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Starting A Pedal Board

BruceBass3901

BruceBass3901

Oct 17, 2009
932
34
Portsmouth, UK
#1
I've only just started out playing with effects and I thought that here would be a good place to come for some pointers.

So far I have Boss TU-2 Tuner, a EHX Big Muff Pi and a Boss CEB-3 Chorus Pedal. Where would be a good place to go now?

I'm open to all suggestions, but please bear in mind that I am a student trying to re-build a classic car, so money is often a little short, but I can put some towards this every month =)
 
#3
Here's another approach: make sure it's portable. Got a power supply or lots of batteries? Homemade pedalboard or a fancy pedaltrain? Just a piece of wood? Got luggage to cart it around?

Maybe a folding hand cart to save a trip from the car is a better place to start.

Aside from that, I say octave pedal, compressor/limiter, envelope follower, or a Tube Preamp/DI (arguably the most crucial).

Make sure it's a nice package now and you won't find it a hassle when you really need it cause it's really important to have the fewest setup/teardown hassles and headaches.
 
#4
I am curretnly playing a 4-string semi-solid bass but am looking to get a 5-string and have been told that upon finishing college I will be given some money towards a Stingray 5.

I play lots of different styles, but currently play kind of Muse and Paramore styles in my current band, but this will probably become a broader range as we progress. Outside of that band, I play lots of Red Hot Chili Pappers and then some older bands like The Who and Dr. Feelgood often creep in. I love playing slap bass and try to avoid using picks, so predominantly finger style.

Currently I don't have a pedal board per say; but have access to a full workshop at home and intend to make one in the summer, unless one is really necessary. Currently, they are run off of batteries rather than a supply, but this will be changing as I am possible going to make my own, as I am an electronics student and love DIY stuff :D
 
#5
plankspanker13 said:
Obviously, if you have only 4, then an octave divider might be your next stomp box.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree with this statement.

It isn't obvious, it's completely irrelevant actually.

The use (and apreciation) of octave pedals has absolutely nothing to do with playing either a 4, 5 or 6-string.


An octaver will not be able to make up for not having a B-string.
Octaver is an effect, a B-string are actual real lower notes with more fundamentals.
 
#7
Hmm I started by playing around with a lot of effects and went a huge round-about route to what I'm predominantly using now- overdrive. I can pretty much throw the rest of my pedals at home, but the OD is what I really dig in a sound. To be exact, I'm really into touch-sensitive OD, so that it makes my accents when I dig in prominent. I would suggest trying out some ODs (buy 2nd hand at good prices so if you don't like them you can at least try to recoup losses) and seeing what you like.

Also, please do get some kind of adaptor or power supply! I used to run through wayyyy too many batteries.
 
#8
@Irtemed - Which suggestions go with which part? It may just be becasue I don't have my glasses, but I am finding it hard to see where each bit stops / starts. I was thinking about getting a wah pedal, but I don't really have the budget atm.

@Nic. - Which OD unit do you use? I was thinking about getting one but was unsure about where to start looking brand wise. And I am defo going to get a power supply to run these off of, but I'm just coming up to some exams at college, so that will ahve to be put on a back burner for the time being. Any power supplies that come recommended tha tare quite cheap?
 
#9
BruceBass3901 said:
Which suggestions go with which part? It may just be becasue I don't have my glasses, but I am finding it hard to see where each bit stops / starts. I was thinking about getting a wah pedal, but I don't really have the budget atm.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I now have coffee!

Since you say you listen to RHCP a lot, you might want some sort of wah or envelope filter. I know that in Coffee shop from OHM, Flea used a Crybaby 105Q Bass Wah. On Stadium Arcadium, he used a Q-Tron, so depending on your budget, you might want to go with a Micro Q-Tron or something else, like a DOD-FX25b. I'm just rambling on different ones I know. Look on Craigslist!

You said your band plays stuff like Muse, so you might want to get an Octave pedal. I just got a $30 OC-2 on Craigslist, and it works fine. It's probably work better with a compressor though :hmm:
Right now, the bassist in Muse uses an Octave Multiplexer, which I'm guessing you could buy used for about $50.
Again, look on Craigslist!
 
#10
Hi Bruce,

I'm in a similar position. I'm starting my own pedalboard also. My approach to getting into effects is buy used, small, fx boxes like DOD and Digitech (cheaper boss products) to get a feel for what kind of effects I like. I can always resell at a minimal loss if I find the right time to introduce products into the market. But then after I know what I like and dislike, invest in a few pedals that pack a lot of punch (Higher end Digitech units, TC Nova pedals, etc.). I would rather have a small setup that gave me a great amount of flexibility than a large collection of cheap pedals. Maybe I'm just speaking the obvious but if it hasn't crossed your mind in the process of starting a pedalboard, it might help...
 
#11
Spend your time jamming and gigging and working to buy more gear. Start used/cheap and find out what you like.

