Do I need effects pedals?

[Medicine Man]

I like the fine control over my live sound that a compressor, hpf, eq, and transparent overdrive can supply. I can play a gig without anything besides a bass and chord, but i honestly sound better with my pedal chain. Ive played a couple pop gigs that need an octave or synth.

 

[fishdreams]

I use effects to change the sound of the bass drastically into something different.

If you are not interested in doing that, and happy with your sound, keep it simple and don't use effects

 

[MrLenny1]

They are an extra tool to have. I do not use any
on my gigs because, mostly rock with 2 guitar players who have
a ton of effects.

 

[Gustopher]

In my band, not really... classic rock, country, soft rock stuff mostly benefits from a nice clean tone (especially since we have two very competent guitar players that fill most of the sonic space). I use my amps overdrive as a volume boost and thats about it. I used to take a pedal board or a multi-effects pedal with me on gigs and over time found that I didn't like what it did for my overall sound, so I simplified it and now the only "pedal" I use is a Broughton Always-on HPF that lives on the top of my amp. At home, I love using effects and playing solo stuff like that.

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

Nah

 

[SunnBass]

So, I have a lot of questions about this post/thread but I don't feel like it's worth it.
Except this one:
...Artisan Guitar amp? The only amp I can find called "Artisan" is made by Blackstar and it's a guitar amp, not a bass amp. If that's what you have...don't worry about pedals...buy a bass amp.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

I'd say that at the very least you need a reverb pedal... doesn't the Artisan combo sound a little weedy for bass?

 

[Kelly robinson]

If you do enter the world of pedals - you will find it to be a very deep rabbit hole . If you have a specific need for a certain sound than you might benefit from finding the right pedal to approximate that sound . If you are just doing it out of boredom or in the largely erroneous thought that you will suddenly play better than you are deluding yourself . Sorry for the bluntness but it doesn't mean you can't have fun sliding down that hole .... Kelly

 

[Smith357]

No you don't need them, the real question is do you want them.

 

[SteveC]

Nope. I play in a cover band and use a compressor. That's it. No one has said "I wish you had a "blank" pedal for that song" or anything. Actually, at a gig last weekend, my guitar player said it kind of sounded like I had a filter on for "Can't Stop the Feelin" and I of course did not. I actually just try to "think" I have a filter and play it that way. Kind of like the "think system" in the musical The Music Man.

That said, it would be nice I guess to have a filter for that 1 song, or a chorus for Don't Stop Believin but I can't justify them for a song here and there. I kind of believe that bass and drums should be the foundation and keys and guitar can do all the things. I think effects on bass can get lost out in the house. I'm sure I will get slaughtered for saying that as I know there are players that use them with success. I am just not one of them.

 

[scott sinner]

I think the factors to consider if you are truly not sure are

• the genre
• the ensemble, and
• the arrangements

I've been on all parts of the pedal continuum as a bass player based on those factors.

e.g.

Played Americana stuff where I probably could have gotten by with just a tuner pedal, but I did use a compressor and eq because the electric upright still sounded a bit scrapy bowed unless I went very softly, hence comp and eq.

Played in a bluegrass group. Full upright. No pedals...hell....no pickup even, just mic'd. Tuned to other people by ear. A tuner even there probably would have been a good idea.

Played a metal 3 piece where I had to sometimes fill in space sometimes under guitar solos or boost myself for my own out front stuff. That board evolved thru a good range of variety but was usually a tuner, overdrive, and a multiFX pedal.

Current group is guitar, bass, drums and we weave in a lot of synth-like sounds, again no keyboard player. So I have a monstrosity. Synth pedal, multiband overdrive, complex filter, and an Empress Zoia that can do all the regular things and things you've possibly never heard before out of a pedal or maybe at all. There is a switcher and MIDI controller because the above can do so many things, that makes it all easy peasy once programmed. Then there is a pair to tame that madness, comp and high pass filter, with a limiting on the lows to protect speakers.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

For me, the "basics" are TurboTuner / compressor / Noble DI. The compressor changes brands every so often but I think I'm settling on the FEA DE-CL. I also decided to stop trying to limit myself to a Nano pedalboard and stretch out to the Metro 24-sized board that I had custom made so that I can add the three effects that I really miss - octave, autowah, chorus. I'm going with EBS for those, already have the OctaBass and the UniChorus / BassIQ are on order. It's still pretty compact and does everything I need. I also know that there will be plenty of gigs where I never touch any of the effects, many where I may use them for one song but they are there, ready and waiting if I decide to use them.

