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Pedals for R&B/Soul Music

Ace Of Bass

Ace Of Bass

A Rooster Illusion
Jun 27, 2006
2,407
1,679
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#1
I'm really a newb when it comes to effects pedals....I would like to get educated on them and find pedals that are quality and made for the kind of music I like to play...

I've been on YouTube checking out various pedals, like some stuff from Darkglass mainly because they had a so-called a "Vintage Microtube" and I thought it might give me a more tube-y sound when using my solid state rig, but it's kinda different for me to gauge if it's for me because all the samples I can seem to find involve someone playing rock or metal with a pick whereas I use my fingers to play old school funk, soul,pop and r&b...

Considering that there are people out there with muchmore knowledge of pedals than I have, I would like to ask for suggestions on which pedals I might find useable for the style of music I play....my only real experience with and effects have been a Zoom B3 that I've sporadically been able to check out a few days a month..any and all suggestions are much appreciated...
 
#2
Overdrive on a bass that's a little dark sounding is really cool for R&B. Guys like Jamerson and Duck Dunn had a little overdrive going in their 60's sounds and it was really fat. There are some isolated tracks of Jamerson on Youtube and his tone always has some OD going on. It's a sound I use all the time when I play that kind of stuff, too. Doesn't really come across as dirty in the mix...just fat. Later in the 70's the sounds got cleaner, though you might occasionally hear effects like envelope filter, octaver, and chorus. But your meat and potatoes R&B sounds are clean and fat mild overdrive. Couldn't tell you where to begin for pedals because there are so many, but might as well work something out with your Zoom for now. Try all the effects out in it and see what you like.
 
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#5
Any pre amp pedal that does a slight drive with an adjustable EQ will get you there, or should depending how it's voiced.

I use an Aguilar ToneHammer, and it gets me there smashingly. You might also consider a compressor (with a mix knob) for tone enhancement, but is certainly not necessary.
 
#6
The Tone Hammer is a great choice, I get best results by cutting bass, treble and hi mids slightly which gives a nice low mid bump, with gain b/t 9-noon. I'm also a big Darkglass fan and use a vintage deluxe - it is a match made in heaven with a P bass with flats. I find a compressor helps warm up OD pedals for me but it isn't necessary.

So many other options out there for light OD. Fairfield Barbershop is one of the best. Joyo American sound for a cheap option

Envelope, octave, and maybe a fuzz would be the others I'd consider. 3leaf makes great stuff for this style (among many others). The 3Leaf Proton + Darkglass VMT combo is pretty great. Careful it's a rabbit hole!
 
#7
Deadsound said:
The Tone Hammer is a great choice, I get best results by cutting bass, treble and hi mids slightly which gives a nice low mid bump, with gain b/t 9-noon. I'm also a big Darkglass fan and use a vintage deluxe - it is a match made in heaven with a P bass with flats. I find a compressor helps warm up OD pedals for me but it isn't necessary.

So many other options out there for light OD. Fairfield Barbershop is one of the best. Joyo American sound for a cheap option

Envelope, octave, and maybe a fuzz would be the others I'd consider. 3leaf makes great stuff for this style (among many others). The 3Leaf Proton + Darkglass VMT combo is pretty great. Careful it's a rabbit hole!
Click to expand...
So the Darkglass stuff isn't just for rock...thanks for the reply...I was wondering if anyone used it for soul music...so the overdrive can be used to just fatten up the sound...?..I was especially interested in something I could use on my P with flats so that's great to know...
 
#10
QUOTE="JimmyM, post: 16816446, member: 55676"]Overdrive on a bass that's a little dark sounding is really cool for R&B. Guys like Jamerson and Duck Dunn had a little overdrive going in their 60's sounds and it was really fat. There are some isolated tracks of Jamerson on Youtube and his tone always has some OD going on. It's a sound I use all the time when I play that kind of stuff, too. Doesn't really come across as dirty in the mix...just fat. Later in the 70's the sounds got cleaner, though you might occasionally hear effects like envelope filter, octaver, and chorus. But your meat and potatoes R&B sounds are clean and fat mild overdrive. Couldn't tell you where to begin for pedals because there are so many, but might as well work something out with your Zoom for now. Try all the effects out in it and see what you like.[/QUOTE]
I wish I had more time with the Zoom...my friend who really doesn't use it that much comes ny to record occasionally and I usually play around with it while he records...it seems like a great starting point, but I know at some point, I need to begin to build a pedalboard...
 
