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Essentials for a gigging bassist's pedal board?

#21
Tuner is good to have. Nothing else is essential for a gigging bassist, unless you are playing in a type band that requires particular effects for particular songs. I never got the whole compressor thing. A distortion or fuzz would probably be the best place to start. Something like the VT might be good. It's not over the top, but can be a different sound in your tool kit.

I have three (four with a tuner) pedals. Muff type fuzz, envelope filer, and octave. Jut got the octave. I would say that on 99% of gigs I don't even bring em. I might use one if I'm feeling saucy. Actually got a call to use the fuzz in the studio once for a little part at the end of a song. I'm feeling kind of saucy and tonight I plan on using the envelope filter for one song,,, in a two hour set.
 
#23
klokker said:
Korg Pitchblack Tuner only for me. Used distortion on a couple of song in a previous band, but didn't really need it. I have a VT bass deluxe, but rarely use it unless I'm just going DI without an amp. Even then its usually on by-pass.
Click to expand...

So, you have a VT, and bypass it....?

And then you trust the sound board tech to EQ your bass for you?
 
#24
depends on the sounds you are looking for.

Trust me- when I hit a pedal, you know it (unless I set it up to be a bit more subtle)

Currently, I run with an octave, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, envelop, chorus, and EQ

and of course a tuner

each is specific to certain tunes/ sounds I may be looking for


I'm always surprised when people say one should use no effects yet advocate for a tuner. They should be advocating for tuning via harmonics, etc:D
 
#25
4stringfiend said:
Now I know this is kind of arbitrary, but I am looking into a pedal board because I've been getting to the point where I can confidently play gigs. :bassist:
I see that pedal boards have 6+ slots on them, but what could a bassist do with that? I know that a pedal tuner is the first thing I'm going to buy, even before a pedal board. Afterwards what effects are most common for a bassist to have?

Thank you in advance! This performing thing is pretty fun, maybe fun enough to do for a living :hiding:
Click to expand...

Nothing says amateur more than tuning audibly while the crowd listens. (Worse is two or three players doing it at once. Okay, not knowing your part is worse still :D ) A good bit of a professional performance is controlling your sound. No noodling, no extraneous noises that aren't part of the performance; that includes tuning. A tuner / mute pedal isn't an effect, but I think you're absolutely right, it is essential.

A close second is a DI, for two reasons. First as a backup to your amp. But also, many DIs include some amount of EQ control, and some degree of overdrive. Both can be important in a lot of musical contexts.

IMO, nothing else is "essential", but a lot of stuff is just plain fun :bassist:

Oh, and here's Rex with his pedal board:

FPE-TV Bassist Rex Brown of Down Pantera - YouTube
 
#26
I'd agree that the essentials are tuner and DI. The rest is fun, but nothing you couldn't live without.

Anyway, I don't have a pedal tuner (I use a planet waves clip-on) but sometimes I miss the mute feature. And my DI comes out of my amp.

My board have fun stuff that I use in a few songs, with the exception of comp and the VT bass, which are always on.

I run: dbx 163x comp - mxr m 88 octave - devi dark boost - rocktron env filter - yamaha chorus/flanger - VT bass
 
#27
To further beat this dead horse, all you need is a tuner and DI. A compressor is also incredibly useful (mine's always on) but they're not for everyone. If you're playing metal and/or you don't want to drive your amp, an OD is good as well and they range from mild (Way Huge Pork Loin) to saucy (B3K). If you want fuzz your options open up much wider and it would behoove you to do a search on the matter, as it's a horse graveyard in regards to that subject.

Right now I'm running bass -> tuner -> 3 Leaf Audio Groove Regulator -> MXR M87 bass comp -> MXR M288 Bass Octave Deluxe -> Way Huge Pork Loin -> amp. I used to use delay, scrapped it, and now miss it, and am currently hunting for the "right phaser." YMMV.
 
#28
Yep, another body-blow to the dead horse: Use what serves the music that you are playing. If you are mired mostly in one genre, then you'll likely find that tuner, DI, and maybe (depends on genre) some form of distortion/overdrive/fuzz is useful. If you are a coverband player, and spanning several genres, then you will find uses for an envelope filter and octaver, and chorus, as I do.

"Word Up" is great with both envelope filter and octaver in use; really nails a nice, funky synth bass sound. I tend to go sparingly with the octaver, using it for the chorus of "The Middle," and coming out of the bridge on "Pork and Beans." Other than those instances, it is mostly used for song-ending stingers when the song is in the key of B through D; a kind of 5-sting emulation. The envelope filter is likewise used conservatively. I have a sort of guttural "wow" sound set for mine; great for song-ending stingers in any key, and slapping the intro to "Play That Funky Music." Both envelope filter and octaver are only on my large board, which is used for certain bands and gigs.

My small board is just tuner, EQ and chorus (no DI, but I have that from my amp, and have a passive Rolls Matchbox in my supplies). This is the setup for acoustic trio gigs. I can switch the octaver for the EQ, for certain bands and gigs as well. Presently, I am also thinking that I want to get the MXR Bass DI+ for the gig bag (or even build a PT Nano board with one), although the VT Bass Deluxe on my large board fits perfectly in a Genz Benz Shuttle bag.

It all boils down to what you do, and how you do it. Bass effects are like country music with me; a little goes a long way. Use with taste.
 
#29
I want to know what kind of gear you have right now. Depending on your head and cab setup, you can tweak that to get a good distortion sound or whatever.

