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Double Bass Subtle Effect for "Jamgrass" Band?

#21
I've found a bow can be the most novel effects processor for a DB - different bow techniques unlock a lot of tones, so don't overlook that if you're into it. Just super high volume will make some pretty neat percussive and electronic-sounding effects.

Octave pedals and envelope filters can give your DB that funky Stevie Wonder synth bass vibe. I used to like ovrrdrive/fuzz with my DB, with those long strings - and especially with a bow! - you got a lot of harmonics and weird string noises to play with.
 
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#22
My bandmates play a lot of unusual stuff too. Here's my current pedalboard: For chorus I love the Agular Chorusaurus. It's analog, smooth and integrates great with the harmonics of DB. it's used more than any of the other pedals. For super spacy, there's a Digitech Bass Multu Chorus. I think there's up to 12 voices on the thing - it's super lush. Octave pedal is MXR Bass Octave Delux. It only goes down but if you want to knock the dust off the rafters and literally scare all the synthesizer players away pull out your bow and step on this pedal. It does sound a bit artificial, as all octave pedals, but in the right mix with the right song... oh my. Real, "Right Hand of God" stuff. Better be a loud song though! There's an Electro Harmonix Big Muff PI on the board. While it's rarely used it can be set to a pretty light setting when you need some kind of distortion. Last, there's as an Electro Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb that is extremely flexible and can sound great on arco passages. It also has a delay. It's the most complicated pedal, by far, but if you spend some time with it you can dial in some really beautiful tones. Most of my pedals only get used once or maybe twice a gig but used judiciously I really do think they add just the right amount of variety to help keep a gig interesting to the audience.
 
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#23
update:

i went envelope filter first with less than desirable results. i added an MXR vintage octave in front of it to boost the signal and it sounds much cooler! the octave pedal alone is fun too.

i also pulled out the bow and.... you guys weren't kidding! the sounds you can make....wow!

i have a compressor on the way to be the signal booster for the other two pedal so i can use them together or individually with better success.

next will be a synth....
 
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#24
the final call has been made...

Broughton Josh-Wah.

Most of the envelope filters and synths i tried didn't seem to "jive" with the double bass tone or frequency.

I traded the C4 synth I was testing out with a guy on here for the Josh Wah and was really impressed at how low you can go on a DB, and the pedal still gives it a nice little effect. Should work for the little spacey jam we get in when do a medley of songs that has an olde tyme fiddle song in the middle. I can click off the pedal and back to normal bass tone.

hopefully there will be some live gigs again and i can test it out.
 
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#26
Finally found a pedal I like! For real this time!

I tried:

Digitech bass synth
Moog Bass Murph
Boss synth
Broughton PLL
Broughton Josh Wah
Broughton synth voice deluxe
MXR envelope filter
C4
EBS triple filter
Aguilar filter twin

They all sounded good on my BG....but couldn't handle the lows of the DB. I would have to play very lightly way up the fingerboard to get any decent sounds and it would be very low in the mix.

I saw the Mr. Black Fwonk Beta in the classifieds and checked out a few videos on youtube. The guys trying it out were using BGs but i was surprised at how well it worked on open strings - giving me hope that it would handle the lows of my DB.

It came yesterday and with little adjustment, it worked just as I hoped! I could get a nice "mwuah" anywhere on the fingerboard and the best part was that when the pedal was engaged or off, the volume was the same.

I'll be heading up Rooney mountain to the local Upstate New Yorkers who may have heard of that crazy festival for a small gathering. It's one of the few shows where we are known to get a little weird when the sun goes down on a few tunes.

Hopefully I'll report back with positive reviews.
 
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#30
Jared Houseman said:
One of the bands I keep running into at festivals use a talkbox for bass solos. It works well and is the thing I associate with "their sound"
Click to expand...
There's a Ron Carter album (maybe "The Bass and I") where you hear him on the mic scatting along with his solos (which you hear on a lot of jazz records), but it's mixed in a way where it sounds like a talkbox-type-effect. I always liked it, but most people who listened to it were like, "what is that 'meow meow' cat sound?"
 
#33
Here is my setup for this show season. I have a separate board with my Sarno Black Box and Alix with a tuner. When we plan to “jam” a few tunes, I’ll bring this board I made for effects.

IMG_6291.jpeg


I’ve got a Boss SY-1, EHX Synth9 and my trusted Mr. Black Fwonk Beta Envelope filter.
 

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