#11
There are 2 pedals I have used/use that work excellent for this. One is the Solid Gold FX BETA. Its fairly dark sounding(roles a bit of high end back but also has a boost in the low end), with a very smooth and warm overdrive. Its great for that Motown overdriven sound that sits so well in a mix. The other is the Fairfield Barbershop(my current favorite overdrive). This pedal is super transparent. It doesn't add or take away from your tone but adds a subtle drive that sits so nicely. I use mine mostly for R&B/folk rock where I want a fat warm sound that doesn't get muddy. Its very similar tonally to overdriving a tube amp(obviously its not going to "feel" exactly like a tube amp).
 
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#12
Ace Of Bass said:
so the overdrive can be used to just fatten up the sound...?
Click to expand...

Definitely... the Darkglass stuff has it's own specific character that some people like and others don't - I happen to like it, especially if I'm rolling off some of the high frequencies. The blend knob on Darkglass stuff makes it really versatile in getting the right amount of grit that you're looking for. I know there are some brief demos of 3Leaf pedals on Youtube with a VMT in the signal chain...

Personal preference and your own playing style/rig definitely matter in how well an OD pedal will work for you - lots of players 'round here go through lots of OD pedals chasing down 'the one'....
 
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#13
Deadsound said:
Definitely... the Darkglass stuff has it's own specific character that some people like and others don't - I happen to like it, especially if I'm rolling off some of the high frequencies. The blend knob on Darkglass stuff makes it really versatile in getting the right amount of grit that you're looking for. I know there are some brief demos of 3Leaf pedals on Youtube with a VMT in the signal chain...

Personal preference and your own playing style/rig definitely matter in how well an OD pedal will work for you - lots of players 'round here go through lots of OD pedals chasing down 'the one'....
Click to expand...

So is the Fairfield and the VMT the same kind of pedal...?
 
#14
Ace Of Bass said:
So the Darkglass stuff isn't just for rock...thanks for the reply...I was wondering if anyone used it for soul music...so the overdrive can be used to just fatten up the sound...?..I was especially interested in something I could use on my P with flats so that's great to know...
Click to expand...
I use the VMT for all types of music. It does well in a rock scene with picks or fingers. It also does well in an R/B and soul sound, and I use it in a gospel setting. Once you play around with the settings and EQ, it will fit in a lot of places. I have the VMT, but if I had it again to do over I would get the Deluxe to have the EQ. As it is I run the VMT into a Joyo American and use it to get EQ. Like some mentioned earlier, the American might be a good inexpensive starting point, but the VMT is really good.
 
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#16
Yeah that's the crazy thing about dirt. Everything sounds sort of close but vastly different, and it all depends on your personal preference. I have the VMT, B3K, Joyo American, and still want to get and try the Fairfield and the SFT. I also have some pedals on their way from JohnK. His website is a great tool to read about overdrive. http://johnkvintageguitars.homestead.com He has a bunch of write ups on dirt pedals and has a few preamp type pedals for sale.
 
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#17
The VMT also imparts a midrange bump that IMO you can't get away from, while the Fairfield is transparent. I would agree that the VMT is a bit more versatile as its got a greater range of overdrive and tonally has more going on, but to me it always sounds a bit modern and solid state. The Barbershop is very natural sounding but doesn't have a ton of range. Depends what you are going for.
 
#18
AMJBASS said:
The VMT also imparts a midrange bump that IMO you can't get away from, while the Fairfield is transparent. I would agree that the VMT is a bit more versatile as its got a greater range of overdrive and tonally has more going on, but to me it always sounds a bit modern and solid state. The Barbershop is very natural sounding but doesn't have a ton of range. Depends what you are going for.
Click to expand...

I'd certainly like something that would just fatten up the tone before I added major effects...I'm still going for a mostly old school tone...
 

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