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fingerstyle players - what effects do you use?
- Thread starter project_c
- Start date
I play fingerstyle 90% of the time and none of the effects I use (flanger, distortion, delay, chorus, phaser, ring mod, fuzz, and tremolo) enhance my tone at all. They certainly change it though.
PLEASE dont go around insulting metal bass players. i use effects in my thrash metal band that dont include overdrive. chorus, octave, and wah to name a few. i also play alot of stoner/doom/psychedelic stuff too. for that, id reccomend a good chorus, fuzz (one with a blend option and light overdrive before it if possible), octave, and an envelope filter. heres a pic of my current board:
the pd7 will be replaced by a sansamp paradriver soon, the pd7 sounds way too artificial. no way to get a natural sounding overdrive or subtle grind out of it without a high-range hiss. but its good when i run it into my ehx bass big muff, which can blend the fuzz sounds in with the original input signal. this thing can get fiarly wild. those go into the phaser. if i turn the speed and depth down and just change the mode or tune the res knob, it can give a way spacier tone to the fuzz. the only complaing i have about this pedal is the UBER tone loss it has with a bass. even a significant volume drop. anyway, that goes into the weeping demon wah, which is the most tweakable wah ive seen at that price range. it has a seperate mode made as a low-pass filter in addition to the regular wah, not to mention the ability to go between footswitch and auto-on modes. its a great wah. the next pedal is a digitech bass synth wah. its got some cool stuff, but i find i only use it for the filter setting (1) and the octasub setting (7) with the filter off as a crude low octave that only sounds good with dirt before it. so im planning on replacing it with a dedicated octave and a dedicated filter pedal. lastly, the digitech bass multichorus. it gets the job done, but it sounds very digital. im planning on replacing it and the ph-2 with an ebs unichorus, which does everything i need out of those 2 pedals that im not getting. i hope this helps, shoot me a pm if you have any more questions (or want to help take some of these off my hands
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He didn't insult anyone. Is what he said about metal bassists inaccurate? Do metal bassists not generally like a massively overdriven bass tone? Seems to be that way from the metal I've heard. Very few metal bassists use a dry clean tone anymore.
I'd say your about 50%,... I know of quite a few popular metal bands (I think lamb of god is one) that started with bass distorted and then went to clean to cut through better,... cannibal corpse never had anything but clean bass cos I don't think anything else could cut through lol
I can agree that not alot of metal bassists have a 'pure' clean tone though,...
I play finger style in a 80's thrash style band and find that for the most part I run clean,... dirt is only added to keep the low end when guitars are soloing or if its a full on fuzzed up bass to get that low end wall of sound... doing a proper 6 song set so far I reckon I use fuzz for one whole song and distortion very rarely...
chorus, wah and PS-3 get featured more on average!
this thread doesn't make any sense
fingerstyle + effects = muddy tone
1. does this imply that muddy tone would not be the result if other techniques were used, such as pick or slap?
2. there is an assumption that muddiness is dependent on the type of effect used. does this imply that certain effects are inherently muddy?
3. who gives a damn about metal bass players? isn't there already so much bass in metal guitars?
if 1 were true, why would it be? don't you think there are certain tonal characteristics where the different techniques are concerned?
number 2 was a rhetorical question.
number 3 was just to provoke metal bass players.
since we know that certain effects are NOT inherently muddy, we know that the muddiness is due to the technique. so.... why is your fingerstyle muddy? do you know how to EQ your tone for brightness? do you know what an EQ is?
fingerstyle + effects = muddy tone
1. does this imply that muddy tone would not be the result if other techniques were used, such as pick or slap?
2. there is an assumption that muddiness is dependent on the type of effect used. does this imply that certain effects are inherently muddy?
3. who gives a damn about metal bass players? isn't there already so much bass in metal guitars?
if 1 were true, why would it be? don't you think there are certain tonal characteristics where the different techniques are concerned?
number 2 was a rhetorical question.
number 3 was just to provoke metal bass players.
since we know that certain effects are NOT inherently muddy, we know that the muddiness is due to the technique. so.... why is your fingerstyle muddy? do you know how to EQ your tone for brightness? do you know what an EQ is?
