Down the Rabbit hole ... (How did I do?)

[comatosedragon]

I never owned effects pedals before, apart from a tuner.

A few months ago, I was looking for a compressor (I read somewhere that if I only had one pedal as a bassist, compression is the one.) So I did some light research, and settled on the Kongpressor by Orange, more because I don't see anybody using it than any other reason. Anyway, thing sat on my shelf these months, never used. This past weekend, I take a look at it, and realize I need a 12v (preferably) power supply.* Okay. So a little more research, and I find the power supply needed. Wow. almost $30 for a power supply? How much are powered pedal boards?

So, some more light research, and I decide that the Outlaw Effects NOMAD s128 is a rather economical solution to my "problem", and seems to have excellent reviews as well. So now I've got a pedalboard, My Kongpressor, and a Peterson stomp tuner. Hmmmm. There's a lot of room here, maybe now is a good time to just get everything I may ever need?

Well, I had been planning on getting a pre-amp installed in one of my Reverends, but someone else mentioned how they prefer a pre-amp pedal, and yeah that makes a lot of sense. So, a little more lite research, some YouTube, and of course TalkBass forum perusing, and I settle on what appears to be "the most popular" (whatever that means); a Darkglass Alpha Omega. Seen a lot of really good demos of this (Nolly, Scott Devine, et al) and a ton of high praise right here on TB. So this will be the 'foundation' of my pedalboard.

Okay, according to the internet, I also need octave and delay pedals, maybe a looper and some chorus ... JEESH!

While researching / reading about those pedals, I came across something that made me smile huge, so I had no choice but to buy it. Hope it plays nice with my other pedals. The Way Huge Purple Platypus (reissue)!**

Okay, back to necessities: I need (want) an octaver. Preferably one that goes both ways(!). After much debate, I went with the EH Pitch Fork over a POG, mainly from testimonials I found here on TB. (And I don't want my PB to look exactly like everyone else's).

Now I need a delay .... but I have kind of broken the bank at this point, so lets see if we can find something 'economical'. Went with Donner Yellow Fall delay, based off reviews and a few YouTube videos.

So this is the pedalboard I built (put together) last weekend. What do you think? Do those pedals compliment each other nicely? Have I made an obvious beginner mistake? Am I now doomed to forever test and exchange pedals? (I think I still need a volume pedal, and maybe a looper.....)

This is not the final positioning, I have found that the Kongpressor seems to work best at the end of the chain rather than the beginning. I've tried multiple positions with the Purple Platypus, may have to let her go...** And I also forgot to put the Yellow Fall on the board .... you can see it in the second sloppy pic, where I am trying to find a good order.

* In the end, the 12v power from the Nomad does not power the Kongpressor (works fine on 9v). I don't know if it's an issue with the board or the pedal, I have no other 12v pedals to test it. So in the end, I may end up buying the power supply anyway!

** Don't be surprised to find that Purple Platypus in the classifieds soon. It seems I can get just about everything that it can do out of a combination of my other pedals. In my mind.

 

[OOD]

I’ve only gone a little deep into effects, but I’ll tell you what works for me and why I think other things might work for you. It’s a very personal choice what you decide to use.

You only really need effects when you are after a sound in your head or if you’re trying to copy a style. If you don’t know what you need you probably don’t need it yet. If there are bands or songs that you like the sound of maybe try figuring out what they are using to get that sound.

Once you go down the effects path it can be an ever evolving situation, and you may never land in a place that you think you’ll never change it up. I’d start slow. Think hard about what you need and what you’re actually hoping to gain from a new pedal.

You haven’t told us what kind of music you’re into and that will make a huge difference in what is usually useful in those styles. I play a lot of rock so I find myself wanting to add overdrive to my sound. Even old rock, pop, mowtown, and many other styles of music have overdrive on the bass. Overdrive is one of those things that is hard to figure out what works for you. It’s my favorite effect, but I don’t think I’ll ever settle on one overdrive sound. (If I’m not mistaken you should be able to get overdrive out of your Darkglass preamp). Overdrive and distortion are the effects that are a must for me. Everything else is just extra flavor that I’m not concerned with.

