"Bassists should just plug straight in..."

[bassplayer7770]

I'm awesome.

That you are, Sir.

Maybe, but it'd look pretty silly if you wrote "Bassballs", "Discombobulator", "Big Muff" or "Swollen Pickle" on your knuckles.

I can think of better places than his knuckles where he should write those things...

 

[rockstarbassist]

Smart/good guitarists don't say that. You must not haz one.

 

[Showdown]

It's interesting how many people are commenting about using effects sparingly. I play in a project that's just me and a drummer. I write whole songs around effected parts. I couldn't play the music I'm doing right now without them. Subtlety is not something I go for at all when I use effects. Now if I was doing something different musically I probably wouldn't use them as much but I'd still use them.

I can see where it would work well in your situation. But in a band with two distorted guitars, effects can make the bass disappear in the mix if you are not careful. I think that is why many of us use them sparingly.

 

[NortyFiner]

Effects are tools. So are people who say that bass players shouldn't ever use effects. I agree that many bassists (and many, many more guitarists) over-use effects. But there is nothing wrong with using effects tastefully and appropriately for a given musical scenario.

 

[jwr]

Effects are tools. So are people who say that bass players shouldn't ever use effects.

+1

I think it needs to be mandatory to post what type of music you play when you say "effects suck". This is just like the "Jaco only need 4 strings" responses we seem to get around TB. And we all know that goes over well.

I'm honestly curious. Are most of you playing in pop bands or country western? What type of music are you not using effects for?

I'd love to hear a good fuzz sound come directly from your fingers. Please enlighten us Munjibunga. Also while you're at it, let's hear some delay or filter sounds. Prove us wrong. Show us we all don't know what's going on in the bass playing world. I'd love to hear it. Video or sound clip will do.

 

[Jared Lash]

+1
I'd love to hear a good fuzz sound come directly from your fingers. Please enlighten us Munjibunga. Also while you're at it, let's hear some delay or filter sounds. Prove us wrong. Show us we all don't know what's going on in the bass playing world. I'd love to hear it. Video or sound clip will do.

I agree with the first part of your post.

But just FYI, Munji is a world champion chain puller.

You can see HIS pedalboard on this page:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/post-your-pedalboard-xxi-tequillia-584071/index32.html

 

[Eric Scholz]

Effects can definitely be used on any instrument. We have songs where I use 8 pedals at once, and we have songs where I don't use any... You just have to know when it makes sense.

 

[FilterFunk]

It's interesting how many people are commenting about using effects sparingly. I play in a project that's just me and a drummer. I write whole songs around effected parts. I couldn't play the music I'm doing right now without them. Subtlety is not something I go for at all when I use effects. Now if I was doing something different musically I probably wouldn't use them as much but I'd still use them.

I agree with this. My problem is when people make a blanket statement about effects, like "They must be used sparingly and tastefully," or "Uneffected bass always sounds better." There have been many times that I've loved hearing the sound of a bass absolutely DRENCHED in effects.

 

[FilterFunk]

I think it needs to be mandatory to post what type of music you play when you say "effects suck". This is just like the "Jaco only need 4 strings" responses we seem to get around TB. And we all know that goes over well.

I'm honestly curious. Are most of you playing in pop bands or country western? What type of music are you not using effects for?

I, too, would appreciate it if the "effects suck" crowd would be specific about what type of music they play. I would also like to know who their favorite bands are, and if the bassists for those bands play entirely without effects.

 

[Big Brother]

I don't need effects. I can do with my hands anything you do with your effects.

I thought this was a family forum.

Seriously though I've tried One of These Days without a delay using and while I don't like my results so much, I am betting a better player than I could almost pull that off.

 

[NortyFiner]

I agree with this. My problem is when people make a blanket statement about effects, like "They must be used sparingly and tastefully," or "Uneffected bass always sounds better." There have been many times that I've loved hearing the sound of a bass absolutely DRENCHED in effects.

Indeed. When I said effects should be used in a musically appropriate way, sometimes that means stomping on every pedal you have, full blast, just to see what happens.

 

[topo morto]

I think bassists are lucky in that they can do a lot of effects without effectors. The best subtle 'drive' sound I can get is just digging in a bit on the strings, maybe putting a few slides in... If we play chords, we can get a dramatically different sound... then there's muting, slapping, harmonics.... they all provide more dramatic contrasts than what git-fiddlers can achieve with fingers alone.


Hey why am I on talkbass? I thought this was basschat. aarghh!

 

[bigchiefbc]

+1

I think it needs to be mandatory to post what type of music you play when you say "effects suck". This is just like the "Jaco only need 4 strings" responses we seem to get around TB. And we all know that goes over well.

I'm honestly curious. Are most of you playing in pop bands or country western? What type of music are you not using effects for?

+1 - I am also in a 2-piece that plays primarily industrial and electronica/techno. Effects aren't just necessary, they are the basis of my sound.

I'd love to hear a good fuzz sound come directly from your fingers. Please enlighten us Munjibunga. Also while you're at it, let's hear some delay or filter sounds. Prove us wrong. Show us we all don't know what's going on in the bass playing world. I'd love to hear it. Video or sound clip will do.

As was stated already, Munji was only, as our friends across the pond would say, "taking the piss".

 

[Mark Olson]

I love effects, and I use them constantly. With that said I can totally understand why a guitar player would say bassists should just plug straight in. Bass players, well, guitar players know that their effects sound like junk in direct, through solid state amps, and they don't used horned cabs. On the Amps forum on this very forum, there are a lot of people that actually *look down* on bassists who use tube amps! So it's inevitable when it comes to guitarists experiencing bassists with effects, a lot of them aren't going to be making those effects sound too good, and that's going to give a lot of guitarists a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to bass effects.

 

[dogofgod]

I kind of think effects are weak in general. they just dont need to be there most of the time.

 

[Mark Olson]

I kind of think effects are weak in general. they just dont need to be there most of the time.

What effects have you tried? There's a lot of terms I could use to describe the tone I get kicking on my Bajo Mos in my Marshall, but weak is not one of them!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Jared Lash]

I kind of think effects are weak in general. they just dont need to be there most of the time.

What effects have you tried? There's a lot of terms I could use to describe the tone I get kicking on my Bajo Mos in my Marshall, but weak is not one of them!

Seriously.

It might be very different from what I strive for but there's no denying that Mark's tone is absolutely beastly.

Weak? Please.

 

[JimmyM]

I kind of think effects are weak in general. they just dont need to be there most of the time.

you must have missed the many posts about how lame we find people who hate effects that post in the effects forum.

 

[Nolifer]

Here's a TBer who is a plenty talented bassist and whose band is pretty much based around effects and the textures they can create:
YouTube - Highlights from Mouth's 2nd Birthday Party at The Jazzhaus

Thanks for this link, that was totally awesome! It gives me a tiny bit of hope regarding the "DJs are killing live music" bit.

As for effects, I have none, save for the built-in overdrive and reverb in my guitar combo (it was cheap ). I only play without effects for the time being because I can't afford them but would some day like to have a big pedalboard full of goodies. That is not to say that I'd expect them to cover up my lack of talent, as I'd aim to improve myself even if I did own a ton of effects.

 

[CHILDISHGAMBINO]

I've never heard bad playing covered up by effects. If the the playing is sloppy effects will only make it sound even worse. I never understood that argument.

And I will say it again: Why do you guys who hate effects so much even read posts in this section or post in it. We get it you are close minded curmudgeons who fear change. Now please go away.