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"Essential" Bass Pedals?

#61
comp ... and some dirt ... but I look for something with a " blend " knob of somekind , so you can keep Your tone intact ... I recently sold my B7K and Wampler EGO ... both where very nice nice , but all I wanted was a tiny bit of dirt/grind/tubeness and minimal comp ... so right now I fiddling around with the latest 'Visual Sound Rt66 V3' ... comp / dirt 2 pedals in 1 ... dry mix ( blend - both sides ) tone controls / bass ... and a noise gate if needed ... I'm usually looking for pedals that will be OK for bass and gtr ...
 
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#62
Matty_L said:
Philosophers Bass looks like a good choice for me as it has dirt and compressor in one (economically it's an important deal for me)
what do you think this pedal?
Click to expand...

I've had one since just before Christmas and love it. Nice and smooth, crazy sustain, and gives me a bit of extra punch. The grit switch doesn't sound bad, but it doesn't have independent controls so unless you want to mess with your compression blend settings each time you use it I'd look into getting another dirt pedal. That said, I truly love it as a compressor and have been playing through it alone the past few weeks at church.

To answer the original question: if I were to have a board of "must-haves" and that's it, I'd say compressor, tuner, fuzz, and a DI. Based on my current setup, that would be Pigtronix Philosopher Bass, tuner to be determined (my TU-2 of 13 years died last week, may he rest in peace), EHX Bass Big Muff Pi, and SansAmp 3-channel BDDI.
 
#63
gregmon79 said:
Sorry, I have to say this.

The OP wasnt trying to find out what you/I/us would spend on an effects pedals. He asking advice on what effects would be beneficial for him in his situation. So you bringing up the fact that you would never spend money on a boutique pedal has absolutely nothing to do with his query/thread. Nothing. So you chiming in with what you did pretty much is like trolling. No relevance whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Good point. I apologize.
 
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#64
@Matty_L Hey, I think you're getting a lot of good suggestions in this thread, but definately not the most "price reasonable". Lots of the pedals and setups mentioned is more likely where you end up after a couple of years into effects.

With you already owning an EQ and chorus, I'd say add a distortion and you're ready to go. Well, a tuner is a wise choise as well.

The first single pedal I got was a compressor. But truly, I didn't understand the usage back then. If I could do it again it would have been dirt first and then chorus.

There are good cheap distortion or fuzz pedals for bass. Some have already been mentioned in this thread.

Best of luck!
/Kalle
 
#65
It's different for everyone, it all depends on the styles you cover. But if you play a little of everything I'd say some sort of distortion/fuzz(great for rock, metal, etc...) & an envelope filter(good for adding some flavor to different funky vibes). It all varies from there. Distortions/fuzz also add character to anything else you put after them too. If you want suggestions on brands, we all have our favorites & can give you a list of ones to check out but like anything else let your ears make the decision.
 
#66
Matty_L said:
Hi,

I know it sounds kinda stupid for asking essential bass pedals but I cannot think of another word
Currently I have the MXR 6B eq and the chorus deluxe
I have an upcoming gig which I will play few 90s rock songs and some "modern" rock songs as well
Despite the gig I normally play metal and rock

what pedals do you think are important for me to have?
(I don't need a di box for this gig, and I'm using the harkte kickback 12 amp)

I did consider multi effects but they're quite complicated and expensive :/ (Zoom B3 doesn't sound too good)

Cheers.
Click to expand...
It's nice to have a stomp box graphic EQ. Push up the mids, pull down the highest freqs, pump up the level slider a little (it can seem overly bright when the other instruments drop out, like during a bass solo) and click it on to bring out solo passages.

Right now the only pedal I own is a Zoom MS-60B multi FX. It's pretty cool, haven't used it live yet, though.
 
#68
Am I the only person who doesn't use an overdrive pedal?? Its like I missed the memo!

I typically don't use any pedals - built in compressor on amp and a rack mount tuner.

If you're looking for more ideas or things to play with, remember there's always multi effects floorboards with almost every effect known to man included!
 
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#69
NoxNoctus said:
Meatsmoke Preamp. Counts as a pedal, right?? :D

I'd say it's almost amp dependant. But more times than not, OD is something I'd see as absolutely essential in just about every form of music out there. Even if you do have a swanky pre/amp, you'll want to feed it some harmonic goodness and liven up your sound.
Click to expand...

+10000 I love my Meatsmoke Pre
 
#71
@Matty_L

Lots of great advice here. I think we play some of the same sorts of music. I don't get quite to modern metal but I do love dirt.

