• 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 freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Who else...

Oct 23, 2007
3,032
26
thinks Overdrive, Octave, and Chorus are the the three most useful, as well as your favorite, effects for bass? For me, these are the only effects I really need. Notice that I said effects, not just pedals. Tuners, Compressors (for none "effecty" purposes), Tone Shaping/Equalization/Preamp, or any other pedals like that aren't effects in my mind, rather tools built into stompboxes.

Sure, it's cool to have other crazy effects to jam around with. Or if you play experimental music, those kind of effects are probably most useful for you. But for me, these are the most useful for alternative rock.

I don't want to start any arguments, and I'm not saying these are the best effects, I just want to know who else feels the same. Thanks
 
You can cover a lot of ground with octave, fuzz, and filter.
I can hear this if I was playing heavier funk or synth.

But for me, I can't find any use for fuzz in band except for Around the World by RHCP. My band played a cover of it at my school's BOTB and the intro sounded awesome with my EHX LBM. Also, I love a nice fat filter, but I can never seem to use it unless I am just jamming with my friends. I just can't incorporate these effects into the songs we write. Don't get me wrong though, I love fuzz and filter, but they aren't my favorite and I don't find them useful.
 
Not to be annoying, but I started this thread to see if other people felt the same as me. I'm explicitly not asking what are your three favorite/most useful effects? Please read my original post before posting.
 
I see Jaco as one of your main influences, you don't find chorus useful for that doubling/modulated delay tone he gets? Or even fretless playing?

I used to listen to Jaco a lot, and I still play fretless a lot, but I'm not busy trying to cop Jaco's sound so I don't use chorus either.

I mostly use fretless with synthy effects so I can do pitch bend / portamento effects or impersonate old analogue synths with unstable tuning.
 
agree on the first two... i think chorus is so dated... i kinda can't believe that people still use it, unless for making stuff sound really wrong... it just reeks of a pearl jam intro or something to me... or lita ford.

anyway, BIG YES for octave and drive... i would maybe add fuzz to that.... octave, light overdrive, and fuzz would be my 3 most important bass effects. (not necessarliy for me, as i don't even own an overdrive)

so i guess to answer your question, i am 2/3 totally with you!!!
john
 
agree on the first two... i think chorus is so dated... i kinda can't believe that people still use it, unless for making stuff sound really wrong...

I have to confess until I sold my chorus pedal a couple of months back I did sometimes plug it in with my fretless just to do shocking '80s noises with it.

If I'd had hairspray in the house I may have rolled up the sleeves of my shirt over a jacket and done the whole thing, just for ***** and giggles.
 
OD yes, definitely
Octave yes, definitely so long as not playing my 12-string bass which makes octavers kind of redundant
Chorus I have and like on occasion, but it's just for a little flavour, as are trem, delay etc.
I don't have a fuzz, but the bass BMP is very cool and very tempting...

I guess overall I'm happy with OD and octave

Steve
 
Whoa there kid, lighten up a bit. He did not agree with those three pedals is all he's saying, which is what you asked input for. I use a filter, phaser and delay and will add a octave too. Maybe your not creative enough if you can't use those effects.
As I said before, I didn't create a "what are your favorite three effects." I don't see why other people are posting their three favorite effects.

Who are you to say I'm not creative enough to use the effects? I don't force effects into the music I play, but I use effects to enhance certain passages. If I used a fuzz in an up tempo acoustic rock song, it would sound wrong IMO.
agree on the first two... i think chorus is so dated... i kinda can't believe that people still use it, unless for making stuff sound really wrong... it just reeks of a pearl jam intro or something to me... or lita ford.

anyway, BIG YES for octave and drive... i would maybe add fuzz to that.... octave, light overdrive, and fuzz would be my 3 most important bass effects. (not necessarliy for me, as i don't even own an overdrive)

so i guess to answer your question, i am 2/3 totally with you!!!
john
I respect your opinion, it seems like chorus is somethig you either like or don't. I think something like this is very tasteful -

I would agree with you that octave and some sort of dirt pedal are very useful for bass. Octave is great for funk or synth, or even hard rock. You can always find a place for little bit of overdrive, but it is easy to overuse it. Thanks for respecting my opinion.
 
I'm in agreeance w/ you. Those three plus a boost and a pre-amp is what my board will make up of when i have the money. I might take fuzz over OD tho.... which leads me to ask if anyone has any sound clips of an MXR Blue Box. It's a mix of two of those three so i'm wondering how it sounds on bass