Anyone playing bass clean with no effects?

[rashrader]

Is EQ considered an effect, or are we leaving that one out? When I record, I'll use EQ and Compression. That's about it....

 

[nilorius]

90% i play my bass without fx, i only turn some of them on in special songs and solos.

 

[bassboysam]

I don't use any effects when I tune my bass

 

[Wfrance3]

For the most part, yeah. I'm in the process of building my pedalboard as a way to improve upon the natural sound of the bass, rather than alter it if that makes sense.

Tuner, compressor, HPF, preamp. I think it's a realistic "no effects" pedalboard.

I did this about 6 mos ago and couldn't be happier:

BASS - TUNER(with built in buffer) - CLEAN LIMITING COMPRESSOR - ZOOM MS60B(using very light dist. setting on their TS model only) - DI (with in-built HPF).

Whole thing fits on nano+ board with a small CIOKS power supply underneath. I can make any tone I reasonably need. I figure if I ever need to try to imitate bootsy or something, i can probably dial up whatever i need to get close enough with that zoom pedal....

 

[dan1952]

No pedals for me, thanks!

 

[higain617]

I assume the same number as the last time this topic came up.

 

[JACink]

I never really used effects, I had a Zoom B3 for a long time but only really used the amp sims (I was using a very clean rig at the time). When I moved over to a Rumble I only really used the tuner.

However, lately, I have been playing around a lot with looping and adding effects opens up a whole new world when looping. I am still not getting too carried away but I do use a fair amount of effects in comparison to what I used before.

When playing with other people, I usually just go bass>amp, although I take the B3 along just in case I need it (very rarely do!).

In my opinion, the type of music being played has a big impact on whether effects are useful or not. If you are playing something where they can add to the creativity, great, if you are fulfilling a role where all they are is an extra thing to fiddle with and don't add anything, then leave them at home.

Play what works and inspires you

 

[redwingxix]

No effects. Bass into amp. One out of five gigs I'll have a bass wah in there, but mostly not.

 

[Sixgunn]

Bone dry and crystal clear. Always have.

 

[HolmeBass]

I play clean with no effects most of the time.

But some of the time I turn a pedal, or two or three, on and play with effects.

It really is the best of both worlds.

It did take me a while to dial in effects and tones that work live, and to figure which parts of which songs benefit from a change in bass tone, and to get effects that don't trash my clean tone.

But now it really is the best of both worlds.

 

[mellowgerman]

no effects here.

formula for perfect tone (to my ears):

fingers --- Guild Starfire bass --- instrument cable --- Guild Thunderbass amp head --- speaker cable --- 12" eminence legend in custom cab

That said, I can see the purpose of effects in certain contexts, but those are just not the contexts I find myself in.

 

[Pilgrim]

About 95% of the time I play with no effects. (I do have a tuner.)

Of the remaining 5%, most is use of reverb on surf tunes or slow numbers where I want the reverb to fill the sound out. Very occasionally, I'll use an overdrive pedal, on numbers like Sunshine of Your Love, which really begs for it.

Fingers - dead flats - bass. That's the secret to my world-wide fame and acclaim. Wait, what....?

 

[cchorney]

The pedals I use on my board that I use 99% of the time are
1) wireless
2) tuner
3) bddi

plus the power supply and bluetooth page turner for my tablet which require real estate, plus the compressor which I really don't use any more and the chorus, delay, and envelope filter which get used on like 1 or 2 songs each on an average gig. I should really get a HPF and sell the compressor. One of these days.

 

[Gaolee]

I don't plug in directly. The wireless has a pedal. The DI box is a pedal, more or less, and so is the fDeck. Other than that, pedals are for my amusement and don't usually get used.

 

[Pilgrim]

I like the idea of an Amusement pedal. Could be any number of things.

 

[mexicant]

Clean for me,I am the effect! A good bass amp makes all the difference. The mesa d800 head has a nice tube kind of break up when needed.

 

[pappabass]

I am a old soul when it comes to bass sound. No effects here.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I just love the sound of my bass with no effects at all. ( I haven't ever used them live but tried a couple in a shop and it wasn't that I didn't like the effect ( envelope filter ), I didn't like what they took out of my sound, whether on or off. But in reality I have no need for them.

I wonder if the desire to play clean through a clean bass rig is popular these days as most gigs I go to the bass player has one or more effects pedals in their board.

I don't have any axe to grind with anyone using effects, as where I've heard them being used they work bang on with the music.

No need for pedals, here. Classic rock tunes. If I ever need some "growl", my Rumble 500 has a pretty nice sounding "drive" channel. I sometimes use it when playing "Mony, Mony". I'm all set.

 

[Afc70]

Zero pedals here- & I rarely use an amp- I generally run my bass to my DI> board, & use Iem's-I play an assortment of Roscoe, Modulus & several other basses, love my clean tones!

 

[micguy]

My pedalboard is my "amp". I usually have a touch of eq going on in my Di, and 80 percent of the time, that's it. The other 20 percent is subtle overdrive or chorus.

 

[eJake]

Ahh this thread is full of my people!

I own two pedals that I never bring out. Don't actually think compression is necessary. I like the idea of an HPF but I haven't tried one yet.

Every pedal I have ever brought out besides the octaver has just sucked up the tone that I actually want.