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New to effects...some advice if you don't mind?

D

Diego

Dec 9, 2005
740
3
NorCal
#1
Hello TalkBass brethren,

I am looking into effects for solo bas compositions. I do not play in band and I like to use my bass as a solo instrument. I have got a Neunaber Tech Wet reverb and a TC electronics ditto looper, both of which have become very useful tools. I would like to expand on effects and would like your opinion on the following:

1. Thinking about a chorus pedal and a delay pedal now...I can't buy all at once, so which one would you think is more useful? (in terms of coloring the voice of the instrument and adding a little bit of texture)...Suggestions? Any other useful effects I may consider to add ?

Top tier contenders here are: MXR bass chorus deluxe, MXR carbon copy, EQD Disaster Transport Jr.


2. I would like to run my bass through a pre-amp that would add some nice color to my tone palette. So far, I think the Enabler from 3leaf audio is killer, and it also serves as a Hi-Fi headphone amp (great fro practice)...Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your advice!
 
#2
1) I like chorus over delay, especially with solo bass. The digitech bass chorus is cheap and has a rather nice tone, I haven't used the effects listed aside from the Carbon Copy but it was for a short time.

2)Sure, why not. I like headphone practice, does your current amp not offer this feature? I personally do not bother with external pre-amps (unless I am running a power amp.) I prefer amp heads and not pre/power setups.
 
#3
Personally, I would snag a chorus first too... You could always throw down on a Zoom CDR and have it all until you get the funding and knowledge about what you want further down the line... it's a great value and you'll only lose $10 if you sell it off later for individuals... but it's such a great value and low commitment you'll probably just keep it...
 
#4
I might be totally wrong here, but i'd try a delay pedal that has enough modulation on its repeats (or even better, it lets me choose how modulated they sound!) and the delay can be as fast as for it to give me a chorus-y effect.
EHX does a Memory Boy delay that even has a switch that says "Chorus/Vibrato".

I feel that standalone chorus pedals can be kinda boring. :/
 
#5
If you're really new to effects, pick up a Zoom MS-60B. It has all sorts of effects to play around with and sounds pretty good. At $100 new, you can figure out what effects you really want to pay for higher quality individual pedals.

That was my plan when I bought one last year, but the MS-60B sounds good enough that the only thing I want to add is a dedicated dirt pedal of some sort.
 
#6
Thank you all for the great suggestions!

I have used Zoom multi-EFX in the past, it was definitely not my cup of tea. So I figured going analog or analog-sounding pedals may give me the best option for the tones I seek...It boiled down to indecision between getting a chorus or a delay...

I have much less experience with delays; chorus I have used briefly (about 16 yrs. ago, a Boss Super Chorus), but I was young and had no idea of what type of sound I identify with...I liked the possibilities the chorus opened, but my recollection was that pedal sounded a little too "synthetic"...if that makes any sense...

Now, a decade and a half after my last foray into effects, I am thinking more seriously about coloring my tone palette, and looking for more organic sounds...

Once more I thank you all deeply, and please come those suggestions coming!:hyper:
 
#7
I can promise you that the Zoom B3 and multi-stomps are light years better than previous experiences... I wouldn't touch them otherwise. That said, choruses (especially analog) can vary a lot in what they do well. The MXR is a good option. I use a T-Rex Sweeper and like it quite a bit for "fattening" but not as much for "deep water"... I also have a Carbon Copy, it's a good one, but I think the Malekko 616 has better modulation.
 
#11
I recently got a line 6 m5. It's got it ups and downs. The distortions and fuzz aren't really usable for me but the delays and reverbs alone are worth the cost of the pedal. It also has a bunch of filters. But really the biggest bonus about it for me are the effects i don't use enough to justify having a dedicated pedal for. For example why have a dedicated flanger, phaser, vibrato, and stuff like that on your board if you'll rarely ever use them. You can just make a preset on the m5 for each one
 
#12
I went a long while with just a Carbon Copy and had a lot of fun.

But I'll add what most have said, a Zoom 60B is a great place to start if your pedal board is empty and you're looking to mess around with effects with little money down.

But if you want analog only, then I recommend getting a Carbon Copy first.
It has modulation built in so you can satisfy some of your chorus needs until you get a bass chorus. It's one of my favorite effects, so I'm biased, of course.
 
#13
The Line 6 M series is nice but I found the filters in particular utterly useless. The octaves are really good, especially the "analog" one. I liked some of the fuzzes but mostly for synthy type use as they have a sort of flat feel to them. Some cool features but not the best multi for bass or the best bang for your buck IMO.
 
#17
Ill echo whats been said because the Zoom units have grown in sound quality by leaps and bounds over the years. The B3, ms60b and the 70cdr. The B3 if you want a drum machine, looper and DI. If you can do without those things, go with the 60b. I would strongly recommend the 60b and 70cdr for anyone wanting to learn more about effects and what they want to expand on, if these were out when I first started playing, I wouldve gotten them in a heartbeat. Sound great, user friendly, tons of effects, amps sims (in the 60b), mod, delay, octave, dirt, synths, tuner/mute, everything you could ask for and more. You could be out the door having only spent about $240 for the 60 and 70 and you would be so set for a long while. I use mine all the time and they are both on my main board. Great value, great sounds/effects, very usable and arent expensive. What more could you ask for.
 
#18
Thank you all for the suggestions and for sharing your wisdom...looked into multi FX units, and I have to say that the sounds are indeed good, but I felt they were also a little overwhelming. I understand that going the route of individual stompboxes will be more expensive and will require some more experimentation, but I feel that having dedicated effects units and exploring them one at a time may be more aligned with my current interests...

Having said that, i think I would like to start with a solid delay first. For the connoisseurs out there...MXR carbon copy? EQD Disaster Transport Jr.? Other? I'd like to keep it simple to operate and mid priced (~$150)...

Thanks again to all!
 
#19
For delays, I would go for the hardwire DL8. It has like 10 different delays, tap tempo, and a looper (I think it's only 4 seconds, but it still works well). I picked up a joyo Dseed a couple moths ago, very cool delay. Not too expensive either. 4 types of delay and has two channels. Pretty straight forward. I hear the carbon copy is good, but a little darker. Also the TC flashback should be mentioned as I know a lot who use it and love it. Many different types of delay, sounds great, not too expensive. If you're willing to throw a few more duckets, check out the line 6 DL4. It's a beast of a delay modulator. Great pedal. I still have yet to get one, but it's still on my "all time GAS list".
 
#20
The DL8 is pretty nice, 8 sec of delay with reverse, modulated, analog, lo fi, and tape emulation plus 20 sec looper. You have to hold the switch down to get into tap tempo mode and the analog emulation is not quite as dark as I'd like but I'm very attached to it for Frippertronic type looping where older layers can fade out and the loop can gradually evolve.
 

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