I have a Squier Vintage modified P-J bass and Ampeg PF20T with matching 1x15 sealed cab. I would like to set up a small 4-5 pedals on a pedalboard. What I already decided to use is the EHX Hot Wax and a compressor. Either the Fender Micro Compressor or the MXR Studio Compressor. I already have these 3 pedals. What would you recommend I use? it is more for home/studio use than live use. I was thinking about maybe an octave. Boss or EHX?
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Setting up a small pedalboard for bass
- Thread starter Gabazz
- Start date
Depending on what you want the octave to do and how low you need it to track . If you are looking for up and down octaves and want good tracking down to E and lower TC electronics Sub N Up is a good relatively inexpensive place to start. Also the EXH POG and Micro POG are good but a bit more money. Then there is the EXH HOG for a bunch more money . If tracking low is not a concern then MXR BOD and the Boss OC-2 or OC-3 would do the trick.
If you are planning on experimenting with effects, something like an MS60B is a nice cheap option that takes up not much real estate. It gives you a bunch of stuff to play around with and find things that may work for you.
I agree a multi is also a good way to go to find what you may like for effects although most of them leave something to be desired over individual pedals. Also if you know you want an octave then getting a multi is not going to be the best solution for you.
I have about 45 guitar pedals already. If what I need for bass is a pedal I could borrow from my guitar collection then I avoid buying anything. That is what I did with the Hot Wax and the Compressor. The Hot Wax lacking individual pedal EQ is not very useful for guitar since the Hot Tubes is dark while the Crayon is bright. But with the blend knob that is useless for guitar, it is perfect for bass. Also, guitar compressors I like the Dynacomp. I have a block logo on my small board and a custom shop script logo on the bigger board, so my 2 other compressors are free to be used for bass. I also have WA 1176 clone I can use in studio and DBX 160A.
I am not a huge fan of the TC pedals have only a couple of them. The micro/nano POG were on my radar due to it's tracking ability. Also, the OC-3 at half the price. The OC-3 seems to have a great synth style voice built in that could be great for what I need. I am going to play only a 4 string bass through the unit. At the moment my only octave pedal is the Digitech whammy 4. It is good, but I would not put it on any pedalboard as it is noisy. I take it out only when needed.
Apart from the Octave, what could be a good pedal? Maybe Fuzz or Envelope filter?
I am not a huge fan of the TC pedals have only a couple of them. The micro/nano POG were on my radar due to it's tracking ability. Also, the OC-3 at half the price. The OC-3 seems to have a great synth style voice built in that could be great for what I need. I am going to play only a 4 string bass through the unit. At the moment my only octave pedal is the Digitech whammy 4. It is good, but I would not put it on any pedalboard as it is noisy. I take it out only when needed.
Apart from the Octave, what could be a good pedal? Maybe Fuzz or Envelope filter?
In the world of octave pedals you either get :
1. Perfect tracking, octave up option, chord tracking with digital cold sound. If you want that, Sub’n’up, the POG family and the OC-3 will serve you well.
2. Fat, organic, synthy sounds, monophonic. If you want that, the classic OC-2 will be nice, but I have a preference for the EHX Octave Multiplexer, which is one of my favorite pedals of all time (along with a Bassballs).
Another vote for T-Rex Octavius: higher and lower octaves to choose from, and a clean boost that works independently of the octave functions. I use it for: adding pant flap on electronic tunes, playing guitar solos, or for taking bass solos.
For some effects type, analogue makes a different sound to digital. Some digital devices do an amazing job at emulating an analogue device but that's not the norm and kind of puts a spanner in the works of an analogue vs digital discussion. No one has yet made a digital octaver that sounds anything like a good analogue octaver (like an OC-2). But the Iron Ether Xerograph deluxe and Source Audio Manta to a lesser degree sound more analogue and most analogue filters. Dirt wise, generally analogue is better...but the Source Audio Aftershock / OFD are excellent examples of digital dirt emulators and they are both excellent.
A pair of Eventide H9's will cover pretty much anything you want (except analogue octaver) while being relatively small and fairly light....but not cheap.