EQ pedals are awesome.

Again, actually having a pedalboard is better. Do a search for Ikea Gorm Pedalboard. I have one and still intend to upgrade someday.

At least you have a workshop to use in the summer. That's awesome.
 
#12
Auto wah/ envelope filter, phaser/ flanger, octave, synth are all good choices. If you play out at larger venues, a DI is a great idea too. Make sure you buy quality cables to connect your pedals too. One of the main reasons to have the pedal board is convenience. If your bass fruits out in the middle of a song because you have a string of cheap connectors, it becomes very inconvenient.
 
#13
@COOL AND DEADLY - What would be a good (cheapish) envelope filter to try? What kind of brand? And I tried out a Bos SYB-5 synth and it didn't cope particularly well with playing fast; it only likes individual notes played slowly. Are there any that might be able to keep up a little better?

@newbold - Thanks for the advice about the Gorm pedal board, awesome idea =P

@skepsis - Very good advice there, I would rather have a few that get a great sound, than loads of pedals that I rarely use. What have you got in your setup so far?

@Irtemed - Are there any that you would really recomend? I tried a Crybaby 105Q and loved it, but they are quite expensive. Are there any that are slightly cheaper? I think that an Octave Pedal will be next on the list. Is the Boss OC-3 good?
 
#14
as to the Octave pedal - it depends what you are trying to do and particularly whether you want octaves UP in addition to octaves down. I believe the OC-2 has one and two octaves down (hence OC-2). I have an EBS Octabass which is octave down. But I found that what I really wanted/needed was an octave up function to give more sonic fill when the guitarist solos (we are guitar, bass drums and female vocalist). I got a POG 2 which has two octaves up as well as two octaves down, and it's great. Sounds like price might be an issue for you on a POG 2 but there are regular and micro POGs as well.
 
#16
BruceBass3901 said:
@skepsis - Very good advice there, I would rather have a few that get a great sound, than loads of pedals that I rarely use. What have you got in your setup so far?
Click to expand...

Right now I'm in between getting the cheapies out of my setup and bringing in like I said some of the higher end pedals. Theres not much on my board at the moment, I have a Hartke VXL, EHX Mole, EHX Holy Stain, and a TC Nova Mod. Im looking into a delay w/ looper function, either a modded DL4, or an M13 with all the bells and whistles, or a Digitech Timebender. But this isnt about me, its about you, I'd definitely say an Envelope filter would serve you well for your funk moments, something like a QTron or micro QTron, or if you have the budget I've heard great things about the 3Leaf Groove Regulator...
 
#17
BruceBass3901 said:
@chuck3 - Just checked out all the EHX POGs and I do not have the budget for any of them. Are there any others that do octave up that are not quite so pricy?
Click to expand...

I can't think of any. If you're interested in the EBS Octabass, it's an excellent octave down pedal. You can go to the EBS website and click on samples. Mine is in excellent condition and it's for sale only because I got the POG. PM me if you're interested, I will be reasonable as to price.
 
#18
BruceBass3901 said:
I'm open to all suggestions, but please bear in mind that I am a student trying to re-build a classic car, so money is often a little short, but I can put some towards this every month =)
Click to expand...

I bought a Zoom B1 unit for 50 $ 2 years ago, which I still use for practice (built-in rythm machine). That thing really helped me define what I wanted in terms of effects, 'cause it had everything in it (or almost). Then I went totally bananas and started buying individual pedals that really suited my needs, which are a little different that I thought they would be.

Anyhoooo....
 
#19
@skepsis - I have had a look at the QTrons and very much like the look of them, but they are a little pricey. Do you know anything about the EHX BassBalls? It's a bit cheaper and I quite like the sounds it is capable of. Real question here; should I go for the Bassballs or save for a Qtron? Also, which QTron or is the Enigma QBalls another option? Just in case you hadn't guessed, I know nothing about envelope filters =P

@chuck3 - What kind of price would you be looking for the EBS Octabass?
 
#20
I have a bassballs and love it. It's not an envelope filter...it's 'twin dynamic filters for bass'...so there are 2 sweeping filters that have a phasey sort of thing to them that really adds a vowellistic overtone. It also has a distortion circuit...very squarepusher. If you need your bass to sit differently in the mix in a subtle way then that could be perfect...

...but I recommend saving up for a decent one (save up $500 if you like and go for gold, but I mean more like $50 on top of your budget for one pedal) and get one that you're not compromising with.

Look into the digitech 'buy 2 get one free' deal - there's a thread about it.

I say that cause I think a Bad Monkey would be a great place to go. Crazy drive or subtle tubey breakup. and you'd be able to get a couple of other awesome pedals...

...like the expression factory and the BSW or a great compressor/limiter and a delay or a line selector (if they make one) to give you options with signal routing.

I must try to give you some great advice on top of that...buy pedals that you can use and will use as tools rather than effects.
 

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