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What's the Deal with Pedals?
- Thread starter pabs
- Start date
That is a broad subject. Ask your guitar players and see what they have on their boards. That seems the first place to start. And there is always youtube; (44) JHS Pedals - YouTube
And moar is not less, that's for shoar
Pedals can be awesome. Pedals can be a pain. Pedals can help create massive soundscapes. Pedals can create awful mud and undesirable noise.
Thinking of them in categories is a great start, and a very popular approach to effects here in the Effects forum is naming/linking a song and inquiring into how a certain bass sound is achieved. If you like funk music, chances are you'll hear an envelope filter (auto-wah, kinda) that catches your ear. In rock n roll, you may like the sound of a vintage tube amp being pushed or maybe some outright dirt, or maybe a huge scooped clean tone. If you like 80s and 90s alternative rock and grunge and whatnot, you may find yourself caught up with a song with chorus on the bass.
Also, there are functional pedals like tuners and high-pass filters and buffers and EQs and (sometimes) compressors that do a certain job but aren't flashy or don't do more than a bit of sculpting of your tone. Most of the time, no, you don't need pedals*, but they help nail a sound. Just like a certain bass will produce a particular sound that may be very different from another bass, and one amp different from another amp.
*Full disclosure, I have two pedalboards (three if you include one built to play flute thru), so am just trying to be upfront about general situations
Thinking of them in categories is a great start, and a very popular approach to effects here in the Effects forum is naming/linking a song and inquiring into how a certain bass sound is achieved. If you like funk music, chances are you'll hear an envelope filter (auto-wah, kinda) that catches your ear. In rock n roll, you may like the sound of a vintage tube amp being pushed or maybe some outright dirt, or maybe a huge scooped clean tone. If you like 80s and 90s alternative rock and grunge and whatnot, you may find yourself caught up with a song with chorus on the bass.
Also, there are functional pedals like tuners and high-pass filters and buffers and EQs and (sometimes) compressors that do a certain job but aren't flashy or don't do more than a bit of sculpting of your tone. Most of the time, no, you don't need pedals*, but they help nail a sound. Just like a certain bass will produce a particular sound that may be very different from another bass, and one amp different from another amp.
*Full disclosure, I have two pedalboards (three if you include one built to play flute thru), so am just trying to be upfront about general situations
Almost 20 years of playing bass and the only pedal that really matters to me is my tuning pedal. Every other pedal I've tried has been sold off within 12 months of purchase.
I'm not really in any position that requires pedals so I can live without them for now.
I'm not really in any position that requires pedals so I can live without them for now.
My advice... as someone who owns many pedals and uses them constantly... ignore them for the moment.
Pedals for guitar or bass have the potential to make or break the sound, and the problem with getting involved with pedals when you're still fresh to the instrument is that you don't have a reliable sense for when your sound has been made or broken. You can plug into a fuzz and turn the gain way high and think it sounds cool when you're playing on a practice amp in your bedroom, but it's going to sound bad when you add in the rest of the band. And a device that you don't have the knowhow to use will only be a waste of money until you are ready to learn it. I wasted a lot of money when I was still fresh.
It would probably be helpful if your guitarists could help coach you on pedals, but even so, there's no substitute for making that expertise your own when you're ready... (this is also speaking as a bass player who frequently has to coach his guitarists on their pedals, settings, etc)
Take six months to a year, and learn the instrument before you think about taking the dive into pedals. When you are ready, and you have a better idea of how you sound and how you'd like to sound, the guys on this forum would be a good resource. Another good resource is Youtube... you can really take a tour of many pedals to see which ones would be good fits for your sound just through video demos alone.
Lowendtech
Happily trending in my own peculiar direction.
Do you need pedals? No. You don’t really need anything but a bass and an amp. But, the pedals can be great and people love them. Some just get on that tone chase and that’s fine. Some folks may spend as much time trying to find the right strings and just the right amp and just the right EQ settings and then will look down their noses and say they don’t have any need for pedals.
In the end, as long as you are playing, that’s what is important.
In the end, as long as you are playing, that’s what is important.
There are two pedals I think everyone should own.
We're in the golden age of pedals where you can hear all kinds of them on YouTube and then find cheap versions online to try. Hell, order from Amazon and return it if you hate it, Uncle Jeff doesn't need any more money.
