Why?

[musophilr]

I'm sure some will think this a silly question, but I've never used any FX on bass, and when I've been a guitarist in a band I've rarely been happy with the bass player using them.

My main reason is that anything which confuses the pitch (eg chorus) will make other instruments sound like they're playing out of tune, anything which alters time will confuse the rhythm, and anything which alters the envelope will also give the issusion of confusing the rhythm. I concede that on occasions one might want to sound like Jack Bruce giving it stick at a live Cream gig hence some overdrive might have a little use, but on the whole I find it strange that there's a huge big section of the forum dedicated to bass FX.

For now, I'm still quite happy to plug straight in...

[cheddatom]

If anything which alters "the envelope" (not sure what you mean there?) confused the rhythm, then no funk bands would use envelope filters?

Why would pitch effects work on guitar not bass? (thinking of chorus specifically).

Have you ever used a delay pedal and set it to be in time with the peice you're playing?

[lxxwj]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1327407951' post='1510616']
If anything which alters "the envelope" (not sure what you mean there?) confused the rhythm, then no funk bands would use envelope filters?

Why would pitch effects work on guitar not bass? (thinking of chorus specifically).

Have you ever used a delay pedal and set it to be in time with the peice you're playing?
[/quote]
This.

However, I do agree that chorus/vibrato would be a bit odd on bass, but as for all effects, there are ways to make them
work if you're open minded. Generally, effects are better in smaller bands with less stuff going on, like a 3 piece guitar + singer/bass/drums
band. Usually the bassist would have more freedom because the guitarist isn't likely to be playing complicated riffs
while singing, mainly just chords or simple variations. That way, the bassist can get more complicated, maybe bring some effects in
or lots of improvisation.

Envelope filters don't alter rhythm if you think harder when playing.

Edited January 24, 2012 by lxxwj

[andydye]

my pedal line up (in signal chain order) is a follows:

Boss TU-3 (tuner)
Wren & Cuff Pickle Pie B (bass fuzz)
EBS Multidrive (overdrive)
EBS Multicomp (compressor) - always on!
EBS Octabass (bass octaver)
EBS MultiChorus (mass chorus) - gets used on 'Don't Stop Believin' for that 70's/80's bass sound

I don't have any wack pedals that do wierd stuff cos I don't play that sort of music, there are those on here who have loads of fx on their board, but they do play that sort of music...

[musophilr]

1. Envelope I was thinking of things like phaser which gives the impression of something which gets louder after you've played the leading edge of the note, hence the most apparent part of your note occurs a few ms after you played it rather than on the leading edge.

2. Because (I think) when we listen to music we reference pitchwise to the lowest notes we hear. I'm not saying bass players shouldn't use vibrato on some occasions though.

3. Yes. Deliberate use in that way serves to reinforce the timing. I'm sure with tap-tempo etc you could do it live but I've only done it at home after a lot of fiddling with the rate pot.

I did say that some might think this a silly question, but learning-wise it might have its uses.


@lxxwj - like your cat !

Edited January 24, 2012 by musophilr

[bartelby]

Not using effects suits you, using effects suits others.

I find it a little strange people find it strange that some bassists use fxs...

[shizznit]

I use effects and love experimentating with sonic textures using any instrument. It inspires me and perhaps it helps to inspires the people around me. That said, more than often I don't use any effects at all. No matter if I am performing a gig or in a studio my pedal board is always set up. It's there if I need it. Some people I work with are very straight edge and simply want to hear a normal bass tone, but I do work with other folks that are open to experimentation. Horses for courses really, but I like to consider myself to be flexible and approachable in any circumstance. FX are fun!

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1327407951' post='1510616']


Why would pitch effects work on guitar not bass? (thinking of chorus specifically).

[/quote]

I'm sure someone on here can do a better explanation than this, but I was taught (many years ago, during O Level music) that when you build a chord up you have larger intervals the lower down you go - i.e. Octave between first two notes, then root, fifth root, third, fifth, root and then put your 6's 7ths etc up the top end. Therefore, any pitch effects lower down can be a bit disturbing.

Having said that, chorus is probably one of the more popular bass effects and can sound great when there is the sonic space for it.

[Nibody]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLjMmZ8D0E4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLjMmZ8D0E4[/url] Works just fine - suits the song



[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2E_RSJAhYU&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2E_RSJAhYU&feature=related[/url] and this sounds great without

[Gwilym]

I'm not totally with the OP, but have also never felt the need (or found a place) to use any effects. (EDIT: maybe a lack on imagination on my part)

To those that do, what's the motivation?

