While I agree with the original poster's idea of "set it and forget it," I also came to the conclusion that having a lot of functionality that I didn't like too much or use too often was probably not having. As an example, for several year, I played a Canadian Dingwall AB-2 5 string. It had multiple pickups, multiple ways to configure them, an onboard preamp, several other tonal controls, and a passive mode. To be clear, this was an excellent bass with a wide range of unique tones. If I were playing alone or recording, these features would be a great asset. However, in terms of playing in a band, I found an effective "set it and forget it" tone. I still had to dial in my sound to the space we were playing, but I tended to do that more on an EQ basis much further down the signal chain. I also made minimal changes to my tone from song to song (at most, clicking an effect on or off). This was fine for quite a while, but because the Dingwall was expensive and unique looking, I became uncomfortable always playing out with it. In the end, I chose to move to a Lakland Skyline 5 string P - much less expensive, mostly ordinary looking and inherently already possessing a bass tone that fits well into a mix (the sound that people expect to hear). As an added benefit, dialing in a sound to the space you're playing in is even faster and easier. I'm also an older school bassist, so I also have a pretty minimal signal chain/pedal setup. I have nothing against people who prefer to have lots of onboard tonal options and huge pedal boards. I just found it easier to work with a simpler set up.
