new guy

elcoopero · #1 01-19-2008, 05:56 PM

erm, thinking of buying my first pedal ?

any ideas of what i should go for ? e.g price wise, durability, effects etc etc

im into very funky-bass-heavy-lines so is there anything that can enchance that?

Stuggi · #2 01-19-2008, 05:57 PM

Tuner, if you don't have one

Then maybe a distortion (if you can't get that from your amp)
Then maybe something funky, as an envelope follower.

elcoopero · #3 01-19-2008, 06:05 PM

tuner, well does that come in pedal form ?
i should be alright with a little individual tuner digital tuner...... i hope

not sure how to do that from a amp,

i have a lil 15W Ashdown atm

bongomania · #4 01-19-2008, 06:09 PM

Ah, then I can assure you you're much better off saving your money and buying a larger amp than wasting any money on pedals. You can buy the coolest pedals on earth and they'll sound like crap through that tiny amp.

elcoopero · #5 01-19-2008, 06:19 PM

best get saving then

BassBus · #6 01-19-2008, 06:24 PM

If you haven't used any pedals before I would suggest one of the cheaper multifx pedals from Digitech or Zoom or even Boss. That will give you a good idea of the different types of effects that you might use on bass. The quality is really good and you can plug in your headphones so you don't disturb parents or neighbours. Check out Sounds Live for some of the best prices in UK.

http://www.soundslive.co.uk/

BadB · #7 01-19-2008, 06:26 PM

For funky, without a doubt, an envelope filter of some sort.

RickenBoogie · #8 01-19-2008, 06:40 PM

+1 million on a new amp. No point getting pedals at this stage, wait until you've got a decent amp first. After that, think about WHY you want fx pedals. It's silly to dive into the never ending fx quest without first knowing what you're after, soundwise.

KsToaDangr · #9 01-19-2008, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

It's silly to dive into the never ending fx quest without first knowing what you're after, soundwise.

+1

If I didn't know what I wanted my sound to be like, I would have already wasted a couple thousand bucks on pedals that I don't even like.

bongomania · #10 01-19-2008, 07:06 PM

Heck, some of us do that anyway. Until our wives or "significant others" catch on.

Swift713 · #11 01-19-2008, 09:49 PM

OK, just to play devil's advocate...you don't necessarily need an amp at all. It really depends on what you're doing. I've spent many hours playing through a multi effect pedal with headphones. You can also go DI or preamp into a mixer. It very much depends on the context you're playing in. I've run my fretless straight into a little PA and it sounded great. There are at least as many ways to skin a cat as there are people who want to skin cats

Valerus · #12 01-19-2008, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

It's silly to dive into the never ending fx quest without first knowing what you're after, soundwise.

You end up buying pedals that you'll never use.

cathal · #13 01-20-2008, 12:19 PM

im spending all my hard earnt cash on fx, and am still "saving" for an amp.

i just borrow other peoples...

elcoopero · #14 01-20-2008, 05:30 PM

hehe, ill keeep all your comments in mind

Limlam · #15 01-20-2008, 07:22 PM

dont even think about pedals until your happy with your bass and amp

ehque · #16 01-20-2008, 08:04 PM

I disagree. I am more than happy with a small combo and earphones. YMMV.

I'd go with some sort of multi-effect first, just to see what you like.

Swift713 · #17 01-20-2008, 10:33 PM

The best way to learn about effects is to play with them. Go to a music shop and try everything out. That will give you an idea what you like and reference points for things you read about here. You can also try some other amps or PA's with direct boxes, or headphones, etc.

elcoopero · #18 01-22-2008, 02:38 AM

well i got a bigger gig amp that i use for when i goto .. gigs.. (duh) but thats a bit of a mission to lug and practice with at home, ( tho its not mine, its more a joint family family e.g freind of the family also plays bass, but lets me use it)

well im completely happy with my bass i got atm, and im farely happy with my amp, (it was free , was given to me by the guy mentioned earlier) tho i am often plugged into a PA anyway as well as the amp, (tend use the amp so i can hear myself)

think ill try that tho swift, ill head down to my nearest music store and play with everything

also, if i did end up getting a new amp, what Watt or voltage (or whatever) should i go for, for a decently priced amp?

Oreomeister365 · #19 01-22-2008, 03:05 AM

I got a big miltifx thing back in the day when only huge changes in tone were noticable, and I didn't know the diff between flanger and delay.

Eventually I found out that your clean tone, so to speak (ie, the tone you run at all times) is the most important thing to get right, and for some people it involves effects, so the very first pro effects I got were things that I use to enhance my clean tone and are on all the time. This also meant a good amp, as you need one that wil produce your tone as clean as it should be. Now I'm slowly incorporating actual effects effects into music. So for some people a sansamp might be on the docket, as that is easily used to make your "clean" tone better. Imo, follow all the advice given, but unless you're using effects for the majority of your songs, I'd focus on that clean tone first. and when I say clean, some peoples idea of clean involves effects, probably not quite how you're thinking.

I think too much.

Ryan Mohr · #20 01-22-2008, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oreomeister365

So for some people a sansamp might be on the docket, as that is easily used to make your "clean" tone better.

Not necessarily better, but different. Some people don't like their tone to be "colored", rather they like their amp and effects to be transparent so their true bass tone can shine through. It's all a matter of preference.