Worship Bass Pedalboards

[Stedkey]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

If it helps, we play a mix of 30% hymns, 70% praise choruses. Nothing really cutting edge – stuff like Shane and Shane, Tomlin, etc. We do have really good sound crew that always gives the bass enough punch to be heard.

I favor a pedal board but I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Johno Dunn]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

If it helps, we play a mix of 30% hymns, 70% praise choruses. Nothing really cutting edge – stuff like Shane and Shane, Tomlin, etc. We do have really good sound crew that always gives the bass enough punch to be heard.

I favor a pedal board but I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks!

Are you using IE's?

 

[Blille]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

If it helps, we play a mix of 30% hymns, 70% praise choruses. Nothing really cutting edge – stuff like Shane and Shane, Tomlin, etc. We do have really good sound crew that always gives the bass enough punch to be heard.

I favor a pedal board but I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks!

Given the others don't care too much I would encourage you to suggest a very simple setup they can't get wrong. A multi seems too complex.

The pedals you suggest sound good, you need some sort of preamp with DI at the end. I would not put delay and if you put reverb I would put a very simple one, like a HOF mini loaded with a room/ambience patch. I would also consider a simple boost to compensate between passive and active so the rest of the chain does not need as much tweaking. And HPF/LPF.

When choosing individual pedals, better to choose, forgiving, one trick pony ones than very versatile. If they don't care much, don't make them tweak just help them add diversity and improve their tone.

 

[Leigh Semmens]

I would include an in-line tuner into the mix. Yes most people do have their own, and yes, most do actually tune up before a service, but that would make life a little easier (and more forgiving) for those who never use (or think they need) a pedal board.

 

[Worshipbass12]

Hx stomp and load up a good worship patch maybe

 

[furym]

HX Stomp. If you want to get fancy, meet with each bass player and dial in a patch for them (it could be the same one but they don't have to know that) and name the patch with their name. It could at least be leveled and eq'd for the bass they use. Give them a clean and dirty setting and call it good.

edit: add a Khan DI if the budget allows.

 

[SteveC]

We did Stomps at the bass and guitar stations at church. I have a basic patch that will work for anyone. It's almost always me, but if someone is filing in or whatever, it's a simple thing to plug and play. I have a chorus and drive on footswitch 1 and 2 and the tuner on 3. I almost always just play clean. Studio tube DI and studio comp.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

If it helps, we play a mix of 30% hymns, 70% praise choruses. Nothing really cutting edge – stuff like Shane and Shane, Tomlin, etc. We do have really good sound crew that always gives the bass enough punch to be heard.

I favor a pedal board but I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks!

I prefer pedals. Straightforward and obvious, and if one goes out the rest still work. If you get a board big enough for everything you mentioned, you can still leave off the octave and delay, maybe even the reverb, at least at first[1]. That lets you add the pre/DI and a tuner, and spend a bit more on the others if you like.

[1] You can always add them under a later year's budget if people indicate an interest.

 

[Erithon]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

Do you regularly have keys in your band? What about synth? If there is a dedicated synth player or the keyboardists covers synth when necessary (or you don't play any songs that require synth/synth bass), then I'd say all you need for worship is:

• tuner
• compressor
  • get something easy to dial in
• overdrive
• some sort of second gain stage [optional]
  • could be a different overdrive, a clean boost before the overdrive, a distortion, etc.
• some sort of modulation [optional]
  • I like phaser, but it seems a lot of folks in this thread like chorus
• preamp [optional]
  • only necessary if the church bass is passive and you aren't using an amp (which is sounds like you are not since you mentioned plugging straight into a DI)
• a high quality DI like the Khan, REDDI, Broughton SSDI, etc.
  • this could be conflated with the preamp if you get something like a Shift Line Olympic MKIIIS

I would stay away from Delay and Reverb. I have them on my main board and love them, but they are wholly unnecessary church and would only overly complicate things for pedal neophytes.

If you sometimes need to cover synth bass lines, then my recommendations will change.

 

[sk8]

Or as you are the only one use the money for a higher purpose

 

[Blille]

Or as you are the only one use the money for a higher purpose

You're thinking of another bass?

/jk

 

[Stedkey]

Are you using IE's?

Yes.

 

[ExaltBass]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

If it helps, we play a mix of 30% hymns, 70% praise choruses. Nothing really cutting edge – stuff like Shane and Shane, Tomlin, etc. We do have really good sound crew that always gives the bass enough punch to be heard.

