How many Bassists use no pedals?

[Aussie Player]

I noticed when reading the amp setting thread that not many contributors mentioned pedals in the response which is interesting, as that is part of many signal chains when settings are discussed.

I recognize I am a dinosaur and can't comprehend the why of any pedals at all and have reported having younger players asking about my tones because they can't see any pedals on stage, but I am not sure the frequency question has been asked before.

It would also not surprise me to see pedals are age related meaning people who grew up in the 80's on wards? I saw my first pedal (apart from Wah pedals) in the 70's. it was a Boss Phase 90, (Guitarist pedal - Think Keep Yourself Alive/Queen) the orange one, but never saw any bass pedals until much later.

 

[Passinwind]

I love effects but not so much the pedal format. I enjoy building them for other people though. And the 70s were the only time I really did embrace using pedals for bass, for whatever that's worth. I thought the Phase 90 worked fine for bass BTW.

 

[msb]

Gigs are straight into the amp , but after picking up a Squier Bass VI I noticed pedals started to appear at home . Oh , first it was a TreVerb , and then some gain , but before long things got downright silly.
Here’s the knob farm …

 

[chris_b]

I've never used a pedal. . . . except for my Pitchblack tuner.

I really have no need for any of the things that pedals do.

 

[gtirard]

yes & no

depends on the gig

I like them but I don't want to be dependant, must stay a "nice to have"

 

[Finger Blister]

Experiment with Pedals at home.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

It depends on ones needs and goals.

I am a no pedal player because it is not a need with what I do and many sounds is not my goal.

 

[basscooker]

BE-7 in my backpack, but no.

 

[coreyfyfe]

Depends on the band and gig.

Of my three regular gigs one I use no pedals (covers, either upright or electric), the other two bands (both original music acts) I have dedicated pedal boards with various degrees of usage.

 

[Pilgrim]

If given a yes/no, the answer is yes.

If asked "how often" the answer is about one tune every gig, if then.

 

[Aussie Player]

A surprise already....never considered some would use them at home but not on stage?
Thanks for the responses. Computers are not my generation, hence the limited poll choices.

 

[msb]

My gigs are usually blues and classic roots stuff so if I showed up with the knob farm they’d probably light the torches and sic the villagers on me.
However at home when I’m hangin with the poodle …

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

 

[Smooth_bass88]

My tuner (to tune in silence) is in pedal form, as is my preamp. So, there’s that.

 

[skyline_01]

Depends on the situation, but I usually use a pedalboard. Only been a couple years since I started using one. It began with a tuner and octave and then I added others one by one (OD, HPF/LPF, compressor). And the Radial Bassbone OD takes care of switching between fretted/fretless on original band gigs.

I don't planning on doing too much beyond that in the near future, aside from a Silencer gate that I just bought here.

 

[Wasnex]

I have experimented with pedals, but the only pedal I have gigged with is a tuner and an ABY.

I would not hesitate to use pedals if a song needed some sort of effects on the bass, but for whatever reason, I don't remember ever covering this type of song. So my normal approach on gigs is to plug into a DI, and then run the Thru from the DI to my amp.

I am by no means anti-pedal or anti-effects. I have a Pedal Train Pro that I assembled for guitar, and I have more pedals than will fit. Sometimes I plug my bass in and experiment.

For context I don't really know how to play guitar. In 2008 I bought MIM strat and a bunch of pedals (just for fun). I learned some chords and for several years I would build short loops in a Boss DD-7, and rock out.

 

[arbiterusa]

Pedals are for my guitar rig. Bass is bass - cable - amp.

Grew up in the 80s, for demographic reference.

 

[iagtrplyr]

It’s not much, but pedals are indispensable. Besides the tuner, my must-have HPF, a compressor, and DI. The reverb and looper are purely toys.

 

[Neil Folkard]

Wow, I have to say that I'm shocked at these results so far. Not that I don't like the tone of my basses, but I use my board all the time. I guess it depends on the gig, as many have said, but the occasional (or occasionally constant, ha) use of pedals is the key to my fretless sound in a variety of contexts.

 

[Bruiser Stone]

A HPF and tuner is all I really think I need. I like the comp and OD I have, but simplicity feels great.