"Pedals...? I Don't Need No Stinking Pedals!!"

[swarfrat]

There's a bunch of problems with this frame of thinking.
1. You are a guitar player. That ain't a bass trombone you're holding.
2. By saying "pretending to be," you're implying using effects or soloing is something a bass is not meant to do but a guitar is. This is simply a bias; while no one may ask you to solo in a rock band, they'll look at you funny if you don't know how to take one in jazz,
3. You're assuming effects are increasing your lowest fundamentals. This is not the case with tons of effects- lots of them make it even lower.
4. Even when using effects were taking a solo that raises the range of your instrument for a time, the only way the song or the band would fall apart is if the song or the band as a whole fail at making solid music. Otherwise, no groups or musics without bass players would have songs that held together. And the vast majority of music throughout history has had no bass guitar and got by just fine.

It's pretty simple- if you use an effect or go for a solo in an appropriate place and the song falls apart, then either you're doing something wrong, the rest of the band is doing something wrong, or you both are, because there's other players and bands out there that can do it.

1. Therefore you've dismissed out of hand everything I said.
2,3,4 ???? I'm talking about the mud that comes with a bunch of time based effects slurring note attack.
But mostly I think the disagreement was about #1

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Also, I'd like to make the point to anyone who doesn't use effects because they won't use effects- just as people shouldn't sacrifice what's best for a song by cramming an effect or a solo in an inappropriate spot, you can also be a detriment to a song if you don't use an effect or a solo where it will improve a song.

Let's look at two rock songs as examples. Rock is notorious for keeping bass in a background role, often to a song's detriment as they often don't take advantage of a resource. An effected bass part or a bass solo does not sound like a guitar part. It's a unique sound that can add a tremendous interest in a song if played appropriately. I'm not going to mark where the effected or solo parts start because it is important to hear the song as a whole to realize the emphasis these parts spring when they come up.

"Coffee Shop" by RHCP. Flea takes on both of these roles by using a bass wah during the bridge, and then taking an aggressive solo after the last chorus. The wah adds a very liquid and funky reprieve that counters the very aggressive and tight rhythm he keeps otherwise throughout the song. The unaffected solo that builds out of the tight metallic rhythm is a perfect explosion that relieves the tension of the unrelenting octave slap part.


"Lateralus" Justin Chamcellor actually using multiple effects and higher register lead-like parts throughout this song. The song is epic at nearly ten minutes, going through phases of tight riffing and spacious melodic beaut. But it is his bass whammy/fuzz use nearing the outro that kicks you in the teeth with its huge and unique sound and puts a massive power behind the final lyrics.


Both of these songs, in the toughest area for bass prominence, showcase not just that effects and leads can be used effectively in this genre, but that the songs are far, far better off with them in it.

It's important to love your bass to amp tone as well as "keep it simple and low" playing. But it's like saying "I like the color red." Sometimes a painting will just plain look better if you're willing to add a little blue to the sky. You don't have to break out the crayon box every time- just don't throw out the other colors because you really like the one you use most.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

1. Therefore you've dismissed out of hand everything I said.
2,3,4 ???? I'm talking about the mud that comes with a bunch of time based effects slurring note attack.
But mostly I think the disagreement was about #1

Well the bass guitar is a guitar. It has a huge similarly to a standard guitar- vastly more so than an upright bass.
And time-based effects don't have to slur your attack at all, particularly delay which doesn't have to affect your initial attack at all. Also, if the tone of the effects is more important than note attack, why would you opt for note attack?
More songs that are both well-known for and bettered by their effects, this time time-based:
"One of These Days" by Pink Floyd

"Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd

"46 and 2" by Tool

 

[the_Ryan]

1. Therefore you've dismissed out of hand everything I said.

I personally don't think so. He's pointing out that you are a bass guitarist, which is a type of guitar. A double bass or bass trombone (like he mentioned) is quite a different instrument.

Delay can make things a little blurry, but there's usually a way to control how loud the repeats are and how many there are, which can help minimize that.

