The One Pedal

[Turkeybasster]

What would you say is the one pedal/effect/doohickey that no bassist should be without?

Regardless of style or whatever you say would make this choice depending on some situation. Not just your favorite pedal/effect/doohickey, that master doohickey of all thingamabobbers.

 

[GreggBummer]

A tuner.

 

[CamiloDíaz]

Even though I don't use one anymore, I think, if you have to have a pedal, it should be a good old compressor. Maybe a modded CS-3 or the like. But let me put it this way, if I have to choose either one good, great compressor and no pedal at all I'd choose the latter. I'm all for dinamics.

Greetings

 

[tapp01]

A tuner.

+1

 

[bongomania]

Tuner. After that there are a number of options tied for second place, depending on your tastes, genre, etc. Overdrive, compressor, envelope filter, chorus are all in 2nd place IMO.

 

[Thunderscreech]

A tuner.

+1

Tuner. After that there are a number of options tied for second place, depending on your tastes, genre, etc. Overdrive, compressor, envelope filter, chorus are all in 2nd place IMO.

+4

 

[kevteop]

A tuner isn't an effect pedal, so - depending on your persuasion - an overdrive or a filter.

 

[almix12]

a tuner is, however, a doohickey

 

[lowbass68]

a tuner is, however, a doohickey

+1

I would want either a MXR Phase 90 or EHX Small Stone if I could only have 1 pedal.

 

[GreggBummer]

Doohicky +1

Another doohicky I think is pretty useful: DI box. I have a SansAmp BDDI, but there are plenty of other boxes by other manufacturers out there. Love that thing.

 

[Chronicle]

Pssh, get a rack tuner you ninnys.


My one pedal would either be my Subdecay Prometheus or Supercollider.... most likely the supercollider cause i could use it for almost anything.

 

[markjazzbassist]

fuzz or overdrive or envelope filter.

 

[coreyfyfe]

tuner, dirt, a good mic/DI in that order.

 

[lbanks]

A flanger

 

[Trevorus]

A flanger

That's crazy talk!

 

[mrkreuzschlitz]

For the generic everyday bassist,
a Sansamp or MXR DI.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't think there are any pedals that are essential. I know guys who never used pedals in their lives and they work as much as anyone. But I think nowadays a bassist should have at least a distortion or overdrive of some sort. You might not need it often but you'll need it eventually.

 

[Rudyboy98]

I agree that a Tuner is my choice. But, if anything besides a tuner-it'd have to be my Sansamp Bass Drive DI. Hands down!

R...

 

[CamiloDíaz]

the eternal "get a tuner" answer is getting old, as much as "tuner i not an effect". All in all, you're right whomever bring out the sansamp. It really covers a lot of ground, is useful as hell and a cool "badge" (-what do you have there? - Oh, a Sans amp, you know...")

 

[René_Julien]

the eternal "get a tuner" answer is getting old, as much as "tuner i not an effect".

In all fairness the question was what pedal should a bassist have and not what effect.

But I agree, I don't need a tuner pedal, just a small tuner velcroed to my amp will do.

That one effect pedal you should have:
compressor or equalizer, depending on what bass & amp you have.
And I don't even know if compressor and equalizer should be considered effects. I also depends on how you use them.

Volume pedal. If I use it for swells it's an effect. ... I think... or is that playing technique?