For me - the elements that are essential to my sound are:

- Compressor - I love tone enhancing comps. Like the FEA Opti-fet or the Diamond or MarkBass. I feel like my tone sounds nearly empty without one. It fattens me up faster than my mothers cooking - and my Italian mamma is an amazing cook! I basically have a comp on 100% of the time. And do the audience know that I have it on? No and they shouldn't be able to guess. But they can tell when I turn it off.

- Dirt - after a long period of concentrating on fuzz pedals of every sort and make, I have come to the conclusion that overdrive and distortion work better in my band's mix than fuzz. I use a few different pedals for dirt including a Darkglass B7k and VMT, a vintage script MXR Distortion+ and a COG effects Grand Tarkin muff style fuzz. I have a few other overdrives on the way including the Fairfield Barbershop and the Bearfoot Blueberry. And I am gassing for a few different versions of the DOD 250.

- other - I love being able to get some different sounds to be able to cop certain sounds. Whether it be a Phase 90 on a reggae bass line, or some MU-Tron style filter on a Stevie bass riff, having some cool, different sounds can be really fun. I love delay - current favorites include the Moog MF-Delay and the EQD Afterneath. I love phase - current favorites include the Mu-Tron Phasor II and the MXR Script phase 90.

Hope that helps.

Here are two shopping lists.

List 1 - flush with cash

- Comp: Diamond Bass comp
- Dirt: Fairfield Barnershop, Darkglass B7k (also your DI)
- fun: MXR Phase 90, Moog MF-delay, Boss OC-2 octave, EQD Afterneath

list 2 - toight with cash

- Comp: DOD Milkbox
- Dirt: DOD 250 reissue
- Fun: MF-Delay, OC-2
 
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#72
regarding compression

Compressor Reviews
Compressor and Audio Gear FAQ

everyone here will agree this site is EXTREMELY overwhelming the first time you visit. but you'll find EVERYTHING you need to know about compressors.

why you may want to use one
what it does
how to use one
recommendations
reviews, prices, & comparisons.


it's the bible, and the only place you need to research this topic.

after you read that website. then, and only then, should you ask here lol.........everyone will suggest almost 30% of the pedals out there
 
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#74
I have an Eno BMF, it's a cheap ($30) Chinese clone of a Big Muff but it sounds pretty damn good with my guitars and my bass.

I also just picked up an MXR M-80 di+, it's a DI (obviously) but also has a clean channel to shape my tone, which it does very nicely, and a distortion side with a blend knob. I like the blend feature, I can get some of that dirt but still keep my tone pretty intact.

My Carbon Copy also sounds pretty cool for just a little modulation, and suprisingly the VS-XO sounds great too, I think I'm gonna find a Route 66 to try for that OD and Comp in one.

I've been a pedal geek for my guitar for a while, the bass just opened up a whole new world for me.
 
#77
I only recently bought a TU-3 (the tuner, not the plane), because I had previously assumed that my fancy bass would keep the tuning as well as my fancy acoustic gitter. Oh, the shame when I realized how often I must have been (slightly) out of tune during gigs. I'm mortified just thinking about it. I'm still a noob, so you live and learn I suppose.
 
#78
Matty_L said:
what do you guys think about compressor and envelope filter? the envelope looks quite fun to me but i don't normally play songs that require it...
Click to expand...
Comp is an essential in almost any kind of music - and you can use it as an EFFECT with extreme settings that give you that "squishy" sound some guys like - or you can just set it to make your bass sound gooder.
For that era stuff - chorus (or phase), OD
 
#79
Matty_L said:
I actually play pretty much everything... like Metal (doing a song on metallica), RHCP, muse, trivium, Dream Theater(which is extremely challenge, I play it for the sake of playing it), I might start jazz as well
For Fuzz I was looking at the Big Muff Fuzz and I personally think that it sounds really good for its price

btw is compressor a thing that the player can feel and listeners can't? I have been watching few demos with my laptop's crap speaker (I don't have a large speaker or earphones these few days) and I srsly can't hear much difference...
Click to expand...
No - the comp is subtle but it improves the overall sound of the band and mix as the bass "sits" better. The audience wouldn't be able to put a finger on what it was but it would make a difference. The test would be to bring a friend with ears to a gig and play the first set with it on and the second with it off and see what they think. As a rule, if you can "hear" the comp - you're doing it wrong - it just levels out you volume so you can have the best and most consistent volume possible (it does do something to the tone - but like I say, if you can hear it without switching you're going a little heavy on it).
Having said all that- a lot of guys in Funk (especially) deliberately go for an audible "squish" to their tone.
 
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#80
If I'm playing fretless, a Chorus is a must. With some kind of OD or Boost. Maybe some reverb.
My go to pedals are.
MXR-134 Analog Stereo Chorus.
MXR-M133 Micro Amp.
Fender Sub-Lime.
Clone Rub-A-Dub Reverb.
 

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