Playing naked

[twinjet]

How many of you do this?

Before we continue, I should elaborate. When I say naked, I mean no pedals, preamps, DIs -- nothing!

I have tried incorporating pedals, but found they're not my thing. Modeled my style á la Anthony Jackson and used a volume pedal for a legato sound. Considered buying a flanger, but... Ahhh. Maybe I'm better playing straight into the amp. I always see bassist and guitar players lugging crates of pedals, and I'm like "dude, why ya need all those pedals...?"

Not a club thread, per se, just want to see your naked setups.

Don't wanna see
Pedals
Stompboxes
Preamps
DI Boxes
Stuff between your bass and amp!!
Genitals

Who needs pedals? Play naked instead!
Setup:
Fender American Standard Precision bass
Hartke 410XL

Bass --> Amp --> magic

Am I right or am I right?

 

[Whousedtoplay]

How many of you do this?

Before we continue, I should elaborate. When I say naked, I mean no pedals, preamps, DIs -- nothing!

I have tried incorporating pedals, but found they're not my thing. Modeled my style á la Anthony Jackson and used a volume pedal for a legato sound. Considered buying a flanger, but... Ahhh. Maybe I'm better playing straight into the amp. I always see bassist and guitar players lugging crates of pedals, and I'm like "dude, why ya need all those pedals...?"

Not a club thread, per se, just want to see your naked setups.

Don't wanna see
Pedals
Stompboxes
Preamps
DI Boxes
Stuff between your bass and amp!!
Genitals

View attachment 741137
Who needs pedals? Play naked instead!
Setup:
Fender American Standard Precision bass
Hartke 410XL

Bass --> Amp --> magic

Am I right or am I right?

Don't get me wrong, but your question REALLY sounds strange to me for the following reason:
When I used to play (many, many years ago - in the 70's, 80's, early 90's), I have never ever used ANY pedals only my amp's EQ but...
Times have changed, and I'm just an old guy who used to play the bass.

 

[Hot Rats]

If that is your definition of naked, then I am stark at every show.

 

[RustyAxe]

Be sure NEVER to ask such a thing in the "Effects" sub-forum ... those guys light the torches and expel the infidels.

 

[BassChuck]

Judging by your picture I thought you meant, "no strap". I've got a number of pedals from chorus, flange, delay, distortion and even a Moog Ring Modulator. I think I used the Chorus pedal for one song on a show a few years back. No DI. If that's needed the house provides. To my ear if you mess with the bass tone you're messing with the harmonic structure of the whole band. Keep the fundamental clear and let all the dudes with the high notes have all the fancy stuff, people hear it best up there anyway. Clear tone, clear rhythm.

 

[mellowinman]

I have somewhat of a reputation for playing naked.

 

[Gaolee]

Does wireless count? That's about it for electric. I use an Fdeck with the upright just to fix the piezo honk, but only with the amp that has an impedance mismatch. Otherwise, the wireless is my cable.

 

[Humbled]

Electric Bass, Planet Waves Tuner (aka tunner in some circles, ... however, a real battery-eater-don't ever get one of these unless it's going to stay plugged-up... I keep a Boss TU-3 in my gig-bag and yes, I know a lot of folks-in-the-know don't like that tunner either), then a JDI, then an old amp I bought new in 1977.

I probably could afford spiffy new stuff but I'm somehow unmotivated to acquire it.

 

[woodyng2]

I keep buying efx pedals,and i mostly keep reselling them. The few i have hung on to only get very light occasional use. I just prefer a good amp tone for most of my playing.

 

[catcauphonic]

 

[Feral Feline]

Sans amp, and I don't mean a Tech21 product. Most of my gigs are more naked than bass-cable-amp, ie Fdeck to FOH or utterly naked: Acoustic — can't get any more naked than acoustic upright.

 

[twinjet]

Don't get me wrong, but your question REALLY sounds strange to me for the following reason:
When I used to play (many, many years ago - in the 70's, 80's, early 90's), I have never ever used ANY pedals only my amp's EQ but...
Times have changed, and I'm just an old guy who used to play the bass.

Times certainly have changed, then - I can't go anywhere without seeing a bass player and his pedal board! I think there is a certain charm to playing without them. Of course they're cool, but I prefer not to use them. I prefer a vintage tone and vintage music. I should have been born in the 50s, because all the crazy stuff that was going on in the 70s blew my mind. Al di Meola, Chick Corea, Anthony Jackson, Joe Zawinul, Mingus, to name a few, all left me speechless after hearing their stuff.

 

[hintz]

I love pedals, *but* for my main gig I have been "playing naked" as you say

I was using a bunch of different sounds but the set has changed to where I find them unnecessary at the moment, for my side project I do use compression,overdrive and chorus or flange for clean parts...

So I guess I can go either way LOL!

 

[twinjet]

I love pedals, *but* for my main gig I have been "playing naked" as you say

I was using a bunch of different sounds but the set has changed to where I find them unnecessary at the moment, for my side project I do use compression,overdrive and chorus or flange for clean parts...

So I guess I can go either way LOL!

Well, funny thing is after putting this thread out I am looking at a Turbo Flanger pedal! I can either trade in a volume pedal and a synth bass pedal for store credit or sell those two and build TB seller trust. I kind of want to build my credit here as a seller even though I have no intention of becoming a flipper.

 

[Feral Feline]

Turbo Flangers are cool.

Sad to see they're discontinued. I liked the purple, too.

 

[higain617]

Electric Bass, Planet Waves Tuner (aka tunner in some circles, ... however, a real battery-eater-don't ever get one of these unless it's going to stay plugged-up... I keep a Boss TU-3 in my gig-bag and yes, I know a lot of folks-in-the-know don't like that tunner either), then a JDI, then an old amp I bought new in 1977.

I probably could afford spiffy new stuff but I'm somehow unmotivated to acquire it.

View attachment 741250

That must sound killer. I recently heard a V4B through a G-K 4x12 and it was glorious.

 

[fretter]

View attachment 741260

that's a cool strap, shall I say, epic

I don't use pedals, but in a working band it might be necessary.

 

[Fat Steve]

Back when I was strictly a bedroom player, sure no DI or pedals. Once I decided to start playing in bands and on stages, I found that I needed a DI, as most premier venues discourage powering the room with just a stage rig, and the house DI boxes didn't work half the time.

When you play venues, do you strictly power the house with just your stage rig, or does the sound engineer plug you in to a DI? If they do plug you in to DI, then how is that any different from bringing one from home?

 

[Humbled]

That must sound killer. I recently heard a V4B through a G-K 4x12 and it was glorious.

Nope. It's apparently pretty useless.


No, um... P... P... Ped...

Well... you know...

 

[ahc]

Hi. My names Al and I'm a pedalaphobaholic. I've been "sober" since I started playing in 1961. I've owned a couple but have only used them once or twice, then spit them out and stayed on the straight-and-narrow.