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Pedals for R&B/Soul Music

#41
JimmyM said:
This is an excellent suggestion. An envelope filter set for a mild low end gurgle and not a duck quack can sound gangbusters for a 70's R&B sound. The song "Dazz" by Brick comes to mind.

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Thumpin', Pumpin' Funk 'n' humpin' that track's somethin'!

Thanks for postin' that lil ditty, JimmyM, you get "Ear of the Year" award – I couldn't in a million eons tell anyone how to get that sound. Going to try to get a gurgle out of my M5 ...


singlemalt said:
Ace, pick up a used Zoom B3. $150.

Hook it up to your computer, via usb (powers the B3),download the editor, put on your headphones and go.

Turn on your music, through the B3, cop the tone, learn the song, practice it with the drum machine, or loop the chord progression with drums or a click. Sit outside and play on battery power. Use it direct into a mixing board.

The thing is like a Swiss Army knife, for less than the cost of a single boutique pedal. You'll learn a ton about how all kinds of effects work.

The more I mess with mine, the more I like it.
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Dang! I had one lined up used for cheap, but passed on it after splurging heavily on some stuff I needed (exp/vol EQ) and a bit more on stuff I wanted (Dirt 2, analog delay, yet more chorus). Now I'm regrettin' not gettin it 'cause I wanted to play around with its looper too. C'est la vie, I only had so much cash, and the other stuff (apart from the chorus) was brand new stupendously good dealage mega-sale stuff.
 
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#42
From what I've read (and seen in a documentary or two), Jamerson's basslines were recorded direct through the studio's multichannel tube DI rack. You can get the same combination of squishy tube compression and light overdrive with something like an ART Tube MP for $50. I've got a Invalid Link Removed, which is similar to the ART but sounds a bit nicer on bass IMNSHO. It gives you that fat, thumpy tone.
 
#43
Agree with the recommendations on vintage -styled bass with flats. As far as pedals, Fairfield Barbershop mentioned above is great at getting the warm, pushed clipping that you can hear when you hear the bass isolated on classic tracks. The Barbershop paired with a decent pedal compressor (like an opto compressor with a soft-knee setting) may work well with your amp and also give you the ability to get the same sound to FOH.

Here's a clip I found on youtube where the overdriven sound is very much in evidence. I can't vouch for its provenance, but it may help for reference.



Edit-- missed that someone else mentioned the GK, not the OP.
 
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#47
I've tried a lot of overdrives including the VT Bass (all versions), Darkglass B3K/VMT/VMTD, Catalinbread SFT (both versions), SolidgoldFX Beta, Creation Audio Holy Fire, EBS Valve Drive, DHA VT1, BB Preamp, Pork Loin, Joyo Ultimate Drive / American Sound and a bunch more I can't recall right now...

For me, when playing a P Bass with flats and going for an old school, thumpy, lightly overdriven motown tone, the best thing I have ever played through by a country mile is the Bearfoot Blueberry. It used to be the SFT, but that was straight out of the door once I heard this!

I've heard some clips of the Fairfield Barbershop but have been rather underwhelmed. Sounds more like overdriving a PA mixer than a tube amp to me. Although I'd be interested to hear from people who have compared it directly to the Blueberry.

The Darkglass Vintage sounds great with roundwounds and a pick, it's more geared to adding top end drive blended with your clean signal. But for old school (especially a P + flats), I say you want 100% wet overdrive with a pedal that keeps the lows, and does that magic shaping to the attack envelope so that it thumps like a mutha.
 
#49
Like so many have mentioned, I would be looking at a mild OD for that warmth and little bit of break up - like a tube amp being pushed, right on the edge of break up. The Darkglass Vintage Microtubes is very, very nice - but pricy. The Pork Loin is my fav, and a little more affordable. The Darkglass can dial in a wider variety of sounds, but I like the Pork Loin with just a little bit of drive. They are both very transparent pedals and won't change the sound of your bass and amp. I found the Barbershop pedal colors your tone (or at least my tone) quite a bit. Kind of a mid range growl thing... a little bit of that jazz bridge pickup growl thing going on. I didn't care for it at all.

For other effects, a filter or an octave would be cool and appropriate. I have tried a BUNCH of filters, and they all have very different personalities. You kind of have to learn to "play" the filter. They are very cool, and I like them for the long slow thing like was mentioned a few posts back... I've not had luck with the FX25 filter that was mentioned. Although, I know a local guy that uses one, and he makes it sound killer.

I've never gotten the compressor thing really, but YMMV. The other night I used a chorus - set to more of a leslie / vibe kind of sound (not the 80s sound), and it was kind of cool on one or two parts of one or two songs.
 
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#50
hennessybass said:
I found the Barbershop pedal colors your tone (or at least my tone) quite a bit. Kind of a mid range growl thing... a little bit of that jazz bridge pickup growl thing going on. I didn't care for it at all.
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Interesting. I have tried several overdrives(and read a TON on Talkbass) in my search for the most transparent one and the Barbershop was the only one that didn't change my tone. Its the only one that has the "feel" I was looking for as well. But of course YMMV. I'm not trying to be a shill for the company lol. One thing I do notice is that my notes "pop" more with the added harmonics you get from the pedal being on. So I suppose that it does add to your tone.
 
#51
AMJBASS said:
Interesting. I have tried several overdrives(and read a TON on Talkbass) in my search for the most transparent one and the Barbershop was the only one that didn't change my tone. Its the only one that has the "feel" I was looking for as well. But of course YMMV. I'm not trying to be a shill for the company lol. One thing I do notice is that my notes "pop" more with the added harmonics you get from the pedal being on. So I suppose that it does add to your tone.
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I tried the barbershop based a lot on what I read here in TB. When I run a diet pedal, I don't actually use much dirt at all. Just a little hair.

Different strokes, I guess. It's a nice pedal, but for my use I felt like it was adding in a mid bump... I guess that's why we have the old "YMMV" tag!
 

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