Double Bass Effect Pedal for Volume Boost While Soloing?

[sean_on_bass]

Since i try to play only with acoustic jazz groups with minimal sound reinforcement, i depend on band dynamics to achieve this result. really don't like to mess with additional variables in my signal chain. Don't really recommend going this route unless you are playing with a really "electric" group that plays loud and is heavily amplified. It's best to learn to create a good sound right from the instrument and play with people that know what to do during a bass solo.

 

[loukash]

Has anyone tried a compressor?

Yes.
With this result:

Instant feedback machine….don't use one.

Or at least avoid any actual compression.
Set the compression factor to minimum and use it only as a volume boost.

If I were in need of a volume boost pedal (which I am not at the moment), I would use my Tech 21 QStrip. Since I am now such a big fan of the EV Everse 8 as my amp/monitor, I'd plug the QStrip into channel 1 which can provide 48V phantom power, and I could still run everything off the Everse battery for hours and hours. Also, I was already using the QStrip as a preamp before I got the Everse, and it is extremely flexible.

(P.S. Speaking of QStrip, I just noticed that it was discontinued. Sad… )

 

[james condino]

All you folks telling the rest of the band to shutup when I'm soloing is comical. Has that ever worked?????? "Bass solo" generally means they just keep wanking away and stare at girls for three minutes, oblivious to me, while thinking about their next solo opprotunity.

I have most of the hipster pedals, but in the end I always have an old green tube screamer in the chain. Turn the gain almost all the way off and then boost the volume. That is what they were designed for- to boost the front end of an old tube amp to get more oomph out of it. They also work reasonable for a preamp when your main one fails on the job; that has saved me many times. If you wanna get rowdy, stack two of them together in line and you'll get everyone's attention. Easy peasy....

 

[Sam Sherry]

I'm feeling the need for a slight volume boost when soloing. Does anyone here use a foot pedal effect for this?

I carry and rely on the MXR / Bradshaw MC-401. It is exactly what you're asking for.

I set it for about 4db boost. Step on and solo. Stop solo, switch off. Simple, reliable and transparent.
Buy used. At the moment there are seven on Reverb for under $70.

All the best with your quest.

 

[lurk]

When I arrived in NYC I checked out everyone's rig, and by far the best amplified upright sound was Rufus Reid's. He had a Barcus pickup into a volume pedal into a Woods into a Bose 802. He rode the pedal a lot and not only for solos, but for arco and just general dynamics. In those days drummers played with a greater dynamic range than they do today generally, at least in my opinion. The models of the time were Elvin and Tony, and they were not afraid to dominate things. I couldn't afford a Woods or 802, but did try adding a volume pedal. I could never get the hang of it and ditched it. Rufus ditched his at some point too, and doesn't seem to play in those bashing contexts much anymore . He could go toe to toe with some great drummers though with that gear and he sounded great.

 

[Ampig]

After all of the helpful input, I'm thinking of going with a bass EQ pedal to add a little push to some mid range frequencies for solos.

 

[bass player 53]

Well, if you want a bass eq plus boost, I’ve been using recently the empress para eq bass pedal. This company makes great quality, reliable equipment. It’s very flexible, has a choice of input impedances, and adjustable boost. I find it very useful.
It’s only been out a few months; you
may find a used one if someone didn’t
gel with it.

 

[Hans Gruber]

I have an an always on EQ, but I do need a little boost at times and a clean TC Electronics Spark Boost Mini is cheap and very effective. I just add a small amount and test it before I have any feedback issues, that's my go to. Sometimes I'll leave it and turn it off to compensate for the louder/harsher arco I have my Spiros, depending on the gig.

 

[Jason Hollar]

Well, if you want a bass eq plus boost, I’ve been using recently the empress para eq bass pedal. This company makes great quality, reliable equipment. It’s very flexible, has a choice of input impedances, and adjustable boost. I find it very useful.
It’s only been out a few months; you
may find a used one if someone didn’t
gel with it.

I’m still learning to use the previous blue one. HPF, LPF, EQ out the wazoo, huge boost channel.

I think purple one looks better equipped but I’m fine with what I’ve got.

If you want dead simple, I still love my Boss Bass EQ pedal. When needed, it delivers. It’s the one utility pedal I keep with a fresh 9v for grab & go, usually outdoor or bar gigs.

 

[Contrabenjista]

Alternate approach--do you have good monitoring in place?

Also, is the issue that the audience can't hear you, or that you can't hear yourself?

If the former, then your sound person (if you have one) and the band need to work together to strategize. Poor live sound is like Amazon crushing your package during delivery by throwing it at your door. It's a waste of your band's efforts and is disappointing to your audience.

If it's the latter, it's a monitoring issue, and boosting the volume is only going to make it worse for the bassist.

Vocalists and unfretted string instruments have the biggest challenge hearing themselves and, as a result, keeping in tune on stage, because they're quieter, and because intonation is inherently manual. And for double bass, this is the most challenging, because double bass is quiet, and because low frequencies flood the monitors, adding a lot to stage volume and creating feedback issues.

