imput on a bass for effects?

Bjazzman · #1 05-01-2008, 06:26 AM

would it ever be possible to actually have a bass have an in and an out so you could run the effects into the bass then back to the other effects?

Swift713 · #2 05-01-2008, 06:30 AM

arai · #3 05-01-2008, 06:31 AM

why would you want to do that?

Nick Kay · #4 05-01-2008, 06:36 AM

Electronically speaking, that wouldn't be any different from using a true-bypass looper on your pedalboard. It hasn't been done before because there's no point in doing it.

mjolnir · #5 05-01-2008, 06:37 AM

It's very possible to wire a bass like that, though I can't imagine why it'd be necessary.

ehque · #6 05-01-2008, 06:47 AM

You might be thinking of the sustaniac? You turn a signal from your effects into vibrations in your neck which then get picked up by your pickups again?

McSpunckle · #7 05-01-2008, 07:07 AM

Since the bass is the start of your signal, you really don't need such a thing... they'd just be in line with the other effects...

I may have misunderstood, though.

Although... it's cool to see people coming up with kooky new ideas!

mjolnir · #8 05-01-2008, 07:14 AM

Another option to consider is MIDI effects, ones that could be built right into the bass. Think Matthew Bellamy's (Muse's lead guitarist) guitars.

bigchiefbc · #9 05-01-2008, 07:45 AM

You know what's interesting ... I had a similar idea recently when I was looking at the thumping double squaresnakes by Dwarfcraft, which is a box with three oscillators that outputs a synth signal. If you could build that into a bass/guitar, tune the oscillators to some signal, and then play along with it, you could do some awesome drones.

KarateKid25 · #10 05-01-2008, 08:05 AM

You should have your bass sending out to your effects, then coming back into the bass, to the built in Kaoss pad near the bridge... Then I guess you would need another out to the amp...

Or not

chriscrob · #11 05-01-2008, 08:28 AM

yeah people do build the kaoss pads in...other than that there isn't much advantage to using your bass as an effects looper. unless you mean running some effects back to your bass where they get combined with the clean signal to run to other effects. That would be cool but would be better accomplished with a stomp box. (you wouldn't have 3 chords in your bass)

i think you would basically end up with a feedback loop though...unless you could isolate effects+bass output from the just bass output somehow.

Bjazzman · #12 05-01-2008, 08:31 AM

nice! I like the way you guys think like me. all crazy! I think we're looking at the next generation of basses/guitars with built in effects. but yeah originally I was wondering if the bass could go post effects

mjolnir · #13 05-01-2008, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bjazzman

nice! I like the way you guys think like me. all crazy! I think we're looking at the next generation of basses/guitars with built in effects. but yeah originally I was wondering if the bass could go post effects

Nah, the bass is where the signal starts, it has to be at the beginning.

Bjazzman · #14 05-01-2008, 09:38 AM

what if there was a way to route each string to a different set of effects. would this still have to be midi?

mjolnir · #15 05-01-2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bjazzman

what if there was a way to route each string to a different set of effects. would this still have to be midi?

For them to be small enough to fit in the body of the bass, I'd imagine so.

That's an incredibly intriguing idea though... I have no idea what anyone would do with it, but it's intriguing nonetheless...

ehque · #16 05-01-2008, 10:01 AM

Nope, but the AFFORDABLE solutions are midi

Swift713 · #17 05-01-2008, 10:08 AM

Someone once told me that Phil Lesch (sp?) ran each string to a separate amp. They were probably just a stoned Dead head who was full of it though.
You could put separate pickups on each string and have multiple outputs. Wishbass uses 1/2 P pups sideways on EUB's. Something like that could work.
But this is in the wrong forum now.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #18 05-01-2008, 10:20 AM

You can route each string to different outputs using piezos. Michael Manring's Hyperbass has this capability. It's complex though, and he doesn't make use of it very often. He has said that on his recording of "Adhan," a song where he uses two EBows and only plays on two strings, he simply turned off the outputs on the two strings he wasn't using.

There has also been basses with built-in effects. You see them pop up occassionally on eBay. They apparently didn't fare too well with the public. I can see why as well- if you decide you don't like the distortion circuit you have on your bass, replacing it with a new one would be costly and complicated.

EricF · #19 05-01-2008, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bjazzman

...I was wondering if the bass could go post effects

This statement seems to indicate a basic lack of understanding of signal flow for our instrument.

Without an input signal, effects devices don't have much to work with.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #20 05-01-2008, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricF

This statement seems to indicate a basic lack of understanding of signal flow for our instrument.

Without an input signal, effects devices don't have much to work with.

I'm not sure what the point of it would be anyways. Would could be the benefit of it?