New to effects not playing what should I get, no distortion

realbadgroove · #1 12-04-2009, 05:28 AM

I know all about guitar effects but in all my years of playing the only bass effect ive owned was a bass wah and it sucked because it had a lower gain on then the bass by itself. Anyhow I dont want crunch or distortion. Midi would be nice but dont have a midi bass. Any ideas, all my gear is top of the line and sounds amazing as is so no crap

realbadgroove · #2 12-04-2009, 05:30 AM

I guess im looking for the must have's. I play slap and lots of kind of funky stuff but love jazz tones as well.

RickenBoogie · #3 12-04-2009, 08:15 AM

There are no "must haves". If you're happy with what you've got, you're finished.

Poor Tom · #4 12-04-2009, 09:08 AM

Look into modulation or filters. If you like funky check out an envelope filter or wah pedal. Have fun and good luck.

Pilgrim · #5 12-04-2009, 10:11 AM

All I really need is a TU-2 stomp tuner, but that's not an effect.

I play surf music, so I do like to have a Behringer DR100 reverb pedal. I also like a bit of overdrive from time to time, so I have a Humphreys-mod Bad Monkey for that.

Effects are driven by the music you plan and your individual preferences. There are NO "required" effects.

SteveC · #6 12-04-2009, 10:36 AM

There isn't a must have effect until you find you really need it. I don't use them because generally, I would use an effect for maybe 1-2 songs a night and I can't justify the cost or hassle for that.

You mentioned funky which usually means a filter of some kind. I'd say a Groove Regulator would be a good place to start. Slap is generally an EQ thing - cut the mids so you could do that at your amp or get an EQ pedal for a quick switch mid-song. Jazz is pretty straight forward tone.

Good luck.

NortyFiner · #7 12-04-2009, 10:56 AM

As already stated, there are no "must have" effects.

That said, if you like funk, people will look at you funny if you don't have an envelope filter. I personally own and like the 3Leaf Groove Regulator, but there are plenty of other good filters out there. Just find the one that suits your taste in funky Bootsy noises and roll with it.

Also, depending on which filter you get, you may need a compressor or limiter after it to tame volume spikes. For that information, I will refer you to the gold mine of compressor info: http://www.ovnilab.com

Hope that helps.