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Do I need effects

#22
NO .... I played Classic Rock when it was new stuff the first time around ... then over ... and over ... thru the decades without any FX pedals ... live ... !!

now ... I'd probably get a decent Compressor pedal and use it lightly ... ( not really an FX used in that manner , ... just helps saves speakers ) ...
 
#24
esa372 said:
No.
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#27
JRuben said:
I mainly to classic rock songs. I was wondering if an effects pedal is really needed. I tend to be able to get a sound I like. Would a pedal really add much to the sound? I want to have a nice bassy layer while still being able to punch through clearly like geddy lee did in the 70s.
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no. Not at all. Pedals are, in my opinion, 99% fun and 1% useful.
 
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#28
I love pedals, do you need them?? No.. But at the very least having a tuner pedal that mutes your signal for silent tuning is a necessity for me, especially for someone using more of a heavy handed attack live....

That being said, I love having different sounds at my disposal though some gigs I don't have the space or need for anything other than my DI.......
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Also why I removed it from my board, sometimes I don't have room for my pt pro so this sits on my amp and is always on.... But FX are tons of fun;)
 
#29
I don't like a lot of fooling around while I'm playing, but a little reverb and just a touch of chorus seems to sort of 'enlarge' the sound. I use a TC Electronics M300 in my rack so it's easy to adjust on the fly or for the room acoustics (knobs, not programs).
 
#31
JRuben said:
I mainly to classic rock songs. I was wondering if an effects pedal is really needed. I tend to be able to get a sound I like. Would a pedal really add much to the sound? I want to have a nice bassy layer while still being able to punch through clearly like geddy lee did in the 70s.
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As previously mentionned, no you don't need them, but they are sure fun to have around :). I play a similar style of music and the only effect always on is the VT Bass, on a slightly OD'd tone. For the few times I need an effect, the 60 B is good enough for live playing. The rest of the pedals are utilities.

Really need ? IMO: tuner. The rest is mostly nice-to-haves or this-looks/sounds cool, I just gotta have it.

Come on, try one.... just one.
 
#32
JRuben said:
I mainly to classic rock songs. I was wondering if an effects pedal is really needed. I tend to be able to get a sound I like. Would a pedal really add much to the sound? I want to have a nice bassy layer while still being able to punch through clearly like geddy lee did in the 70s.
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Sounds to me like you should just get a sans amp or a b7k or something. I use an rbi which is one of the rack sans amps Geddy has used over the years. It's essentially just a sans amp bddi with additional features like mid control, a lot more inputs and outputs, and it has enough output to drive every power amp I've had. I really like it for that "grind" with the gain and the blend it's essentially like having a dirty overdriven amp and a total dry full range clean di at the same time except even better you can control the mix of the two sounds and only use one channel instead of hoping the soundguy mixes them the way you want and actually gives you two channels to begin with.
 
#33
I think I played close to a thousand gigs before I ever got a pedal of any sort. That said, this is 2015, and there are a lot of really cool pedals out there that are really fun and useful, and it's really just another component of being a bassist and getting to create your own musical identity.
 
#34
I have been playing since 1978. I play rock from the 60s to today, country, blues and jazz from all eras. I also do a lot of recording projects. I have never used effects of any kind.
 
#36
MrLenny1 said:
No.
Pedals are nice toys but not necessary for bassists.
All my pedals are collecting dust.
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Hmmmm you should probably say "IMO" after that statement! I have played at least a thousand gigs without pedals, but lately I have needed a couple of filters for the production shows I've been playing to cop some of the keyboard sounds. If its a choice between working and not working, I'll take the pedals ;)
 
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#38
It's a slippery slope.

I got a tuner pedal... Nice to have a mute button at your feet, and cheaper than a rack mount.

Then I got a compressor... Wow, I had no idea what an incredible tool compressors are. I run mine pretty heavy, so again, nice to have access at my feet.

Two pedals... May as well get more!

Got a real tube overdrive... Nice to have some control over today at your feet! At low levels you can get a little bit of a classic tube sound, and high levels you can sh*t out sabbathesque bass licks all day long.

I'm currently on the search for an envelope filter for funk, and a volume pedal, since I never seem find the time to take my fingers off the strings. Aside from the envelope filter, all those pedals seems like a good resource for anyone. If you're like me, you may not even know what sound you've been wanting all along...
 
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#40
I have been playing bass now for 30 years......have owned a few different amps.....just get an all tube svt.....ive owned an svt/cl and 8x10 now for(????)15 years perhaps ??
About 6 or 8 years ago i bought one of them programmable tech 21 sansamp drivers (is that what its called ??) Couldn't figure out how to use,,,,,and didnt really like it....so i put it back in the box......Just get u a nice p bass and ampeg svt......u wont need anything else......
 

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