Are you a plug in and play bassist?

[Pocket Dave]

As a predominantly plug-n-player, the gigs I've been doing have been pretty old-school blues, soul, classic rock and outlaw country.

This goes for bass and guitar, though not so much guitar these days. Still, as a guitarist playing the same music styles, the tones I've preferred from accompanying bassists have been from fellow plug-n-players. Those who've brought a lot of effects to the gig have sometimes left me with a slight sense of disconnection from the groove.

OTOH, a friend I've heard with his band doing current pop and recent-to-modern funk sounds 100% right using lots of effects.

 

[coy garcia]

Yes...my pedalboard is a wirless and tuner. I set the gain and volume to taste/mood controls at 12 o'clock and then adjust as needed. Saturday I sounded pretty bright outdoors so I cut some treble,mids and boosted bass a bit.

 

[Wisebass]

Are you a plug in and play bassist?

Nobody will hear me if I don't plug in and play!

Unplugged isn't a thing on electric bass!

Do you use one setting on your amp and play without effects and maybe just use bass tone only and then vary picking style to compensate if need be?

I vary my tone with my right hand position without changing the EQ whenever I can.

I try to be as lazy as possible and tweak only as much as required to set my sound for the room.

But different songs (especially covers) can need some tweaking e.g. fretless mwah vs scooped slap sound

And sometimes I will even switch between basses and tweak to get there.

It all depends on the set.


greetings

Wise(b)ass

 

[Michedelic]

No.

 

[Crackle]

My rig is about as minimalist as it gets. Usually a passive Fender bass directly into a 1x15 combo amp. No wireless and no effects of any type. I am known for outstanding tones and frequently receive compliments.

 

[sylvanbass]

Plug and Play. In my 35 years of playing, I can only think of maybe 5 times I have used any kind of pedal or effect live. I think it was mostly because I get a little overwhelmed with knobs, and really don't understand what certain things do and was to lazy to learn. If given to many options knob wise, even with heads, I'm a constant fiddler and can't do the whole "set it and forget it".

 

[retslock]

You always play the room, ... whether it's bedroom or a massive stage. ... Jaco said, "The sound is in my/your hands." and he was right. ... Hear a sound in your head and go after it. ... Learn how to plug and play to the room you're in.

Yep, it’s common sense but some very experienced people I know haven’t got this figured out.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Plug in (to my pedalboard) and play. I plug straight into the amp sometimes to practice, but rarely when playing live. Some songs want more or less drive or flange. I can do volume changes while playing better with my feet. EQ (one per bass) and compressor are almost always on.

 

[Old Blastard]

I have a tuning pedal. Otherwise I adjust the amp for the room and band (one band likes deeper bass like 60s and the other is a 90s treble) and run dynamics at the bass with pick, fingers, location on the fretboard and bass controls.

makes set up easier.

 

[Geogio]

Are you a plug in and play bassist?

Pretty much. I do have a chorus and an octo stomp box. I use a chorus sometimes and rarely use the octo unless we're going into the Disco mode.

I also use that vintage button on the rumble. I like the way they modeled that.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Pretty much plug and play.

I start each gig with my Rumble 100 set flat. I make adjustment for the venue as needed from there, and go.

The only adjustment I need to make is the bass level from one of my parts-basses to the other. One has more of rumbly tone than the other.

 

[Nashrakh]

When it comes to settings on the amp or the bass? Definitely.

But I won't go on stage without my pedalboard. Changing your plucking position is too subtle. I need a hammer to hit others over the head with.

 

[J Posega]

Yeah, I plug my bass into my pedalboard and my pedalboard into my amp.

Effects are for effect. I can't get a chorus effect with my fingers, or flanger, phaser, envelope filter, octave-fuzz, reverb, delay.

 

[HP Hovercraft]

I start each gig with my Rumble 100 set flat.

10-2-2-10 o'clock?

 

[primusfan1989]

Yes, only pedal is a tuner typically and I typically set the EQ flat and adjust to the room, it never takes more than 5 min to dial in

 

[WI Short Scaler]

10-2-2-10 o'clock?

That was what I read in the Rumble Club here, so that's what I've been using and seems to work well.

 

[HP Hovercraft]

That was what I read in the Rumble Club here, so that's what I've been using and seems to work well.

That's what I start with too, which I learned on this forum. It still goes against my "start in the middle" instincts

 

[WI Short Scaler]

That's what I start with too, which I learned on this forum. It still goes against my "start in the middle" instincts

I agree, it took a little getting used to but seems to work well.

 

[Hundred proof]

Yes. I never understood why anyone would want to change the tone.

depends on the context and other factors you’re dealing with in a band situation. Behind a sparse clean Strat I’ll use a bit of overdrive grit to fill out the sound, when a muddy harmonica comes into the mix I will use a clean uncluttered sound so as not to compete with that.

 

[Killing Floor]

I plug my bass into my board and plug my board to my amp and my amp to my cabinet and plug the amp and board into the receptacle. And play. Plug and play.