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Good Pedal to Get for my First One

#21
If you are still a beginner and want to explore new sounds go for the Zoom B1on it's $50 NEW....used obviously less. I bought one here on TB used. I use it only for practicing/learning new songs with headphones but you can plug it into an amp too of course. It has very decent effects on it and a drum machine to jam along with. Plenty of effects to play with and experiment and look for your sound...for C-H-E-A-P!

If you are ready to get out of the house and jam with some people you HAVE to upgrade your amp first.
thCAAP0X71.jpg
 
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#23
Zooberwerx said:
Well, those issues do limit accessibility locally...thank goodness for TB classifieds and FedEx. Nothing wrong with the budget-conscious multi-FX units. Are you in the market for a better amp or is this not priority at the moment?

Riis
Click to expand...
I'm in the market, but need to save up some more $$$. It's definitely a priority, but it works fine for me practicing. Are there any you would recommend for a better practice amp?
 
#24
I would look for an old GK amp. The 400RB was in combos, and it's the same head as they sold by itself. But there are plenty of options that would do. Peavey also comes to mind for cheap, reliable, and fairly good. After the amp, then find a good OD or fuzz for stoner rock. Again, plenty of options there too, and I'm still on my quest to find "the one".
 
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#25
According to the thread so far, a new, more powerful amp may be the way to go. If that's something's that's gonna be a while and you would like to delve into some effects to keep it interesting for you, and according to your genre preference, a fuzz sounds like a great choice. I would go for a really raunchy muff. These come to mind for me:

Abominable hail satan
Big game EAND (everything alive nothing dead) muff
Ehx Black Russian sovtek
Vick Black Russian
Black art toneworks pharaoh or supreme. Even the black sheep sounds like it could suite you well too.
Megalith fuzz
Malekko diabolik

Those came to mind really quick
 
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#27
I think your primary smart first buy should be a quality tuner and a really good combo practice or small venue amp. For amps, I'd suggest something mainstream. Fender's Rumble series and Ampeg's lower wattage BA series combos are both a good starting point. But look around. There are a lot of companies making really good smaller amps for bass these days that shouldn't set you back a lot of money.

After that, a really good metronome or basic drum machine is a smart buy. I found an iPhone app called Tempo I really like. Having it on my iPhone (which I always have with me) is a major plus. But there are also other apps (for Android too) that are equally good, plus inexpensive quartz driven standalone boxes you can buy as well. You don't have to spend a lot to get something accurate. But do get something. Practicing with an accurate beat-box will go a long way towards making you a better bass player and keep you from getting sloppy with time.

As far as actual effects go, get whatever appeals to you. Most bass players start with some sort of fuzz/distortion box or a decent compression pedal. No two sound or work exactly the same way so be sure to try out several before you put your money down.

I'm personally of the opinion that any bass player with professional aspirations should understand compressors and how to effectively use one. But not everyone agrees with me on that point. So do a little research on your own to see if a compressor/limiting amp looks like it might help you accomplish some of your musical goals.

Good luck!
 
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#29
Just a warning if you start playing with Overdrive, Fuzz And distortion or octave pedals be very careful with your volume levels many pedals with lots of gain will also drive your amp into Distortion of its own and destroy that little 10 inch speaker then you will have a cool pedal but no sound.
 
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#30
Don't do it! Only buy what you know you need when you know you need it. Consider this as unsolicited advice from someone who has been down the pedal rabbit hole. If you must then the Zoom multi effects pedal is a good recommendation as it will help you learn what (if anything) you need in an inexpensive fashion.

If you don't, you'll buy Fuzz A, decide Fuzz B must be better, sell Fuzz A, buy Fuzz B, but then miss Fuzz A, buy Fuzz A again, but then you will want to try Fuzz C... but then maybe it's a soft-clipping OD you really need so you buy OD A, and sell Fuzz C, then miss Fuzz C, and buy distortion pedal A... etc, etc, etc. Just know what you want definitively IMO.
 
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#31
I haven't kept up with technology. Is anyone making something similar to the Korg Pandora? Seems like a little, cheap box that has multiple build-in effects, amp modeling, metronome, and a multitude of rhythm tracks to jam to would be the way to go at this point.
 
#32
Psych0naut said:
I'm in the market, but need to save up some more $$$. It's definitely a priority, but it works fine for me practicing. Are there any you would recommend for a better practice amp?
Click to expand...

Nah, I'm kinda out of the loop on this one. I'm sure you can find something capable of duty-duty: small enough for practice / rehearsal but with the capability of handling a small venue if & when required. Some fellow TBers have posted more than a handful of candidates including the Fender Rumble, GK, etc.

Riis
 
#33
You need a new amp.

ANY dirt, drive or fuzz pedal through that thing will all just sound the same - it won't be the pedal you're really hearing, but the distortion coming from the tiny speaker. I recommend looking for a used combo amp around $100 first with >30w power. THEN you'll be ready for a dirt pedal.
 
#34
Here's what I usually do when I'm in a pedal buying mood: I find an online dealer like Sweetwater, musicians friend, guitar center, etc. and use the filters to find pedals in a category (overdrive, distortion...whatever) and narrow the search down to my budget. Then I scroll through all of them and look each one up on youtube and listen to demos of them then buy the one you like the best.

I just bought an MXR 89 Bass Overdrive that I like alot. For stoner, doom metal I would recommend some kind of overdrive, distortion, or fuzz.

But as others have said, a decent amp will make a bigger impact
 
#38
If you're planning on driving anytime soon then I would look into getting an amp that will keep up with a drummer.

Otherwise an eh bass big muff or boss odb3 would work fine as a fun and creative first venture into pedals.
1. They are plentiful and cheap used
2. If you're just practicing at home there is no worry of getting lost in the mix which is a common complaint, especially of the muff
 
#39
I would start with a di preamp pedal

Edit not that I don't want to recommend tuner, but I am at the assumption that ts already has a tuner. If he had play for like a year and not have a tuner I think you have issues and a tuner pedal is really a convenience based pedal imo as you can have tuner in different form
 
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#40
A tuner. A fuzz sounds like sh$$ when out of tune. A DI sounds like SH$$ when you're not in tune. A chorus sounds like Sh$$ when you're out of tune. EVERYTHING sounds like SH$$ when you're out of tune.

Come on - Get a tuner and use it. The rest will take care of itself.
 
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