must have effects

[scottfeldstein]

I haven't tried many MXR effects. Infact, only the carbon copy. what about yourself?? I hear the envelope filter is great.

It is. I am thinking of abandoning it only because the Source Audio one is such a versatile monster. But the MXR one is probably the best at nailing that classic funk wah sound on bass.

I also have, and love, their compressor. I've also had my eye on their octave deluxe pedal.

 

[scottfeldstein]

I don't concur.. I find delay to be the least useful effect on bass.

That's my own taste as well. The only thing I dislike more is reverb. It sucks the foundation of the music away, makes it less immediate, moves it 2 blocks away. Not an effect I ever want.

 

[kevteop]

Reverb is really useful for synth sounds. Depends on the other instrumentation though.

 

[caeman]

I think reverb is less useful is because of how reverb works naturally. The lower bass frequencies seem to decay more quickly in large rooms and bounce less. Where as, the higher frequencies readily bounce around and annoy one's ear's for a much longer period of time.

 

[BioDriver]

I've said this in each of these threads, but the only "effect" you need is a tuner and maybe a compressor if the latter's your thing. If I were at a gig and could only bring one pedal it would be my comp.

I don't concur.. I find delay to be the least useful effect on bass. Bass is all about the groove, punch and low end first of all....

IME you can still get a groove with delay. Just keep the repeat and feedback moderately low and you get more of a reverb/concert hall effect that I've found to be very musical.

 

[Toastfuzz]

But did you notice I've said im considering going back to a basic Big Muff+VT? Im more of a distortion or overdrive kinda guy, but i do like abit of fuzz to break some balls. Grey Stache wud be my first choice, something Wren and Cuff would be cool. But of course here in NZ a big muff is the cheapest option. NOT the BBM tho.

Hey G3Mitch, Grey Stache running into VT Bass sounds KILLER. Mine has the 3 switchable clipping diodes, I found that the 2 more powerful diode settings make the combo too boomy for my 3-piece rock act; I use the weakest diode setting, low Tone, low Sustain, high Mids, and unity volume. The VT pumps it up a bit (my natural clean tone) so I think thats why the weak diode works the best. Plugged the Grey Stache in solo without the VT and that diode setting sounded like crap (the other 2 brought more body and bass into it)

 

[Toastfuzz]

IME you can still get a groove with delay. Just keep the repeat and feedback moderately low and you get more of a reverb/concert hall effect that I've found to be very musical.

My delay (Boss DD-7) has recently went from one of my most neglected pedals to one of my most used, in the way stated here, to thicken up slow, dubby, reggae bass lines. Pretty much any bass line that you think sounds kinda weak and boring alone, sounds 100% better with this delay setting.

But the ends I'm achieving here can be achieved in many ways and discussed here all the time. People ask "how do I thicken up my basslines" and you hear chorus, delay, reverb, octave, OD, LPF, etc. etc. I use my delay as more of a chorus than a delay I guess, but chorus' can't modulate the feedback and get into some crazy oscillations either

 

[insomniac2295]

If you get the timing right, you can use delay in a very percussive and musical way. I don't just use delay on ambient parts, I use it in multiple ways throughout an entire song. Driving parts, ambient parts, and everywhere else I can just to add a bit of depth to my 3 piece.

 

[rekesbass]

As a bass player in a rock band there are no "must haves" for me except a good solid drummer..however,I do like to use effects on occasion..I won't mention any brands or models because we all have our favorites. If your just getting into the world of effects and want the basics,I would start with od,dist.or fuzz(for mild grit or a full out sonic assault, a modulation of your liking(chorus,flange,phase ect..)maybe a wha(manual or auto) or envelope filter for the funky stuff(if you play that), maybe an octave pedal of some kind for beefy doubled lines(combining those first 4 will put you in synth territory)..perhaps something as simple as an e.q. for quick tone changes..and possibly a compressor to even things out or use as a squashing effect or add a little punch to a slapped bass line...I didn't include a tuner because it's not an effect,although they make for a good mute switch...I probably told you what you already know but,effects are such a personal and sometimes genre specific thing that it's tough to say what you "need" but,I hope this helps....

