How many Bassists use no pedals?

[Jason Hollar]

I love FX on my bass - in the studio.

I almost always run a tc tuner pedal live which doubles as a handy mute for my electric basses.

Like another TB’er above, I carry a Boss Bass EQ for my upright and passive fender on louder gigs.

 

[Hawk256]

In ~35 years of playing I have never owned or felt the need to use a pedal of any kind. With that being said, I did borrow the SPX90 from our PA gear when it first came out just to play with for a few days. That statement itself will tell you how long ago that was.

 

[RichardW]

Have never used a pedal at a gig. I have enough of a challenge getting my fingers to work--now you want me to include my feet?

 

[brianrost]

I have used them very occasionally on gigs in the past, but never for very long (less than a dozen gigs, sometimes only one gig). Simply didn't find them useful.

One exception: I used A-B pedals in situations when I needed to be able to switch quickly between two basses. When I finally got two channel amps I stopped using them.

 

[patzilla83]

99% of the time I use at least a boost or fuzz and a tuner for a gig. Sometimes I’ll add an octaver or delay/reverb but the fun stuff typically stays at home. Depends on the band.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

I like-a da pedals

Live board (for bass)

Home studio board (bass and guitar)

 

[alexclaber]

I'm using a few in my current project:

However it's a vocals, bass, drums, power trio (no guitar) so I have a lot of space to fill!

 

[lark_z]

On my third pedal in 20 years. Mostly underwhelmed, as it just seems the bass doesn't really need it for many genres. Playing with the Joyo American right now, but not sure if it'll last long term.

 

[KidAmnesia]

I voted no pedals because currently I rather keep it simple than getting the perfect tone for each part. But I want to try an HPF that I never did and just recently found out existed. And, if I like it, I might end up setting up a small pedalboard; I could use a compressor, and the occasional chorus, and into the ensuing rabbit hole.

 

[klejst]

Other than my Boss TU-3 tuner, I use no (other) pedals. However, always been curious about trying out some though.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

I for one am surprised by the results. Thought there would be way more pedal users than no-pedal users! Interesting.

 

[onda'bass]

I’m guilty as charged, many pedals on my board.

 

[Ric5]

I run this setup with everything on all the time

 

[silky smoove]

On live dates I use pedals and no amp about 99% of the time. Occasionally I’ll be on a non-IEM gig and will have to bring one or use a provided backline, and on those dates I always bring my pedalboard as well. I keep my board intentionally small and just load it with the essentials (tuner, octave, overdrive, envelope, DI).

In the studio anything goes if it gets the desired tone. When at home rehearsing I’ll duplicate the chain of whatever I’m rehearsing for so pedals may or may not be part of it.

 

[neo 7]

Tuner > compresser > flanger

I'd take the flanger away if we got a second guitar player.

 

[Deleted member 365158]

I had been no pedals for most of my bass playing years. Then a band formed and i got a fuzz… love it! Then a flanger, didn’t love it but it had moments that fit so it stuck(that band is no more and its off the board now) Then a looper for my own noodling. Then a compressor and that one comes in super handy. Around that same time i tried a wha… wow thats a cool one sometimes, especially with fuzz. Then i got a bass vi so a tremolo and reverb got folded in.
This being said, they all have their places at certain times but more times than not, they are off with the exception of the compressor but fuzz and wha get hit a lot

 

[stretch80]

I have to say I'm surprised by the result -- that no-pedal players are currently nipping out pedal players.

I've tried, but keep going back to straight-in. Does a preamp to make it easy to switch between upright and electric count? ;-)

 

[bucephylus]

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.

Can’t speak for any one else; but, I have three pedal boards. There are a whole slew of useful things that can go on a pedal board, ranging from tuners to effects to preamps / DI’s. But, I also do a LOT of gigs where I don’t use any pedal board at all. Probably most of them. Just depends on the gig for me.

So, I’m both a “Use” and “Don’t Use” in the poll. FWIW.

 

[Marko 1]

These poor people will have to pass on the job when the Band Leader says "I want you to bring your big pedal board and totally go nuts all night. I want different synths, I want shimmery reverbs, decaying tape echos, all kinds of overdrive, I want face melting fuzz sounds and modulation, lots of it!"

I'd have to ask him what he plans on having to cover the bass parts.

I for one am surprised by the results. Thought there would be way more pedal users than no-pedal users! Interesting.

I thought there would be a greater proportion of non-pedal users. But then again, some/many are using pedals like preamps, tuners, comps, HPF... more tone-shaping stuff.

 

[Runlikegregg]

I don't quite have the wherewithal to remember to use effects.
But I do use an always on overdrive pedal.