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How many of us use no effects?

Jools4001

Jools4001

Mar 28, 2008
2,526
1,201
Near enough to London, UK
#1
I started playing bass at 14, which is nearly 40 years ago now and in that time I've used nearly all the effects pedals of the day. MXR phasers and Electro-Harmonix stuff in the early days, chorus pedals, wah, volume, Boss OC 2 and so on. I never had a huge pedal board, usually sticking to the fashionable 'effect du jour' and I quickly worked out that I didn't like bass distortion much and so apart from a brief flirtation with a Big Muff I never used any type of overdrive pedal. I realised that each pedal was always a passing fad with me, so for the last 15 years at least I've prefered to plug straight into my amp and let my fingers do the talking.

I had a short-lived resurgence of meddling with effects when I got my current Bass Pod Pro and experimented a bit with the effects in that, but I primarily got the Bass Pod so that I could set up EQ's and stuff so that I could switch quickly between crucial Rickenbacker sounds and fretless tones when I swapped basses. Now, I just use it as a pre-amp without any effects. I suppose that purists will argue that using a modelling pre-amp is just one big effect, but leaving that aside, who else simply has Bass, Lead, Amp, Cab as their signal chain?

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum, I was going to put it in the effects forum but, by definition, they'll all use 'em
 
#2
I started playing bass at about 14 too (14 years ago). I used to play straight into my amp, but then added a volume and tuner so I could tune silently. I have tried chorus, overdrive, distortion peadals etc and then got a V-amp pro. Ive played with Wah, Stereo Chorus, Phaser, Delay, Compressor etc and have come to the same conclusion; That the reason for using them has been a fad.

I currently run bass --> Wireless System --> Rack Tuner --> V-Amp Pro + Midi Foot Controller. I'm now thinking of selling a lot of it and getting a simple amp head with a decent EQ and maybe a compressor.
 
#3
straight in is all i know now i have also tried alot and got over it very quickly that being said my mesa Big block does have a built in overdrive channel which is simply amazing not something i use often but i just love the power of having it there but i just dont bother with anything else anymore its just someting extra that can stuff uo live my worst fear in the world so for me the simpler the better
 
#4
I started when i was 22 (only 7 years ago) and i never liked pedals. i play alot of metal so you would think it would be all distortion but i just like the sound of my bass. about the only thing i might use is a delay or a chorus just to mess around but never on stage. i do alot of backing vocals and the last thing i need is a pedals to trip over too. i also have the mesa big block 750 and tried the over drive but haven't used it since. just a wasted feature for me
 
#7
Apparently 14 is a good age to start playing bass (now 12 years ago for me). In high school I had one of those Zoom multi-effects pedals and recorded a bunch of weird tunes on tapes in a karaoke machine. In band situations I'd use it here and there. In college I had a house fire and lost all my basses, guitars and effects. Since then I've been minimal on effects. The band I'm in now I run my Ken smith to my Genz-Benz head with no effects.

I do, however, love envelope filters and even designed one for my college senior project. I don't use it often, but that is fun. Also, for Xmas I got the rocktron talkbox which is a really fun effect to mess around with. I used it at a show last Saturday for some solos and the bass line for Pony by Ginuine and Livin' on Prayer intro by Jovi.
 
#11
For playing I either go right to my amp or to my Sansamp if I'm not using the amp at all. The most I've ever used is a compressor and I don't even use that any more.

For recording I might use a compressor or my Sansamp. For the rare occasions when I wanted to apply some kind of effect I did it in software.

I'm not a rabid, proselytizing anti-effects guy. I just don't need or use them for what I'm playing.
 
#13
No effects, very little EQ, and virtually never touch a knob on the gig. There's lot's of different tones in hand position. I do make use of a passive tone control and the blend knob (or volume/volume) on the bass on occasion to 'burp it up' a bit when needed.
 
#17
5-lowb said:
Bass - Amp - Box

no effects.

Effects are for people how can't play bass :)
Click to expand...


Why do opinions like this never surprise me? FX don't exist to cover up some underlying failure in ability. Sure, for a few folk, maybe that's how they use them... but on the whole they offer a new spectrum of sound and creativity. I run a large pedal board, but am very concious of what works, and when. A lot of the time it's a very clean signal.

Just my 2 cents, but I would argue that (in the right hands) effects are another tool for people who don't just excel at bass - but also with their wider understanding of music.

Either way, it's a personal preference - but I do roll my eyes whenever I hear a player proudly proclaiming how "pure" their setup is.
 
#18
Edinburgh_Bass said:
Why do opinions like this never surprise me? FX don't exist to cover up some underlying failure in ability. Sure, for a few folk, maybe that's how they use them... but on the whole they offer a new spectrum of sound and creativity. I run a large pedal board, but am very concious of what works, and when. A lot of the time it's a very clean signal.

Just my 2 cents, but I would argue that (in the right hands) effects are another tool for people who don't just excel at bass - but also with their wider understanding of music.

Either way, it's a personal preference - but I do roll my eyes whenever I hear a player proudly proclaiming how "pure" their setup is.
Click to expand...

As a 'non effects user, totally +1 to this. It's a choice and has nothing to do with anything other than that IMO. I think Marcus Miller has a few things in his pedal board;), etc.
 
#19
For the most part I use no effects (I am wireless, and have a Boss pedal tuner, but those aren't effects, so I don't count them), and am straight into my Super Bass heads. For a couple of songs on our latest CD, I did use a MIJ Boss BF-2 Flanger.

Cheers!
 

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