I favor a pedal board but I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks!

I'm doing the same for our church. I'm going to be keeping it simple to use.

 

[kirkdickinson]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

If it helps, we play a mix of 30% hymns, 70% praise choruses. Nothing really cutting edge – stuff like Shane and Shane, Tomlin, etc. We do have really good sound crew that always gives the bass enough punch to be heard.

I favor a pedal board but I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks!

What about something like this:

My first choice for a tuner pedal is the Peterson HD mini. I have the older HD and it is awesome. I want to get the mini to save some space on that board. The Cali76 is a great compressor, but might be a little complicated for someone who has never used one. One of the Keeley Bassist pedals is cheaper and easier to figure out. Or others. Anadime is my favorate Bass Chorus, but EHX Bass Clone is a decent option and a lot cheaper. The Darkglass Alpha Omicron and the Tone Hammer might cover some of the same ground, but it is really nice to have that tone shaping at the end of the chain and it is a really good DI.

 

[Killens84]

Looking for some advice. I am one of 4 bass players in my WT and I am the only one with a pedal board. Everyone else is happy just to plug straight into the direct box and go. My WT leader has asked me to see what kind of pedal board I could put together for the church with $1,000. I can come up with something that would work fine for me but the other guys want something simple and easy to use.

One way I could go is a board with just a few things like compressor, overdrive, chorus, octave (maybe), delay (fun but can get messy if not used right), reverb. Or, I could go with a multi effects processor like a Boss GT-1B.

If you favor a pedal board, what would be your essentials? If you favor a processor, any recommendations?

If it helps, we play a mix of 30% hymns, 70% praise choruses. Nothing really cutting edge – stuff like Shane and Shane, Tomlin, etc. We do have really good sound crew that always gives the bass enough punch to be heard.

I favor a pedal board but I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks!

Tuner, Cali76-CB compressor, and Khan VTDI (tube DI). That's right around $1,000 total, and will arguably be the best tone you'll find, IMHO.
One very popular combination for modern worship is tuner, Cali76-CB Compressor, EHX Bass Micro Synth, and Aguilar Tone Hammer. I believe you can get that for close to $1,000.
A power supply, if needed, would also be a factor. A Cioks Sol is a great option for around $180.
I personally am not a fan of reverb, chorus, or delay on bass.

 

[JoeDoe]

Tuner, Cali76-CB compressor, and Khan VTDI (tube DI). That's right around $1,000 total, and will arguably be the best tone you'll find, IMHO.
One very popular combination for modern worship is tuner, Cali76-CB Compressor, EHX Bass Micro Synth, and Aguilar Tone Hammer. I believe you can get that for close to $1,000.
A power supply, if needed, would also be a factor. A Cioks Sol is a great option for around $180.
I personally am not a fan of reverb, chorus, or delay on bass.

+1 to all of the above

 

[SKennedy32]

I personally am not a fan of reverb, chorus, or delay on bass.

I would second this. They can be cool if done tastefully but are definitely not necessary for bass in a worship context.

If the other bass players aren't even using pedals, it is very unlikely that they would use these items and they would be a waste of the church's budget. IMHO

 

[Brydav]

I would second this. They can be cool if done tastefully but are definitely not necessary for bass in a worship context.

If the other bass players aren't even using pedals, it is very unlikely that they would use these items and they would be a waste of the church's budget. IMHO

I'm in the same situation at my church. I like a bunch of pedals and effects and synth stuff but the other bass players are just plug and play. So I made a church board with just a tuner, compressor and tonehammer

 

[MascisMan]

Used HX Stomp ($525) + Pedalnetics 2 button footswitch ($61) + Polytune 3 Mini tuner ($100) + Dunlop DVP4 volume pedal ($140) + Cioks Sol ($180) = $1006

Helauxy Duo - Pedalnetics

 

[SKennedy32]

Used HX Stomp ($525) + Pedalnetics 2 button footswitch ($61) + Polytune 3 Mini tuner ($100) + Dunlop DVP4 volume pedal ($140) + Cioks Sol ($180) = $1006

Helauxy Duo - Pedalnetics

I love my HX Stomp, but given that this would be a shared board with other players who like to just plug and play.... I would err on the side of keeping it simple with 2-3 pedals. Tuner - > Comp (optional) - > Preamp pedal (Tonehammer being my pick).