 

[G3Mitch]

Hey G3Mitch, Grey Stache running into VT Bass sounds KILLER. Mine has the 3 switchable clipping diodes, I found that the 2 more powerful diode settings make the combo too boomy for my 3-piece rock act; I use the weakest diode setting, low Tone, low Sustain, high Mids, and unity volume. The VT pumps it up a bit (my natural clean tone) so I think thats why the weak diode works the best. Plugged the Grey Stache in solo without the VT and that diode setting sounded like crap (the other 2 brought more body and bass into it)

oh sweet, good to know. thanks!! maybe i will hold out for 1

 

[Funky Ghost]

I suppose the direct method of asking will get results, but I think I've been better served lurking and finding as many sound clips/demos and road stories about the effects. All of that was easily available in this forum. During the process I kept in mind the sounds I wanted. I had/have a very good idea what it is I want. That made the pedals easier to target. I saved the coinage and pulled the trigger all at once. The only choices I was still on the fence about ( at the beginning of the week ) were the comp and the power supply for it all. I found a killer deal on a comp that was highly rated ( the Joe Meek Floor-Q ) and it was pretty much dead center of all the best features of a high end comp. To my mind I bought this to figure out what it is about a comp I really want or need. At worst I can flip it and get what I discover is my ideal need.

I think it's a mistake to have folks tell you what to get ( even if you asked ) You need to understand what it is you want to sound like and then work from there. Other wise you're going to be spending good money after bad chasing it.

Just my 2 cents as a pedal noob.

 

[RabidMusic]

... I think it's a mistake to have folks tell you what to get ( even if you asked ) You need to understand what it is you want to sound like and then work from there. Other wise you're going to be spending good money after bad chasing it.

...

I take the opposite approach. When you have a community of experienced and knowledgeable bass players, why not ask what they consider essential and get input about their experience when testing effects? It is a good starting place. Then, branch out and see if there is something out there that you like better. Figuring out what you want is one thing. Figuring out which pedal will do that best is another. It can be expensive to buy and sell over and over because you choose pedals that sound like crap, have too much latency, or have too much noise in the background. What to avoid is as important as what to try.

Right now, If I am going to grab 1, or maybe 2 pedals it would be OD and fuzz. My flavor of the week is currently an OCD v2 and the new MXR M84 Bass Fuzz Deluxe.

 

[Funky Ghost]

I get where you're coming from completely. That gets you to the right club, now you need to find the right dance partners.
Essentially I did the same thing, but I lurked. I knew what sounds I wanted, for the most part, then just zeroed in by way of reviews, excellent thread conversations and Video/Sound clips.
I guess what I didn't express terribly well is that without an idea of what you want, you'll follow other peoples advice ( swayed by their sound scape ) and it might not jive with what you want. The end result would be buying a lot of things you wont use.
One great bit of advice I got in a thread I started recently was by talking to people you will find those that have the same sound concepts and then it's a pretty straight forward process. It's so true too.

 

[Laurent]

If you are going to use pedals, I recommend some kind of clean booster that has a good buffer on it. I also like to see a bypass effect loop switcher. Once you have that covered you're ready to add a bunch of pedals to fit your needs.

Tuner, volume, DI, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, bass wah, compression, EQ/tone shapping, octaver, bass synth, chorus, flanger, delay..... the possibilities are limitless.

 

[Funky Ghost]

I've seen the VT series in an awful lot of pedal boards on this forum. It's got me curious Also mentioned a few times by the guys that gig a ton is the Radial JDI. Again, I'm curious, but I don't think I need that since I'm not recording or gigging.

 

[insomniac2295]

Alright, OP, new approach. Who do you listen to? What kind of music do you play/like? Answer these questions and then cruise the Pedalboards of the Stars threads for ideas based on your answers. There's bound to be some good ideas for you in there.

 

[insomniac2295]

That's my own taste as well. The only thing I dislike more is reverb. It sucks the foundation of the music away, makes it less immediate, moves it 2 blocks away. Not an effect I ever want.

To each his own. We obviously play different styles of music that have different requirements of the bassist. Therefore, our pedal tastes and choices are bound to be fairly different. Personally, I don't think I would ever end up with any kind of wah or envelope filter on my board. They just don't fit with the music I play. For some people, wah and filter work perfectly and that's cool with me.

 

[sadasar]

My must have effects would be Mxr m 108 if eq is considered an effect. My fuzzrocious dark driving over drive.