pedals for country/folk rock

[SharpCat]

Wear a good pair of shoes—so your bass line can go walking.

 

[JamesGrant]

And a hat. You should have a hat.
And maybe a subtle reverb.
But mostly, a hat.

 

[Hamrlik]

Ditch the compressor.

 

[wolffire99]

Union Tube Lab comp (La2a) + Origin DCX bass + Origin Bassrig Fifteen

Is what I’d use.

 

[Medicine Man]

I use a compressor, tuner, and hpf.

 

[2saddleslab]

 

[jwbIII60]

Are you playing any Marty Robbins?....

No, it is going to be country rock and some folk rock.

 

[jwbIII60]

So why post in the Effects forum just to say you don't use effects?

To see if players experienced in country rock agree.

 

[jwbIII60]

Uhh, congratulations?

Of course the point is to see if others already playing in that genre agree.

 

[bignc]

I currently play in a predominately 90’s country group… a nice compressor and preamp is about all you “need.” I have a boost that I use for the bass solo in “God Blessed Texas,” and other sections like “Should Have Been a Cowboy,” a Nobels ODR-B setup for songs that need a little more saturation and that’s pretty much it. 5 string is necessary imo

BEAD 4? Maybe? I’m trying to keep away from a 5 purchase. lol

 

[chiphaleonbass]

BEAD 4? Maybe? I’m trying to keep away from a 5 purchase. lol

Understandable, the more you get into learning to play some of these tunes you’ll notice how often the “B” gets used. I fought against it for a while, used octave pedals and such as then finally made the switch and was much happier

 

[DWA2469]

So why post in the Effects forum just to say you don't use effects?

I may be way off here, but I took as the OP was trying to determine if they needed any pedals? Seems logical to me but maybe I miss understood!

 

[bignc]

Understandable, the more you get into learning to play some of these tunes you’ll notice how often the “B” gets used. I fought against it for a while, used octave pedals and such as then finally made the switch and was much happier

I guess I should have asked if the G would be missed in this country/folk rock genre, in your opinion... I have played BEAD before in CCM and grunge/rock/metal.

Also agree, utility pedals may be all you need for this, but as in all things bass, “it depends.”

 

[pbass2]

I guess I should have asked if the G would be missed in this country/folk rock genre, in your opinion... I have played BEAD before in CCM and grunge/rock/metal.

Also agree, utility pedals may be all you need for this, but as in all things bass, “it depends.”

When you say "country/folk rock" that could mean different things. For example in what I'd call "Americana" bands that might self-describe as "country rock" that lean more hipster I usually went four string Fender P w flats 'n foam, no effects - done, as that scene favors that more retro vibe.
But currently I play a ton of country in a more 80's-90's style. I've gone "90's Nashville" for that and love getting that big slick sound: Sadowsky P/J five string or Sadowsky preamp with my passive five string, a compressor and I'm there. Sometimes I'll kick on my Xotic RC for a little extra grunt, but that's it effects-wise. I think the five string is necessary here - and yes you would miss the G string for sure if you went BEAD. A lot of these tunes have a fair amount of movement in the bass, including upper register little melodic parts, etc. You're not just camped out in the basement (despite what people unfamiliar with the genre might think).
In a nutshell though, in both styles of country I mention (and in most IMO) you really just need one good solid bass tone, so use whatever you need "always on" to get you there. You don't hear a lot of effects being kicked on and off in these genres on the bass. But as always, do you!

 

[chiphaleonbass]

When you say "country/folk rock" that could mean different things. For example in what I'd call "Americana" bands that might self-describe as "country rock" that lean more hipster I usually went four string Fender P w flats 'n foam, no effects - done, as that scene favors that more retro vibe.
But currently I play a ton of country in a more 80's-90's style. I've gone "90's Nashville" for that and love getting that big slick sound: Sadowsky P/J five string or Sadowsky preamp with my passive five string, a compressor and I'm there. Sometimes I'll kick on my Xotic RC for a little extra grunt, but that's it effects-wise. I think the five string is necessary here - and yes you would miss the G string for sure if you went BEAD. A lot of these tunes have a fair amount of movement in the bass, including upper register little melodic parts, etc. You're not just camped out in the basement (despite what people unfamiliar with the genre might think).
In a nutshell though, in both styles of country I mention (and in most IMO) you really just need one good solid bass tone, so use whatever you need "always on" to get you there. You don't hear a lot of effects being kicked on and off in these genres on the bass. But as always, do you!

Agreed on all of this; here’s the board I’m using right now with my Yamaha BB435: the HX Stomp is my tuner, I have drive in there and a boost but mostly it’s the Mira and Mantle doing all of the heavy lifting