is there really a reason for effects

marinecorpsman6 · #1 10-19-2011, 11:24 AM

I've never used any ...but since I have been on here I see a lot of people do ....I play rickenbackers ...warwicks...and hofner through a peavey head and hartke cabs and I run dry ....I have a eq that's on the head to get the sound I want ...and pretty happy with it ....now...why would I want effects and if you could sale me on them what would you start with and why ....thanks

KwinS · #2 10-19-2011, 11:27 AM

I don't normally use effects, either. However, if someone I'm working for (i.e. paying me) wants delay, or phaser, etc. somewhere, I make sure I have the capability to do so.

punkinfantry · #3 10-19-2011, 11:32 AM

Oxide - Iron Ether

so much fuzz. so much awesome fuzz. the samples speak for themselves, really!

pedroims · #4 10-19-2011, 11:33 AM

I dont use them, although I would like to have some around (fuzz, envelope, chorus and maybe a delay)

Marginal Tom · #5 10-19-2011, 11:34 AM

The short answer is variety. If you're happy with no effects and your bandmates are happy, you probably don't need them. If certain songs you play need a little extra kick, then effects may be the way to go.

Nev375 · #6 10-19-2011, 11:34 AM

I'm still mastering all the effects I have on my fingers... Picks, thumbs, popping, tapping, picking with fingernails, picking near and away from the bridge, harmonics, bending harmonics.

Not disparaging effects either, I think they are cool, but until I get bored with what I'm doing I probably won't be using them myself.

chuck norriss · #7 10-19-2011, 11:36 AM

Effects are amusing but in most scenarios the expectation is for the bassist to meet & exceed expectations with clarity, usually without effects--unless properly applied. As I smoke my pipe.

maxgrant · #8 10-19-2011, 11:39 AM

Effects are a creative way to apply different tones to your already-existing tone.

If you are feeling creative, get a pedal that interests you, and play with it.

If you don't ever sit and just play with your sound, you should. It's the only part of your entire musical experience that actually matters, since it's the end-result of all of your efforts.

Your sound is you, making music.

Just for an example of why, get an octave pedal. See what it feels like when you hit a low C and the whole room shakes. Isn't that bad-ass?

Or put some dirt on your sound. There are all kinds of levels of distortion you can play with.

I know there's a school of thought on here that "bass is a critical support instrument and it should never be approached in any creative way whatsoever," but honestly that's not a very musical attitude. It sounds like an office manager who is moonlighting as a bassist and doesn't get the creative part of music.

There are plenty of reasons for effects. But the primary reason for an effect is that it gets you, the player, your jollies. You should please yourself as a musician, then worry about whether you're satisfying/conforming with others.

TeeAre · #9 10-19-2011, 11:40 AM

My favorite pedal is my looper. Not sure if it counts as an "effect", but practicing with it sure has a positive effect on my playing

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #10 10-19-2011, 11:41 AM

Until I can get my fingers to sound like envelope filters, there's always going to be a reason for effects.

DeltaPhoenix · #11 10-19-2011, 11:46 AM

If you have to ask, You'll never know.

For real, it gives me more colors in my pallete to sonically paint with.

tekhedd · #12 10-19-2011, 11:48 AM

Effects are like drugs. You tell everybody they are there to enhance your playing, and sometimes they do, but mostly you use them to please yourself. There are many other parallels.

Technically I don't consider tube overdrive to be an effect, at this point, any more than "using a magnetic pickup".

caeman · #13 10-19-2011, 12:07 PM

Obvious troll is obvious.

So...why own more than one bass, good sir? Surely just one bass gives you all sound you could possibly need, right?

Marton · #14 10-19-2011, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

Until I can get my fingers to sound like envelope filters, there's always going to be a reason for effects.

That would be plain awesome.

sloppy_phil · #15 10-19-2011, 12:17 PM

It's for the variety. I know that going too far down the pedalboard rabbit hole means your playing begins to suffer because you're relying on the pedals as a crutch. On the other hand, why swear them off unless you've given them a fair shot, both at home, and with a band?

i keep it to just three effects, personally. I use an OD, an octave, and an envelope filter. Playing in a reggae, and sometimes funk, band, these effects are extremely useful. Not at all necessary, but they add great colour. And when used sparingly, they have an even greater impact. I try not to have too many effects around, because they can be a pain to lug, but again, I want my playing to come first. With having a ton of pedals, i'd want to justify my purchases by using them all. And once I were to have too many, then I'd be playing my effects, and no longer my bass

bassbrad · #16 10-19-2011, 12:18 PM

hee hee--hee must be that time of the month for trolling....

Actually it is a decent question and there are some good answers above.

I use effects because I like them and can use them creatively, they are an important part of my sound arsenal. Even the most conservative players I work with appreciate my use of effects.

marinecorpsman6 · #17 10-19-2011, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caeman

Obvious troll is obvious.

So...why own more than one bass, good sir? Surely just one bass gives you all sound you could possibly need, right?

Lol...sir you are right ...the Rick is a 4 string...warwicks are 5 and 6 ...and the hofner .....well its a hofner ....thanks to everyone this has been awesome ....now I have to get out there and try them ....and by the way is troll....sorry kinda new to this

caeman · #18 10-19-2011, 12:37 PM

It came across as troll because of the wording. Now, if you are truly new and just curious, then just spend a few weeks reading the threads in this section. Otherwise, we often get the types in this section that like to troll.

At a bluegrass event, I am more than content to plug straight into the bass amp and do the 1-5 thump for hours on end. Though, after a while, I get bored and want to switch over to fiddle.

stflbn · #19 10-19-2011, 12:38 PM

I use them for Flavor on specific songs, but I could make it through a gig without them. Only song I'd greatly miss is Octaver on Sledgehammer, but, in normal fashion the odds are that no one in the crowd would miss it at all.

Waterpilot · #20 10-19-2011, 12:50 PM

For me there are a many reasons but they all really lead to one place... Having a variety of sounds. Some are applicable to what I want to achive and some are just fun to mess around with. At times effects have led to different ideas and intepetations of the from the original and becomes more expansive.