Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
What 2 or 3 Pedals are a MUST HAVE?
- Thread starter Marius Szostek
- Start date
You may as well ask what the best kind of car is, or the best kind of shoes.
Your question is so broad is to render any answer completely meaningless.
What kind of gig, what kind of musician, material, band composition, etc.? If you're covering Black Sabbath songs you don't need a synth pedal. If you're playing an old P-bass with flats and a pick you probably aren't looking for a sharp compressor to even out your slap tone.
Your question is so broad is to render any answer completely meaningless.
What kind of gig, what kind of musician, material, band composition, etc.? If you're covering Black Sabbath songs you don't need a synth pedal. If you're playing an old P-bass with flats and a pick you probably aren't looking for a sharp compressor to even out your slap tone.
I come from a Funk background so for me it would be some sort of an Envolope filter, and something swirly like a Flanger or Phase shifter. I can have three? 
Maybe that new MXR Synth pedal or similar.
Maybe that new MXR Synth pedal or similar.
Compressor and drive.
The Empress bass compressor and Damnation Audio MBD3 overdrive. Everything I need from Motown to U2 (as far “now” as I’ve made it).
The Origin Effects pedals are nice too but expensive. Broughton offers a lot of whimsical takes on distortion effects, all very effective and well-designed.
Xotic Bass BB and SolidGoldFX BetaV can sound good with some tinkering, but I often get frustrated with them.
The Empress bass compressor and Damnation Audio MBD3 overdrive. Everything I need from Motown to U2 (as far “now” as I’ve made it).
The Origin Effects pedals are nice too but expensive. Broughton offers a lot of whimsical takes on distortion effects, all very effective and well-designed.
Xotic Bass BB and SolidGoldFX BetaV can sound good with some tinkering, but I often get frustrated with them.
Get a multi effects - a boss or a zoom. The effects you’ll definitely use are the tuner the compressor and maybe a drive. But for the cost of the three of them you’ll have pretty much every effect on tap, and be able to cover any sound you want. I like the boss Gx10, but the boss gt1 is great as is the zoom
You also get less lugging plus amp simulation.
You also get less lugging plus amp simulation.
I don’t count a tuner as a pedal but it’s convenient to have it in that form. For effects, and of course it’s subjective, I personally rely on an octave(up)box for a bit of flavor(especially if I play in a trio situation, and need to fill space during solos); to assist the octave, I have a compressor, but that’s helpful otherwise, in small amounts. Then, some kind of dirt(overdrive/distortion/fuzz)…it’s a mattervof what sounds good to you. Beyond that, some sort of phaser, chorus or flanger(I started using an EHX Electric Mistress in 1977 because it was being heard on albums). This stuff can thicken your sound. Anything else, well, it’s a matter of what material you’re playing. Synth? Delay? I’m not fond of reverb on bass, but tremolo can be cool. Then dynamic filters or wah at the start of the chain can bring the funk. Don’t let the naysayers/luddites restrict your possibilities.
A PLL and a Ring Modulator. You’re covered for any gig.
if I'm using a passive bass I need a preamp pedal with at least 3 band eq
Peterson Stobe, Harmonic Booster, B3K
Peterson Stobe, Harmonic Booster, B3K
Buy all the pedals there are and figure it out and let us know. 
In general terms I think compression and some modulation effect. You can tune before hand or have a clip on tuner. For compression, if you want "set it and forget it," Keeley Bass Comp. If you want more control over the effect then I defer to others, but I have the MXR Bass comp which is pretty powerful. Many other good choices there too. For modulation, I had a phaser in 70's and early 80's and it is only useful on the treble end, and annoying if you overuse it. If you play funk, envelop filters or flangers are a must. Filters more useful than flangers. I don't use them so no recs there. For fretless and jazz I think a chorus is better. I like the EHX Bass Clone, it has a light touch and is useful. If you play hard rock, you need a good overdrive, dirt pedal. So many out there, it's a matter of taste. Octavers are tricky and you need a rig that can handle them. You can destroy drivers if you overuse the sub-octave effect and your rig cannot handle it. Personally, I have an Octave/fuzz that fits two needs, dirt and mild octave. It's the EHX Lizard King.
Main thing is not to get so lost in your effects that you forget about playing decent notes.
Main thing is not to get so lost in your effects that you forget about playing decent notes.