However, in ear monitor technology has gotten considerably cheaper in the last few years, and bassists should be one of the first band members to adopt IEMs. You can buy IEMs for $20-50 online, and get a line out from the mixer. Digital mixers are affordable these days, and allow custom monitor mixes.

Philosophically, it might feel like overkill, especially if your band is playing unreinforced. But if they are playing piano, drums, horns, these are naturally pretty loud and come with built in auto tune. And I doubt a guitarist or singer would join them without amps or monitors, so why would a bassist, unless the stage acoustics are perfect?

In a less than ideal acoustic environment, or any setting where the bass is going to be amplified or monitored on stage, IEMs are the best choice. They help bring stage volume way down, and are the only real way to get a beefy but clear tone to you, which gives you much more confidence when playing live.

PS, on bigger gigs, the sound person will love you for having IEMs, because of how much easier you're making their job.

 

[Jason Hollar]

I just recently acquired the Grace ALiX. A bit pricey but I got a great price used. I’m finding the ~10db boost to be quite transparent and usable over unrelenting drummers and bottom-heavy guitarists.

The Empress also has a boost switch. IME it’s a little tricky to dial in as it has a ~30db range so the lil knob is super touchy.

My empress is not the bass specific model so the boost range probably better accommodates other instruments. I plugged my telecaster into it and found the boost to be much more useable with guitar.

I’ve currently got the Empress on my electric bass board for the HPF and LPF, and using the ALiX strictly for DB amplification.

 

[fdeck]

Here's my boost pedal for soloing.

 

[bassically_eli]

Here's my boost pedal for soloing.

View attachment 7409913

Man, I had a hard enough time learning arco with my hands. Can’t believe you use your feet!

 

[Ed Fuqua]

Just remember, it's GIGO - garbage in, garbage out. If you have a diffuse, unfocused, and tentative sound coming out of the amp when you're accompanying at an audible volume, it will be a LOUDER diffused, unfocused, and tentative sound when you increase the amp's volume level either by pedal, stomp box, or simply twisting the little dial on the amplifier.
I think it was Neal Miner who said the best amplifier is a solid left (fingerboard) hand ...

 

[matthewbrown]

The Zoom A3 (which I use and is built like a tank) has a boost pedal and an anti-feedback pedal. You can also program different presets for different volume levels if you like.

 

[Zbysek]

Trickfish signal filter
EWS BMC II
Aquilar DB316

 

[BPM Strings]

I've used an eq pedal in the past, a source audio eq2, and that worked very well. Now I have a 1st gen tonedexter and that has a boost, which I use to solo. I hear what people are saying about have the band get quieter, but I mostly play in loud restaurants, and I find the idea that I spend all night supporting everyone's solos and when it's my turn they all take a break quite annoying.

 

[Ampig]

I've used an eq pedal in the past, a source audio eq2, and that worked very well. Now I have a 1st gen tonedexter and that has a boost, which I use to solo. I hear what people are saying about have the band get quieter, but I mostly play in loud restaurants, and I find the idea that I spend all night supporting everyone's solos and when it's my turn they all take a break quite annoying.

A big downside to bass solos is that the bottom drops out (and usually the mid and top as well). In a loud or busy club the auduence loses interest quickly or just ignores the solo altogether. I love holding down the groove and the bottom and am personally fine with never playing a solo, but it's being pushed on me in the trio format. I've purchased a bass EQ pedal. We'll see how it goes.....

 

[Steven Ayres]

A big downside to bass solos is that the bottom drops out (and usually the mid and top as well).

The idea that it's okay for the rest of the ensemble to drop out entirely while the bassist holds it all down through the solo is just wrong. It may work on records, but in a live show it's death, and it's completely unnecessary. The ensemble has to know how to play differently in support of the bass, really it's a role reversal. The pianist must get down on the left hand where the rest of the time that's the bassist's territory. The guitarist can focus more on the ones and threes and play lower on the neck. Backing horns have to play soft, a skill that few club-level horn players really focus on. And bassists have to call for what they need from the ensemble rather than just soldier through, as is our common reflex.

 

[Sam Sherry]

A big downside to bass solos is that the bottom drops out (and usually the mid and top as well).

Perhaps you need to communicate a bit with your colleagues so that everyone's expectations are aligned.

In a loud or busy club the auduence loses interest quickly or just ignores the solo altogether.

I respect you and our instrument too much to hold back: That's on you. Play things that capture and retain your audience's attention.

Our challenge as musicians is to use the improvisor's full palette.
Develop arcs of melodic and motific content, volume, note-speed, rhythmic syncopation, harmonic consonance and dissonance, emotional intensity and silence. When you get musical cues from other band-members, use or vary them.
Make music. Bring them somewhere and bring them back. They will listen.

I love holding down the groove and the bottom and am personally fine with never playing a solo, but it's being pushed on me in the trio format. . . . We'll see how it goes.....

It's long-term work, never close to finished.