Preamps, amp simulators, cab simulators, Eq, and compression are what I call utility pedals. They are mostly used to sculpt a tone more so than add an effect. (Compression can have an effect in extreme settings). I also put light overdrive in this category because for me it is about getting a tone that sits good in the mix. I don’t think the audience generally knows when light OD is on bass. As a plus a lot of preamps and amp simulators have a DI that allows you to run straight to the PA, very useful if your amp fails at a gig.

If you’re into 80s rock you might be into chorus. I don’t like 80s rock and I have no problem skipping on the chorus when I play it. If you are into it though it might be essential for you. There’s other uses for chorus, but this is a big one IMO.

I like octave, tremolo, delay, and reverb pedals, but don’t have a use for them outside of having fun with them at home. Other people wouldn’t be caught without them. Reverb and delay can sound cool but can be over used easily or make the bass sound muddy. A little goes a long way. Octave is really cool combined with distortion making a synth type sound. But again, at this point I haven’t found them useful in a band. Plenty of people do though.

Phaser, flanger, wah, and filters are some that I have very little experience with. I’ve never heard a bass with these effects and thought it was something I’d want my bass to sound like. I have thought they sound interesting and cool though.

As for the volume pedal and looper. Cool if you need them, waste of space if you don’t. Those are more tools than effects, but you can’t do swells with the volume pedal which is awesome in ambient music.

And yes you are forever doomed to test and exchange pedals. That’s part of the fun.

 

[comatosedragon]

I guess I should put this right up front, before more people ask.

Music I like? I am very eclectic, and will play along with quite a variety. I guess my 'main' interests include Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Blues, and Pop, and am even starting to develop an ear for Country, believe it or not.

But -- I am essentially a bedroom bassist, having played solo for 10+years, and no experience in a band or group setting.

 

[Killing Floor]

Pedals are a whole level of GAS. You really never know your favorite fuzz until you have 10 of them. Same with filters. I actually figured out my favorite octave. But still figuring out my favorite octave fuzz. And perc fuzz. And oscillator fuzz. And...
And if you play guitar too you'll want to do the same process for overdrives, do you prefer bluesbreakers, Nobels, Klons, only one way to find out.

 

[Wretched Banana]

Am I now doomed to forever test and exchange pedals?

Yes.

The funny thing is most of the time it's all in your head. Ear fatigue, and you get a new pedal to keep you entertained for a while longer. I concur that finding one true xyz pedal to rule them all is rare. So enjoy the ride, it's all good as long as you get entertainment value from the experience.

 

[IBJammin]

* In the end, the 12v power from the Nomad does not power the Kongpressor (works fine on 9v). I don't know if it's an issue with the board or the pedal, I have no other 12v pedals to test it. So in the end, I may end up buying the power supply anyway!

Don't put 12V into something that wants 9V.
FAQ: Can You Use a 12V Adapter For 9V Guitar Pedals? - Guitar Gear Finder

 

[comatosedragon]

Don't put 12V into something that wants 9V.
FAQ: Can You Use a 12V Adapter For 9V Guitar Pedals? - Guitar Gear Finder

I realize this, but the Orange Kongpressor specifically states it will work with 12v or 9v, I just have not been able to get 12v to work yet.

 

[comatosedragon]

I am having a blast so far. The Kongpressor in particular is simply amazing. I can get a tight crunchy tube like sound that is just about perfect. And I changed my mind about the Purple Platypus, I'm going to be keeping that, more experimentation has yielded some really funky tones I can get. The Pitchfork has a learning curve I think, especially since I am musically illiterate and don't fully understand what things like minor second or perfect fourth mean; but it is very fun to play around with. Honestly, the only pedal I'm thinking I really can't see a use for is the alpha omega. Sure it can make some awesome distorted growly sounds, but I think it's just not for me. We shall see.

I for sure find the Kongpressor works best at the very end of the chain (and I never have more than one other effect running at the same time), but yeah right now it's tuner>Purple Platypus>Alpha Omega>Pitchfork>Kongpressor. I removed the Yellow Fall delay, it's interesting, but something I don't think I would ever use outside of maybe recording something. It was only like $30 though, so I'll just shelve that one for now. Still debating the Alpha Omega. I'll give it another day or two before I even look at the classifieds here to see what's for trade .............

