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Double Bass Blasphemy? Maybe, but pedals...

aens_wife

aens_wife

Guest
Commercial User
Jun 14, 2011
110
82
Disclosures
Co-owner, Dwarfcraft Devices
#1
I know I could post this in the rockabilly section, but I don't play that style and I wanted a wider range of answers.

I want to add pedals to my set up. I have a delay (line 6) that works nicely. I can have my pick of just about any pedal I want through my business and trades.

I play with a Realist into an SWR amp that I hate. I could also use a Sunn O)))) head with a 15, but that sounds even worse than the SWR. My bass is a fairly new Chinese solid top of unknown maker. I have belcanto strings on their way and for now use Helicore Hybrids. My bass is fairly bright and loud.

I will upgrade amps soon, but in the meantime, who has used pedals (not just tuners or pre-amps) with interesting results?
 
#2
With EUB, I've used lots of effects (overdrive/fuzz, delay, flanger, phaser, envelope, chorus, various compressors, others I can't remember). With double bass, nada. Not to say you couldn't, but they can be tricky enough to amplify well at high levels without adding all the complexity. Then you have to carry it all :).
 
#3
Really only two things have worked out well for me, as far as effects on a DB go.
A long, slow, heavily modulated delay that I use to use on an arco intro. Would've gotten really muddy probably if the band was playing, but in that arrangement it was me and the high hats for 32 bars - sounded kinda cool.
At one point I was also mucking around with some reverb just on my slap pickup (I'm using the two channel K&K RAB+). Think Jimbo's sound on Night In The Box - although I was shooting for something a bit warmer. Some nights it sounded pretty cool, I thought.
Overdrives etc I've never been able to get working properly, and the times I've had Spiros and a bright amp setting - well that setup got me pretty much what I was looking for from the drive effects anyway.
Choruses just seem to get lost in the mix, with my setup. I can't think of what else I'd even want to try.
 
#5
Perhaps I've entirely missed the message about what it is you're looking to accomplish. You can't fix a lousy sounding instrument or amplifier with added equipment. You can often find good used amplifiers for less than you will spend on effects trying to cover the unpleasant sound of your existing amp.
 
#6
The point is to make the bass sound different. Same reason anyone would use effects pedals... Most folks don't use effects to cover up lousy equipment, but to change the sound.

The only reason I mentioned my amp was that I knew that would be the first question someone would ask me.

I have tried a bunch of pedals that my husband makes. All distortion is out, which is a bummer. The tremolo sounded pretty cool, but I didn't spend a lot of time with it. I really liked the delay and echo on the line 6.

One of the projects I am working on is pretty heavy and I really like the arco sound paired with really dirty EB.
 
#8
I have used effects with great results by using two signal chains. The 1st is an un-affected direct from the piezo pickup tone. Then mount a p-bass pickup on the end of the fingerboard with double sided tape and run that signal into whatever effects you want to try. Then blend the signals with a line mixer. Be sure you can flip the phase of one of the pickups if needed. I have been able to use all kinds of effects and still maintain the "upright vibe".

You can see on my upright I have a p-bass pickup on the fingerboard edge. The blue box at my feet is my Lehle line mixer that I combine the signals.
 

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#9
Since you're not sure of the ultimate direction, why not get a good quality multi-effects unit with which to experiment? While I'm personally not into effects for bass, I'd suggest it as the most efficient way to audition different effects individually and in complementary groupings. A digital multieffects unit may take you where you want to go. The ability to store settings, mess with them and save a slightly different version, etc., can be a very helpful when working on a sound, as well as make them easily and quickly accessible in performance situations. And if you zero in on just one or two specific flavors you can always go to higher quality individual analog or digital units.
 

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