Anyone playing bass clean with no effects?

[Mvilmany]

I always use a compressor. That's it. I own an Envelope Filter, an Octave, chorus, OD, and distortion pedals. I rarely touch any of them.

Except the Compressor. It's always on.
Sometimes, I look down at it and say "Hey, little buddy!" He doesn't say anything back though.

 

[Joebone]

I voted no effects, but must confess to occasional use of distortion and an octave pedal (octave up) when I know I'll have a lot of solo space in a particular Latin Rock context.

 

[Kukulkan61]

No effects, always have always will...

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

@jazzyvee- only real 'effect' on my board not counting a compressor is a chorus... I use it in fair moderation, particularly with fretless basses. I too, like to keep the general character of the signal from my basses pretty clean.

There is one other pedal- it's a resonant low-pass filter built into a pedal... I'm guessing you know what I use that one for.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

I start off playing clean, and most everyone likes the sound of my gear...until I start using effects and then they never want me to turn them off! I use a mild overdriven sound, and will pepper in chorus or flanger with delay. If I want to step up the aggression, I click on the fuzz pedal. Hey, if it fits it ships

 

[thunderfish]

Used them for years. 70s: Big Muff and Ibanez Flying Pan. 80s: compressor and chorus. 90s/2000s: various multi effects: 2010: SansAmp Programmable and Rack mount with chorus, flange and delay. Current: P-Basses plugged directly into an Ampeg SVT4-Pro. Nothing wrong with the array of colors and tonal palettes one can achieve with effects, but there is also something to be said for the challenge of really nailing a good clean or overdriven tone. Back in the day, I used to try to personify (or at least heavily influence) the total vibe/color of the song with the bass tone. Now I'm focused on working with/on a solid foundational tone that obediently lurks beneath the rest of what's going on.

 

[Chef]

Nope
None effects here unless someone with a paycheck for me wants one.

 

[lbbc]

All day long...just the Bassbone for EQing

 

[ArteK]

Any effect I've ever tried for bass has resulted in some loss of punch in the signal (as opposed to plugging directly into the amp).

I'm sure I'm doing it wrong, but after a half dozen attempts over the years I gave up on pedals.

 

[MJ_Sotti]

I have a Bass Boost chorus, a Bass Soul Food, a Hall of Fame, a MXR octave and a Korg in line tuner...they all have dust on them except the tuner which is plugged into the tuner out. Bass>cord>head>cabinet. Usually the sound guy takes a line but it's "post".

 

[jmon]

Couldn't resist.....

 

[shawshank72]

Bass, Cable, and Amp..... that's always been my signal chain.
I have played around with effects but always sell them off after the tinker stage is complete.

 

[baileyboy]

Did use some effects years ago, but found it's just more stuff to lug to a gig.

 

[dave64o]

I started buying pedals for a group I was playing with a couple of years ago. I was experimenting at home to find what worked for the specific things I was trying to do but that group fizzled out and I never got the opportunity to try them out. I really don't need effects pedals with the two groups I'm playing with now so I'm just going straight to the amp in both groups.

I've since sold off or traded away several pedals already and will eventually get around to selling off more. But I'll still keep some of them rather than getting rid of the mall. Some are just fun to play around with but are still "basic" pedals that could be useful in almost any band situation (i.e. maybe two different sounding overdrives, an octave, and a chorus) and others serve other purposes besides tonal effects (i.e. a tuner, an HPF, and a compressor).

But could I get by without any effects pedals, even just for fun at home. Sure.

 

[Rojd]

Whenever I play, my SansAmp Bass Driver DI and either EHX Bass Preacher Compressor or Boss LMB-3 Bass Limiter are always on. I have a bunch of other pedals that I occasionally like to dabble with.

 

[chaosMK]

I use my Mesa Bass 400 "clean" but have it wired up with a few flavors of light OD (Sansamp BDDI in FX loop for modern aggressive sounds, Big Muff and Boneshaker up front), footswitchable GEQ, footswitchable Gain1 (pulled)/Gain2 channels.

Back in the day I thought I was a flashy player so I used quite a few FX and recorded and album using them. BF2 Flanger, Wah, Boss "Turbo Distortion", Boss SYB-3...

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

I do whatever the song calls for.
If it needs overdrive, I've got that.
If it needs an octave, I've got that.
I've got delay, chorus, and an envelope filter, too.
But if the song needs clean, then I've got that too.

Pedals are tools.
Not everyone needs a torque wrench, but when you do, it's nice to have one.

 

[GIBrat51]

Nope; don't use them, and never have. I learned to play in 1968 without them, and have just seen (or heard) no reason to change. When I played in a band, I used the regular bassist's rig (and his bass) - he played clean, too. Never heard any complaints - well, about my "singing" occasionally, but not about the bass' tone... The gigging friend I bought my '78 P-Bass from didn't use any effects, either. I'm using the same amp he used, in fact - sounds just fine to me. I do have a guitar playing friend who's been after me for years to at least try a chorus pedal; but he's a guitar player - what does he know? Maybe I will, one of these days, but for what I like to play, I just don't see the need. But, I know that lots of others do feel the need; and that's fine. Hook them all up, and play on, brother; play on...

 

[2F/2F]

I have never used an effects box on my bass for any live performance or recording. I have just monkeyed around with maybe a fuzz pedal or something at home a couple times over the past 30 years that I've been playing. I think I'm more the rule than the exception, too. I think, from what I've seen, that a pretty small percentage of bassists use outboard effects.

 

[BlueShox]

What is a clean bass sound? If you're using any sort of an amp with EQ, is that EQ not an effect?