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Pedals or No pedals!?

#3
I do gigs with and without pedals. I don't rely on them, I use them.
None of them are necessary but all of them are fun, it just depends on what music I'm going to be playing and my mood. So it could be just my bass, cable and amp or I could choose to have a drive, filter, pitchshifter, vocoder, volume, Synth or modulation pedal. If it's a jazz gig I might use none, if it's funky I might use all. Bass guitar is a modern instrument, with a vast textural and dynamic range, effects can be used to enhance it.
 
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#4
I have a few pedals and a ton of fun with them. Then I fire up my daw to record something and the it’s almost dry. That’s often the case live as well. But sometimes a synth, OD, phaser and a wah serves the song and the tap dance begins. It’s not one way or another, it’s just to different things. Nobody pays to hear me play, they want an experience so I do whatever it takes to give them that. If a special tone is needed to get the right feeling for a cover so be it. But that’s just me.
 
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#5
No, I don't use them either. And, no, I have nothing against them - or the people who do use them. You do what you gotta do, to get the tone you need - or think that you do... Why don't I use them? It's simply that I learned to play - a long time ago - without them. The music we played when I was in a band didn't need them (I don't think the guitar players used them, either; but, it was a long time ago...). Nobody ever complained about how we sounded, anyway... And, as a confirmed Bedroom Player now, the music I like to play still doesn't need them. However...
MXR M83 Bass Chorus pedal.jpg I finally broke down and bought one last year. I have friends who've been nagging me for years to "get a chorus pedal". So, just to shut them up, I got this one. It's supposed to be a good one; has a built-in flanger, too (whatever the Hell that is...). I hooked it up, and played a couple of my basses thru it. The result? It's currently living in it's box, way back on a shelf in my Music Room. It does one thing really well, though; I don't get nagged about "needing a chorus pedal" any more...:whistle:
 
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#13
brian579 said:
How many fellow bass players don’t use pedals? And how any do use effects? I’m not against them. I just never wanted to rely on anything but my bass, amp, fingers, and occasional pick for tone. If you do used pedals, what pedals can you not gig without?
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First 20 or so years of playing I was very much a straight into the amp type of player. Now I love pedals. I’m not really into the monster sized pedalboards with like 20 pedals. I more so like figuring out how to make different sounds with just a 3 or 4 on my little pedaltrain mini. But yeah it is tons of fun and it if you commit to a small board it can actually make loading in and out at gigs easier. For example I used to use racks with rack wireless systems and tuners, never been a fan of clip on tuners. My shure glxd pedal takes care of both of those in one pedal so there’s no need to carry a rack to gigs anymore. But as far as big boards. I built one huge board and I wasn’t it into. I didn’t want to carry it to gigs and I think it gets kind of silly when people have pedals on their board that they don’t even use or might have on for 30 seconds of a gig. If I want a certain effect for just a section of one song or something like that on an album I’ll just use a plug in in the studio and either play it without the effect live or try to get close with what I have. For example I don’t gig with a chorus pedal. But my delay pedal has modulation and I’ve learned how to use the delays modulation with the repeats turned off to get a chorus like sound.
 
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#15
I have used bits and bobs in the past but I'd prefer it straight. I have an Electro-Harmonix chorus I use in the house, it has bass and treble controls which is what I look for. The Ashdown ABM800 I have has a built-in octaver but it doesn't track fast enough for what I want. Maybe Ashdown have improved it, mine is number 35, 1997 I think. One thing I have used on the amp is the valve overdrive, it's grittier than distortion, it has quite good cut. I might treat myself to a good octaver, not the kind of thing you can use all of the time but great when you need it.
 
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#16
I have a bass pedal board, but I don't use it every time. Vox wah, Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, BBE Sonic Stomp (I use a 3 way FRFR cab, so it does actually make a noticeable difference, but I don't bring it if I use my amp's DI out). I have a Broughton Alway On HPF, but I don't use it very often anymore since I switched from SWR to Trace Elliot.
 
#18
Never have, but that might change. Recently picked up a Zoom B1 Four to play with compression, HPF, etc... and while I probably wouldn't use it live, I can see the possibilities of having a small board - maybe with a Mesa Preamp/DI or something similar and a couple of small effects to change things up a bit.
 
#20
I have and use pedals regularly, I like to use them in the context of a song. But it's a slippery slope use an effect that stands out and the song shapes itself around it, your pedal ends up getting locked up with that one sound for a song. It's happened with a tremelo, fuzz and synth pedal so far. Definitely caters to buying more pedals with presets! Which just means more pedals! Like I said, slippery slope!
 

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