Effect pedals in jazz music

[jadenjazz]

Hi... I've been playing bass for about 20 years but I'm just now getting into building a nice pedal board. I play mostly jazz standards 85% of the time and rock the other 15%. My question is this: Are there any pedals that I should be getting that compliment the "jazz standard scene" or is just plain and simple with no effects the best way to go? (I already have the mxr m-87 comp and the boss ceb-3 bass chorus.) Thanks!

 

[Gabeja15]

I've been a rock bassist for about 10 years and always used a pedalboard. I recently joined a jazz standards band and I'm fairly surprised by how many of my pedals i still use regularly.

Mainly, my Tech 21 VT bass is on to add a bit more warmth to my Hartke LH500. Tone shaping pedals can work wonders in any genre.

I also freaking love using my EHX Bass Microsynth. Adds a whole new funky dimension to playing Chemeleon or Cissy Strut.

Browse around, they're are lots of very funky options in the effects world outside of saturated occilating fuzz (though it can be hard to admit sometimes). Chorus, envelope filters and octive effects can all do wonders with jazz.

 

[Dignan81]

the thing with jazz to me is that it's all about pushing the boundaries of music. sonic crafting and experimentation is nothing new in jazz. bassists are no exception. But as with almost all genres of music you generally want to make sure you are keeping the low end intact and holding down the groove.

if you are playing straight jazz standards with little room to experiment then you'll likely just be looking for pedals/effects that give you a fuller clean tone.
a volume pedal, compressor, a preamp/EQ/clean boost, and maybe a chorus and reverb would seem like obvious places to start with building a nice clean jazz tone for the straight forward stuff.

if you are getting a little more out there, layin' down some funk, and/or have room for really improvising then your creativity is the only limit on what you can do. if you also have a good keyboard/pianist that can also lay down fat bass lines with his left hand then it can make it even easier for you to go into a lead role from time to time and switch it up by using more "out there" effects.
chorus, octave, fuzz, wah, envelope filters, phasers, tremolo, reverb, delay. anything goes really, it's up to you and your band which direction and how far out there you go.