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Do I need effects
- Thread starter JRuben
- Start date
He should also say "IME" (in my experience).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
Some of the gigs that may interest some bassists the most may require something other than bass and amp. Lugging a keyboard around, or hiring a keyboardist, might not be feasible. Also, copping certain bass-amp sounds ain't easy if you don't have that particular bass and amp. Fingers alone can't make every tone. If a pedal or two (or more) will get the job done, why not?
Effects even help me fine-tune my synth bass tones (some of them are sampled bass guitar tones) in ways that the onboard parameters simply can't do. Also, some of my synth modules are non-programmable, so effects have made many of the patches much more usable. I could buy a dozen synths and not get the bass sounds I get from simply running my keyboard through pedals. Extremely versatile and relatively inexpensive. I wish I'd thought of using pedals on my synths years ago (especially when Mu-Tron IIIs and other classic effects were much cheaper!).
As far as necessity - that's between the player and his or her band mates, or whatever studio has hired the player. If you do home studio recording like me, then it's completely your choice. I got along just fine for about 20 years without effects. Now I use them extensively, but not all the time.
Bootsy tore it up with James Brown, but P-Funk was a different vibe. Did he need effects with P-Funk? Did P-Funk need to use synths, especially synth bass, as extensively as they did? No and no, but considering the incredibly unique and iconic sounds they were able to generate (how many bassists and keyboardists have tried to emulate "Flash Light," "Aqua Boogie," "Knee Deep," etc., and how many bassists have added envelope filters and other effects to their rigs because of Bootsy?), I'm sure glad they did!
EDIT: The OP probably doesn't need them, but there have been some posts that suggest that effects are never needed on bass. I disagree.
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I hope you're joking because if not, you've had blinders on for 30 years.
I'm sorry but this thread is dumb, just like all the others of it's nature and doesn't belong in the effects forum.
Can we delete this crap? Close it? Something.
I think they need their own club thread.
The "I don't use effects club" thread in the effects forum. Could be a catch all for these.
rsmith601
Commercial User
- Apr 14, 2009
- 4,461
- 8,356
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- CEO and Co-Founder, Source Audio
Magic Tone Fingers can replace a Hot Hand and Manta any day of the week, haven't you heard?
As usual, a thread in the Effects forum can start with a sensible discussion, then the egocentric "no one needs anything but a bass, cable and amp because that's what I do" crowd steps in to pronounce The Truth about what is real bass playing. It's so old ... even if you personally don't use or don't like effects, can you guys at least acknowledge there are more ways of making music than the one you have chosen?
Alright, so you heard from the opinionated people. Here's the real truth.
Why are you asking this? Is there something in particular you think you might need that you're missing out on? Anyway, anyone telling you yes or no is wrong. I have sounds I would like to get that I can't get without effects, so I use them. But if I don't need those sounds, I skip the effects. And I don't care what any of this lot thinks about it even a little. If they agree with me, great. If not, feel free to use the exit door, gentlemen. So only you can answer whether you need effects or not.
And that goes for compressor, too. Everyone with their damn compressors. No, it's NOT necessary for everybody!
Why are you asking this? Is there something in particular you think you might need that you're missing out on? Anyway, anyone telling you yes or no is wrong. I have sounds I would like to get that I can't get without effects, so I use them. But if I don't need those sounds, I skip the effects. And I don't care what any of this lot thinks about it even a little. If they agree with me, great. If not, feel free to use the exit door, gentlemen. So only you can answer whether you need effects or not.
And that goes for compressor, too. Everyone with their damn compressors. No, it's NOT necessary for everybody!
+1 on the compressors I personally don't like them for bass, on a guitar yeah they're nice to have but I have found that compressors make it hard to go from very soft to very loud without a volume pedal something guitar players seem to take for granted.Alright, so you heard from the opinionated people. Here's the real truth.
