What effects do you use for an indie band?

[KevInDaBassment]

I was just looking back at one of your comments about the "dead flatwound with tons of sustain" - crazy idea, but have you considered a touch of reverb? That should stretch the note out without squishing it at all. If you can find yourself a bass-friendly or designed reverb, then all the better. I've not had the fortune to try an IE Nimbus, but they are supposed to be crazy good. I have tried an old EHX Holy Grail, and it was alright when given spot duty - I don't think I'd use it as an always on, but for picking and choosing spots, it was nice. Reverb could help with some ambient-like stuff that indie bands (again, depends upon the type of indie you do) can get into it.

Looking forward to hearing how that compressor works out for you!

Yeah it's pretty crazy I guess lol, but the closest thing I've gotten to was the crossover being dialed in JUST right on the EHX BBM Deluxe fuzz. However the tone just sounds...wrong on my 50's P with GHS P Flats. I'm going to remove the foam mute soon and see if that helps some. The reverb isn't bad as long as it doesn't eat up my dry signal too much, a "bass reverb" seems like something that should exist. I have a Digitech digital delay, might experiment with some of that with minimal repeats set. This is actually turning into a fun adventure lol

The guy I'm supposed to be starting this project with is wanting to go into harder garage style (uggghh, well at least the poppy stuff works for a portfolio or something), so the compressor will probably be great for hard hits. I'm looking to sell my GK Neo 212-II to get a GK RB or something, it's just too hard to get a big signal into the VT Bass and keep it from distorting. Could be user ignorance, but I'd also like something easily tweakable too, figuring a 400 or 700RB should do the job just fine into two 1x15's. My MXR Bass Distortion and Blower Box are gonna get some more use now though

 

[blindrabbit]

Yeah it's pretty crazy I guess lol, but the closest thing I've gotten to was the crossover being dialed in JUST right on the EHX BBM Deluxe fuzz. However the tone just sounds...wrong on my 50's P with GHS P Flats. I'm going to remove the foam mute soon and see if that helps some. The reverb isn't bad as long as it doesn't eat up my dry signal too much, a "bass reverb" seems like something that should exist. I have a Digitech digital delay, might experiment with some of that with minimal repeats set. This is actually turning into a fun adventure lol

The guy I'm supposed to be starting this project with is wanting to go into harder garage style (uggghh, well at least the poppy stuff works for a portfolio or something), so the compressor will probably be great for hard hits. I'm looking to sell my GK Neo 212-II to get a GK RB or something, it's just too hard to get a big signal into the VT Bass and keep it from distorting. Could be user ignorance, but I'd also like something easily tweakable too, figuring a 400 or 700RB should do the job just fine into two 1x15's. My MXR Bass Distortion and Blower Box are gonna get some more use now though

There is bass reverb!

Nimbus - Iron Ether

You can also do a search for other threads on here that discuss ways of using reverb on bass, and also which ones work best.

Your GK stuff should work well for this kind of music, at least IMO. I don't think a VT Bass pedal is necessarily the way to go though, the MXR and Blower Box should serve as better fits.

For my punk band, I use an Aguilar TH350 running into two Traynor TC112s, and a bunch of effects (mostly dirt), along with a nice warm optical compressor at the end. It gets me the sound I am looking for. One thing I've noticed is that amps that are really clinical and clean - like Markbass and Genx-Benz (IME, of course) - are tough to coax a gritty, harder tone out of. While I personally am not a GK guy (they are too much about high mids for me, I'm more into the low mids of Aguilar), there is no doubt that it can get a grind that could work for the sorts of music you are describing.

All of the above is IMO/IME, of course. Good luck with the hunt!

 

[grygrx]

Closed for review.