Does everyone have an "always on?"

[FaithNoMan]

DiabolusInMusic;1442042

I don't rely on a pedal for my tone, I've got fingers for that.

I dislike the attitude that someone is supposedly a superior player because they use their fingers and no effects to get their "sound".

If someone can, that's great. Less equipment to drag around

 

[skulletwhip]

I have a reverb and an OD. Both are off 95% of the time.

I play bass. Effects are of limited use and their use should be limited.

What else can I do to be exactly like you!?!!!?

 

[JimmyM]

I've played without a comp for 14 years. Never even really considered using one. I like the sounds I can get from my rig and other pedals. I'm pretty happy. I'm no Billy Sheehan either

LOL! I only said that because Billy's on record pretty much saying you have to use a compressor to cut the dynamic range of the bass to what it sounds like unplugged. I guess if that's what you want, you do, but that ain't what I want

 

[Mvilmany]

I use an old Boss Bass Parametric EQ to fatten up my sound a little and pull back on the PBass "bark".

 

[Adamixoye]

+1

I have never understood this thinking either. If you like a clean sound, great. But fingers can't reproduce all the dirty, modulated, synthy, etc. tones that some of us crave.

I dislike the attitude that someone is supposedly a superior player because they use their fingers and no effects to get their "sound".

If someone can, that's great. Less equipment to drag around

 

[Unrepresented]

Fulltone Bass Drive is my "always on" pedal. Pickle Pie B is my "very often on" pedal.

The rest go on and off to taste.

 

[Eublet]

Aguilar Tone Hammer preamp and TLC compressor always on.

This has become my always on for a while now, usually with AGS on also setup for a clean drive, but the Tone Hammer is the most important. The TLC adds a bit of extra girth and makes the bass respond better under my fingers.

 

[JoshC]

My Diamond comp is on the vast majority of the time. It's not really a traditional comp though. It's pretty subtle. So I still have almost all of my dynamic range. It just cuts off the really harsh edges and gives me a killer EQ/Boost knob.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I dislike the attitude that someone is supposedly a superior player because they use their fingers and no effects to get their "sound".

If someone can, that's great. Less equipment to drag around

I don't think I am better than anybody and I think everybody gets their own tone more so from their own hands than anything else. The effects are just to alter your own tone. I never practice with effects and encourage my students not to, compressors and limiters can become a major crutch.

+1

I have never understood this thinking either. If you like a clean sound, great. But fingers can't reproduce all the dirty, modulated, synthy, etc. tones that some of us crave.

I was referring to always on pedals, like I said in the post I have a B3k in my chain. It is there for a reason. When I think of "always on" I think of comps and limiters, I suppose you are right though, there are some guys who like their dirt on 24/7. I don't think dirt should be considered essential to your tone though, to each their own.

 

[skulletwhip]

Uh... dirt is essential to me having a dirty tone.

 

[Adamixoye]

I still don't understand this line of thinking, perhaps it boils down to one's definition of "tone"...but for me, "tone" refers to the frequency spectrum coming from your bass as you play a given note. Your fingers literally can't do THAT much to your "tone." They can do some, don't get me wrong, based on technique. But they are limited by the electronics and character of your instrument, amp, and whatever else you put in the chain. Which is why we love effects---they open up possibilities.

Let me put it another way, if we were listing all the things that affected "tone" as I understand it, "fingers" would be pretty low on the list, not just for myself, but for any human player.

I don't think I am better than anybody and I think everybody gets their own tone more so from their own hands than anything else. The effects are just to alter your own tone. I never practice with effects and encourage my students not to, compressors and limiters can become a major crutch.

 

[DriesG]

Aguilar TLC comp and Xotic Bass RC Booster. Works great for me.

 

[JacobRJ]

My markbass equalizer and compressor are on all the time.

 

[JimmyM]

If you don't practice with effects, what happens when you go onstage with them? Often times you suck, that's what happens! Yes, maybe if you're trying to work out "Donna Lee" you don't need effects, but try going onstage using a pedal like the VT for the very first time without practice and you will see what it means to suck!

 

[DwaynieAD]

VT bass and an Optostomp

 

[Eublet]

If you don't practice with effects, what happens when you go onstage with them? Often times you suck, that's what happens! Yes, maybe if you're trying to work out "Donna Lee" you don't need effects, but try going onstage using a pedal like the VT for the very first time without practice and you will see what it means to suck!