- Tuner - gotta play in tune
- Compressor - every recorded sound you've ever heard has been compressed. It can provide some nice tonal benefits, or it can help even out your dynamics a little, or it can be used as a very noticeable effect.
We're in the golden age of pedals where you can hear all kinds of them on YouTube and then find cheap versions online to try. Hell, order from Amazon and return it if you hate it, Uncle Jeff doesn't need any more money.
I basically use a booster to raise my lower signal of one bass guitar to the level of the others, a tubewarmer to add warmth to my class-D amp and a compressor. And a tunerpedal. The fuzz, octaver and DI are only used when necessary (never!.... But they look cool)....
I had an amp for a while but I found the magical sound is achieved by not plugging my bass in. I am going to tell those in amp forum that my unamplified tone is the bees knees. I do not care how loud the drummer is. No amplification for me.
I play in a Shoegaze band and let me tell you, guitarists in that genre have enough pedals to fill up a music store. Focus on locking in with the drummer and creating a solid canvas for the guitars to paint on.
My pedal board is pretty small. I've got a compressor, distortion, chorus, pre amp, and a looper/tuner. The chorus is the only one that is essential to me for this genre. But I like having light compression and using the distortion here and there.
I suggest getting a multi-effects pedal that way you can get an idea of all the various pedal sounds in one package. Then when you figure out what is essential buying a stand alone pedal for it.
My pedal board is pretty small. I've got a compressor, distortion, chorus, pre amp, and a looper/tuner. The chorus is the only one that is essential to me for this genre. But I like having light compression and using the distortion here and there.
I suggest getting a multi-effects pedal that way you can get an idea of all the various pedal sounds in one package. Then when you figure out what is essential buying a stand alone pedal for it.
You can think of music like painting. As a beginner you might be slapping away a notebook paper with a chewed-up paintbrush and a kids set of watercolors. Heck, you could be finger painting the walls. It's probably some exciting mix of thrilling, beautiful, and incredibly messy. And you're learning something new with each piece of art that you produce.
As you begin to master your art and spend more time studying other artists you'll find things you want to mimic, styles you want to experiment, and your own style that nobody but you can create. As you do this, you may find that you need (or just want) different tools. You'll get yourself a nice easel and some quality brushes and real canvas (in the musical sense, better strings, instruments, amplifiers, etc.)
Pedals are a way to add different colors to your palette. Some of them are so subtle only another painter will even notice they are there, and some are like splashing an entire can of neon yellow across the middle of your canvas. Just like paint, you can mix and match to produce any color you can imagine, and you can look to other artists to see what kind of things they create using these same tools.
It's important not to be too swayed by what others use. Some dudes on here will swear they have never needed any effects pedals, so why should you? Well, maybe they've been painting the ground for 30 years, and never needed a vivid blue before, but when you want to paint the sky you better have a color to match it! On the other hand, just because Bootsy Collins uses a bunch of wild colors to create spaceships doesn't mean that's what you want to paint, either.
Enjoy learning, studying, and listening to lots of stuff. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from Victor Wooten when he said "Don't just listen to music you like." Study everything, try to learn from music you've never explored before. Figure out what you want to paint with your bass, find teachers who can help you achieve clean technique and music knowledge to make it easier to do, and don't be afraid to go experiment with any color or sound that intrigues you.
Good luck!
As you begin to master your art and spend more time studying other artists you'll find things you want to mimic, styles you want to experiment, and your own style that nobody but you can create. As you do this, you may find that you need (or just want) different tools. You'll get yourself a nice easel and some quality brushes and real canvas (in the musical sense, better strings, instruments, amplifiers, etc.)
Pedals are a way to add different colors to your palette. Some of them are so subtle only another painter will even notice they are there, and some are like splashing an entire can of neon yellow across the middle of your canvas. Just like paint, you can mix and match to produce any color you can imagine, and you can look to other artists to see what kind of things they create using these same tools.
It's important not to be too swayed by what others use. Some dudes on here will swear they have never needed any effects pedals, so why should you? Well, maybe they've been painting the ground for 30 years, and never needed a vivid blue before, but when you want to paint the sky you better have a color to match it! On the other hand, just because Bootsy Collins uses a bunch of wild colors to create spaceships doesn't mean that's what you want to paint, either.
Enjoy learning, studying, and listening to lots of stuff. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from Victor Wooten when he said "Don't just listen to music you like." Study everything, try to learn from music you've never explored before. Figure out what you want to paint with your bass, find teachers who can help you achieve clean technique and music knowledge to make it easier to do, and don't be afraid to go experiment with any color or sound that intrigues you.