I'm in this quandry at the moment myself. I use a compressor and an overdrive pedal occasionally. I have a bunch of stuff that I use for fun at home (trem, vibe, delay) but I haven't been able to really get into using any of them in a band setting. I think I'm going to start getting into building fuzzes -- they seem more applicable for playing in band.
+1,...
I focused on getting a nice tone for playing clean first,... so far has made my effects sound good playing fingers *shrug*
and don't provoke metal bass players, by right's I feel I need to respond to every comment on it
I think bass in metal can be good,... until mega de tuning of guitars happens,... low B on guitar = knowing why fieldy slapped his bass in anger to be heard!
i have no need or intention to insult metal players, where did this come from??? i grew up listening to loads of that stuff. i just wanted to ask people about fx who don't just use loads of overdrive. fingerstyle is not muddy, but putting it through certain fx is. EQ has very little to do with it. i'm very happy with my fingerstyle tone when it's just going straight to the amp, but in my experience, effects i've tried haven't given me very good results, and that's why i asked for suggestions. again - if you don't think my question was valid, why are you bothering to post in this thread? nobody is forcing you.
i am genuinely interested in how other players use effects, and i've been given loads of really good advice here which i'm really grateful for. big thanks to everyone who made suggestions and / or posted photos.
So im a punk bassist who loves to play with a pick and alot of treble in my sound so i have my ampeg half stack set real clean. in the band that im in though we play punk ska and reggae. every now and the during songs i use my fingers for reggae and some ska parts. i want an effect pedal that'll give me that reggae or even dub sound during these licks. any suggestions??????
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A filter set to function only as low-pass is a common technique also. Do a search. There's a lot of good threads with recommendations.
Well if you're looking for effects that make best use of touch dynamics, I would have to say that a really good overdrive, envelope follower, and expander would be a huge plus for your line.
If you find an Envelope follower that has a trigger in (ep-1 or 00funk) then you can put anything before it and keep that bubble.
If you find an Envelope follower that has a trigger in (ep-1 or 00funk) then you can put anything before it and keep that bubble.
Something I've noticed as well. Maybe its to kill the low end and get the guitards to stop saying "turn down the bass" and get off their back
note: the above is supposed to be pure satire, even if it does resemble the truth....
I used to play 100% fingerstyle, or well at least 100% with just my hands, no pick, but doing just about anything to a bass you can do to it with your hands. And during that time I've used about every kind of effect you can find on the market except a ring modulator. Do I like the sound of some effects better with a pick? Yeah. Do I think you can't get usable tones on a lot of effects with just your hands? No. But if you're going to use just your hands, some effects will benefit from a heavy or very dynamic touch, so I'd recommend experimenting outside of playing lightly all the time if that's what anyone does.
And as just an annoyed aside, why is it so many players can't control their dynamics that well? I've heard lots of clips of players that can't consistently trigger envelope filters or get a consistent bite from a dirtbox and such... don't know why I felt like throwing that in here, but I guess the point is fingerstyle, or heck with a pick too, dynamic control is really important to getting what you want out of some effects, especially those that are dynamic.
And as just an annoyed aside, why is it so many players can't control their dynamics that well? I've heard lots of clips of players that can't consistently trigger envelope filters or get a consistent bite from a dirtbox and such... don't know why I felt like throwing that in here, but I guess the point is fingerstyle, or heck with a pick too, dynamic control is really important to getting what you want out of some effects, especially those that are dynamic.
Playing fingerstyle or with a pick has very little to do with the muddyness of your effect. If an effect turns your signal muddy that will also happen when you play with a pick. The "only" thing playing with a pick does is add more treble to your signal. If the effect makes your sound muddy it will probably also take away the treble caused by the use of a pick. If playing with a pick really helps you might want to try getting more treble in your signal by using the EQ on your bass (turn the tone knob wide open). Another option might be the tone controlls on the effect itself or the amp. Just turn down the bass a little and add mids or highs to your liking.
If the muddiness is not caused by the amount of bass and lack of mids/highs it could be the nature of the effect itself (in which case playing with a pick will also not solve the problem).