Why are you asking this? Is there something in particular you think you might need that you're missing out on? Anyway, anyone telling you yes or no is wrong. I have sounds I would like to get that I can't get without effects, so I use them. But if I don't need those sounds, I skip the effects. And I don't care what any of this lot thinks about it even a little. If they agree with me, great. If not, feel free to use the exit door, gentlemen. So only you can answer whether you need effects or not.
And that goes for compressor, too. Everyone with their damn compressors. No, it's NOT necessary for everybody!
Only if you really crank that compressor. You don't have to, it can be as subtle as you like.
As with all effects you can use them tastefully or not, and it seems many nay-sayers base their opinions on bad uses of effects. Don't blame the tools if they are used in a less skillful way.
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I thought I needed a synth bass pedal when I was seventeen. Used it for a month or so and haven't used it in nearly five years. Really all just depends on your style (synth for a bass player???).
Final answer... no, you don't.
Final answer... no, you don't.
This is true, my usual amp has a very nice responsive always on built in compressor that just smooths everything out, but when I play with one group the BL who plays guitar makes me use his bass amp and proceeds to crank the compressor and will come behind me and crank it back up if I turn it to a reasonable level (read unnoticeable but it is there)Only if you really crank that compressor. You don't have to, it can be as subtle as you like.
As with all effects you can use them tastefully or not, and it seems many nay-sayers base their opinions on bad uses of effects. Don't blame the tools if they are used in a less skillful way.
If your bass and a DI to the PA gets you the sounds you want, then that's great! You don't need effects.
However, the band I'm in would sound less good with just the clean bass.
However, the band I'm in would sound less good with just the clean bass.
If you have a great bass and amp you do not need effects ~~ but why leave all the fun to guitar and keyboard players?
I have been gigging on electric bass for 40 years and i don't recall any gig where i did not use some effect or another, phase shifter and envelope filter in the early days to just about anything these days. Rock, Blues, C&W, R&B, Funk, Jazz all can use some added color or spice from effects.
The only shows I never needed or wanted effects were all classical or musicals where it would not be appropriate but any other gig is fair game IMHO.
I have been gigging on electric bass for 40 years and i don't recall any gig where i did not use some effect or another, phase shifter and envelope filter in the early days to just about anything these days. Rock, Blues, C&W, R&B, Funk, Jazz all can use some added color or spice from effects.
The only shows I never needed or wanted effects were all classical or musicals where it would not be appropriate but any other gig is fair game IMHO.
I have made it clear to anyone I work with that nobody is to ever touch my amp without my permission except in the case of catastrophe. I don't care who supplies...unless it's a casual jam, it's MY amp. Ask me to fix something and I'll probably oblige unless the change you want is wack. Touch it and you die! Or at least I'll give you a stern talking-to
I have made it clear to anyone I work with that nobody is to ever touch my amp without my permission except in the case of catastrophe. I don't care who supplies...unless it's a casual jam, it's MY amp. Ask me to fix something and I'll probably oblige unless the change you want is wack. Touch it and you die! Or at least I'll give you a stern talking-to
I once had an employee that you would have loved @JimmyM . He always changed the settings on everything without asking. Servers, client hardware, software, projects, everything. He'd get in my car and change all the radio and climate control settings.
I have made it clear to anyone I work with that nobody is to ever touch my amp without my permission except in the case of catastrophe. I don't care who supplies...unless it's a casual jam, it's MY amp. Ask me to fix something and I'll probably oblige unless the change you want is wack. Touch it and you die! Or at least I'll give you a stern talking-to
Wow Jimmy!.....your kind of like Nigel with his Fender Bass VI that still has the tags on it.....ha ha ha
I was on a forum that had a sub forum where people could post any stupid thing they wanted to. That is where this thread belongs.
For some reason it never fails to surprise me that some people have the balls to think they get to decide for everyone else what is needed. News flash - not using effects doesn't make you any more special than using them. You don't know the OP, you don't know his band, you don't know his song list, you don't know the sound he is looking for, etc. etc., etc. In other words you don't know enough to advise him.
