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Does anybody just plug and play anymore?

#128
Bunk McNulty said:
I am shocked, shocked! to learn how many of y'all play without a compressor. ;)
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Just another point in favor of a well designed low power tube head - in the case of the Bassman 100T as it approaches the max output of the power tubes they go into a self-compression that is just absolutely glorious. I couldn't match it with the compressors in my mastering room, a couple of which are $7000+, and it sure can't be matched with a pedal.
 
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#129
MJ_Sotti said:
bass, cord, head to bottom...that's it.
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Nope.
Most of us tune up first.
But seriously, I know it could seem like everyone has a million pedals and pieces of gear if you spend too much time here at TB, but this is a bass site - so it's going to attract people obsessed with the instrument and especially people who are into discussing gear (it's much harder to discuss technique on an open thread) but the reality is that lots of people to a lot of the time - many of us who have multiple pedals included.
If you don't count tuner pedals and compressors which are turned on and left on I think you'd find most people are playing pretty straight.
The reason I throw in the compressor is it's no different than using the compressor/limiter in virtually any decent amp nowadays and is really just a part of the amplifier system - it's just controlling the volume and gain so many of us would put it in its own category apart from other "effects" which you can "hear".
 
#130
nostatic said:
Almost never straight in - only when I'm really trying to travel light in/out of a gig (e.g. when I used to do a lot of nursing home shows).

Nano board is always in my car and goes out on most of the gigs. Sonic tuner, delay, env, ditto. Depending on what band I'm playing with, none of those will get touched (other than the tuner/mute), other times delay will probably get used on a few songs. For gigs like last night, my larger board goes out which has chorus, delay, octave, dirt, pog, tuner. Last night I used chorus and delay on one tune, delay on another.

The beauty of a small pedal board is you have them if you want/need them, but no one says you have to click on them :D. It really depends on the gig you're doing though. For Steely Jam I'm not using any effects. For some nostatic shows, I'm making a lot of weird noises. Ymmv.
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This is why I decided to just go with something like the Zoom B3. I didn't plan on using a lot of effects but if was to go out without this stupid little red thing now I'd feel naked! ;)
 
#133
I go back and forth. For years, it was just bass, cord, Amp. For some gigs, maybe 2 pedals. I've got 7 pedals set up right now, but some are sort of duplicates and I may thin things out. I've been in a bad mood lately, so a couple different dirt sources are theraputic.
 
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#138
I used to, until I started doubling with a DB. Anyone that plays a DB in a rock-volume band will know that there are a huge set of variables from room to room that require either judicious use of EQ, HPF and compression in order to deal with feedback issues. Couple that with a need for a tuner, as well as reverb for times I'm playing arco and drive for songs that call for it with the BG, and you'll see why I needed to embrace effects.

Not going to lie though, I do kind of miss the simplicity of simply plugging in and playing.
 

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