Ok, so I need help with effects, i have no idea on...

petchimp123 · #1 07-15-2008, 05:18 PM

which ones to get. I don't see what kind of effects would be useful for me as a bassist. Right now I use a Behringer Ultrabass 180 watt amp with a Squier P-bass with my band. We have 2 guitarists and a drummer. We play funk, classic rock, and blues. What effects should I get that are cheap? Could someone guide me through all the effects for bass?

RickenBoogie · #2 07-15-2008, 05:28 PM

Read the stickies, and search. Actually, at this point, you should probably stick with what you got, and save up for your second bass, and then eventually, your second amp. By then, you'll have a feel for what you may need reguarding effects pedals. That's, imo of course, but I think in the long run, it might be a better path.

chicago_mike · #3 07-15-2008, 05:30 PM

Well, theres plaenty of options. If you have access to music stores in the area, try out pretty much anything that peaks interest.

but lets say youre going to do mostly funk type stuff, you can narrow down the pedals to an envelope filter ( a mutron style pedal ), Fuzz or distortion, and maybe a phase 90, or other phaser pedal. I cannot tell you which ones to get as thats up to you.

Happy hunting.

kevteop · #4 07-15-2008, 05:38 PM

An overdrive might be useful (the Digitech Bad Monkey is pretty cheap and good on bass) for your blues/rock stuff, a filter might be good for your funk stuff but I don't know of any filters that are cheap and also good. Maybe look for a used Q-Tron, they come up on eBay quite often.

But I'd agree with the original respondent too in a way. When you start gigging you'll probably find that your amp isn't quite enough, so if I were you'd I'd be saving to replace that first.

petchimp123 · #5 07-15-2008, 05:50 PM

well i have some money saved up. are you saying i should get my fender standard jazz bass first and then look into effects?

petchimp123 · #6 07-15-2008, 05:51 PM

How is my amp not enough? we're going to be playing small gigs such as at my high school. 180 watts is alot of wattage. I don't see why everyone on these forums thinks its not enough. I can hear myself over the drummer and two guitarists, i don't see why this amp is so terrible. Just because it has the Behringer name on it and because its so cheap, you don't need to be an elitist.

bongomania · #7 07-15-2008, 05:58 PM

If everyone says it, isn't there a chance they might be right, and maybe you should listen to them? It's not all about the watts, either, but the size and quality of the speaker cab.

FWIW I think there is no practical reason for you to be fooling with effects at this point, and I agree that your money would be better spent on a better amp. That said, there's no law against buying stuff just to have fun with it. So do some reading through several pages of this forum, and you'll find a lot of inspiration (AKA GAS) for pedals you might find to be fun.

petchimp123 · #8 07-15-2008, 06:08 PM

So i'm going to have to buy a new amp when I just recently bought it? I played it with my band and it's loud enough for me to be heard with everything medium settings. Have you personally tried out the Behringer 180 watt Ultrabass amp? If you have and used it for a small gig, then I'll believe you.

mrokern · #9 07-15-2008, 06:23 PM

(sigh) Never mind that you're getting advice from some folks around here whose opinions are normally pretty well-valued (hola, Bongo). 180 watts isn't that much. It's not a "brand" thing (at least not for me), but it IS a "you run out of power faster when gigging" thing. Trust us.

But...since this about effects...

You don't mention the type of music you're playing. Rock / blues, look at a decent overdrive, chorus can add to some types of rock / pop as well. An envelope filter would indeed be suitable for funk. If technique is solid, a compressor can add some nice punch (and there aren't any good cheap ones of those, at least not under $100 to my knowledge).

You asked what effects you should get that are cheap...you shouldn't. Good effects are like everything else in bass world, they aren't cheap. You can find good deals, and sometimes a lower-cost model stands out (e.g. Bad Monkey, but I prefer mine modded), but if you skimp you'll end up selling them for a loss down the road.

Just my $.02, YMMV, etc, etc, etc.

-Mark

kevteop · #10 07-15-2008, 06:25 PM

It's not about elitism at all. We all started out with cheap 1x15" combos just like you, and from the looks of things we all had issues with them. It's always the speaker/cabinet that just can't keep up once you start driving them at gig levels.

If you're happy with it then keep it, and maybe look at the pedals that have been suggested, or the stickies, or the effects clip collection in the Wiki - they should give you lots of ideas.

petchimp123 · #11 07-15-2008, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrokern

(sigh) Never mind that you're getting advice from some folks around here whose opinions are normally pretty well-valued (hola, Bongo). 180 watts isn't that much. It's not a "brand" thing (at least not for me), but it IS a "you run out of power faster when gigging" thing. Trust us.

