What do pedals do for bass guitars?

seanishi · #1 06-30-2011, 11:49 PM

I don't know too much about pedals and effects for bass...other than like how Cliff played songs like Anesthesia on bass. What do most bass players need effects and pedals for?

Venom of God · #2 06-30-2011, 11:50 PM

Most bass players are different.

BKBassDude · #3 07-01-2011, 12:00 AM

The simple answer is that 95% of bass players could form a nice career without ever having to ever use a single pedal, other than maybe the natural compression or grit provided from an amp itself.

The more complicated answer is that pedals can do whatever you want them to do. If you want to emulate guitar like leads, you can do what Cliff did. If you want to cover keyboard synth lines, you can do that. If you want to sound like a rotary organ, you can do that, too. Pedals are merely another tool to express yourself musically (original music) or simulate the sounds of other players or even other instruments (covers).

EricssonB · #4 07-01-2011, 12:00 AM

All sorts of awesome things!

I'd suggest shadowing the forums for a while before starting any dangerous threads like this. Read, then read, then read and then hit up YouTube and other websites. PLENTY of info all over the place -- be careful when starting threads!

DeathFromBelow · #5 07-01-2011, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanishi

What do most bass players need effects and pedals for?

Dirt.

Joe Gress · #6 07-01-2011, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanishi

What do most bass players need effects and pedals for?

Pedals, cheaper than Viagra in the long run.

DeathFromBelow · #7 07-01-2011, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricssonB

be careful when starting threads!

Or the trolls WILL GET YOU!!

JoeVictim · #8 07-01-2011, 12:03 AM

tuning, eq, chorus, somethings are practical, others aren't. I use a DI that also provides some dirt and eq. (Sansamp clone)

calebbarton · #9 07-01-2011, 12:03 AM

I dont need anything. I want to have a pretty awesome delay if for some stupid reason I decide that I want to use it. I want a dirt box because my amp is not a dirty amp. I want chorus sometimes.

Need? naa....I would be fine without boxes.

ThudThudThud · #10 07-01-2011, 12:09 AM

Me: Compressor to even out the peaks, EQs in various guises to get the right tone for the right song, chorus for certain parts for ambiance, tube emulator for overall awesomeness, dirt for certain solos (adds girth for me - playing in a four piece including singer), and some clean boost - just 'cause.

For me it makes some passages and songs more interesting tonally. Could I play by just going straight in? Absolutely. However, I don't have scramble eggs on toast for breakfast every morning either.

A little dab'll do ya. Play the song. If that song requires mad reverb and dirt, so be it... If it doesn't need anything, so be it.

Marginal Tom · #11 07-01-2011, 12:27 AM

It depends on what types of music you play, who you play it with and your role in the band. If you play metal, hard rock or ambient music, you'll probably want or need several effects. If you play blues, country, jazz or adult contemporary, not so many, or none.

If you play in a small combo and need to occupy more sonic space, you may need some effects. If you play in a full orchestra, you probably won't need any.

If your role in the band is to keep time, lead into chord changes and lock in with the drummer, you may not need any. If you play extended bass solos, you probably will.

behndy · #12 07-01-2011, 12:34 AM

pfffffffft.

kevteop · #13 07-01-2011, 03:06 AM

If your band takes influences from electronic music or hip-hop, effects are pretty much essential on bass, whereas if you're a straight-ahead rock act then you probably won't need them. What they 'do' is what they do to any other audio signal - change the sound.

Bassmike62 · #14 07-01-2011, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanishi

What do most bass players need effects and pedals for?

For some players (like me), it's not a question of need... it's a question of want. Totally different ball park, mostly from way deep in the left field.

Hope that clears it up.

jay tay · #15 07-01-2011, 05:19 AM

If you put your foot on the pedal... then the bass will go faster!!??

shtik · #16 07-01-2011, 05:29 AM

Totally depends on the needs of the music\artist you're playing with. Basically my pedal board is used with only 2 or 3 bands/artists I play with.. On other situations I don't even bother carrying it. I stick a stage tuner in my gig bag and head to the gig.

If the bass is an extension of my body, then the pedals are an extension of the bass..

Slackerprince · #17 07-01-2011, 06:55 AM

Boredom busters.
Wallet emptiers.
Etc.

ttasselm · #18 07-01-2011, 07:04 AM

I play drone/ambient/dream pop/post-rock music, or some kind of mixture of all those genres, thus requiring a dense, saturated, and lush bass "noise." I could not do what I do without my reverb and delay.

I also play in a funk band, in which I use nothing but a bass and an amp.

Different possibilities.

bassbrad · #19 07-01-2011, 08:16 AM

I use effects to add color and texture to the music played and also to "step up" when I have a solo or line that needs to stand out.
I know that's 2 wrong things using effects and bass solos but I play by my rules, not theirs.

HolmeBass · #20 07-01-2011, 08:24 AM

Pedals allow an easy way to either subtly or radically alter the tone of your bass. Thus altered, you can stand out a bit more, blend in a bit more, or add a completely different voice/texture to your band at certain points in a song. They can make your bass tone heavier, funkier, airier, nasally, whatever you can dream up. I don't really need pedals for any of my current gigs, but for a couple of them they do seem to add a lot, and I enjoy using them. For my other two gigs I don't use effects.