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Pedalboard "Self-consciousness."

#41
Pedals are tools to use in your craft, ignore the naysayers!
All of my rigs are in a pedal(Line 6 Helix) and more than a few have multiple pedals and parallel pedals>amp>speaker cabs included in them.
 
#42
At my last gig, before we played, a bunch of other musicians teased me about my 36 inch pedaltrain board.

After we played, a bunch of other musicians asked about how I sculpted my tone, because it was exceptional, cut through well, and definitely popped.

It is what it is.
 
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#44
ONYX said:
I don't usually use any effects ( read: laziness), but one time while playing in a blues band, I caught all kinds of flak from the drummer for using an OD pedal for a bit of "dirt".

He wouldn't shut up about it, and it really pissed me off. From that point on, I brought an entire pedal board to every gig, complete with OD's, distortions, chorus, flange, phaser, a Boss delay unit, a SYB-3, and a reverb pedal. I didn't use any of them, but it gave me great joy to see the drummers blood pressure go through the roof every time I set it up.
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Blues punk!
 
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#45
the guitar player used to make fun of me for having a large board. then i started coming in to practice with really cool rythym's that were based on whatever effect(s) I had switched on for that one. after about 10 new original songs fully composed, he quit complaining, and started bragging to the other bands we were playing with about how a lot of our songs originated.
 
#48
It was worse in the late 80s and early 90s when live sound engineers would openly rebel at the site of a pedalboard. I had a bass playing recording engineer make a “frustrated guitarist” comment awhile ago. Then after we recorded he asked how I got my tone.
 
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#49
AndyLES said:
Hey folks,

Just wondering: Has anyone ever felt, or been made to feel, "self-conscious," for lack of a better word, about using FX?

I'm asking because I have a modest but nice pedalboard with all sorts of goodies that I enjoy using (see attached).

My octave pedal aside, it's mostly utilitarian.

I ask this because I use it in two bands, one original, another playing punk covers.

It's kinda silly and not cost-effective for me to have two separate bass boards (although I do have a small guitar board), so I wanna use it for both bands, but I'm concerned about how it'll look for a punk bassist to have a board in the first place. I KNOW, I KNOW...I should just do what I want and not care about what others think. But part of me feels silly, and I can't help but feel the rest of the band looks at me funny.

So, if you were me - get the heck over it, or use the board only for the original band and just run a tuner pedal?
View attachment 2950468
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A punk cover band isn't very punk so you should be fine ;)
 
#50
Great thread, lots of good "**** 'em if they can't take a joke (or a pedalboard)" advice.
I've only recently started using a pedalboard close to full time. I was the proverbial "bass-cord-amp" guy except when playing in funk bands. Now there are a few things that I like as a fundamental part of my tone. I thought about putting them in a rack shelf, then thought "what difference does it make"?
 
#52
Pedals are more fun than rack effects, but you can go the rack route if you're self conscious about your pedalboard. Although, rack effects are easier to control on the fly with a midi controller in pedal format. Most of the good ones have 3 or more foot switches. Takes up about the same space as a small pedalboard, but then you could tell you band it's not a pedalboard, it's a midi controller. Not sure if that's considered more punk than telling them to piss off and not to look at your pedalboard if they don't like it.
 
#55
My feeling is the only important thing is you get your sound. How you get it is immateriak. Some guys just plug in and get it. Others use 20 pedals and just the right amp and bass to do the same. But who really cares? If it gets the sound they’re after, it’s all good.
 
#57
I'm in two bands, and with my pedal board I have more pedals than either of my guitar players. That is neither a point of pride nor one of embarrassment. I just don't care. The signal chain on the board is

wireless > tuner > chorus > envelope > delay > compressor > DI > amp/FOH (with the bluetooth page turner for the tablet on the bottom right)

I'm not that busy tapping pedals as it may seem at first glance. I'm just getting the sound I need for the song.

The wireless, compressor and DI are always on and the chorus, envelope, and delay get used on a "full song basis" (and sometimes the DI too on that basis.)

Anyone who thinks bassists shouldn't need any tone shaping probably also think that bassists can just go thru the subs. Thud thud thud. Ignore them.

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#58
Heh, sometimes bands TRY and make me self conscious about it, but I just smile and keep doing my thing. Board is about the same size as the OP, and could get by with all but tuner/comp/power supply, but have an AO and a Carcosa for fun.

Pleasant change, in a new to me band, the lead guit was not using a board, just the 3 button pedal for his Mesa 5-50. After 1 practice and 1 gig, he busted out a fair sized board saying in fun BASS PLAYER CAN'T HAVE A BIGGER BOARD THAN ME. So I threatened to bring my BIG board, which outsizes his....whereupon, he threatens the nuclear option, a fridge sized rack unit :D These guys are great.
 
#60
its simple.. we all learned to play bass right.. but some of us learned how to use effects as well.. easy way to shut em up is play something that sounds stunning through your effects.. then zero all the knobs and ask the "fingers/strings" guy to try and play/ sound the same.. he wont be able to.. its the same stupid arrogant attitude as the "bass players who use a pick are second rate" brigade.. utter bollocks.. it takes as much time and practice to understand and use effects well as it does to actually play an instrument!.. (i use a pick btw and an array of effects including reverb... i also NEVER use compression.. iv never yet been challenged about any of these "unacceptable" things)
 

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