Is Simple The Way To Go?

[somebrains]

I like this guy's clip, but the other 2 using the same bass I'm not so into.
Makes me appreciate the B3k and makes me want an SVP-2pro to go along with my SVP-CL.

 

[zortation]

Bass, amp, and your fave compressor. Maybe a phaser for poops and giggles.

 

[Afc70]

Bass> Preamp/Di> house Pa..(iem’s) no amps, pedals.. love it

 

[Mugre]

...one's a tuner lol.

God gave you ears attached to a brain that can analyze pitches LOL.

 

[ihaveaquestion]

At some events I've mixed at, some guys don't even bring a 1/4" cable with them.

In my country it's actually common place, the burden of the guitar and bass amps, DIs, all cables, and microphones is all on the sound guys. It must be much less stressful to be a soundguy in North America

 

[Kro]

God gave you ears attached to a brain that can analyze pitches LOL.

Right, because everybody wants to hear you tune.

Anyways, back on topic, see my sig: bass, tuner, SansAmp, and amp. Definitely not saying it'll work for everybody (or really anybody else), but it works for me, and I am a fan.

 

[BoogerMan79]

I've always had the absolute best luck with a minimalist setup.

Bass > sansamp > tuner > amp. That's it.

So long as you're not pushing tons of effects, there's literally no point in getting more complicated than this. At least that's what I've found. The simpler, the better.

Thoughts?

K eep
I t
S imple
S tupid

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

There can obviously be more minimal, but a sansamp is a best friend and a tuner is...well, a tuner.

I'm more trying to communicate the less is more message, and I'm wondering if anyone disagrees. I've seen countless bassists on stage with a full pedal board of stuff.

If you think less is more, you really should try more. It’s way more than less. That’s why it’s called “more.”

There is no implicit benefit to using less gear in all given situations. Go to a pickup gig with just your Sansamp and you’ll have less weight to carry and less things to potentially go wrong. But if they call out Tool’s “Lateralus” and you’re left without being able to emulate the numerous effects the bass uses in that song that really brings it to life, then you’ve ruined the song. The situation dictates what is better to have, not an idealistic approach of “less is more” or “bring everything plus the kitchen sink.”

I’m not saying you’re doing it but I’ve seen other people brag about never having used any effects in 30 years of playing. All that tells me is that they’ve either played a very limited amount of styles or they have actively made songs worse by their refusal to use different effects or techniques. It’s like a chef bragging about never using salt. Some meals are flat-out better with it.

 

[bordinco90]

I used to be a minimalist and only plug in the bass to the amp until one horrible gig I had. I tuned my bass before the show with a Korg plug in tuner, the ones that you find in a ibanez starter pack. Well during one of our songs my bass went out of tune. Between songs I tried to tune the bass with the plug in tuner and it died. I was so embarrassed. I never thought about buying a pedal tuner. After the gig I bought a boss pedal tuner off of Sweetwater. Never had a problem since.

 

[Blaze Barlow]

I don't even leave a tuner plugged into the signal path. I find checking the tuning once or twice during breaks in the course of an evening gig more than enough.

I never have a tuner in the signal path..my ampeg head has a tuner out on the back panel..if you have an amp that doesnt have a tuner out..you can use the effects send to go to the tuner..

 

[funkinbottom]

I've always had the absolute best luck with a minimalist setup.

Simple has been working great for me since the 70's. Bass > Amp done.

 

[byacey]

My little Petersen strobe-o-tuner sits close by on the head, and I'm never in a big rush while tuning; it's only takes a moment to move the plug from the head to the tuner.

 

[Epitaph04]

I've never taken an amp to a gig. Never even brought a bass guitar with me either. Never had any actual gigs as a bassist, really.

 

[Jrussblues]

If you think less is more, you really should try more. It’s way more than less. That’s why it’s called “more.”

There is no implicit benefit to using less gear in all given situations. Go to a pickup gig with just your Sansamp and you’ll have less weight to carry and less things to potentially go wrong. But if they call out Tool’s “Lateralus” and you’re left without being able to emulate the numerous effects the bass uses in that song that really brings it to life, then you’ve ruined the song. The situation dictates what is better to have, not an idealistic approach of “less is more” or “bring everything plus the kitchen sink.”

I’m not saying you’re doing it but I’ve seen other people brag about never having used any effects in 30 years of playing. All that tells me is that they’ve either played a very limited amount of styles or they have actively made songs worse by their refusal to use different effects or techniques. It’s like a chef bragging about never using salt. Some meals are flat-out better with it.

Hey guys, we got a request for lateralus?
Ba ha ha ha ha
There has got to be a better example to pull from than that.
“Hey guys, everyone remember this complicated 10 minute long song, that is 15 years old, that hasn’t been on any radio rotation in 14 years at all, from a band that hasn’t released anything in 12 years.”
Pedals would be the least of my concerns if someone in the band called out lateralus. 1st concern would be “there’s no way everyone in the band knows this whole song”.

 

[JimmyM]

I can turn my pedals off and it sounds the same as a minimalist setup. Do what you want but it really doesn't matter.

 

[toddbooster]

I don't even leave a tuner plugged into the signal path. I find checking the tuning once or twice during breaks in the course of an evening gig more than enough.

If the bass needs tuning, it's time to throw it out and get a new one.

 

[HolmeBass]

I agree with @Bryan R. Tyler that it is all about context. For a blues jam I bring a clean boost pedal and might not even turn it on. For my ambient drone duo not bringing my normal board plus the delay and verb satellite board would be a veritable disaster.

They are tools, so this really isn’t a profound philosophical debate. And in the grand scheme of things most pedals are not really expensive. Definitely not when compared to basses and amps and cabs.

I also agree with @JimmyM that if my pedals ever cause a problem or bring me any bad luck I just turn them off and it’s like they’re not even there.

The one thing pedals do is they change the way the bass sounds. Some iconic sounds from recorded music require pedals. If you don’t have the pedal, you don’t have the sound. If you have the pedal, you have the option to use the sound or not, based on taste and whim. I like options.

 

[byacey]

Yeah, I got basses stacked up like cord wood out back that the factory tuning went all wonky after a short time. When I called the manufacturer for warranty work, they laughed at me. Now when I buy basses I insist that it has premium pre-tuned strings installed.

 

[superdick2112]

Believe it or not, my current rig (shown here) is much simpler that what I used to gig with...

 

[okcrum]

If you think less is more, you really should try more. It’s way more than less. That’s why it’s called “more.”

There is no implicit benefit to using less gear in all given situations. Go to a pickup gig with just your Sansamp and you’ll have less weight to carry and less things to potentially go wrong. But if they call out Tool’s “Lateralus” and you’re left without being able to emulate the numerous effects the bass uses in that song that really brings it to life, then you’ve ruined the song. The situation dictates what is better to have, not an idealistic approach of “less is more” or “bring everything plus the kitchen sink.”

I’m not saying you’re doing it but I’ve seen other people brag about never having used any effects in 30 years of playing. All that tells me is that they’ve either played a very limited amount of styles or they have actively made songs worse by their refusal to use different effects or techniques. It’s like a chef bragging about never using salt. Some meals are flat-out better with it.

The more pieces you have, the more pieces you have that can fail. That's a fundamental principle of engineering.

Some might even consider it an implicit benefit.