Anyone playing bass clean with no effects?

[D.A.R.K.]

I play in a group where I use no effects. I also play in a group where I use a dozen+ effects. Whatever is appropriate for the music, wins.

 

[shadven]

My standard set up is bass>amp. It's pretty hard to beat.

Me too. On one song I use a MXR Phase 90.

 

[PimasterPearson]

I play clean, but just because it's what the style calls for. My current band does mostly original songs, with our frontman/songwriter taking inspiration from Van Morrison, Otis Redding, Amos Lee, and Sting. I can get a little grit from my Tone Hammer when I need it, but I think any other effects would get in the way.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I play with no effects, no angst toward anyone who does use them, in my experience when I did have them I didn't use them much.

And in my experience it's one more thing to set up, control and possibly have a failure at. Keep it simple.

 

[Thumpin6string]

My setup is bass> amp> HPF> cabinet. Sometimes I'll throw in my compressor. For fretless I do use a chorus and reverb.

 

[PaulJSmith]

Depends on what I'm doing. The majority of my live playing has been in local cover bands, and I've almost always gone straight from bass to amp to cabinet. I did use a Pearce BC-1 for many years, and I guess the distortion channel could count as an effect. I recently recorded a funk/rock CD with an Ampeg SCR-DI and lightly used the the Scrambler section to dirty it up. Other than the occasional distortion and some compression, though, I've never really been into effects on bass guitar.

 

[bassliner50]

The effect I like best and the only one I ever use is "clean, woody and punchy". This can be achieved by plugging a 1/4" line cord into a Precision bass, plug the other end of the line cord into the passive input of your amp, then fine tune the tone with EQ and gain controls at the amplifier. This has served me and satisfied me for over 5 decades.

 

[growlypants]

Lately, (at home in the "studio"...) I've been dialing in a bit of reverb, as well as some chorus. I use a Lexicon MX200 for both.

 

[ThaCoast]

Mainly play clean. Some spot of Drive/distortion depending. Chorus here & there.

 

[georgiagoodie]

Yup.

 

[Manticore]

My basses sound their best unaffected, so I rarely use additional processing. I will use a touch of compression when playing an ABG or recording, but prefer to go without otherwise.

 

[ComesATime]

Playing clean is cool, playing with effects is cool too. I have a pretty decent selection of pedals that I can pull out if called for. Some stuff really benefits from some sound-scapin' with filters or chorus and even a little dirt here and there. It can be a little nerve wracking to make these things do what you really want them to do when you're on the spot at a gig, it takes practice just like anything else.

You can never really go wrong with a good clean tone though.

This is my camp. I don't necessarily need pedals, and I generally record direct, but some songs benefit from them, and I enjoy playing around.

 

[Ahort]

No effects here.

 

[Hounddog409]

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.

Jazz or 4003s plugged into a D800, feeding 2 1x15 epifany UL2's.

No need for anything else.

 

[markjazzbassist]

yes me, bass -> cable - > amp

no tuner i tune to the keyboard player on the gig or at the session

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

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.

Me

 

[watt]

I'm 'pert-near w/you biggbass 'cept I go balls -> fingers -> bass -> amp -> speaker(s) -> gig-goer(s). I think I can hear where you're coming from and big time agree. to be fair though, there's a compressor on my amp I do use...

on bass, watt


mike watt's hoot page

My standard set up is bass>amp. It's pretty hard to beat.

 

[iriegnome]

Bass-Cable-Amp-Speakers... No effects ever!!

 

[InnerBass]

I don't like effects affecting the effect I'm avoiding affecting effectively.

 

[lz4005]

That's like considering a graphic equalizer or a BBE an effect.

They are. Or at least can be depending on how you use them.