(But seriously, I can't say enough good things about the Orange Kongpressor. It is astounding! It does color your tone a fair bit, so I understand how it could not be for everyone, but I think it is amazing.)

 

[Gothic]

Being pretty much forced to change my whole setup (just a mfx rack unit that did everything I needed) I started looking at preamp pedals. And nothing else. I was looking for a mainly CLEAN tone since that's pretty much all I've used. Just a good amp tone (ironically enough, I've never had an actual amp in my life).
After countless hours researching and hearing sound demos of a thousand different ones, reading up on everything I could find, I ended up falling in love with the DG vintage tone. Yeah, that was a surprise. And I loathe distortion (although granted, that's why I liked the DG, for its discreet grit).

So at this point, I start looking at my options.
There are three to five (if you count the amps too) different DG Vintage flavors. Maybe I could get the simplest, plain OD one.
Have to pair that with a compressor... But which one then?

And how can I sculpt my tone better if I go that route? I'm going to need an EQ.

But I truly want to send my good, ready tone straight to the FOH. I can even go ampless if the monitoring's adequate.
But then I'd need a DI.
So what are my options there?
Perhaps I should reconsider getting that preamp since it has a DI.
But the amp head on the other hand has a built in compressor. Sure, it's more expensive but have you seen the price of the hyper luminal?
And to that end, what about tube stuff? There's the art that's cheap and effective. Then there's the studio one...
And, well, I've never used a chorus but I could probably use that flavor at some point, why not. And...

TL;DR version: I understand the rabbit hole now.

Good luck on your quest, friend!

 

[Wretched Banana]

The Pitchfork has a learning curve I think, especially since I am musically illiterate and don't fully understand what things like minor second or perfect fourth mean;

out of topic

musictheory.net

If you don’t question why it’s called a minor 2nd / a perfect 4th as opposed to +1 / +4 frets etc. from the note you play, the pedal should be trivial to figure out. Or 30 minutes of reading will equip you with enough interval theory to greatly ease communicating with other musicians.

 

[Wretched Banana]

out of topic

musictheory.net

If you don’t question why it’s called a minor 2nd / a perfect 4th as opposed to +1 / +4 frets etc. from the note you play, the pedal should be trivial to figure out. Or 30 minutes of reading will equip you with enough interval theory to greatly ease communicating with other musicians.

And of course I posted the wrong lesson.

Generic intervals: musictheory.net
...and then specific intervals: musictheory.net

Now this should make more sense

 

[Real Soon]

Ya done good! The Pitch Fork is the best-tracking pitch control pedal I've ever sent notes thru, by a country mile. And it's got expression control & doesn't affect your tone at zero/heel. In the mid & upper register, mixing in a 5th is power chord central, and I actually love the sound of a minor 7th interval when doing some fusiony stuff.

Also your choice of tuner is tops.

If you want dirt but not as much as the Alpha Omega, lots of us here are fans of the Vintage Microtubes.

Delay is awesome if you're doing a solo ambient interlude, or a big lead line with a short, snappy slapback. I'd keep it on the board! If you play with a pick at all, even better; I ran a spring reverb on my board for a while in a group where I was picking flatwound strings for a song.

Also good call on keeping the Platypus. Though you can replicate its sound with other pedals, in a live setting, it's a load off to not have to dial a bunch of knobs onstage.

 

[comatosedragon]

Totally named this thread correctly, LOL.

I have "discovered" that Orange pedals give me the tone that I really have been searching for, so I ordered a Fur Coat (to replace the Purple Platypus) and a Getaway Driver (to replace the Alpha Omega). The PP and AO are both in the classifieds right now....

I also discovered that having effects means I don not have to own a separate bass for every song I want to play. So now I can cut down from 7 basses, to a more "reasonable" number. Like maybe 3. Hmmm. We shall see ....

 

[comatosedragon]

Well, very few of the pedals in the original pic still exist, I traded them for other pedals, So I think I must be doing something right!

No pics, but present Layout is:

Strobostomp > Fur Coat > Two Stroke > Kongpressor > Pitch Fork > Getaway Driver > Yellow fall delay

I just ordered a Beatbuddy also, although I guess that's really not an effects pedal. Can't wait to practice with it though!

Oh yeah, and just over a month in .... I think I need a bigger pedalboard. lol