How many Bassists use no pedals?

[CallMeAl]

Currently I’m pedal-less. But not opposed in general. I have owned/could see getting: HPF, EQ, Compressor, Preamp/DI, tuner. More in the “utility” category than “sound shaping.”

For guitar, I like delay, reverb and OD.

 

[primusfan1989]

I voted no, I do one gig that requires the use of pedals but otherwise a tuner is the only thing I use 95% of the time.

 

[Wanker_Joe]

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.

On stage I play music people mostly enjoy, so my default tone is sufficient and desired. At home I make terribly noisy, loud and abstract ambient music which is usually made by playing a few notes, putting my bass down and messing with knobs, buttons and switches for 2 hours. Only I really enjoy my at home music. I just don't have the opportunity to bring my massive pedal board to gigs, because there are no gigs for it haha.

 

[5StringBlues]

knob farm

Band name thread.

 

[HardNHeavy]

nope

i have a boss flanger i kept from the 80's....but it stays in the box, used it a handful of times at rehearsal.....way back in those days.

 

[Gizmot]

I'm old school in every sense of the word - no pedals. If you don't have the sound from your bass, hands and amp, I don't think pedals are going to do it. Yes - - you can get some amazing sounds with pedals, but I don't need anything more than good solid bass sounds.

 

[J Wilson]

My favorite thing between my bass and my amp is a Bayou Cable from Butch.

I have a BOSS ME 50B that I toy with occasionally, but have no real need for anything.

 

[Al Kraft]

I use a pedal or two only on occasion as my amps, cabs, and basses alone can get me the sound I want 95+% of the time. Admittedly I own multiple basses, cabs, and amps so I can choose what I need for a particular gig.

 

[Thumpin6string]

On fretted, I use no effects, but I do use an HPF/LPF and compressor. On fretless, I add reverb and chorus, but that's it.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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 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 don't use pedals for bass and don't have one for guitar. The first effects pedal for bass used with a bass, I saw was back in the 70's was a Big Muff, a distortion pedal. Then there was the Mutron ( think of Nights on Broadway by the Bee Gees) as well as bassists experimenting with guitar pedals. it's been going on for over last fifty years here in the states. That said, some of these pedal boards bassists are putting together are incredible, and dang expensive.

Me? After 50 plus years of being a bassist, I'm still trying to workout all the possibilities of a Fender PBj 4 string with two volume controls and tone control. I would be totally flummoxed with some of these pedal board configurations and figure that I'm better off without. LOL!!!

 

[jdjk7]

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.

Pedals are about tone, which is about timbre. If you're happy with the sounds that your bass and your amp can get you, and those sounds carry you every musical place you need to go, then I'm sure you don't need pedals. But not all styles of music are the same, and not all players are the same. You could play Bach on an electric guitar, but it wouldn't sound "right" to many people, even if the exact same notes are being played. Of course, that doesn't make Bach on guitar wrong in an objective sense-- but if your goal is the original spirit of the music as opposed to something new, then it is wrong. Timbre is just as important to music as the notes. There are many great songs where dry bass would merely sound "okay". Experimenting with pedals can often be like turning your bass into a new instrument-- just without changing the physical interface. Some people appreciate the challenge of this unlimited creativity.

You don't have to sacrifice being a good player, either. In contrast, I'd say that it takes a better player to use pedals to serve the music than to be one who uses them indiscriminately or eschews them entirely. Perhaps that's presumptuous, but it's not too different from the opposite opinion-- that it takes a better bass player not to need pedals. Equally presumptuous, different agenda.

 

[mexicanyella]

I read the question in the OP as being about whether we engage or disengage multiple sounds or effects in the course of playing, and in that sense my answer is no.

But I do have a pedal-shaped device fulfilling the preamp role sitting on top of the power amp and cab I use, and it is providing always-on compression, noise gate and EQ in addition to an amp model for gain and tone management.

 

[Dega60]

Not sure if I should answer yes or no on this one - Well I don't technically use "pedals" anymore . . . (Started to get out of hand in one of my cover bands.) I now have one "pedal" and it's a midi selector for a Bass V-Amp pro processor. Kinda had to go there when the band has everything from "Forty Six & 2" or Muse's "Uprising" to ZZTop's "Heard it on the X" along with the standard stuff on a set list.

 

[ezstep]

On occasion, but generally "no."

 

[Ostie]

I used a comp and a chorus back in the 80s but no longer. Just another thing to tote or die on me at the gig.

 

[Polfuste]

The only pedal always "on" between my bass and amp is the keeley bassist. Part of my tone. The others ( boss oc-5, dunlop wha, catalinbread fuzz ) are spices and colors for few tunes. I'm not a freak of pedals but i mike add spices and colors.

 

[REV]

Depends on the gig. For a lot of gigs I don't need or use any pedals. For others just a compressor. Lately I've been experimenting with a VT bass pedal.

 

[Neil Folkard]

So, I'm guessing that this would be excessive for most people around here, lol. I don't overuse it, but I definitely use it to add a little something. It comes with me to every gig in my original bands.

 

[trevcda]

The only "pedal" I consistently use is a wireless bypass button for my tuner, which resides in the rack. Like others, I'm not opposed, I just keep anything that might be found in a pedal, back in the rack. If I'm using any sort of effects in the rack, which is rare, there would be a midi controller pedal, with the exception of a bass wah which was purchased for one song that never got performed and never seen any stage time.

 

[misterCRUSH]

Just a compressor and preamp for me.