Who plugs straight in? What do you use?

[christw]

Ampeg VT-22 head -> Marshall 410 loaded with vintage '69 and '74 CTS SVT speakers
MTI SVT or Fender 300T -> JBL E155 loaded 118 or big E 2x6's
Ampeg B-12XTC loaded with Beta 12A.

All of them are incredible IMO.

 

[bassdog]

I've been using a GK 700RB-II for a while now into my Bergantino HT112 or GK Neo 112. Mostly the Berg though. No effects. I love the pure sound of my PJ and/ or Jazz and/or Precision. I hear folks use some effects that seem fun enough but never really gave it much thought. Stay low my friends.

Bob

 

[Precision345]

Meh--I'd bet 99% of bassists worldwide don't even have a tuner in line, just bass and amp. You're probably thinking it's not that way just because the tech-heads and gear-heads on TB (like me) make such a production of all the gear. People don't use so many gadgets in "the real world".

agreed

 

[Rob L]

Ampeg SVT VR > Ampeg Heritage 8/10....

 

[JimmyM]

agreed

I seriously doubt it's 99%, but it's true that most bassists worldwide don't use pedals, although that ratio seems to be evening up more over the years. Don't care, though. I do what -I- think I need, not what other people think I need

 

[Downunderwonder]

Trace SMX, phenomenal preamp control.

Mesa d180, power tube overdrive at any volume thanks to trick master volume.

No off switch Sfx RedDragon, into little Mb200 does a very good impersonation of a tube amp. Shame about the wee hiss R.D. makes, it also does the nasty with the other wee hiss off my cheapo EUB. Amp itself is silent.

 

[taurus1]

anyone using an active bass shouldn't count in this thread, that's like running through a pedal, eeeeewwwwww, icky poopoo

 

[Raymeous]

Some combination of the following pieces in various configurations depending on what I'm doing, or if I'm just being silly.

BASSES:
Carvin LB76 6 string
Ibanez Ashula
Squier P-Bass Special (PJ with J neck)

AMPS:
Carvin BX1500 rack mount head
Carvin X100B 100w tube amp (It works, not joking)
Fender Bassman 60 1x12 combo

CABINETS:
Carvin BRX 10.4 Neo (35Hz -18kHz)

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I seriously doubt it's 99%, but it's true that most bassists worldwide don't use pedals, although that ratio seems to be evening up more over the years. Don't care, though. I do what -I- think I need, not what other people think I need

it waxes and wanes.
pedals are making a huge comeback right now so it is natural that bassists are gonna start picking them up more often. But I also remember back in the 90s. Everyone was so sick of the quadraverb and digitech nonsense, the indie and alt country bands seemed to kind of kick in around mid 90's or so. And it was really uncool to have any pedals at all.

I kind of go both ways. In most of the bans I've been in its just one pedal or none usually. I like to focus on dynamics.
But then I have bands where I am running two pedal boards!
Sometimes you really do need delay, phaser, envelope filter and overdrive.

 

[Munjibunga]

I have many, many pedals - mostly footstomp preamps. What do I use? My Boss TU-3. In my acoustic trio I also use a J48.

 

[hsech]

From my bass directly to my amp. No effects or pedals. I use a tuner on the tuner out on my amp in conjunction with the mute switch. That's it, no bells and whistles. Just plane old bass tone. If the amp can't give you the sound you want you should learn your amp and how to tweak it.

 

[FretNoMore]

I have a lot of pedals, about a dozen on the pedal board, but for a majority of songs the only active one is a compressor and the rest are bypassed - so I can perhaps say I plug straight in, electrically speaking. For some songs one or more pedals are used as a mild flavouring. For some gigs I use an EUB straight into a small combo, for other I have active basses go through a pedal board into an amp or DI to the PA. I've played with effects for 25+ years, it's not like I have cared what's currently "politically correct" about effects or no effects, I do what I feel suits the music ... I really don't get any of the "us and them" with effects, bass brand, P vs J etc. Some use an amp that has overdrive, EQ, compressor, chorus and DI built in, others use pedals. I don't see what is better or more "directly plugged in" about one or the other. And if it produces the sound you like who cares.

 

[lowfreq33]

anyone using an active bass shouldn't count in this thread, that's like running through a pedal, eeeeewwwwww, icky poopoo

So your bass and amp only have a volume knob apiece?

 

[Marko 1]

Bass to DI Box (S.D. Paranormal I got cheap years ago) to the mixer.

Good PA and monitors, though…

 

[Polfuste]

it's a cycle. Sometimes i feel i absolutely need my wha. i feel like "ok, that's my ultimate setting: bass >wha>amp ". And i go for it for months. And sometimes, like yesterday evening, i ask myself why i need this wha.. and i put in in a box and don't touch it anymore, for a long time.. who knows ?
So since yesterday evening, Ken Smith burner 98' > Gk700rbII > Gk Neo 115 III.

 

[JimmyM]

From my bass directly to my amp. No effects or pedals. I use a tuner on the tuner out on my amp in conjunction with the mute switch. That's it, no bells and whistles. Just plane old bass tone. If the amp can't give you the sound you want you should learn your amp and how to tweak it.

Never saw an amp with a built in envelope filter

 

[Downunderwonder]

Your old mates TC probably have one for the "Tone Print" amps by now.

 

[BurningSkies]

No effects. I do have a couple 'boxes' though:

Dingwall Voodoo/Zebra 5->
Polytune->
fdeck HPF3->
Jule Amps Monique->
Peavey IPR 3000->
fEARful 15/6 & 15sub

 

[reddavid]

Dingwall Super J or Super P -> Turbo Tuner -> Puma 900 -> Baer ML-112 (or 2). Done.

 

[taurus1]

So your bass and amp only have a volume knob apiece?

I was being facetious, but what's your point?
if my P bass has a passive tone control and my Bassman has a passive tone stack, the purity of my signal is not molested by active electronics, like say, an onboard preamp.