If you want to feel around for effects you want, try a multi effect pedal. They're pretty good for finding the tones and effects you want. Once you get the idea of what you want. start buying separate pedals. If you need a tuner, start with that, then maybe a distortion, an eq. Those are probably the only things you'll need for hard rock/metal type stuff.
 
#31
I am not much of an effect geek.. But wat I have on my board right now is a boss eq and the boss bass limtier (which I use for subtle compression)... Both always on, a volume pedal which I use as a killswitch. I use a korg handheld tuner, which saves up some space on my board. Luking forward to get a gud od for myself. So if u want a basic setup. U can follow me! :)

Sure, envelope filters are fun! But for the genre u play, I would say, stick to my setup. Maybe add a preamp. Always helps. :)
 
#33
hehehe Well I'm been a guitar player too for 30 yrs and have owned 100's of pedals - analog & digital. Still have 2 pedal boards for my 6 guitars and lots of unused old one's in a box.
I got flangers, fuzz, delays, reverbs, wahs, volume pedals -you name it
My current 2 boards have the best of guitars effects available today imo.
Those have Delays, Fuzz, wahs, overdrives, distortions, chorus & EQ pedals

I've tried em all in my bass rig and the only one that sounds great imo is my 3 Leaf Envelope Filter - and that's a specialist thing.
The rest don't really do much compared to a guitar imo.

My amp has a gain dial & great EQ options so the only pedal I've kept velcroed to top of my Bass amp is my Strobostomp 2 Tuner
 
#34
odin70 said:
Let the music dictate what you should have, not the other way around. Start with a tuner and see if the music you play calls for something more..it might happen it might not.
Click to expand...

+10000000

I often see threads come up here saying something like, "I'm thinking about starting to use pedals. What should I get?" IMO, if you don't have a specific use (or cannot reasonably forsee a use) for a pedal, then you don't need it. But that's just me: I've always seen pedals as means to an end. While effects are a lot of fun, if I didn't feel that pedals helped me convey certain sounds that supported the music I'm playing, I would just plug into a tuner and then into my amp.

Starting out, if you buy pedals with cheap bypasses or aren't knowledgable about line buffering and true bypass loops, you can easily wreck your tone for no good reason other than wanting to play with pedals.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox. :p

With that said, I can't recall Ellefson ever really using any effects, except maybe some compression in the studio. There are some bass-only Megadeth tracks on YouTube, and his tone is very clean and unaffected. I'm pretty sure Rex Brown got his sound from an SVT. If you want to get very close to that, I'd suggest a Tech 21 VT pedal.
 
#35
If you're gigging, it is about more than the music. You also have to consider the types of rooms you play and logistics. Are you using multiple basses for the gig or just one? Can you quickly get to your amp to change settings? Do you have an active bass with eq? Are you using a house backline or providing your own rig? How does the room sound?

While I do some gigs plugging straight in, what is "essential" varies a lot. I typically will switch between two very different sounding basses during a set. That means if I want to have a lot of control over the tone I need an eq on the board. I also need a tuner/mute to make the switch (and for silent tuning). Some rooms sound terrible and sometimes compression can help deal with that. Also if I'm in a loud/dense mix (like a 10-piece band) compression can also help your bass work in the mix (especially if you're not getting any or good FOH support).

I recently went from a Mini to a Jr board, but I'll likely build the Mini back up with my personal "essential" pedals:

sonic turbo tuner, FEA comp, some sort of eq (was using a Paradriver, now have SA but may go to WMD Para), and then maybe an env filter and RC-2 looper for grins. If there is a house backline I'll also want to bring my own DI just in case, and make sure it goes post pedal board.

Then the other board is all "fun stuff" and I can bring that to a gig...or not depending on the venue and band I'm playing with.
 
#36
I agree. A tuner and a DI are essential. I moved my DI off my board and rely on the one in my amp, but I'm still a little nervous about it. The real insurance of having a DI is in case your amp malfunctions. I don't know if I'll put one on my board again, but I may.

Meanwhile, in non-essential territory... I've sold everything else on my board except for the Source Audio pro envelope filter and pro bass distortion. Incredible multi effect pedals. I can't say enough about what these folks are doing, going out on the edge and making sounds nobody else is making. My need for an envelope filter, octaver, distortion and synth pedal are all met at the moment. My pedal GAS tank is on E right now.
 
#37
scottfeldstein said:
I agree. A tuner and a DI are essential. I moved my DI off my board and rely on the one in my amp, but I'm still a little nervous about it. The real insurance of having a DI is in case your amp malfunctions. I don't know if I'll put one on my board again, but I may.
.
Click to expand...

yeah I have a great Radial DI I use but I don't call a DI an effects pedal.... and it never goes on my board.
A DI is a DI and is very useful for preserving tone thru long cabling to FOH but ... it ain't an effects pedal :rollno:
 
#38
Waxhead said:
yeah I have a great Radial DI I use but I don't call a DI an effects pedal.... and it never goes on my board.
A DI is a DI and is very useful for preserving tone thru long cabling to FOH but ... it ain't an effects pedal :rollno:
Click to expand...

Well, semantics really. A large number of very popular pedal DIs have EQ and overdrive built in: BDDI, Hartke Bass Attack, Eden WTDI (compressor too!), MXR M80, Aggy Tone Hammer. Pretty common really.
 
#39
Depends on the music you play. I gig several times a month, tonight and tomorrow, for example. Tonight I've got the Hofner with me. But I don't use a pedal board. I don't even use a tuner pedal anymore. Quick tuning check with a clip on tuner before the first downbeat and I'm set for the rest of the night.
Bass>cable>amp

But if effects are what you gotta have then get whatever you feel like using. there's no rules and no wrong answers.
 

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