Electric Cello and effects

[arctumeda]

Hello all,
I'm guillaumme, a french cellist, and i've discovered this forum 3 days ago.
I've registered me, because i think cello look's like more than bass than guitar.

So, since one year i've got an C100-FISHMAN
Cello Pickupand, an ULTRABASS BXL1800A Behringer Bass Amp.
This year, I begin to play the cello with some friend, a I want to put better effect on my cello. I've thunk to the Berhinger SUPER FUZZ SF300 and the BASS SYNTHESIZER BSY600, but i've not found any comments or sample of this on the web.
However, I don't want to buy an effect pedal above 70€, because I don't have a lot of money to spend in effect pedal.
Thank you anytime for your help.

Keep the Rock'in Spirit

Guillaume

PS : Scuse me a lot for my bad english ^^

[Adam Barkley]

That actually could sound pretty cool, but I doubt you'll find clips of Behringer bass pedal being used with cello.

Rasputina uses old Danelectro fuzzes on their cellos and it sounds awesome. Saline the Salt Lake Queen is a great example of the sound that they get.

Welcome to TB.

Peace,
Adam

i play double bass, and i have a pickup for it too. i highly recommend investing in a Moog Freq Box:

http://moogmusic.com/detail.php?main_product_id=21052

i use it with an expression pedal to do on-the-fly adjustments to the FM.

this is probably going to be beyond your budget. so, you should definitely pick up a delay pedal. you won't have a problem finding one for under 70€.

[JanusZarate]

I found what abark was talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbRusHpUviM



That's pretty cool!

[coreyfyfe]

if i remember correctly from the last time i saw them, the cello player from Subtle uses a bunch of boss effects. you check out some their tunes here www.myspace.com/subtlesix

the recordings are pretty good, but their live show is amazing.

[scullionj]

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

if i remember correctly from the last time i saw them, the cello player from Subtle uses a bunch of boss effects. you check out some their tunes here www.myspace.com/subtlesix

the recordings are pretty good, but their live show is amazing.

Yeah dude, I love Subtle. I saw them at the TLA in Philly, opening for Minus the Bear.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by scullionj

Yeah dude, I love Subtle. I saw them at the TLA in Philly, opening for Minus the Bear.

yeah i caught night 2 in cambridge. i went to the show after class so i was there like 2 hours early, ended up standing right in front of the stage left monitor the whole show. adam is outrageous on stage but i got the chance to talk to him afterwards, really chill guy.

[Sean S]

would you need some sort of boost to properly feed a synth pedal? especially if the pickup is piezo, I would think.

[bongomania]

There's a punk cellist in San Francisco who uses a lot of effects... I'm trying to remember his name but it was something like "Rotten Milk" or "Milk Sick" or something along those lines. I'll see if I can remember, but maybe one of you Bay Area guys knows who I mean?

Edit: Filthmilk!!! I'm at work so I can't search on Youtube, but it may be worth looking to see if there's any Filthmilk there.

[didier]

Hey Guillaume,

I sometimes play an electric cello with a rock band, and when I do I use the same pedals the I use for bass guitar.

I especially like to use an octave pedal, because that gets the instrument down low into the bass range. But any bass or guitar pedal will work- the best thing you can do is find samples to listen to and try any that you can to see what you like.

Here's a cover we did for Halloween- AC/DC Dirty Deeds on cello (pedals are an octave and an overdrive) and 2 electric guitars

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0p04h5J_9bQ

[bongomania]

Filthmilk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-TlgDofjyY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MwlHKe7tmE

They've got about a dozen more clips there if you like that stuff.

[Swimming Bird]

Oh man, I haven't listened to Rasputina in ages -- I love those gals. Also, Apocalyptica used effects at some point, right?

Cello is more in the guitar range than bass, so you really shouldn't have a problem. I'd stay away from Behringer simply because they aren't too sturdy and won't last a while, but any pedal should work just fine.

I would suggest delays and pitch shifters as those are some of my favorite effects. Anyone else wondering what a funky envelope filter would sound like on a cello?

[SnakeAnthony]

When Cursive recorded/toured for 'The Ugly Organist' they used a cello for essentially every song. She was pretty awesome, and put to awesome use some low gain distortions, and a few other wacky things.

Sublte is awesome, definatly check that out for ideas.

And on myspace search for Will Garrison, and then the Absent Arch, two bands that toured together and passed through my town. Not well known by any means. Will uses a cellist in all of his songs, and the Absent Arch incorperated it for one or two. Its not on any of the CD, but at the end of the show, they got both groups together on stage and just improved, and the cellist went nuts, just shredding it out on there, running distortion, delay, a couple of modulations. Maybe they have a video of it somewhere. One of the best things I've ever seen live. If they don't videos, message them and request recordings, because I know they recorded the whole thing.

[TaySte_2000]

I've got a friend here who says bowed double bass into a Boomstick Bottom Feeder is just amazing so I'd recommend one of those.

I think a Blender pedal would be good as well or 2 resistance mixers sat on a music stand so your signal goes into the input it split 4 ways and run 4 signal chains 1 being super clean then run into another mixer to blend back down to a single channel to go into the amp.