Good luck!
First, if you're starting on bass just focus on your playing and develop technique. It's super important to know your bass, play clean, master the neck, because it will help you with everything in the future, even pedals.
Second, pedals are tools like anything that you use and you just need to use the right tools for the job. Sometimes the right tool is just your straight bass into your amp. Sometimes you need to spice up things.
Third, it all depends on what you're playing and the band your playing with. If you have 2 guitar players that use a lot of pedals and are already sonically filling the room then you just need to play clean so you don't add more confusion to the mix. But if you play in a 3 piece band and you need to fill more then you can be more adventurous. It's all about how to sit in the sonic space.
Last, pedals can be fun but they can also be a major rabbit hole and a money absorver so first figure out what you like and what you really need and try first whenever you can.
Second, pedals are tools like anything that you use and you just need to use the right tools for the job. Sometimes the right tool is just your straight bass into your amp. Sometimes you need to spice up things.
Third, it all depends on what you're playing and the band your playing with. If you have 2 guitar players that use a lot of pedals and are already sonically filling the room then you just need to play clean so you don't add more confusion to the mix. But if you play in a 3 piece band and you need to fill more then you can be more adventurous. It's all about how to sit in the sonic space.
Last, pedals can be fun but they can also be a major rabbit hole and a money absorver so first figure out what you like and what you really need and try first whenever you can.
You don't HAVE to have a pedal to play bass.
A lot of what you hear on the records is done in post-prod with a bass connected straight to the board. Live you're often straight in to an amp or a board too. But this will depend on the style of music you play, you might need something to add some grit - an overdrive, a compressor, but this will depend on the case.
A lot of what you hear on the records is done in post-prod with a bass connected straight to the board. Live you're often straight in to an amp or a board too. But this will depend on the style of music you play, you might need something to add some grit - an overdrive, a compressor, but this will depend on the case.
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I spend the first 10 years of my playing not having any single pedal. They are costly, its a complication plus on the stage and don't make you play better, so i would don't mind with this on this phase on bass. With time, if you will stay on it, you could add some pedals, they are good to "seasoning" your sound. After 23 years on it i only have three.
Here's my two cents on the topic after messing heavily with pedals for more than a decade.
1. Tuner. That's easy. Two choices here.
Either go standard with one of the classics (TC poly, Korg Pitchblack, Boss TU-3) or go fancy with the Peterson HD or the Sonic Research.
A tuner is essential - it allows you to tune your instrument and it doubles as your mute switch. Very handy.
2. Compression: My only tip for a beginner would be to leave compression alone for the time being.
This is a vast topic, but a comp is a very subtle effect and its usefulness is not immediately evident. If you use it to even out your playing dynamics it can become a set of training wheels that will actually make sure you never learn to balance on your own.
3. Dirt. There's dirty boosters, overdrives, distortions and fuzz pedals. Each is a rabbit hole. Each is highly subjective. You can loose yourself into finding the perfect pedal for the job - and then you discover that you can stack dirt pedals: Welcome to RabbitHole². However, these are simple. Buy a bunch on the second hand market. Plug in, twist knobs and either find what you like or don't. Keep it in the former, sell it in the latter case. Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between your bedroom tone and your tone in a band mix, though.
4. Modulation effects: Chorus, vibrato, flanger, phaser etc.
These have a tremendous effect on guitars and are less pronounced on bass, especially in a mix. Yet, they all have their uses if you can bring the use case. The best way to get into those is to start off with a cheap multi to see if something really works for you.
5. Time based effects: Mainly Reverb and Delay.
I really dig Reverb. I bought one when I thought I wanted to play guitar more, but it went on my bass board. I love just a hint of reverb as an always on effect. I also like to have big ambient reverbs. Delay certainly has its uses - but IMHO, there's a learning curve to delays, too.
6. Preamps:
This is a bit of a complex thing, because the borders between categories are a bit fuzzy here.
A preamp can be as simple as a box with a baked in sound and minimal controls (Chase Tone Secret Preamp for example). It can also be a box with no baked in sound whatsoever and a simple or complex EQ and DI out (like the Tech21 Q\Strip). Or something like the Sushi Box Underground Accelerator.
Preamps can (sometimes) shape your sound like an EQ. Preamps can (sometimes) add dirt. They often have a DI out. You can do multiple things with them in multiple parts of your signal chain.