Some effects you might be interested in are envelop filters (like the q-tron or some auto wha) or overdrives. These effects don't add a lot of sonic space like delay's and octaves and they are usually not muddy sounding IMO.
If the muddiness is not caused by the amount of bass and lack of mids/highs it could be the nature of the effect itself (in which case playing with a pick will also not solve the problem).
Some effects you might be interested in are envelop filters (like the q-tron or some auto wha) or overdrives. These effects don't add a lot of sonic space like delay's and octaves and they are usually not muddy sounding IMO.
i play in a cover band all my life, its my job. i don't have a day job and just play bass for fun. this is my career.
i play mostly finger style and do slap once in a while for fills and to funkify the music.
i was experimenting with different effects and set up last year. bought lots of pedals, sell them if i don't like them. i spent and wasted a lot of dough just to come up withy a very simple set up which is i am using for the past few months. learning by experience is great but also expensive!
now i have on my board an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, Octavius Squeezer. when i combined these 2 pedals, its great for disco and r n b music. its thick, its synth and it quacks! the OS filter is so wet and its just so funky i can't help myself that i have to slap my bass!!! then i have my Xotic BB preamp for my dirt section. an MXR Carbon Copy for some slap delay during short solos or in slow music. and my main tone is the VT Bass, always on, pure tube preamp goodness. somebody here at TB criticized me when i mentioned that the VT is my tone, he said the tone is in your finger. true, but that's not the point of having the VT as my main tone. 20 years of playing and i'm sure i already have that "tone in your finger thing".
bottom line, yes, finger style players can use effects. it just depends on your taste and on your applications of the effects you have in the music context. and yes, i do have a tuner too.
i play mostly finger style and do slap once in a while for fills and to funkify the music.
i was experimenting with different effects and set up last year. bought lots of pedals, sell them if i don't like them. i spent and wasted a lot of dough just to come up withy a very simple set up which is i am using for the past few months. learning by experience is great but also expensive!
now i have on my board an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, Octavius Squeezer. when i combined these 2 pedals, its great for disco and r n b music. its thick, its synth and it quacks! the OS filter is so wet and its just so funky i can't help myself that i have to slap my bass!!! then i have my Xotic BB preamp for my dirt section. an MXR Carbon Copy for some slap delay during short solos or in slow music. and my main tone is the VT Bass, always on, pure tube preamp goodness. somebody here at TB criticized me when i mentioned that the VT is my tone, he said the tone is in your finger. true, but that's not the point of having the VT as my main tone. 20 years of playing and i'm sure i already have that "tone in your finger thing".
bottom line, yes, finger style players can use effects. it just depends on your taste and on your applications of the effects you have in the music context. and yes, i do have a tuner too.
The phrase "the tone is in your fingers" is a massive oversimplification of a very good point.
It is, taken literally, a most untrue statement. But, as is the case with most dogma on every side of every aisle in existence, no one is literally saying "the tone is in your fingers," they're saying that all the effects, amplifiers, and basses in the world won't make a difference if you can't play.
To stay relevant: I play exclusively fingerstyle, and I use several effects in a pleasing aural fashion.
It is, taken literally, a most untrue statement. But, as is the case with most dogma on every side of every aisle in existence, no one is literally saying "the tone is in your fingers," they're saying that all the effects, amplifiers, and basses in the world won't make a difference if you can't play.
To stay relevant: I play exclusively fingerstyle, and I use several effects in a pleasing aural fashion.
My guitar teacher made me use a pick once, about 20 years ago. Playing bass with a pick is like taking a shower in a raincoat . I use a filter, envelope phaser, OD, compressor and delay/looper. I had a fuzz that I really liked too but for some stupid reason I downsized. I've also used octave, synth and tremolo on occasion.
I get a lot of tonal variation from just my fingers but it doesn't have to stop there.
. I use a filter, envelope phaser, OD, compressor and delay/looper. I had a fuzz that I really liked too but for some stupid reason I downsized. I've also used octave, synth and tremolo on occasion.I get a lot of tonal variation from just my fingers but it doesn't have to stop there.
