Mostly useless but fun effect pedal?

[MikroKev]

EHX Bassballs is one of the most fun pedals I've ever played with, but I've never used it in a real band situation.

Just the same for me with the Mooer Bass Sweeper which is a clone of the Bassballs.

 

[bassmusic17]

Does anyone actually use tremolo for bass? Besides a few songs I've heard I have to think a tremolo for an instrument keeping rhythm and beat makes the job unnesseceraly difficult and confusing

I use it for a few of our songs. I don't find it confusing. Especially since mine has a tap tempo function.

 

[FretNoMore]

Tremolo with synthy sounds can be cool, and also with atmospheric sounds.
I haven't found any way to add tremolo with "normal" bass though.

It's one of those effects I'm strangely drawn to but really have little use for.

 

[El Raro]

I find any envelope filter or synthesizer pretty useless but heaps of fun to muck around with. Also the Digitech Bass Whammy that's being re-issued. You can get some crazy wacky sounds out of it but I can't imagine it being a staple in many players' arsenals. Still, I have one pre-ordered and room made on my board for when it arrives

 

[sillyfabe]

My useless board would be an empty one....(if you've seen my board you know I use crazy stuff and use it all!)

 

[edpal]

Does anyone actually use tremolo for bass? Besides a few songs I've heard I have to think a tremolo for an instrument keeping rhythm and beat makes the job unnesseceraly difficult and confusing

Fast tremelo for a reverby surfer guitar or maybe tex-mex kinda vibe. I also have used it dialed in light for church music. Doesn't add any confusion - the tremming is only on notes played so it is still up to your ears and fingers. Or so it seems at the time. YMMV

 

[jasonmitsch]

I'll use tremolo for synthy blasts. And usually a fast 16th or 16th triplet pattern, to break up a repetitive groove. Not the sort of thing I'd leave on for more than a bar.

 

[Denver Max]

I want an effects loop that I can switch from latching to momentary so I can put some crazy stuff in it and use it for blasts of noise, or switch it to latching and use it like a normal effects loop. Does this exist? Cause if not, I'm going to make them and sell them.

 

[FretNoMore]

I want an effects loop that I can switch from latching to momentary so I can put some crazy stuff in it and use it for blasts of noise, or switch it to latching and use it like a normal effects loop. Does this exist? Cause if not, I'm going to make them and sell them.

Several looper makers have this option. Try Googling looper with momentary or stutter switch.

 

[Pastrami]

Definitely the Rainbow Machine, because when I use an effect, particularly one that over the top, I want people to be like, "Wow *** is that", not, "oh that's a Rainbow Machine"


Also, the Bassballs is just a terrible filter

 

[bassmusic17]

Definitely the Rainbow Machine, because when I use an effect, particularly one that over the top, I want people to be like, "Wow *** is that", not, "oh that's a Rainbow Machine"


Also, the Bassballs is just a terrible filter

Terrible to some. Funky awesome for others. I guess if I had to say useless for me it would be any envelope filter. There has only been one time when I thought. Hey this song could use a filter for this part. So I just can put it in the recording but it doesn't lose anything without it live.

As far as *** sounds. I use my ring mod with my trem and my fuzz pedals to get a metallic crazy robotic helicopter chop that really even makes me wonder sometimes how the hell did I make that sound!

 

[edpal]

I want an effects loop that I can switch from latching to momentary so I can put some crazy stuff in it and use it for blasts of noise, or switch it to latching and use it like a normal effects loop. Does this exist? Cause if not, I'm going to make them and sell them.

Almost any looper or effect can have that feature by virtue of a momentary type switch wired in as a bypass to the click-on/click-off original switch. Drill a hole in side of effect, put in a 1/4" jack, plug in your momentary switch for stuttering effect. Original switch for longer passages with continuous effect.

 

[JimmyM]

Digitech Whammy. Always wanted one, never took the plunge, finally did in 2009. Loved to play with it at home, but on gigs, I preferred using the Micro Pog and OC-2 for octave effects, never used any pitch bending stuff, and the only real use I had for it was once when I was doing a fill-in hard rock gig and tuned down my bass a whole step for one song with the Whammy (wasn't horrible but didn't sound quite like a real bass). The rest of the time, the only use I had for it was using the shallow detuner as a chorus, and I ended up hating chorus now as much as I did in the 80's and 90's.

 

[JohnDeereJack]

Mostly useless effects pedal = Markbass Super Synth.
Oh, wait... you said 'useless but fun'.

 

[edpal]

Just received my Ravish Sitar yesterday. I like it, it will obviously take a bit of work to get a handle on the controls/settings. Not sure if it is useless - yet. I'll keep it regardless I'm thinking, it is a very realistic sitar sound which is FUN.

 

[Adamixoye]

Just received my Ravish Sitar yesterday. I like it, it will obviously take a bit of work to get a handle on the controls/settings. Not sure if it is useless - yet. I'll keep it regardless I'm thinking, it is a very realistic sitar sound which is FUN.

I was in Guitar Center window shopping the other day. I wish I had plugged in one of these.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I've been noodling with my POG2 every evening, and while I'm not sure that I will ever use it live, it's great fun for making my bass sound like an organ!

 

[Nephilymbass]

Digitech expression factory. I actually really liked the space station sounds but never found a use for it during a song. I have a preset on my m5 which is about the same. Use it mostly for filler between songs.

 

[edpal]

I was in Guitar Center window shopping the other day. I wish I had plugged in one of these.

It is very un-intuitive, at least to me. The instructions are pretty sparse. I think I will go back to the ElectroHarmonix youtube and jot down some of the settings. Kind of crazy I spent $234 for an effect I will use for about 10-12 seconds at the beginning of a song. And with my luck I'll show up at rehearsal and the guitarist will either hate it or want to take it over. Me:"Nah man, you're part was already dialed in, it would break your flow".

Oh, and it cannot be ran off batteries.

 

[Adamixoye]

It is very un-intuitive, at least to me. The instructions are pretty sparse. I think I will go back to the ElectroHarmonix youtube and jot down some of the settings. Kind of crazy I spent $234 for an effect I will use for about 10-12 seconds at the beginning of a song. And with my luck I'll show up at rehearsal and the guitarist will either hate it or want to take it over. Me:"Nah man, you're part was already dialed in, it would break your flow".

Oh, and it cannot be ran off batteries.

Interesting; that's kind of what I would have thought, though. The battery thing is of no consequence to me. I power everything with chords, and would prefer pedals be smaller and/or have more features in lieu of wasting space for a battery compartment.