7. EQ/Filter:
In my personal book, the difference between EQ and preamp is that the EQ tries to alter certain frequencies after the fashion you set with their knobs while most preamps will color the sound.
Filters would be divided into static ones, mostly low pass and high pass - and dynamic ones, like envelope or LFO controlled filters. The static ones are super simple. They cut off what's below their threshold.
In recent years, high pass filters have become very popular - and for a reason. It is counter intuitive, but setting a high pass filter a bit above the root frequency of your lowest note can actually help your lows sound better.
A flexible EQ can be a great help on a complex board.
8. Power Supply and cables:
What I learned here is that you should buy a bigger psu than you think you need, and that you should buy a good one, with isolated outputs. The same goes for cables: Don't cheap out on them. Buy ones with small plugs that won't protrude too far out of the socket to save on real estate.
1. Tuner. That's easy. Two choices here.
Either go standard with one of the classics (TC poly, Korg Pitchblack, Boss TU-3) or go fancy with the Peterson HD or the Sonic Research.
A tuner is essential - it allows you to tune your instrument and it doubles as your mute switch. Very handy.
2. Compression: My only tip for a beginner would be to leave compression alone for the time being.
This is a vast topic, but a comp is a very subtle effect and its usefulness is not immediately evident. If you use it to even out your playing dynamics it can become a set of training wheels that will actually make sure you never learn to balance on your own.
3. Dirt. There's dirty boosters, overdrives, distortions and fuzz pedals. Each is a rabbit hole. Each is highly subjective. You can loose yourself into finding the perfect pedal for the job - and then you discover that you can stack dirt pedals: Welcome to RabbitHole². However, these are simple. Buy a bunch on the second hand market. Plug in, twist knobs and either find what you like or don't. Keep it in the former, sell it in the latter case. Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between your bedroom tone and your tone in a band mix, though.
4. Modulation effects: Chorus, vibrato, flanger, phaser etc.
These have a tremendous effect on guitars and are less pronounced on bass, especially in a mix. Yet, they all have their uses if you can bring the use case. The best way to get into those is to start off with a cheap multi to see if something really works for you.
5. Time based effects: Mainly Reverb and Delay.
I really dig Reverb. I bought one when I thought I wanted to play guitar more, but it went on my bass board. I love just a hint of reverb as an always on effect. I also like to have big ambient reverbs. Delay certainly has its uses - but IMHO, there's a learning curve to delays, too.
6. Preamps:
This is a bit of a complex thing, because the borders between categories are a bit fuzzy here.
A preamp can be as simple as a box with a baked in sound and minimal controls (Chase Tone Secret Preamp for example). It can also be a box with no baked in sound whatsoever and a simple or complex EQ and DI out (like the Tech21 Q\Strip). Or something like the Sushi Box Underground Accelerator.
Preamps can (sometimes) shape your sound like an EQ. Preamps can (sometimes) add dirt. They often have a DI out. You can do multiple things with them in multiple parts of your signal chain.
7. EQ/Filter:
In my personal book, the difference between EQ and preamp is that the EQ tries to alter certain frequencies after the fashion you set with their knobs while most preamps will color the sound.
Filters would be divided into static ones, mostly low pass and high pass - and dynamic ones, like envelope or LFO controlled filters. The static ones are super simple. They cut off what's below their threshold.
In recent years, high pass filters have become very popular - and for a reason. It is counter intuitive, but setting a high pass filter a bit above the root frequency of your lowest note can actually help your lows sound better.
A flexible EQ can be a great help on a complex board.
8. Power Supply and cables:
What I learned here is that you should buy a bigger psu than you think you need, and that you should buy a good one, with isolated outputs. The same goes for cables: Don't cheap out on them. Buy ones with small plugs that won't protrude too far out of the socket to save on real estate.
As an example, I play mostly jazz, blues and classic rock, this year going to 32 rd year of playing bass.
Today I own two bass pedals only, an overdrive (Ashdown Drive Plus) and a compressor (Boss LMB-3 Bass Limiter Enhancer).
Now don't ask me how many guitar pedals I own, I don't know - the number is too big
Today I own two bass pedals only, an overdrive (Ashdown Drive Plus) and a compressor (Boss LMB-3 Bass Limiter Enhancer).
Now don't ask me how many guitar pedals I own, I don't know - the number is too big
