Do you need FX pedals for rock?

[Mr.Ace]

just got hired for an established rock cover band. 80's and 90's Rock. Nothing crazy heavy, but heavier then usual for me. I've been playing primarily funk, blues and new/classic country for all of my gigging career. I've never used pedals except for a tuning pedal. I've always adjusted the controls on my bass to achieve different tones. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[twinjet]

just got hired for an established rock cover band. 80's and 90's Rock. Nothing crazy heavy, but heavier then usual for me. I've been playing primarily funk, blues and new/classic country for all of my gigging career. I've never used pedals except for a tuning pedal. I've always adjusted the controls on my bass to achieve different tones. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

A little fuzz never hurt.

 

[Mr.Ace]

Cool, can you suggest any particular fuzz pedals?

 

[twinjet]

Cool, can you suggest any particular fuzz pedals?

Big Muff Pi is the only one I've tried, and it belongs to a bandmate. But it really was all that!

 

[Tonetodiefor]

You're going to need a minimum of a good overdrive pedal for some grind and breakup.

There's so many more you could add and it wouldn't be out of the norm to also have a decent compressor. Number one reason for me is not only the smoothing out of transients but also the ability to add more sustain.

Depending on the tunes you're playing you may also consider a good octave pedal so you can have your notes tracked an octave lower. A blend of your normal and an octave lower can add a lot of beef to your tone.

For rock I also use fuzz, chorus/phaser/modulation and echo. Occasionally I also use a reverb pedal.

It really depends on you and how far you want to go.

Good luck and congrats on the new gig!

 

[spanndrew]

If you want them. OD is always fun.

 

[Mr.Ace]

Thanks for the advice. I play through a Mesa boogie m9 carbine. It has an onboard compressor. Not sure how good it is compared to a pedal. So is overdrive and fuzz two different things?

 

[lfmn16]

If you think you need them, or if you think you don't need them, either way you are right. If you think no one needs them or if you think everyone needs them, either way you are wrong.

 

[Mr.Ace]

If you think you need them, or if you think you don't need them, either way you are right. If you think no one needs them or if you think everyone needs them, either way you are wrong.

Lol! Makes sense. I'm going to play my first show with out any fx. Guess I'll go from there. I know they want me to go wireless so I can jump around and what not. Their last bass player from what I understand stood there like a statue. I guess they weren't too thrilled with that. I've just always tried to keep things simple. Just seemed to lessen the chance of equipment malfunction.

 

[lokikallas]

No. You don't need them. However, some songs sound cool with them. For example, "stranglehold" can always use a bit of flanger or similar modulation, "I Just Want to Make Love to You" calls for some fuzz. I've played both with and without. People don't care too much as long as you can bring it.

 

[Mr.Ace]

No. You don't need them. However, some songs sound cool with them. For example, "stranglehold" can always use a bit of flanger or similar modulation, "I Just Want to Make Love to You" calls for some fuzz. I've played both with and without. People don't care too much as long as you can bring it.

Ok sweet, and yes, I plan to bring it! lol

 

[catcauphonic]

Not one is a necessity, but only for your personal amusement

 

[SoCal80s]

It depends how closely you want to simulate the original recordings. Some bands insist on it, some don't. I play in cover bands and only add a compressor to my signal chain. If I were going to add something new I would maybe use some light distortion where needed in the heavier rock songs (especially during the guitar solo if there is only one guitar player).

 

[Mr.Ace]

It depends how closely you want to simulate the original recordings. Some bands insist on it, some don't. I play in cover bands and only add a compressor to my signal chain. If I were going to add something new I would maybe use some light distortion where needed in the heavier rock songs (especially during the guitar solo if there is only one guitar player).

Ok, they don't really try and nail the recordings. There is only one guitar player. Distortion on the leads might sound good.

 

[rufus.K]

Ring modulator, and a synth wah

 

[Downunderwonder]

Ok, they don't really try and nail the recordings. There is only one guitar player. Distortion on the leads might sound good.

best place for fx advice is the fx forum. They have a rule against dissing fx use.

You can get growl and overdrive from some amps. Might be enough for you or might not.

 

[Joey Cash]

If you're even somewhat interested in pedals, and you're hanging around here, it won't be long at all until you find the want for all sorts of different pedals. Some may suggest a simple multi-effect unit like the Zoom MS-60B. I've seen that brought up a few times.

 

[KickingBass]

Be forewarned, If you start buying pedals you'll probably end up down the rabbit hole buying tons of them. If your amp can do good overdriven tones then you probably don't need any. I highly recommend a Sansamp VT Bass DI for rock as it does overdriven (even fuzz) tones well and is a quality DI with cabinet emulation for recordings and whatnot.

 

[Spectrum]

just got hired for an established rock cover band. 80's and 90's Rock. Nothing crazy heavy, but heavier then usual for me. I've been playing primarily funk, blues and new/classic country for all of my gigging career. I've never used pedals except for a tuning pedal. I've always adjusted the controls on my bass to achieve different tones. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The short answer is, not for all rock.

But basically, you might want some dirt of some kind. If you're playing through a tube amp or any amp that get gritty on its own, then that might do the trick.

I have a bunch of effects pedals, but that says more about me than the music I play; I just like playing with effects and electronics. In my last band I used all sorts of effects for spacey sound effects, but in my current rock band I use only my bass with an overdriven amp and it works out fine.

 

[Spectrum]

best place for fx advice is the fx forum. They have a rule against dissing fx use.

That's why it's the WORST place to ask this question, because even asking it causes them to get all upset like you just offended their religion or something. Very touchy and everyone thinks he's a moderator. After I post this I'm sure we'll hear from one or two of them soon enough.

Once you've decided you need an effect, then it's time to go over to that forum and ask questions. That forum is good for that.