how many pedals do i need??

[bassmastercully]

i come from a family of musicians..
im a guitarist and vocalist..
i recently picked up the bass,
not to brag, but for not playing very long, i consider myself very skilled at it, and i understand most of the dynamics of the bass guitar...

but im still trying to work out the technical stuff as far as what i need..


so your advice would be great..

[bassteban]

You don't *need* any pedals.

Edit: Oh- and welcome to TB.

[bassmastercully]

sure about that??

[bassteban]

Absolutely. They are nice to have and can be essential in certain situations(example- I wouldn't want to cover Journey's Don't Stop Believin' w/o a decent chorus)but for most live work IME pedals are unneccesary. I nearly always run my Zoom for the tuner & volume pedal, but can definitely live w/o it.

[cheapbasslovin]

Spend some time in the post your pedalboard thread and you will see that there is no right answer here. Some guys have 2 or 3 and some guys have 30+. You don't need any.

[newbold]

Drive, Envelope, EQ, Fuzz, and Chorus are all awesome units if you have a use for them.

[kevteop]

Originally Posted by bassteban

I wouldn't want to cover Journey's Don't Stop Believin'

Me either.

[4stringmangler]

how many pedal's do you need? sounds like my freaking wife every time i got a package in the mail. i finally nailed it down to 8, but what works for me won't work for the next guy! i'm glad you got the bass down pat already, that's something i need to work on.

[bongomania]

All you need is a tuner. Beyond that, it's all gravy. I like gravy, but it's not the meat or potatoes.

[Snakeman1066]

well that depends on a lot of factors....what kind of music do you play? what sound or tone objective are you trying to achieve?

my basic suggestions would be....depending on your setup...

a DI box
A Wah/Crybaby
Fuzz
OD
Octave Down
Envelope Filter
Chorus

this should fit just about any style music but YMMV and this is just my .02....

[bassmastercully]

well wouldnt i need like compressors and stuff?

[tomvelsor]

Originally Posted by bongomania

All you need is a tuner. Beyond that, it's all gravy. I like gravy, but it's not the meat or potatoes.

i was doing regular gigs quite freqently for a while without a tuner. guitarist kept loosing them on me, so i stopped buying them..

so "you dont NEED anything" is gana be a common answer here.

however, lets be real, if your into effects, 3+ will keep most people happy. others like myself have one of everything (and 2 of a lot of things..)

[anonymous02282011]

0.

zero.

nil.

nada.

(you don't need any.)

I'm sorry, that wasn't very diplomatic of me. I just got a little carried away. What I was trying to say none.

[cheapbasslovin]

Originally Posted by bassmastercully

well wouldnt i need like compressors and stuff?

I don't, but you might. I feel like I need my HOG, Micro Q-tron, and a mixer or blender. But not everyone here does. My next gig may not need those either.

[bassmastercully]

wow way off subject but..
how do i get a stupid picture on my profile??

[mrjim123]

Show me a guy who plays onstage with a bunch of pedals and I'll show you a guy who (a) is insecure about his playing, and (b) probably needs a lot of maturing as a bass player and as a musician in general.

The only pedal I use is my gas pedal to get me to the gig.

[BigOldHarry]

zero. Zero pedals are required. Now, if you WANT something, that's another issue...

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by bassmastercully

wow way off subject but..
how do i get a stupid picture on my profile??

You donate and then you can upload a pic.

[bassmastercully]

well i was just thinking of 2 or 3 pedals.. hardwire OD, compressor, and a tuner.. thats bout it..
as of now i either play with a boss ME-50..
or i do without..
most of the time though i do without..

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by bassmastercully

well wouldnt i need like compressors and stuff?

No. They can be useful, but you don't "need" them. See the other guy's response to my suggestion of a tuner, above.