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Who here doesn't rely on an amp for their sound?

Gremson

Gremson

Mar 22, 2012
535
576
North-Leftern USA
www.commonlycourteous.com
#1
This has really been an interest of mine lately. I'm a fan of effects and pedalboards and I'm thinking of building up a nice pedal board that can produce MY sound, so I can go to any amp or PA and still sound relatively the same.
Do any of you guys do this? What do you use?

Right now I've got a volume pedal, flanger and a Catalinbread SFT.
I think if I added a compressor, EQ, and DI at the end, I'd be able to get my sound no matter what the backline... What do you guys think?
 
#2
Honestly, depends on the venue. If you're playing gigs at venues with proper monitors capable of different monitor mixes, then it's super easy to go without an amp. I've played several shows with my bass straight into the house DI (even though I carry my own DI), and it worked out great! But if you can't hear yourself on stage, or you have to be loud in everyone's monitors to hear yourself, you might run into trouble.
 
#3
I still have, and plan to use an amp when needed. But I'm talking about not relying it for your tone.
I'm thinking about going with a PA power amp, and getting all my tone from my pedalboard. So in cases where there's a backlined amp, or if there's a decent house PA and monitors, I won't need my amp to get my sound. It'll all be on my little pedalboard.

Does anybody else roll like this with good results?
 
#6
I see what you are trying to do but I don't think you can ever reliably get "your sound" using only a pedal board if there is an aspect of the system that you don't have control of. If you plug that pedalboard into something that has any color of it's own (eg: any backline amp) it will have an effect on your sound. Unless you are going DI through a pretty clean FOH PA 100% of the time. Otherwise you will have to make adjustments.
 
#8
Gremson said:
I still have, and plan to use an amp when needed. But I'm talking about not relying it for your tone.
I'm thinking about going with a PA power amp, and getting all my tone from my pedalboard. So in cases where there's a backlined amp, or if there's a decent house PA and monitors, I won't need my amp to get my sound. It'll all be on my little pedalboard.

Does anybody else roll like this with good results?
Click to expand...
A lot of people do. But to do distortion, it's a good idea to use some sort of low pass filter or speaker simulator to cut highs past 5k. I use pedals that have them built in, but some opt for a speaker simulator.
 
#9
Downunderwonder said:
Yes. But it's my PA so I'm fully in control.
Click to expand...

This.

I use an iOS based effects system running through my iPhone 4S into an Apogee Jam, into Jamup XT with the bass expansion. From the iPhone I go into a DI box to the PA. I use my amp only as a monitor.

This setup gives me the best FOH bass tone I've EVER had. And switching amps is as simple as switching presets. I take two Ampegs, a GK, and an SWR to every gig!!
 
#11
I have several alternatives to miss out amps. This is not for Live situations.
I can go through one of 3 mixers to speakers plugged into h/phone socket or the head phones themselves or I can put the cans into one of my FX units. I can hook up drums from a keyboard into the mixers and away with the bass!!!
I play a lot of acoustic guitar music too which does not include amps.
 
#13
Thanks for all the replies!
I totally get that I wouldn't get the exact same sound every time I go through different house PA systems for different gigs. But wouldn't this still be the case if I had a DI coming off my amp through FOH?

I'd like to see what you guys are working with in this situation too. Show me some boards, or give me a rundown of how you're getting your sound!
 
#17
I have been ampless since the beginning.
Years ago I was tossed into being a bass player in the course of weeks using a borrowed bass, so I've never needed anything beyond a practice amp.

Now I still go through our PA but I have a Zoom B3 to adjust some tone but I literally just plug in and I'm ready to go. I'm not a 'tone guy' at all but I obviously want to have a good mix ;)
 

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