech Digiverb;
-Digitech Bad Monkey;
-Digitech Main Squeeze;
-Morley Pro Series Wah Pedal.

And, two project Big Muff Pedals...

[mid_life_crisis]

Originally Posted by Stacatto

project Big Muff Pedals...

I'm sorry, but this sounds like you're planning a really strange porn movie.

I'd google those to find out what they are, but I'm at work and I'm afraid of what might come up.

[Achtane]

I can't hold on to a pedal to save my life. I always end up going "oh man I gotta have that" and sell/trade one pedal to get another...sell two to get one...it just spirals out of control. Now I only have two. I'm hesitant to start buying them again because I know I'll just try to become a one-man shoegaze band again and end up playing with pedals rather than learning any music theory or skills. There's nothing wrong with being into pedals, massing them, creating an hour-long drone from one note, whatever, but right now I'm focusing on learning the instrument because I'm still very inexperienced.

[gnasher1993]

My band-mates have become accustomed to my tap dancing.

It would be rude to deprive them of that entertainment.

[varunkapahi]

kindly note, please dont turn it into a pedal bashing thread and get it locked
i've spent a whole lot of time exclusively in this sub forum and the FS- effects and totally dig all the conversations/debates/information and updates!

[Jared Lash]

I started using effects soon after I started playing bass guitar (I played upright in jazz band first) and never felt like it got in the way of my development.

In fact some pedals have forced me to clean up my technique (filters, gated fuzz, octavers) or improve my time (loopers, delay, even tremolo when playing ahead of the beat) so I don't think they are a hindrance to being a better bass player.

BUT, expecting pedals to make you sound better or improve subpar gear (bass, amp) is generally going to be disappointing.

I always separated my time using pedals to create cool sounds from the time spent working on technique and theory and that worked for me.

Pedals are a tool for expanding your sonic palette and should be used (or not used as the case may be) accordingly.

[Bassmike62]

What amazes me (and the people who know me) is that I have NEVER been a gadget guy (tools, cars, electronics, whatever...). I still don't have a MP3 or Ipod.

But when it came to pedals, I started with a crappy Zoom B1, then someone lent me a SansAmp PBDDI before my first studio session.... and then blank. That was 2 years ago and now I have 20 pedals, most of'em on a Pedaltrain Pro and a couple I rotate according to wishes/needs/moods. And it still ain't enough. Looking into a 105Q wah and a Boss RC-2.

Guess it could be worse, though.

[delta7fred]

I tried a compressor once while recording back in the 80s, I hated it because I could not control my volume with my fingers. I don't know if it was the engineer who set it up wrong but it has put me off them for life.

I am fancying some form of distortion, I really liked the sound of my bass through my old tube amp, especially just before an output valve failed. Now I use solid state it is all a bit clinical at times, can anyone recommend a suitable pedal to try.

I think it is maybe time I got into pedals a bit, I have been gigging 43 years so think I have a basic grasp of the instrument.

[JimmyM]

i go through spells like that, too. use pedals, don't use pedals, etc.

[warwick.hoy]

Varun,

Let me know if you decide to get rid of that 442 Red.

~James

EDIT: I've had my pedalboard in limbo for the past couple of days so I took just my Supercollider to a rehearsal with a new improv noise band I joined. While I would loved to have had my Shiva,...my Chunky Cheese,...my Octaver,...my Synth and my MuRF,..it was pretty liberating to only have one pedal to deal with and there was a lot I could do with just one pedal. That said,...I plan on having my board up and running for the next rehearsal for even more noise, and my GAS list just doubled to include delays,....flanger,...phaser,...etc.

My other band is pretty straight forward rock/funk and often times I just leave my pedalboard at home for that gig. An envelope filter would probably be the only thing at home in that setting.

And yet my third band,...it's more about the tasteful use of FX. They are there for the using and often times a Fuzz or a Disto is always on,...but it's not noise for the sake of making noise.

You are right that FX are like the paint but to me without having those options being a bassist just seems a little boring.

[NewLaw83]

Man, for the past 14 years that I have been playing, I have only had 2 pedals(OD/distortion). I have been always looking for some good pedals but I guess I do not want to color my tone. I don't know maybe ill just bite the bullet and do it. I do want to get a good wah, synth, and another OD/distortion pedal.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

Varun,

Let me know if you decide to get rid of that 442 Red.

~James

EDIT: I've had my pedalboard in limbo for the past couple of days so I took just my Supercollider to a rehearsal with a new improv noise band I joined. While I would loved to have had my Shiva,...my Chunky Cheese,...my Octaver,...my Synth and my MuRF,..it was pretty liberating to only have one pedal to deal with and there was a lot I could do with just one pedal. That said,...I plan on having my board up and running for the next rehearsal for even more noise, and my GAS list just doubled to include delays,....flanger,...phaser,...etc.

My other band is pretty straight forward rock/funk and often times I just leave my pedalboard at home for that gig. An envelope filter would probably be the only thing at home in that setting.

And yet my third band,...it's more about the tasteful use of FX. They are there for the using and often times a Fuzz or a Disto is always on,...but it's not noise for the sake of making noise.

You are right that FX are like the paint but to me without having those options being a bassist just seems a little boring.

i dig the 442, sorry i didnt mention it!
the 442 is not on my board as my bands dont need an filter but i figured the strong bass i was lacking with the 442 on is solved when running another clean channel!
so all the effects which sounded good but were getting lost in the mix are perfect! i split my channel from the bbm and put all the effects in that row and the clean goes direct to the board
vt bass comes before the bbm split

[iamdenialNJ]

I'll agree with you 90% of the way but my pedals are an intricate part of my sound. Many bands (including my own) would not sound the way it sounds if it weren't for effects. Carry on...

[Mudfuzz]

Originally Posted by cheapbasslovin

Well learned.

I would suggest holding off on a compressor unless you are only going to use it on gigs and recording. Don't practice with it. It can hide flaws in technique and become a crutch.

It's sort of like a nail gun; you can build an entire house with it, but you should really be able to use a hammer if you're employed as a carpenter.

A comp can also be used as a EFFECT you know? For Levinesque coolness you need a comp, also a comp can keep a filter under control if needed and also add to the funk!


To me 8 pedals is a small board