But...since this about effects...

You don't mention the type of music you're playing. Rock / blues, look at a decent overdrive, chorus can add to some types of rock / pop as well. An envelope filter would indeed be suitable for funk. If technique is solid, a compressor can add some nice punch (and there aren't any good cheap ones of those, at least not under $100 to my knowledge).

You asked what effects you should get that are cheap...you shouldn't. Good effects are like everything else in bass world, they aren't cheap. You can find good deals, and sometimes a lower-cost model stands out (e.g. Bad Monkey, but I prefer mine modded), but if you skimp you'll end up selling them for a loss down the road.

Just my $.02, YMMV, etc, etc, etc.

-Mark

We play funk, classic rock, and blues. That was in the topic post.

WashburnBasser · #12 07-15-2008, 08:18 PM

I think what everyone is trying to say is that if you buy effects, and then start gigging with your amp, you may find out you wish you had saved the money for a louder amp instead of effects. But then again, 180 watts could be fine for your situation; everybody's band is different. I used a 150 watt 115 combo for an outdoor gig without PA support once and it worked fine.

Anyway, I would suggest you buy a multi-effect pedal like a Zoom B2.1 to get your feet wet in the effects world. The Zoom has a sampling of almost every type of effect so you can find the ones you like, and possibly upgrade to single pedals down the road.

mrokern · #13 07-15-2008, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petchimp123

We play funk, classic rock, and blues. That was in the topic post.

Whoops, my bad (sensing a little twitchiness, bro...no need, we're all bass buddies here). Apologies, but I think I hit those genres in my response. Whatever you decide, take your bass to the store and spend time trying them out.

-Mark

WashburnBasser · #14 07-15-2008, 08:24 PM

I think what everyone is trying to say is that if you buy effects, and then start gigging with your amp, you may find out you wish you had saved the money for a louder amp instead of effects. But then again, 180 watts could be fine for your situation; everybody's band is different. I used a 150 watt 115 combo for an outdoor gig without PA support once and it worked fine.

Anyway, I would suggest you buy a multi-effect pedal like a Zoom B2.1u to get your feet wet in the effects world. The Zoom has a sampling of almost every type of effect so you can find the ones you like, and possibly upgrade to single pedals down the road.

EDIT: Double Post

cybersnyder · #15 07-15-2008, 08:27 PM

I agree with getting a multieffects unit so that you can figure out what the different effects do / sound like. Get something used on ebay to save some bucks and save the extra money towards a better amp. As a guitarist you can get away with a 12" combo forever, but you picked bass. Laws of physics means that you need bigger cabs and more watts for the low notes.

mrokern · #16 07-15-2008, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WashburnBasser

I think what everyone is trying to say is that if you buy effects, and then start gigging with your amp, you may find out you wish you had saved the money for a louder amp instead of effects. But then again, 180 watts could be fine for your situation; everybody's band is different. I used a 150 watt 115 combo for an outdoor gig without PA support once and it worked fine.

Anyway, I would suggest you buy a multi-effect pedal like a Zoom B2.1u to get your feet wet in the effects world. The Zoom has a sampling of almost every type of effect so you can find the ones you like, and possibly upgrade to single pedals down the road.

Actually, this is really good advice IMO. Nice and affordable, certainly the best quantity -> $$$ ratio.

-Mark

FingeringAm · #17 07-15-2008, 08:51 PM

a band tone is a bad tone
adding effects only hides it to the untrained ear
ex. if u saw a scratched 1974 ric would u get fingerpaints and pour it on top?

if u got the money dump the squier step up to a fender(or w/e in ur price range)

ask some1 whos not standing infront of ur amp if (1) they can hear it during ur gig (2) the tone is good

the thing ppl dont like about GK is that its really low quality - thats y its cheap - but get what u can out of it and in a few months look toward a different brand

just my opion- i was in this exact situation a few months ago and these guys know what theyre talking about- saved me $120

psychotiger · #18 07-15-2008, 08:53 PM

+1 on the Zoom B2. I have one and it gives a lot of varied effects, it is programmable to a degree, and has good bass cab emulation. Has a decent bypass tuner, too. Built like a tank. Oh, and you can use it with headphones to not wake a sleeping parent. Works on battery or AC adapter.

BTW, I think bass players are not usually elitists but more likely to be laidback gearheads. You may want to chill a bit and thank the above experienced bassists for giving you some time & input. That way they will keep it coming the next time you have a question.