Definitely. You have to learn to adjust your playing to whatever gear you are using. I think it's probably a good idea to strive to be well rounded, and not always require a certain effect, compressor, tube preamp/head, or whatever in order to feel at home. Anything that effects dynamics will definitely alter your playing style.

That said, it would be hard to imagine playing some kinds of music and styles without the use of a good tube head or a compressor/preamp combo like the Aguilar I enjoy. I get that one's hands are important, but I've never bought into the "tone is in the hands" argument, at least not 100%.

 

[Feral Feline]

Mine are Meatsmoke Pre, Fodera 2011 pre,Submarine,Fix My Duck,Behemoth I,FEA DE-CL,Dr Scientist The Cleanness,BDPG then everything else to taste

Really? Always on? All of those? And after 4 preamps you really need dedicated boost, overdrive, and EQ? Always on? All of them?

Does it even matter what amp you use at that point? Or guitar for that matter?

Yeah, all that. What's wrong with serving up a nice bass recipe. If that's the flavour Mjac28 is going for, sounds good to me. If you like serving up flatwounds on a P-bass into a SVT through a 15' cable (not 10', not 20'), that's a good flavour of bass, too. Find your own flavour, but don't expect everyone else to want the same meal. Variety is the spice of life, so too is it the spice of tone.


My wife likes her chicken with a very tiny bit of salt, maybe a bit of black pepper. *yawn* That's okay, once in a while...


I like my chicken with a LOT of salt, and sometimes dill & mustard seed or...
Chicken Kiev with extra paprika and a ton of tarragon, or Chicken Parmigiana with oregano, basil, fennel and sundried tomatos.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Or Thai style with lemongrass, ginger and loads of chilis. Chicken satay with peanut sauce, Tom Yam Kung...
Indian buttered chicken with a whole bunch of different masala spices, chicken korma, chicken jalfrezi, butter palak chicken, chicken vindaloo, tandoori chicken...
Chinese chicken with ginger, green onion, sesame and a dash of Hoisin sauce. Almond chicken, Beggar's chicken, Chengdu Chicken, Chicken Kung Pao, chicken in black bean sauce with celery, Mah Gu Gai Pin, DRuNkEn ChiCkEn, Szechuan Bang Bang Jin chicken, chicken with oyster sauce with "starfired noddles"...
Mexican Chocolate Mole Chicken with cocoa, chilis, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers, cinnamon, peanuts and lots more tasty taste-bud bombs...


Here's a simple roast chicken recipe, well the ingredients, anyway:
1 skinless whole chicken
3-4 green chillies
1-2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bunch coriander leaves
2-3 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon jeera
3-4 pepper corns
1 lemon's juice
5-6 tablespoons olive oil/melted butter
salt to taste

I gotta go eat some butter-dill chicken now... and listen to some heavily distorted, filtered and flanged bass lines while I eat...

Oh yeah, my Radial PZed-Pre is my "always on" pedal, but I don't think that counts.

 

[FaithNoMan]

I don't think I am better than anybody and I think everybody gets their own tone more so from their own hands than anything else. The effects are just to alter your own tone. I never practice with effects and encourage my students not to, compressors and limiters can become a major crutch.



I was referring to always on pedals, like I said in the post I have a B3k in my chain. It is there for a reason. When I think of "always on" I think of comps and limiters, I suppose you are right though, there are some guys who like their dirt on 24/7. I don't think dirt should be considered essential to your tone though, to each their own.

I totally agree with you about compression and limiting. The crunch I dial up us very "in your face" and tends to magnify my mistakes.
I agree though, especially coming from a teacher's point of view. Knowing "the rules" should definitely come before "breaking" them.

Sorry if I came off like a jerk

 

[JimmyM]

That said, it would be hard to imagine playing some kinds of music and styles without the use of a good tube head or a compressor/preamp combo like the Aguilar I enjoy. I get that one's hands are important, but I've never bought into the "tone is in the hands" argument, at least not 100%.

Yeah, obviously your hands can't do ring modulation but that "tone is in your hands" thing is more about how most people set their gear to sound idealized to their tastes regardless of what it is. It's also a reminder to those who don't practice enough that chasing tone through gear doesn't matter even a hoot if you suck

 

[Feral Feline]

I forgot to say, I'm surprised there aren't more BBE Maximizers and Aphex Aural Exciters in the "always on" camp.