Effects V's No effects-let the debate be settled

[jayman2606]

I am new to bass and my teacher has suggested getting an effects pedal. He mentioned a looper. I have heard it said that many bass players don't bother with pedals and just go without them.

So which is best? Am I best off not touching a bass pedal in my life and saving my self a lifetime of effects headaches?!

What are the advantages and disadvantages?a

Also what are the basic standard options and what might be best to start with if I did go with the pedals?

I have been told most bass players don't use them...

[Ampeg SVT]

I like them, but only if i need something that may fit a song. Many bass players do use effects, its just how they use them

[Revvv]

I'm not sure how a looper would help you learn bass. If I were going to purchase a pedal just for the sake of doing so while learning I would get a multi effects peadal such as the line 6 Bass Pod.

I don't do a great deal of playing with effects. I do like the sound of a distortion pedal. Occassionally a phaser and a flanger with chorus is cool too. Nothing beats the sound of a low, clean bass note though.

[James Hart]

I use and dig pedals...

but I spent 25 years pretty much NOT using them. As a new bassist, concentrate on learning bass and controlling tones via your hands. A looper is a cool practice tool though. You can record a phrase, loop it back at you and practice soloing / melody & harmony construction, etc.

[Swift713]

I hope you realize that asking this question in the effects forum is going to get you almost exclusively pro-effects responses.

It can be a slippery slope once you get involved. Some of the folks here have several aircraft carriers full of effects at their feet.

I use a multi-effect processor plus a couple other things. My main effects of choice are overdrive, compression, and envelope filter. I also use a looper, or phrase sampler some times to make multi layered repetitive "soundscapes" or just to practice playing various parts over other parts.

Most recorded bass uses at least compression. Some genres use
essentially no effects, some use a lot. Some guys only play the instrument, others play the amp and signal processors. It's just more tools at your disposal.

I suggest that you spend some time reading on this forum. There is a great wealth of information here.

Welcome

[wazzel]

If you are new to bass you should focus on skill, amp and bass. Effects just enhance the sound.

[totalimmortal08]

to me at least, depends on the sound you want. my dad taught me to play and he hates effects, especally the big muff. where as personally, i love em, especailly that supercollider, i plan on getting one soon! but first and formost, learn to play first and then go from there. and as ppl before me said, you will get mostly pro effect responces from this. happy playin =)

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by jayman2606

I am new to bass and my teacher has suggested getting an effects pedal. He mentioned a looper. I have heard it said that many bass players don't bother with pedals and just go without them.

So which is best? Am I best off not touching a bass pedal in my life and saving my self a lifetime of effects headaches?!

What are the advantages and disadvantages?a

Also what are the basic standard options and what might be best to start with if I did go with the pedals?

I have been told most bass players don't use them...

There should be a warning sign on pedals, and the Effects section here is not making things any better either.. it's AMAZINGLY addictive with pedals, but it's fun and very useful.

I just started playing the bass about two months, soon three, and I joined TB just because I wanted to explore the pedal world as well. IMHO a compressor is a good first pedal, not much of an "effect" maybe, ie. it doesnt "freak up" the sound as a phaser or a wah-wah etc. but it's a really neat processor to use for getting different kind of sounds depending on how you play as well.

Visit a bass shop with good testing possibilites, and just give em hell...

Good luck and have fun!

D.Don

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by Revvv

I'm not sure how a looper would help you learn bass.

I had a Boomerang Phrase Sampler (a looper) for quite a while and it REALLY helped me improve my sense of time and improvisation. At first they can be a little tricky to get a good loop (if your time is off, the loop will be too), but once you get it, it's actually pretty sweet. Create a loop, stack a few parts on it if you like, and play over it. It's a little like a metronome in a way.

As far as effects go, it's really a matter of what you like. Some people like all sorts of crazy effects, some don't. I'd suggest starting with a multi-effects pedal. It'll give you a taste of a good variety of the most common effects and give you an idea of whether or not effects are for you. Digitech, Zoom and Boss all make some pretty good units.

Originally Posted by D.Don

IMHO a compressor is a good first pedal...

+1!

I'm one of those people that believes a good compressor is a must.

5sg

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by jayman2606

I have been told most bass players don't use them...

Yes and most bass players don't use 7 string (or more) basses. I'm one of them, but I certainly wouldn't tell John Turner, James Hart, Jean Baudin, Mark Roberts or any of the other extended range bassists here that they shouldn't. It's a tool necessary to create the music they want to make.

