What pedal should I get?

[Nicko]

I'm playing mainly indie/alternative rock in a 4 piece (one guitar, no keys). I reckon the band/bass sounds pretty good when the guitarist is playing chords but it really needs something to thicken it up when he starts gurning.

My current board is : TC Tuner, EBS Multicomp, Mooer Greenmile distortion, MXR 6 Band EQ. All going straight to the amp, if I need a signal to PA it will come from the amp. Bass is a passive Precision.

My pedaltrain has space for maybe one full size and one compact pedal. What do you think would be most usefu?

I looked at the MXR Chorus delux and it seemed OK, I'm just not sure what it would add when playing with the rest of the band.

Envelope filters - cant see much use given the music I'm playing.

I could upgrade the distortion which was really bought for my 6 string and found its way into the bass setup cos it was there.

Or, I could leave the board as it is and claim that I sound so fantastic as it is theres no need for any more.

[mikebass84]

You could add another dirt pedal. Kick it in during heavier parts.
Other than that a chorus or an octave pedal

[cheddatom]

I'd get an octave pedal and learn to transpose the parts up an octave, so when he goes to play a solo, you play an octave up but use the octaver to provide the bass

Or you could go nuts with distortion, but you'll need something which gives a big boost in the upper mids without sucking all the low end. Tech 21 Bass XXL maybe?

I guess the greenmile is a big muff, which are well regarded on bass, and will certainly thicken the sound, but in my opinion wouldn't do much to fill the gap that rhythm guitar is filling

Edited February 3, 2015 by cheddatom

[dannybuoy]

I would seek a new overdrive, and which one would depend on your sound and playing style... But a Darkglass VMT Deluxe is great for adding blendable 'guitar amp distortion' on top of your basic bass sound.

[Wooks79]

If you wanna thicken it up I would recommend the Abominable Electronics Hail Satan, it's a muff clone with mods that sounds amazing on bass, and if you want even thicker, pop an OC2 in there

(That's what I do!)

[Nicko]

[quote name='Wooks79' timestamp='1422962762' post='2678820']
If you wanna thicken it up I would recommend the Abominable Electronics Hail Satan, it's a muff clone with mods that sounds amazing on bass, and if you want even thicker, pop an OC2 in there

(That's what I do!)
[/quote]

That has to be the best named effect ever!

[Nicko]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1422957825' post='2678728']
I'd get an octave pedal and learn to transpose the parts up an octave, so when he goes to play a solo, you play an octave up but use the octaver to provide the bass

Or you could go nuts with distortion, but you'll need something which gives a big boost in the upper mids without sucking all the low end. Tech 21 Bass XXL maybe?

I guess the greenmile is a big muff, which are well regarded on bass, and will certainly thicken the sound, but in my opinion wouldn't do much to fill the gap that rhythm guitar is filling
[/quote]

Thanks guys.That octaver idea seems pretty cool - i'll check out the foruns for octaver recommendations over and above the OC2 of course.

The Greenmile is actually modelled on an old Ibanez tubescreemer - I use it on very gentle settings and only when I want distortion, not for thickening. It does make the tone a bit crappy.

[Wooks79]

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1422963990' post='2678849']


That has to be the best named effect ever!
[/quote]

Can you guess which one it is on my small board?

[Skybone]

If it were me, I'd add reverb, just a little bit of say a spring or a small room, just to give your sound some [b]W_I_D_T_H[/b], if you know what I mean. Nothing too cavernous or fancy. If your amp has reverb, then use it, or there's quite a few nice reverb pedals out there just now (mainly digital reditions). I had a Marshall Reflektor (IIRC) for a while, which was good & cheap, and it was used in a lot of the Marshall (guitar) valve amps.

[uncle psychosis]

I play bass in two different bands that only have one guitarist, and I actually find that I prefer *not* to deliberately change the sound to fill out the space (not often, anyway). One of the best things about having fewer players is that there is more contrast in the sound of the band across different sections. The "light and shade" really adds something that is often missing in traditional four piece lineups where its easy to just end up with a relentless wall of noise.

[Lozz196]

I have a fair bit of drive from the amp going all the time, that just about breaking up sort of sound. When the guitar is playing chords it doesn`t notice but once the solos come in it really does and makes a huge difference to having a clean bass sound. So I`d say some kind of valvey-drive, adding in some mids/warmth will help fill out the sound.

[Japhet]

I use a Catalinbread SFT to add a bit of crunch to the bass sound. Not into distortion or major fuzz really, but this pedal reacts nicely to the dynamics of your playing. Plenty of demos on Youtube if memory serves me right.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1422969588' post='2678951']
I play bass in two different bands that only have one guitarist, and I actually find that I prefer *not* to deliberately change the sound to fill out the space (not often, anyway). One of the best things about having fewer players is that there is more contrast in the sound of the band across different sections. The "light and shade" really adds something that is often missing in traditional four piece lineups where its easy to just end up with a relentless wall of noise.
[/quote]

You need "space" in sections, certainly, but a guitar solo often comes after a big chorus, or riff, and it's supposed to add energy, rather than drop down a bit. I love the sound of just bass and drums to take a verse, then guitar kicks in with the chorus and it's huge! That contrast really works. But, yeh, sometimes it can sound really empty going from a big chorus into a solo. You don't necessarily need to fill it out on bass. The drummer could switch from his ride to his crash, or open hats

[tonyquipment]

I would split the signal and put some synth or fuzz in there

Make that bass sound fat and fuzzy

Yeah. Fuzzy.

[paul_5]

Octave. Better still, Octave AND mild O/D.

[Sibob]

Definitely get rid of the Greem Mile, it might be 'ok' on guitar, but sounds horrible on bass!!
Get an Xotic Bass BB Pre or a Solidgold Beta or a Fuzzrocious Demon.....anything other than a Mooer guitar pedal lol

Si

[dmccombe7]

just been looking at Fishman Fission pedal this morning. Check it out on Youtube. Expensive but could add a lot to a trio IMO

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1423180868' post='2682066']
Definitely get rid of the Greem Mile, it might be 'ok' on guitar, but sounds horrible on bass!!
Get an Xotic Bass BB Pre or a Solidgold Beta or a Fuzzrocious Demon.....anything other than a Mooer guitar pedal lol

Si
[/quote]

Green Mile is a Tube Screamer clone, so there is big roll-off of bass and lower mids - exactly what yo don't want!

[scoobystig]

I split my signal out with an AB box, run it through a micro pog it give it an octave up then through a line 6 modelling amp to add distortion and smart harmonics to create a power chord

This way I can play bass and power chords during the solos or intros or where ever it's needed

This allows us to play the full intro to poison by Alice cooper with only one guitarist I can also play the distorted guitar to the choruses of mettalicas nothing else matters while the guitarist keeps the clean sound going

[Nicko]

All, Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I ended up with a micro POG which seems to be doing the trick just fine in the few sessions I've used it.

As far as the greenmile goes Its still on my board - its really not that bad provided its on its own and the drive is not set too high, but I guess taste is subjective.