How many Bassists use no pedals?

[Redbrangus]

I'm thoroughly confused by the posters who say they don't use pedals, and then make exceptions for the pedals they use. If it comes in pedal form, it's a pedal. Sansamp, tuner, compressor, HPF, whatever.

I take 'pedals' to mean devices that affect or change the sound in some way, or introduce some other supposedly desirable non-linearities to the signal. A tuner does none of those things -- I use a Boss pedal tuner, but it doesn't even have to be in the signal path to work, so I don't classify it as a 'pedal', per se. I voted 'no pedal' -- I don't really need it for what I do. That said, several of the local players I see get great sounds using a device or two -- I certainly don't have anything against it. As always, it's whatever works.

 

[Passinwind]

I'm thoroughly confused by the posters who say they don't use pedals, and then make exceptions for the pedals they use. If it comes in pedal form, it's a pedal. Sansamp, tuner, compressor, HPF, whatever.

What if it's never on the floor and your feet never touch it?

 

[HP Hovercraft]

"Yes" would be winning if all the people who make excuses for why the pedals they use aren't actually pedals voted correctly

 

[HelpImaRock]

I take 'pedals' to mean devices that affect or change the sound in some way, or introduce some other supposedly desirable non-linearities to the signal. A tuner does none of those things -- I use a Boss pedal tuner, but it doesn't even have to be in the signal path to work, so I don't classify it as a 'pedal', per se. I voted 'no pedal' -- I don't really need it for what I do. That said, several of the local players I see get great sounds using a device or two -- I certainly don't have anything against it. As always, it's whatever works.

IMO, a tuner is the most important pedal.

 

[Marko 1]

As I probably stated somewhere earlier in this thread,

I don't use pedals, as in nothing on the floor, but on the head (or in the rack on top of my cab) I have a tuner, compressor, HPF, and depending on what head, amp modeling, and some effects (that I really never use but can).

I think I correctly put "no pedals", 'cause I have nothing on the floor and nothing in pedal form.

 

[Verb the Noun]

I use a Boss pedal tuner

I voted 'no pedal'

"Yes" would be winning if all the people who make excuses for why the pedals they use aren't actually pedals voted correctly

I think I correctly put "no pedals", 'cause I have nothing on the floor and nothing in pedal form.

My pedals are on a board, so not technically TOUCHING the floor, should I change my vote back to no pedals?

 

[Redbrangus]

OK, I use a pedal -- a tuner in pedal form -- but it's not in the signal path, so I'm still a definite NO on using a pedal. Sorry, Charlie.

 

[Manny Fritsch]

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.

I’m an even older dinosaur. I used to use a Zoom A3 pedal for the tuner, DI, minimal reverb to mimic an acoustic upright bass when I played my NS Design upright bass, or my first generation Kala Ubass with a passive pickup. Now I use my new fretless Kala Ubass plugged into my PJB Double four amplifier. I accompany people playing fiddles, mandolins, guitars and banjos. I do not have to use the pedal anymore.

 

[Jeff Scott]

it was a Boss Phase 90...

That would be MXR Phase 90. I bought my first one in 1974. It finally died on me (I had made a simple mod for an external power suply which worked great but in the end something took the pedal out in the early '90s. I eventually bought a replacement a couple years ago. They sound great with bass.

I thought the Phase 90 worked fine for bass BTW.

It did and still does for me.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

When I was gigging I rarely used any pedals except in my Top 40/Diss-Cho-Daze® in the mid to late '70s (I had the Phase 90, an MXR Distortion+, and Morley Wah/Volume pedal.

Now, in my non-gigging days I have a Strymon Flint, the Phase 90, Sansamp GT2, Cave Passive Pedals B-Drive Mk II, and a tc electroninc MOJOMOJO. I always use the Flint and swap out the other pedals as needed/desired.

I have had other pedals over the years; a Heathkit wah pedal that I built, EHX Micro-POG, tc electronics Stereo Chorus-Flanger (the big, square one that ran on AC power only), and a Bass Big Muff Pi.

In my Rare Blend days I use the tc SCF, a Voodoo Lab Tremolo, VT Bass pedal, and Ernie Ball VP Jr.

