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Pedal help

W

WallyN

Jan 11, 2013
93
1
#1
Hi TB'rs

I am still what I beginner at this whole bass thing. Until recently I have been a living room bassist enjoying bass through my headphones. I had (now sold) a digitech BP 80 pedal. Now I find myself jamming with a band.

I am not huge on effects, I have a BOSS tuner pedal and I recently have been thinking of adding just a couple pedals to the mix so this is my question. If you could only use 2 pedals, which would you find the most useful in the context of a song (not for soloing)? we play mostly classic rock type stuff. Sabbath, Zeppelin, ACDC etc. I was thinking the BOSS ODB-3 might be of use.
 
#4
Overdrive would probably be number one for that style of music. I would pick a relatively uncolored OD with some EQ options and a decent range of gain for purposes of versatility. I like to use OD pedals as a relatively clean boost, for adding some distortion with low end to fill space during guitar solos, for adding a more round and "vintage" sound with a bit of dirt, etc.

For me the second pedal would probably be either a second overdrive/distortion/boost option, or else something to add color for chords, upper register parts, or just generally to give my clean tone something different (most likely chorus, or possibly a reverb/delay), because I play parts like that quite a bit. This also pairs well with overdrive/distortion for some interesting sounds.
 
#5
WallyN said:
what exactly does the compressor do for you?
Click to expand...

Basically, it evens out your playing volume, controlling spikes and boosting dips, which really helps if you are slapping, picking hard, or playing active pickups. Everything you need to know is here:
http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/howto.shtml

It's a mostly transparent "effect" so not always the best pedal to start with, as you have to experience life without one to appreciate life with. I will say a compressor is a great companion to the ODB-3, which has some harsh highs that need taming.

All that said, instead of an ODB-3, which is more fuzz or distortion like, I would start with a Hardwire CM-2 overdrive or a Way Huge Pork Loin. Either of those will give you a nice always on kind of tone that would go well with the music you're talking about.
 

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