I support this idea...in part. You don't want to get so "classic" in your gear that you use pedals from before the advent of the LED status indicator. The greatest leap forward in pedals was precisely that - knowing what is on and what isn't is really helpful.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Anybody else feel a bit overwhelmed?
- Thread starter ClaytonCroft
- Start date
At this point, I'm sticking with a Zoom MS-60B+ as the only thing I need, with a DI. The guitarist has a good $5K worth of pedalboards and stuff, and I'm feeling a bit smug about simplicity.
I think about trying the Anagram, or a Boss ME-90B, but I have to remind myself that I don't need more gear, I need more practice.
And, if I'm not experienced enough to identify that I NEED a shiny new upgrade, that I understand HOW and WHY it would make a HUGE difference, then I should tame that GAS and save money.
I think about trying the Anagram, or a Boss ME-90B, but I have to remind myself that I don't need more gear, I need more practice.
And, if I'm not experienced enough to identify that I NEED a shiny new upgrade, that I understand HOW and WHY it would make a HUGE difference, then I should tame that GAS and save money.
Well sure. But I hope you agree with not needing the very latest thing. This (for me) frees me to only buy things that I think are cool, and not worry.
So the algorithms are working on you I suppose making you feel incomplete.
Just turn off the social media and ignore the videos on YT.
Play and record more, and you won't have time to ponder gear.
Just turn off the social media and ignore the videos on YT.
Play and record more, and you won't have time to ponder gear.
Just focus on your practice and your performance. Everything else is just noise.
I can identify with OP. I've gotten some nice pedals but I find myself using them less and less, because I feel like the band sound better when I use a simple clean tone. I have a Cali76 compressor that I'm using because everyone says they are great and that every bass player needs a compressor, but I don't like a compressed tone. I feel like all it does is squash the low end and enhance the clank. Just need the courage to ditch it.
In capitalism there will always be new things for sale to try to keep the consumerist wheels turning, and most of it will just be distraction for the needs of the typical musician. The irony is that much of the new tech that might be relevant to the needs of a meat & potatoes classic rock bassist is either analog gear that is just a slightly different take on previous analog gear that is already out there in abundance or alternatively is sophisticated digital technology attempting to emulate the sound from those relatively simple analog devices but which will fundamentally never quite get there despite investing more and more energy and sophistication into the process with every new generation. So if you have gear you like the sound and utility of already, enjoy it and don't worry about the new stuff unless you have a clear reasoning behind needing to upgrade (like more volume, more midrange tweakability, etc) then go from there with a priority on looking at what other players you respect used or currently use to get the sounds you strive for.
There IS a right way.
ALL GOOD except the last bit.
Whether it's the number of strings on the bass, or the type of pedals, what music to play...
There is a right way — Each and every bass-player can and should choose what's right for themself.
.0002¢
Welcome to the world of GAS. I'm interested, but don't get too stressed out about it. The truth is you can get a decent sound out of mid-range gear in the vast majority of places you are likely to play live, if you can't be heard with something like a 300 watt amp, your band is probably playing too loud. Nothing wrong with keeping up, on a casual basis, with new developments, but it's a game of diminishing returns, spending twice as much doesn't buy you a tone that's 2x "better". Practice more/GAS Less.
Effects are just a way to extend your color pallete, so to speak. There is nothing wrong with black and white, but knowing what else exists is a plus.
Trust your own perception (ears). Personally, I get everything I want to hear with my instrument of choice plugged into a variable high-pass filter connected to an all-tube amp and one or two killer cabs.
This is how I feel about cars. I don't need anti this, anti that, tv screens, stablilty control(I can do that), talking dashboards, rear cameras (turn around and have a look),tire pressure sensors. (I check them myself) on and on.
I made a living for around thirty years with one bass. I used the same amp for most of that time and no pedals at all. I did ok.
Having said that, I now own a compressor, HPF and a Sansamp BDDI. The latter means I always have a DI with me. The bought the HPF after reading about them here on TB. To my ears it definitely allows for a tighter punchier sound and prevents amp and speakers from working hard to produce frequencies that I probably can't hear anyway. The compressor is used sparingly and I could work without it but I like having that little bit of smoothness that it provides.
I recently did a small restaurent gig the old way - just bass and amp. It worked out fine.
Or more compact, more light. Done paying my dues hauling heavy gear up and down stairs. My Aggie TH-500 serves the classic style meat and potatoes nicely in an under-4-lb form factor.
Last edited:
My point was, there are no rules. Whatever works for you, go ahead and use that. Whatever combination of pedals or chain order works for you, good. That was my point. Nothing's set in stone.
It's a wonderful setup. I was skeptical when I ordered the Ibanez, but was pleasantly surprised. It's a very nice bass and just not for the money.
My advice is don't worry about the latest gizmo. Concentrate of being the best bassist you can be. Find a tone you like and roll with it.
I played on a friend's rig recently at a jam - a TC BH800 head and SWR Goliath II 410 cab. He had a pretty complex pedal board that, rather than jack with it endlessly to get a tone I was comfortable with, I bypassed completely and dialed in a workable tone on the amp itself.
It wasn't that his pedal board didn't produce a good tone - it did, though it was dialed in for modern slap playing - what the opening set music called for. I needed something a bit more mid-forward for the guys I was backing.
This is all to say pedals and gizmos are great; Just work on being able to take most any rig and getting a good base bass tone quickly first, a skill you might one day find yourself needing.
Such as if you ever end up using a lot of rental backlines. If you do, might want to go ahead and invest in that HPF. There are some rigs you just can't dial the excessive boominess out of otherwise.
It wasn't that his pedal board didn't produce a good tone - it did, though it was dialed in for modern slap playing - what the opening set music called for. I needed something a bit more mid-forward for the guys I was backing.
This is all to say pedals and gizmos are great; Just work on being able to take most any rig and getting a good base bass tone quickly first, a skill you might one day find yourself needing.
Such as if you ever end up using a lot of rental backlines. If you do, might want to go ahead and invest in that HPF. There are some rigs you just can't dial the excessive boominess out of otherwise.