When I had my 1966 7ender BandMaster head I used the tremolo sometimes. Same with the 1974 Traynor YSR1, and the 1962 7ender Concert (4-10) combo amp.

Oh yeah, I also had two Aphex 661 Expressors, an orange-box Aphex Punch Factory, and a Universal Audio LA-610 Mk II.

Other that that, I don't use pedals.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Here is the first song we created as a full band afer me and the (first of 8) drummer joined the band, which at first was a keys/guitar duo. The tc SCF is being used here with my '97 fretless Zon Sonus Special 5 with D'Addario Half Rounds.

 

[BGroovy]

tuner and compressor, but they’re on top of my cab and both always on

compressor is relatively new addition

I have an HX Stomp that I play around with at home, but I like simplicity when playing out and tone is pretty straightforward in the stuff I’m playing. What holds me back is being unsure of how things will sound in the mix. Don't want to be distracted/fiddling and don’t have enough full band rehearsal time to dial things in.

 

[brocco]

None ever for me and with my Magellan 800/BA210-3 I would not take a chance of messing with this rig.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I guess this should really be under "Effects" not "Amps & Cabs" but the non-pedal camp rarely visits the former and we'd be seeing a glaring level of non-participation.

I have a handful of pedals but that's more a matter of curiosity (what it do?!?) and not actual need. Speaking of need: I embrace a special respect for our metro / urban minstrels subjected to public transportation, hostile venues, and unknown backlines. What's in your gig bag?

Riis

 

[Michedelic]

I guess this should really be under "Effects" not "Amps & Cabs" but the non-pedal camp rarely visits the former and we'd be seeing a glaring level of non-participation.

I have a handful of pedals but that's more a matter of curiosity (what it do?!?) and not actual need. Speaking of need: I embrace a special respect for our metro / urban minstrels subjected to public transportation, hostile venues, and unknown backlines. What's in your gig bag?

Riis

At the top of the effects forum, there is the admonishment/warning not to start any trolling threads of the yelling at clouds/dagnabbit, back in my day we didn’t/I don’t, and no bass player should ever use ‘em variety. Because there has been that sort of thing there.

 

[HP Hovercraft]

I guess this should really be under "Effects" not "Amps & Cabs" but the non-pedal camp rarely visits the former and we'd be seeing a glaring level of non-participation.

They're in Effects all the time. How else would we know that they're tone purists who don't use pedals unless they constantly told us? And how would we know which effects we don't actually need?

 

[wblaze]

In my prime years of playing in several bands at once and touring I used nothing but an Ampeg or GK head and a Tuner pedal. When the pandemic hit I started acquiring things - basses, pickups, and pedals! This board is fun to play with at home, but not necessary for the pop/rock I play. I'll keep the gigging setup simple - Boss Tuner > SGT-DI > Genzler 350 head.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Speaking of need: I embrace a special respect for our metro / urban minstrels subjected to public transportation, hostile venues, and unknown backlines. What's in your gig bag?

While I no longer gig in NYC, I did for quite some time on both guitar and bass. I still have a "take only what you need to survive" ethos. My board is pretty static: Peterson tuner > BOSS BC-1x compressor > Source Audio Multiwave Bass Distortion > BOSS DD-6 on a PTnano. I keep a Tech 21 BDDIv2 in the gig bag for unknown amps and unforeseen emergencies.

According to some in this thread, a tuner isn't a pedal. Neither is a preamp and in some cases neither is my compressor, which is always on. That's obviously silly.

 

[Jeff Scott]

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Thanks for the reminder that I had an MXR Analog Chorus for a while a few years ago, mostly to play around with. The tce SCF sounded way better (I should have kept that one).

I could list a few tuners but for some reason I don't consider them effects pedals (plus, two of them were rackmounts, the Korg DTR-1, one of which I still have).

 

[dougjwray]

I voted yes, because I do use them, even if it's only one or two pedals per gig, used on one song, on maybe 5% of the gigs in a year.

 

[pepj]

I use a tuner and have a TH DI but I don't run them in line much.