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Do You Use Effects Pedals?

#25
oxygenbass said:
I recomend

Jim dunlop bass wah - fantastic for cutting you in to a fresh sound mid song
Danelectro guitar chorus - cant live without it!
Digitech bass compressor - really cool

really does depend on what music you play though mate
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Other options to consider, depending on your budget...
- Chorus: EHX Clone Theory or Analogman Chorus (w/ "deep" option)
- Compressor: BBE Opto Stomp or Demeter Compulator
 
#26
I use this for playing in a small but commercial covers band, and also with my instrumental originals band:

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I also have a smaller board with 5 pedals that I use when I feel too weak to carry the 13 pedals (now 12) + a lightweight bag. That said, I sometimes walk into the very same gigs with just my bass (usually with a DI pedal cos I hate my workplace amp's fixed POST DI). I truly feel that effects usage is completely a matter of choice, not necessity for a bassist. If you feel that you need to kick in an OD often, then by all means, get a good one or use your amp's B channel (GK = wow). Anything else in classic rock would probably be a luxury/fooling around (IMO of course).
 
#29
Ive gotten by for many years touring and playing shows without using effects, though once you get the bug for buying effects you seem to convince yourself that you suddenly need them and that they are essential, well thats whats i did anyway :-) i dont really need them but i wouldnt really go bck to playing with no effects again unless i had to.
 
#30
I don't know that anything is "necessary", but I've always used pedals in my bass rig, going back almost 20 years now. The initial foray into pedals came as a result of hearing Cliff Burton's distorted wah tone on "Anesthesia/Pulling Teeth". From there, it just sort of developed naturally as I added chorus, compression, and eq pedals. I also play guitar & would always try out my guitar effects on bass just to see what would happen. One of the main things that using separate pedals taught me early on was the importance/concept of GAIN SCHEDULING, i.e. which order the pedals sounded best in, and what range of output (volume) produced the best signal-to-noise ratio. Over time, I began to look at effects as chef might view spices: You want to have a rack full of every spice under the sun, but you'll (probably) never use them all in the same dish. I changed my effects setup many times over the years, and also went through "purist" periods where I just plugged straight into my amp with the shortest possible cable & all controls set flat: "Dude, the sound is in my HANDS, not the GEAR." Well, the truth is that sometimes your hands won't make the sound you want, and you need to dig through your toolbox to find something that will get you where you want to go sonically. I recently sold nearly all my pedals to make funds available for a Line 6 POD XT live w/ bass expansion pack, and one of the biggest things I miss about my pedals is the modular nature of a pedalboard. The XT live is very cool, though, and if you have the means, do check one out. The pedals I kept include a Digitech Whammy, Sans Amp bass DI, and a Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz, which is totally bitchin'. The point of all this is simple: Use whatever you need to make the sound you want. Don't be influenced by anything other than your ears & your sense of what the song needs. And be sure to use good patch cables, otherwise the whole thing is a waste! Hope this was helpful...
 
#32
moogboy said:
+1. if i went to a gig that was for anything other than Classic/Prog Rock or my music, i wouldnt even BEGIN to think about bringing my pedalboards.
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yeah if I went to go jam with some people for the first time I would probably bring my pedalboard, but leave it in the car. They don't need to know that I'm crazy... I would bring it up somewhere along the line and see if they are interested or if I think some effect would sound good somewhere. then maybe go out and get it if they don't mind

but I love using effects, definitely not neccessary though
 
#35
I had a delay and a chorus before I even owned an amp!
Man I still use that same old delay today! (but I already have an amp)
And I wouldn't be the same without these, my band's sound as a whole relies heavily on the effects I use.
Some songs wouldn't work at all without an octaver or distortion or whatever color the song asks for.
pedais1.jpg
 
#37
I play surf and some classic rock, and I really don't need effects. I have a Univox Superfuzz that I kick in on one or two tunes in 2 hours, but I could do just as well without it.

IMO there is no bass sound better than a clean, well-played bass without compression, fuzz or other effects. Use them only for a good reason.
 
#39
Do I "need" effects? No, Do I use them? Sure.

I don't NEED a $150 MXR Auto Q to use on 2 songs, but it makes Higher Ground and Brick House sound kinda cool.:bassist:

I have no problem going direct to PA with zero effects too.

I guess most people on this board think effects are cool but not always a necessity. I would spend my money on basses, amps and cabinets before blowing tons of $$$ on effects.
 
#40
Yep. I love clean bass, and I love effects. The two support, not exclude, each other. And frankly/amusingly, I've had far more gigs where I was exclusively playing effects (no other instrument) than I have with an instrument clean or effected. :rolleyes:
 

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