 

[Liam Wald]

You might not need effects per say, but pedals like compressor and high pass filter are very handy for tone shaping.

 

[mrcbass]

Need? It sounds like you're doing just fine without them.

Want? Sounds like you may want to explore a bit.

I personally slide in and out of using effects as my musical horizons change. I've almost always used a couple of pedals as a preamp, but will move effects in and out of play based on perceived need/viability for the project.

But ultimately, only you know if you need them or not.

My pros and cons:
Pros
- In the right setting, pedals can offer you many options to create different sounds/feels at relatively low cost.
- A pedalboard can be a very portable solution for getting "your tone" with just about any map you may plug into.
- A pedalboard with a DI can allow you to contribute to a silent stage and not even need to lug an amp.

Cons
- Diving into pedals can become a very deep and expensive rabbit hole. There's so much to explore and once you start, it's hard to look away.
- For me, pedals often lose favor after awhile. They become extra junk that I should sell, but can't quite pull the trigger ("may want to try it again someday" logic).
- In many bands, the effects get buried under the guitars' pedal board. I can't say how many times I set up a cool signal chain at home only to have it unnoticeable in the live setting.
- Pedals/pedalboards can be yet another point of failure/trouble to deal with. Can't count how many times I've watched guitarists with pedal boards the size of Rhode Island, crawling around on the floor trying to figure out why they can't get a signal through or can't find the buzz. I've done it a few times myself and it always seems to happen at the worst possible moment (audition, gig).
- A pedals/pedalboards become one more thing to have to handle and connect.

 

[groovaholic]

Do you need effects?

No!
Unless, of course, you do…

 

[QweziRider]

Don't Make Me Look Bad Now, Don't Make Me Look Bad
Respect For Your Elders

My favorite lines in that song.

 

[Afc70]

I played successfully for many years with zero effects, but earlier this year, due to my main gig being Iem’s, I did some research & put together my first pedalboard, very minimalistic but I’m absolutely loving it. Obviously the tuner/ mute is handy when switching basses, and I love the Cali76 compressor & my sound through this setup ! It’s a korg tuner>Cali76 compressor >Phil Jones Pe-5 preamp>Khan tube Di > house. With or without an amp, it sounds amazing!

Edit: Yes, you can play without effects, but I definitely love my setup & it’d be a bummer to play without my compressor & pedalboard setup, I’m so accustomed to how awesome it is !

 

[vivaknoxvegas]

No, but they're fun. I use effects as an additional pre-house PA / tone shaper primarily.

 

[BassBrass]

I'd still play bass guitar if there were no effects, but with effects my bass is a conduit to being a whole orchestra and synthesizer/horn/ambient abstract texture machine. I love playing and writing bass lines, that doesn't change but I would probably play more trumpet and flute (and maybe -shudder- guitar) because, well, variety. Trumpet is also cornet and fluglehorn and every mouthpiece sounds different (and has different challenges) so there's my "effects" again. Mouthpieces are around $40 and I gathered around 40 of them over the years...mutes too...

--I was in Carl Fisher Music sometime around 1971 and in walks James Brown's rhythm section (somebody in the store whispered). There was a tall skinny guy who took up allot of psychic space, and he was very cool and funny and young, and I had the feeling that this guy is the real thing. I'd heard of James Brown because he saved Boston in 1968 after the King assassination, his concert was simulcast on WGBH TV and FM, twice in a row all night long and nobody went out. A few years later, my girlfriend once found Kevin White waking up (outside) in a house's garden in the morning. "top of the morning to ya, mr. mayor"

 

[scottfeldstein]

My idiotic opinion is as good as anyone else's, so...after a pedal tuner...

A compressor is a must-have if you're going to be playing anything more beat-heavy than a jazz trio. If I'm going to be pushing small cabs hard, a HPF. Then, because I play solid state amps, something that emulates a tube amp. After that, I dunno. Some fuzz, maybe. Or a synth. Or both. Something that lets you get way out there when you want to.