So saying that I'd go with the usual suspects fuzz, phaser, filter, delay etc though tremelo might be ace as well

My recommendations for each would be

Mixers - Dod resistance mixers or similar from Radioshack for about $20 each
Filter - Boomstick bottom feeder because its the only filter I know works on bowed instruments I'm sure something else would work but this I know for a fact.

Fuzz - Catalinbread v8 because it will handle any sort of input no matter the impedance or the hottness of it, its very clear and defined but has loads of gain and it will create a carrier wave that you can use as a drone for playing with sounds amazing.

Phaser - My old fav the subdecay quasar because it works so well and has so many sounds but a nice phase 90 or similar clone would work well like the Maxon PT999 or the Mojohand Nebula

Delay - If you are doing anything with drums I recommend something with tap tempo I'd probably say just to be safe a Boss DD-20 as it will do looping, tap tempo and loads of different tones and stuff and pretty cheap also run away occilation would so cool on cello.

But yeah thats what I'd recommend take it or leave it

[arctumeda]

Originally Posted by bongomania

I'm at work so I can't search on Youtube, but it may be worth looking to see if there's any Filthmilk there.

Hi Bangomania,

Oh you're on TB at work ! xD
Thank you for the Filthmilk links, I've seen that the cellist used nice effect. However, the band played Noise / Electro, an I play a sort of Rock / Experimental.

I don't know that the BASS SYNTHESIZER BSY600 is a Delay, That's why I don't will buy it. Maybe i'll buy a Moogfooger later, because I like a lot Moog's sounds, but at the moment i need a fuzz. I've listened to the Catalinbread v8, which is a great pedal. Do you think that the SUPER FUZZ SF300 is so bad ? Anyway for his price, it can't be perfect. If Somebody have another Fuzz to advisor me,
telle me.

Originally Posted by didier

Hey Guillaume,

I sometimes play an electric cello with a rock band, and when I do I use the same pedals the I use for bass guitar.

I especially like to use an octave pedal, because that gets the instrument down low into the bass range. But any bass or guitar pedal will work- the best thing you can do is find samples to listen to and try any that you can to see what you like.

Hi Dider,

I used too an sub octover pedal which is inclued in my ULTRABASS BXL1800A amp. I've wachted your video and I found it very good. Your music style is very nice.
About the cello, do you use an Ns Design 5 strings, because I dream to buy one anytime.

Originally Posted by Swimming Bird

Oh man, I haven't listened to Rasputina in ages -- I love those gals. Also, Apocalyptica used effects at some point, right?

Cello is more in the guitar range than bass, so you really shouldn't have a problem. I'd stay away from Behringer simply because they aren't too sturdy and won't last a while, but any pedal should work just fine.

I would suggest delays and pitch shifters as those are some of my favorite effects. Anyone else wondering what a funky envelope filter would sound like on a cello?

Hi Swimming Bird,

I listenening a lot of Cello / Rock / Progressive like alamaailman vasarat Apocalyptica ( They are too much commercial now ), Höyry - Köne , Rasputina , Diablo Swing Orchestra ....
If you listen Apocalyptica, the cello looks like a guitar, but in D:S:O, the cello is used sometimes like a bass, that's why i've buy an bass amps.
Me I use my cello as guitar an bass. I'll buy a Behringer Wha - Wha Hellbabe, but I think a filter can be useful.

especially if the pickup is piezo, I would think.

Hi Sean S,

Yeah my pick up is an piezzo. The sound are nice, but it's an piezzo and feedbacks are realy importants !!
Do you think about that a limiter can be useful ?

So thank you very much all for these answer.

Friendly

Guillaume

[Taylor Livingston]

My friend's rock band has a cellist. The way they deal with feedback is to stuff the cello with newspaper and tape up the f-holes. Obviously they use a pawn shop cello for playing live, so as not to ruin a nice instrument with tape. You will probably need a booster to get the signal from the piezo strong enough to drive effects.

[arctumeda]

Originally Posted by conical johnson

is to stuff the cello with newspaper and tape up the f-holes. Obviously they use a pawn shop cello for playing live,

Hi Conical Johnson,

I'm very curious to see the cello because i don't undestand all your words. Do you mean that the cello " wear " newspaper and the " Gills " ( Google say me this word ... ) are plugged ??
So, send me an photo please, or an mail adress from your friend's band cellist.
Thank you so much for these informations

Guillaume

[bongomania]

The newspaper gets "crumpled", "rolled", "compacted", "wadded" into a ball and stuffed inside the cello. Filling the empty hollow space in the body. Then the F-shaped holes in the surface (yes, the "gills" ) are covered with adhesive tape. This blocks the air passage into the body cavity, which reduces resonance inside the body.

[Passinwind]

Just a quick shout out to my two favorite electric cellists.

David Darling.

Erik Friedlander.

Both use plenty of effects and both seem quite approachable if you want to query them directly. I've seen Darling do some truly mind blowing stuff with a wah pedal and ping pong delay.

[arctumeda]

Ok, Thank you Bongomania for your help. I don't know this way to protect my cello.
Thank you Passinwind to discover me David Déarling. I known Friedlander before : This guy is very impressive because he has invented new technicals for the Jazz Cello.
However I've a question : What is a Ping Pong Delay xD

Guillaume