 

[the_Ryan]

Well the bass guitar is a guitar. It has a huge similarly to a standard guitar- vastly more so than an upright bass.
And time-based effects don't have to slur your attack at all, particularly delay which doesn't have to affect your initial attack at all. Also, if the tone of the effects is more important than note attack, why would you opt for note attack?
More songs that are both well-known for and bettered by their effects, this time time-based:
"One of These Days" by Pink Floyd

"Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd

"46 and 2" by Tool

Another good example is that the fretless bass breaks in "Hey You" by Pink Floyd have a generous amount of chorus.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Another good example is that the fretless bass breaks in "Hey You" by Pink Floyd have a generous amount of chorus.

We've got David Gilmour to thank for that. According to him, we probably have him to thank for any of the cool Floyd bass parts

 

[JimmyM]

The biggest questions is - who's actually pulling the band's weight while you're pretending to be a guitar player? The higher up the spectrum your fundamental goes, the less critical your job and the more room for wanking without things grinding to a halt. Nobody cares what the picolos are playing - or when they lay out.

Yeah? Tell that to John Philip Souza.

Listen, posting with the sole purpose of trying to be outrageous never works out. It isn't a "one-or-the-other" proposition, never has been.

 

[the_Ryan]

We've got David Gilmour to thank for that. According to him, we probably have him to thank for any of the cool Floyd bass parts

Roger Waters has a great feel, but really has (had?) no chops.

 

[Matthew Fisher]

Technically, less is always less. Less is never more.

Have you ever considered that less is more less (and less more) than more?

 

[the_Ryan]

Have you ever considered that less is more less (and less more) than more?

My brain hurts.

 

[lfmn16]

Listen, posting with the sole purpose of trying to be outrageous never works out. It isn't a "one-or-the-other" proposition, never has been.

+1

Calling a bass player a guitar player because they use effects is a special kind of stupid.

No one is telling the cord-only club that they should use effects. How about showing a little courtesy to our fellow forum members who do use effects?

 

[FretNoMore]

It isn't a "one-or-the-other" proposition, never has been.

This.

It's of course not impossible or even unusual for a player with a big pedalboard to bypass the whole effect chain if the song calls for the "bass-cable-amp" sound. I play many rock and blues songs with that type of sound.

The pedalboard is just a toolbox to use when appropriate. If you have the board you can choose which effects - or no effects - to use; if you only have a cable then your toolbox is that much smaller. Good for you if a cable covers all your needs and satifies your ambitions and curiosity. Personally I'd rather have the effects, they are a lot of fun and at times they add something interesting to the music.

The money argument I buy, as well as a personal taste argument, but for those who use the argument that they don't want to carry or set up a pedalboard I can only doubt how much you actually care about your performance, your audience and those who pay you. Lifting the lid off a case and connecting two more cables is too much work?

 

[InnerBass]

Have you ever considered that less is more less (and less more) than more?

More or less......

: )

 

[madbass6]

And sometimes less is just less.

Well i mean that Just as a figure of speech ..
(my mistake) for assuming most people would know what it means.!
"sometimes less is more "
go ahead try , you mite figure it out.

 

[JimmyM]

Well i mean that Just as a figure of speech ..
(my mistake) for assuming most people would know what it means.!
"sometimes less is more "
go ahead try , you mite figure it out.

Thanks for explaining that to me, because I'm real stupid and I need the obvious pointed out to me.

 

[Matthew Fisher]

The song Good Vibrations is enough to justify bass effects to me. I don't use any at the moment, but whatever.

 

[nshuman]

Well i<I> mean that J<j>ust as a figure of speech<superfluous space> ..<one period missing>
<Bad capitalization, no need for the brackets>(my mistake) for assuming most people<superfluous space again> would know what it means.!<bad punctuation>
"sometimes less is more "<superfluous space, should be capitalized even if quoted>
go ahead try<superfluous space> , you mite<might> figure it out.

Just saying...

 

[btmpancake]

From the 70s, I never really thought about pedals for 'that sound' but now I'm tone chasing that sound on those songs I love. Yeah I know what I'm in for.drool

 

[madbass6]

Thanks for explaining that to me, because I'm real stupid and I need the obvious pointed out to me.

Well not real stupid, u can spell.
& For the record I never said you were real stupid you did.. just saying. ; )

 

[FretNoMore]