A Boss MS-3 can cover 90% of anyone's effects needs and has three loops for a few more too. So there's lots of options these days. A great one box solution is a Line 6 helix....or a one box solution including a class D amp head is a Kemper profiler...assuming you have very deep pockets.
But...back to the OP's original question...if I was in your shoes...a Boss OC-2 would be top or close to top of my list. Maybe a Cog T16 or 3 Leaf offering. Personally, I use a MXR BOD and I really like it. But I also have a EHX Hog2 and a pair of H9's to do the digital / harmoniser stuff.
A pair of Eventide H9's will cover pretty much anything you want (except analogue octaver) while being relatively small and fairly light....but not cheap.
A Boss MS-3 can cover 90% of anyone's effects needs and has three loops for a few more too. So there's lots of options these days. A great one box solution is a Line 6 helix....or a one box solution including a class D amp head is a Kemper profiler...assuming you have very deep pockets.
But...back to the OP's original question...if I was in your shoes...a Boss OC-2 would be top or close to top of my list. Maybe a Cog T16 or 3 Leaf offering. Personally, I use a MXR BOD and I really like it. But I also have a EHX Hog2 and a pair of H9's to do the digital / harmoniser stuff.
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I hear you about price. Pedals on bass are used differently than those used on guitar. An octaver that sounds great on bass may / may not sound great when used in a different context like guitar. The same with dirt, a lot of guitar dirt sounds thin on bass and bass dirt can sound a bit too full on guitar. Different context, different role so different pedals.
That said, a Timmy OD sounds great on bass and guitar...but the tone controls on that pedal are pretty useless on bass. TC Electronic MojoMojo works well on bass and guitar. Their OC-2 clone is very good too. Both pedals are very reasonable new or S/H.
That said, a Timmy OD sounds great on bass and guitar...but the tone controls on that pedal are pretty useless on bass. TC Electronic MojoMojo works well on bass and guitar. Their OC-2 clone is very good too. Both pedals are very reasonable new or S/H.
45 pedals is a respectable collection. A list of what you’ve already got might help with recommendations if you’re trying to repurpose and avoid buying anything new. (Smart way to do it IMO.) Truth is, some guitar effects are very bass friendly. Some are less than ideal but still useable with bass. But many more are simply not. So clue us in on what’s already available and we can save some time.
Are you asking what pedalboard to use? I see everyone replying with pedal suggestions although you wrote you have pedals already, not pedal board suggestions. Maybe noone here can read
Are you asking what pedalboard to use? I see everyone replying with pedal suggestions although you wrote you have pedals already, not pedal board suggestions. Maybe noone here can read
I would like to know which effects are useful for bass. I really like delays and modulation on guitar. I can find a couple of pedals that would work on bass, but they may be used only for 10 seconds in one in every 10 songs I record. I am looking for a pedalboard setup with only the most useful bass pedals. If I would like to add say a chorus, I would just add it after the board.
some that I believe could work for bass are: Small Clone, Corona Chorus, Big Muff Pi, DD3, Digitech Bass Synthwah, MXR 10 band EQ, Carbon Copy, Micro amp, You dirty RAT, and NS-2.
I would also buy a pedal that is really useful like I am going to get the Octave Multiplexer suggested here. I've already went in to the store to try it out and really loved that unit.
We can't know what is the most useful because we don't know what you play. My board has the compressor always on. The octave basically never gets used, but when you need it, you need it. I like my chorus and use it a lot (Aguilar Chorusaurus), but who knows if you would use it as much? Dirt of some sort (OD, distortion, fuzz) is absolutely necessary for me, but pretty worthless to others. My least used but most fun pedal is my envelope filter. It's just like the octave though, it's not used often unless that's your specific style of music, but when you need it, you need it.
I like the Boss GT-1B. It will give you basically all of the stuff you want. The compressors are not half bad, the chorus is good, the reverb/delay/echo stuff can all sound pretty good. It has plenty of dirt options. There are a million synth and crazy sounds you can get out of it, it has a tuner, it has a looper... it has an octaver, although I can't say I've ever really tried to do much with it. If you want a small board to do it all, this thing pretty much covers it.
The Voodoo Labs Dingbat is a decent product if you want to stay compact, but you're bound to spill over as the effects infection spreads.
