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(Pedals) where to start?

#21
Buy yourself a Big muff. Black Russian or Green Russian. You'll thank me later.

I started out with a superfuzz clone I built, and a boost. Superfuzz is cool and all, but it ain't no big muff. So I ditched that. The boost is super handy. It sounds sort of useless at first (why don't you just play more dynamically?) but then you use it in a gig setting for something that is really bass driven and all of the sudden it's not pulling the strings ridiculously hard to get a louder sound, it's just your sound louder and meatier. I'd highly recommend a decent analog boost/pre-amp that is switchable.

Beyond grit and boost? I have a carbon copy that I really like. Having delay is rad. I find myself using it as a weird reverb more often than classic delay tones, so I think I may invest in a reverb pedal soon. Might be something to think about for you too. I play a lot of folk rock style indie stuff. Gets a little fuzzy, but only sparingly, and relies more on the clean tone itself to make a wall of sound (hence the more ambient effects like the delay).

Pedals are a rabbit hole, though. Prepare to be constantly debating analog vs digital with your guitar playing friends. That and switching options. I personally love analog and true bypass, but I also use buffers and what not.
 
#25
YouTube, lots and lots of YouTube.
Pedal 1: Dist/OD/Fuzz (one of or combo of, such as Empress Multidrive)
Pedal 2: Multi-Effects (MFX) ex. Zoom B3/MS-60B or Line6 M5

Read the reviews of Distortion/OD/Fuzz and watch lots of YouTube 'til you decide on one. Most people here consider MFX to not have decent dist/od/fuzz.

Lots of great advice already given. So I've nothing to really add apart from regurgitating what's been said.

Driven Crane said:
B7K. It is GOD of all pedals. I have twenty of them. But B7K - is a king.
Click to expand...
Twenty? What the heck do you need that many B7K pedals for, unless you're a dealer. :woot:
 
#27
Basta said:
Buy yourself a Big muff. Black Russian or Green Russian. You'll thank me later.

I started out with a superfuzz clone I built, and a boost. Superfuzz is cool and all, but it ain't no big muff. So I ditched that.
Click to expand...
While I agree that green and russian muffs are awesome and a ok place to start but they don't work for everyone, I've owned 7 muffs or different types and my main fuzz for the last 5+ years has been a super fuzz :smug:

It's better to know what sound you want and then research and listen to demos and then try some stuff out if you can.
 
#28
spanndrew said:
Title says it all. Making a few extra bucks these days and thinking of starting a board. Aside from a tuner, where is a good starting place?
Click to expand...

if this is your first time using effects on bass, you might wanna multi-effects processor. I would recommend the zoom b3. This multi-effects processor has a large variety of effects, amp, and cab models that's useful for recordings and live performances.
 
#29
i based my pedals off eddie van halen's mxr pedals. my bro owns those pedaks, he's the bands guitarist, and it inspired me to buy effects. first was distortion, because rock = distirtion. after watching some videos, i found out i didn't like distortion on bass, rather fuzz. to me, and others, guitar is to distortion as bass is to fuzz. overdrive is good on both.

evh pedals are wah, phaser, and flanger. so, wah was a no brainer, but i didn't want a phaser. instead of a phaser, i got an octave pedal. at first that's all i wanted for my bass. wah, octave, and fuzz, but flanger was so interesting. so, i decided i'll have a forth pedal that would be less straight forward. i was thinking flanger or chorus. i don't like chorus too much, but i could see me using it more than a flanger. then the mxr chorus deluxe was announced, so problem solved.
 
#30
spanndrew said:
Title says it all. Making a few extra bucks these days and thinking of starting a board. Aside from a tuner, where is a good starting place?
Click to expand...
I started with overdrive and fuzz...that alone has kept me busy for a while.
A compressor followed, but mostly for teh overdriven tone one can get with it( fairfieldcircuitry accountant).
Now I'm after an octave and an envelope filter will soon follow I hope.
I do not use a tuner pedal or DI box as my preamp does the DI thing very well indeed and a tuner pedal is not needed here
 
#33
Since everyone is throwing pedals at you I would suggest to take a deep breath and step back. Then think what kinda sounds you want to achieve. Give us some more to work with and I am sure better pedal suggestions that fit your needs will come your way.
 
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#34
You can get a good DI and a fuzz pedal
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1402171376.345355.jpg
 
#35
my pedal board (the wah is coming monday): 105q cry baby bass wah - mxr bass octave - mxr bass fuzz deluxe

octave was my first. i went to guitar center to order the fuzz, but they were out. so, fuzz was going to be my first. then i got the fuzz, next will be the wah.

do i wish i bought the fuzz first? no. it's my favorite, but if i got fuzz first then i couldn't add octave right away. same thing with the wah, i can mix it with fuzz and octave. if i didn't get the octave, i may have not spend as much time as i did individually. octave is a major part to my sound now, i use it for solos.

my next pedal is the mxr chorus deluxe. then i'm making an ebs pedal board.
 
#36
Crystalman85 said:
if this is your first time using effects on bass, you might wanna multi-effects processor. I would recommend the zoom b3. This multi-effects processor has a large variety of effects, amp, and cab models that's useful for recordings and live performances.
Click to expand...
I've actually fiddled around with the irig am defects that came on the app, so I have an idea of how everything sounds.
 
#37
I'd also recommend something like the B3 where you can choose three effects and have one per stomp. I'm used to effects, but I'm somehow not getting used to the patch thing of the MS-60B. I'm just using one patch, with some EQ and one effect that I may turn on and off.

However, I prefer the approach of the multi effect, because those available these days have really good tones. Some years ago, the multis were able to do everything a bit, but nothing actually in a satisfying manner. A Zoom B3 can easily cover 90 percent of what actually is needed. Meaning, that with one device and maybe an additional dirt box you'll have everything you'll ever need. Then you may find out what you need and want.

The main problem - at least for me - is the bandsetting. Many pedals sound good at home, but then in the mix you get lost, it's muddy, you lose definition or whatever. I bought so many things that I sold two days later. Then I bought the Line6 M9 and was able to find out what it really takes. Funny thing is that several pricey stomp boxes reproducing the sounds of the M9 had to go again because I preferred the Line6...

To learn what effects do, how they behave, how they shape your playing etc, a multi effects is IMO the best thing you can buy. Let's try a delay. Dang, you try it and find out whether it is something you want to get into or not. It's that easy.

After a while you'll find yourself switching to porn when your mom comes into the room because you think the content of the "Post your Pedalboard"-Thread is way to hot... :D

See you there :smug:
 
#39
Out of my board, the two things I use the most (as far as turning on/off) goes, is Chorus and Distortion. I have two preamps as well, but those are always on. There's lots of good Choruses out there, my personal favorite right now is the Mooer Ensemble King...it sounds like a Boss CE-2B, but with a little more clarity to it. Plus, it's tiny! Lots of good stuff out there, just go to your local music store and try stuff out until you find something you like...
 

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