Same thing with effects. There's nothing wrong with someone plugging a P-Bass into an Ampeg and holding down the bottom end, if that's what their music calls for. But for those of us that want to expand our sonic palettes, effects allow us to do that.

Every player should find the tools that best help them express themselves and not worry about what others do or don't do.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by jayman2606

Also what are the basic standard options and what might be best to start with if I did go with the pedals?

If you don't already know the different types of effects available, this page is a good start.

Then you should make good use of the wealth of information available in this forum. Check out the stickies in this forum for some more basic info. Also, click on the Wiki link at the top of the page, go to categories and click on effects. The effects database has plenty of clips for you to listen to and get an idea of what some effects sound like.

Finally, use the search function to look up different pedals and peoples opinions about using them with a bass. Searching for terms like Phaser, Compression, Envelope Filter etc will net you a ton of threads to do some research.

[totalimmortal08]

ppl here will usually give you a good honest opinion about effects. so with their advice

[Happynoj]

Originally Posted by D.Don

IMHO a compressor is a good first pedal

I disagree with this.

A compressor is a useful tool, but I don't think that you should get one until you are fairly good - if you get one when you are just starting out, then you can come to rely on it to control dynamics, and ignore little slips that you don't notice as much when you have the compressor on.

I think that you should be able to get a good constant, even sound when using fingers, pick or slapping before you get a compressor.

[dannybuoy]

I'd recommend getting a Zoom B2. You can use it as a tuner, a headphone practice amp, around 40 effects in it as well as a drum machine and it's unbelievably cheap (I just got a 2nd hand one for £30). The amp models are out of this world, and you can jam away and learn in relative silence without pissing everyone off!

This will satisfy your initial GAS for effects and you can alway purchase separate pedals later when you've figured out what efects will suit your style of playing.

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by Happynoj

I disagree with this.

A compressor is a useful tool, but I don't think that you should get one until you are fairly good - if you get one when you are just starting out, then you can come to rely on it to control dynamics, and ignore little slips that you don't notice as much when you have the compressor on.

I think that you should be able to get a good constant, even sound when using fingers, pick or slapping before you get a compressor.

Well, imho a compressor is not just an "even the dynamics out" unit, I use it to play with the tone and timbre using my pickfinger dynamics to control it as well, and you can get a lot of interesting tone/timbre depending on what kind of compressor you use, and how you use it.



D.Don

[varunkapahi]

if you have just recently started off on bass then its better if you spend your time studying bass playing otherwise think about the pedal you need the most do you need a preamp? do you need a OD/distortion/fuzz? if you play for any band then think in terms of what might be useful with your band setting and so on

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

if you have just recently started off on bass then its better if you spend your time studying bass playing otherwise think about the pedal you need the most do you need a preamp? do you need a OD/distortion/fuzz? if you play for any band then think in terms of what might be useful with your band setting and so on

I dont agree, the sound and learning how to get different sounds (not only timbre/tone), is also a part of being a bass player, and pedals can be great fun as well as a part of the prectice schedule.



D.Don

[Swimming Bird]

Playing first, effects second.

Adding an effect changes your instrument in the same way that a drummer adding a new drum, a keyboarist using a new patch or playing a bass different tuning changes each instruments responses and sounds. You will have to play the pedal (as an extension of the bass more or less) to get it to sound good. Learn how to play, then add effects if you still want to.

To reiterate what others have said: there is no accounting for taste. It really doesn't matter what gear you use so long as it makes you happy. It doesn't matter whether a bassist uses effects or not. That said, the non-effects folks could be a little more tolerant

Anyway, a loop station is a good way to practice and are very good at exposing poor timing, particularly if you use their metronome features. There is nothing quite so humbling as hearing your own instrument played back completely out of time with a metronome.

[RickenBoogie]

I played without fx for nearly 30 years. Maybe a little chorus or od, but nothing like the arsenal I have now. Mostly, these forums influenced my curiousity, and now I couldn't live without my big board. Mind you, I could have bought a couple of nice basses for what I've spent on pedals, so be careful.

[Ampeg SVT]

In my opinion dont get a pedal unless you really need it, i have bought several pedals on a whim and i sold them quickly

However if you are in the market for some pedals here are a list of pedals that I found to be good.
Aphex Punch Factory
Aphex Big Bottom Exciter
Fulltone Bass Drive Mosfet
and finally the Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver