Am I silly for not using any pedals?

[Goatrope]

Am I silly for not using any pedals?

Yes, for asking, but I’m more silly because I bring a pedalboard full of sounds to every gig, and barely use them.

 

[Rib 13]

Am I silly for not using any pedals?
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Oh cmon......thats kind of like posting a painting of Paul Revere to answer the question "Am I silly for not using an automobile?"

 

[Laurent]

Mostly-irrelevant comment for many reasons, but I'll go there.

That's because in the studio, FX are typically added after the tracks are laid down. As for those vintage recordings by Jamerson et al: some of their tracks were overdriven (often via the recording equipment itself), and most were compressed. Paul McCartney's bass lines were heavily compressed, per a studio engineer who worked on 'em. These days, all bass tracks are compressed to some degree, as are other instruments and vocals. It's also common for reverb, chorus, delay, etc to be added; can happen even on bass. As I've said elsewhere: if you surf isolated bass lines on YouTube, you'll be surprised at how many are distorted or have other FX in addition to compression, even if they don't sound effected in the mix.

Of course that's the studio. The cool thing today is that pedal technology has improved to the point where it's nearly as good as studio technology. Of course that doesn't mean everyone should compress or distort or whatever outside of the studio. But the compression and distortion available today is at least as good or better than that used back on those 60s recordings.

James and Donald played live a lot too BTW and still did not use pedals.

 

[sawzalot]

I went for decades with no pedals. Then I got a hunger for an octaver, and then I got a fretless and I like a little digital delay on fretless. Then I moved entirely to IEMs and got a tuner, compressor, and preamp to replace the ones built into my amp. So it's pretty small and utilitarian. But I can still just grab my amp and a bass and leave the pedalboard at home. I mean, I could also run IEMs off a simple passive DI if I wanted to as long as I had a headstock tuner or something. So no, it's not at all strange to not use pedals. If you like the sound you get, then you're all good.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I've always felt that bass guitar had more limited applications for pedals compared to an electric guitar. For bass, i tend to gravitate toward more "utility" pedals like a preamp or compressor. Outside of that, the only pedals i can really see myself using are overdrive/distortion and envelope filters, maybe an Octaver? But then i break out my electric guitar and suddenly i want a long list..

 

[primusfan1989]

Just curious. Aside from my tuner pedal I use no pedals. I play the 6 string as well and was once a pedal junky. I divorced myself of the pedals and learned to play a Telecaster straight up into a clean amp (Fender blackface). It was a huge learning opportunity and became more accurate by using only the volume and tone controls on the guitar and all that's available on the amp. I was actually quite surprised on what I was missing, both in my technique (or lack there of) and available tones with just my guitar and amp alone. So naturally moving on to playing bass I found no need for pedals. Am I right or just stubborn. Is there some pedals I should look into? Incidentally, my favorite pedal for guitar was a compressor of all things.

More often than not, bass doesn't require effects, if anything it makes things messy in the mix to my ears. Compressors are definitely useful for bass as well as an OD or Envelope filter and such, but Id argue none of it is needed (or expected from most bass players)

 

[DJ Bebop]

Oh cmon......thats kind of like posting a painting of Paul Revere to answer the question "Am I silly for not using an automobile?"

 

[Sid Fang]

I am old enough to be able to remember when a good guitarist was one who knew how to set up his rig so that he could get from clean-to-crunchy rhythm tone to a screaming overdriven lead with a small, precise rotation of the guitar's volume knob, preferably done with the pinky of the picking hand. I respect the "bow hunting" ethic in general, even if I don't subscribe to it. But it gets down to what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to make big, loud, dramatic, interesting, musical sounds. I've been doing what Eno called "treatments" and keyboards since well before I started playing bass. I find that there are a few effects (distortion, delay, flange) that do things to my bass signal that makes it bigger/louder/more dramatic/more interesting, and very occasionally more musical. There is honor it getting sounds "the hard way", but the sound is more important than the honor.

Then again, I get what some folks are talking about, when they talk about giving up on pedals altogether because they were too much trouble or too much of a time sink buying/trying/selling looking for Mr. Goodbox. It can be a real Rat[tm] hole.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Just curious. Aside from my tuner pedal I use no pedals. I play the 6 string as well and was once a pedal junky. I divorced myself of the pedals and learned to play a Telecaster straight up into a clean amp (Fender blackface). It was a huge learning opportunity and became more accurate by using only the volume and tone controls on the guitar and all that's available on the amp. I was actually quite surprised on what I was missing, both in my technique (or lack there of) and available tones with just my guitar and amp alone. So naturally moving on to playing bass I found no need for pedals. Am I right or just stubborn. Is there some pedals I should look into? Incidentally, my favorite pedal for guitar was a compressor of all things.

You're not weird for not using pedals. I have never used pedals yet and I started playing bass in 1965. I don't use distortion in my playing and I primarily go after a clean, clear, warm sound with plenty of definition. I do have a WTDI pedal, which is a DI with a built-in Eden preamp and adjustable compressor. I use it to make other brands of gear that I am forced to use as a backline sound like my Eden/DNA set-ups. I've also used it in a professional recording studio when I had to go straight into the board because drums and bass were in the same room and there was too much bleed over. So, I don't really use it like a normal effects pedal.

I did, however, get an Electro-Harmonix Bass Clone chorus pedal for Christmas. I've tried using it a few times and posted a thread on TB asking about how to use it. To my ears, it doesn't sound like it's doing much, but I haven't been able to play it through my amp yet because our landlady lives upstairs in the same house we live in. So I plugged my wireless into it and plugged it into my Scarlett 2i2 Gen3 audio interface. It seems to make a fairly subtle difference on my '82 MIA passive Jazz Bass. Perhaps when I play it at volume through my amp I'll hear it a bit differently than I do through my Bose headphones. But my sound is already clean and clear, full souning, and has loads of sustain.

I have used chorus effects with vocals before and I expected it to sound like that - basically like a couple of basses, one playing just slightly behind the other to make it sound fuller. I thought that might be something I could click on and off in the 3 pc. Blues/Rock trio I play with, when the guitarist is shredding through a lead, to help keep the sound filled out. I don't expect to use it with the 5-pc rock group I also play with, because it never needs filling. So, I'll continue to check this out through my amp and cabs once I can rehearse with either group again.

But, NO, don't feel bad about not using pedals. Playing with a clean clear sound definitely will help you with your technique because you'll hear everything clearly, and you'll know what needs fixing. I'm not denigrating folks who use pedals and have pedalboards mind you, I just haven't found them necessary for my playing.

 

[John Webb]

....of course not.

 

[Karrlander]

To many threads like these gets a lot of answers of the “it’s my way or the highway” type. How can anyone say what you need based upon what they think they need without getting the whole picture? Of course you don’t need pedals to play bass but to get it to sound in a special way you might. We play Dua Lipa’s Don’t Start Know with my cover band. That baseline works like a charm with a p-base and good technique. Until you reach the part where that fat synth bass enters. That sound is beyond plucking technique and amp design so I step on my C4 and smile.
So, I don’t need pedals just to play bass but if the song or music type calls for it I do. It all depends and it’s just another tool in the toolbox.

 

[Bassndrums73]

I’ve never used any pedals and have no desire to. I use a rack mount tuner but that’s it.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

I think it's silly to worry about what others think about your setup.

Is YOUR sound working for the situation without pedals? ...or not, is really the question.

Over the decades, I've done both. In a musical theater pit, or some all-original bands, I've often not used any pedals, sometimes maybe just a compressor. In a band that covers "Stranglehold", I'd be hard pressed to do it well without a phaser.

In the end, it makes zero difference what any of us think about your rig.

 

[Beersurgeon]

I
Maybe more. Golly...I'm an analog guy in a digital world.

You said golly and this made my day. Don't know why but it did.

 

[Fuzzbass]

James and Donald played live a lot too BTW and still did not use pedals.

Back in Jamerson's day, bass pedals were pretty much nonexistent. But here's the bottom line: some top bassists don't use pedals, but some do -- Tony Levin and many others. Given that there is no consensus among the top bassists about pedals, we mortals can feel free to side with those who don't... or those who do.

 

[monsterthompson]

schrodinger's pedal board

 

[dalkowski]

 

[Drucifer]

Threads like this cry out for a poll

 

[Clark Westfield]

I am strictly a bass player and I just use this one pedal.

I have a Zoom pedal with 3 switches, and knobs and screens, and patches!!!! !Ugggggggg!

All I do is fiddle with it and never play my bass.

It’s sitting under my staircase gathering dust.

 

[baileyboy]

I've never been a tone geek, so never got into pedals. I've always found what I needed with bass and amp.