Hey just wonderin what would work well for me??

[bigbassman8342]

Ok i'm starting to play bass in a christian band, i currently run sound for us but we need a bass player and they asked(everyone starts somewhere right). we got alot of different styles from blues stuff, to some classic rock, some country style stuff, and even some funk(any suggestion on how to learn how to play slap). I'm just lookin for pedal suggestions that can help add something to my playing. any suggestions are good as long as you can explain what they do. i have no idea what in the world any of them really do. and don't bother with most of the textbook definitions cause they're just wordy to me. just tell me what it does in your own words or would be used for and or reference a song or something that has it in it. Even a whole effects chain would be ok but we do at least 2 gigs a weekend so think compact and simple. Thanks and I appreciate all your help.

[dannybuoy]

I would go for:

VT Bass - Ampeg amp simulator, can do clean sounds as well as overdrive. Awesome for getting a real amp sound out of a PA system, making a crappy combo sound better, or just adding a smidge of overdrive for classic rock sounds. This pedal is so good it has a thread a million pages long full of people creaming themselves and expressing thir undying love for it.

Envelope filter - Great for funk! Like a wah-wah pedal but reacts to your playing, so playing harder has a more pronounced effect. Look at the Q-Tron, Boomstick Bottom Feeder, the list goes on... Or if you prefer a pedal wah, the Dunlop 105Q. Youtube demos are a great place to get ideas.

Also if you need a pedal tuner then you can't go wrong with the Korg Pitchblack.

[TheMutt]

I'm a fellow praise bassist, and I have a ton of eclectic effects. Some get used a whole bunch, others are a sometimes kind of thing.

Chorus - Works great for the slower stuff, or to add some extra character when you want it. Sounds kind of like an organ to me.

Flanger - similar to chorus in use, but is more metallic sounding. Also sounds great after overdrive/distortion/fuzz.

Delay/reverb - also great for the slower stuff, adds extra "space".

Volume pedal - great for those volume swell cello-like tones, or after od/dist/fuzz/octave/envelope/etc for funkier swells.

overdrive/distortion/fuzz - excellent for the edgier songs, or to dial in the tone of a particular bassist. I use mine quite a bit, and love using them on the breakdowns/bridge of the faster stuff.

Envelope filter/wah/auto wah - the ubiquitous sounds for funky stuff, or you can use the envelope filter to cut out everything but the low frequencies and dub things out or use the wah half-cocked for a different sound.

Octave - great when you don't have a rhythm guitarist, to fill in during the solo, or to use in conjunction with od/dist/fuzz and an envelope filter/wah to get synth-like tones. Personally I run mine with 1oct up into my chorus/flanger for more swirly goodness, or 1 oct down for extra low end beef.

There's a TON of others out there, but I'll let someone else fill all that in. The best place to start would be the effects soundclip wiki found at the top of this page and checking out how each of these effects sound and judging for yourself.
(Wiki -> Categories: Effects -> Effects Clip Database)

The praise world doesn't have to be completely bereft of effects, but you will definitely need to pick and choose your effects (and battles) carefully. Be ready to face opposition to your use of certain effects for certain songs, and take the criticism as a chance to understand the intent of the praise leader through that song. Have fun with it, and don't let it get you down if you play a few sets where all the songs call for a straight up uneffected bass sound. (Happens to me from time to time.)

Edit: also, as for compact and simple, I play two times a week but am quite happy to haul a pedaltrain pro hardcase full of pedals around. You never know when you're gonna have a pedal that fits the song so well that you wished you'd brought along. Of course, you could always get a multi effect like a Zoom to play around with to get the hang of the numerous types of effects. It's a great (and cheap! or at least cheaper than a pedalboard full of effects ) way to get your feet wet.

[bigbassman8342]

yeah well i have to have room for it under the bus with the rest of the bands equipment. right now the bass and keys are on a track on a labtop so in other words the bass player i'm replacing took up exactly no room what so ever and it was pretty tight cargo wise and now we're adding a bass, amp, and maybe pedals. but it shouldn't be to much of a problem cause as the sound man to i'm in charge of packin the bus so i can squeeze whatever i want in.