- Is it to emulate someone elses sound to get an accurate/authentic cover version?
- Is it to achieve a sound that's stylistically in keeping with the musical genre being played, whether a cover or original?
- Is it to satisfy a personal creative itch and doing something "totally new/original"?
- (Perhaps I'm playing the devils advocate here), is it a toy/distraction (much like the constant buying/selling of gear) that gets in the way of mastering the actual instrument being played?
- All the above?
- Some other reason?

I'll confess that it's as much as I can manage to set up an amp and bass to play, let alone a load of pedals and remembering when I should be switching them on/off in the context of a song

Edited January 24, 2012 by Gwilym

[ead]

Aside from my tuner, that I don't class as an effects pedal, I have a distortion pedal, a chorus and an octaver. I find that I use them mostly when we are obliged to play covers so that we can replicate the sound of the original e.g. Muse - My Time Is Running Out, Nirvana - Come As You Are.

For our original material they get infrequent use - a bit of chorus and octave mostly.

[Ant]

for me it's all about having different textures at my disposal, i think its madness to think everything should be played or WANT to play every bassline with the same tone.

[Ghost_Bass]

Why do we use fx? Because we want to and like them!

Any kind of fx used on the right spot will bring more life to the music being played and help fill some dull parts! I have met people who said that i didn't needed fx before they listened to them and changed their mind after that. It's just a mather of knowing how and were to use them.

The bass doesn't needs to lose it's supporting roll by using fx meither it needs to get into guitar territory with them, that's why manufacturers are building fx especificly for bass. Go listem to jamiroquai, muse, red hot, etc. you have some pretty good bass lines going there whilst using fx! None of the bass players i've mentioned use them to get some king of a lead roll, they keep their bass lines where they should belong with an ocasional solo supported by the rest of the band!

Horses for courses!

[musophilr]

[quote name='Ant' timestamp='1327410112' post='1510665']
for me it's all about having different textures at my disposal, i think its madness to think everything should be played or WANT to play every bassline with the same tone.
[/quote]

I agree, and I do play around with the tone and pickup volume controls. However I've never felt it necessary or even desirable to use a pedalboard for bass like I would with a guitar. Clearly there are some here who think otherwise. I might learn something from them by raising the issue.

[shizznit]

A couple of good guys to listen to using lots of different fuzz, wah and delay effects are Tim Commerford (Rage Against The Machine) and Justin Chamberlain (Tool). Both of those guys play with some really awesome bass tones using an array of different effects.

[brensabre79]

I wouldn't necessarily choose to use effects for my own stuff, but playing in a covers band I'm required to use a multitude of different sounds to try and emulate the feel of the record. So for example, in some songs a bass chorus was used on the record - so I have a bass chorus. In some the amp was driven hard in a large room and miked up from 10 feet away. To get that sound I need a bit of overdrive and maybe some reverb. In The Reflex by Duran Duran for example there is a tempo sync'ed delay on the bass at the start of the song.

Most of these effects were added at the mixing stage but without them the record wouldn't sound the same (thats why they are there). So I have an inexpensive multi fx unit that covers most of the things and means that the audience gets a faithful reproduction of the songs they've paid to hear...

If you're mostly playing original stuff, use what you like!

When I play my original stuff I leave Zoom at home and just take a compressor.

[cheddatom]

I record and mix a lot of music. In the process I generally found that I would use different bass tones for different sections of songs, and so I bought pedals to re-create this live. Also on occasion where there is "room" for it, I like to add extra creative bits - phaser, envelope filter, wah, delay, whammy. It's all just to add to the texture of the band.

If your band has only 2 dynamics: verse and chorus, then you're not going to find room for much other than a few different tones. Some people change their tone using the tone and volume pots, but personally I don't find that easy to do consistently, or dramatic enough for the contrasts i'm after.

[xgsjx]

I think it depends on what style of music you're playing.
If you play dubstep/DnB/breakbeat/house then you might find it improves your bassline dramatically to have some well chosen fx.

I use all my fx in my current band (which is Singer/guitarist, Mandolin/tinwhistle/spoons/bodhran, sometimes a drummer & me on bass/guitar). I use Octave, Bass Murf with tap tempo, Distortion, Chorus & Low Pass Filter with expression pedal & will happily switch between sounds throughout a song.
I play in a folk band!

So the answer is "Why not?"

Edited January 24, 2012 by xgsjx

[I am not excane]

I never use pedals of any kind.

[GazWills]

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1327407295' post='1510604']
on the whole I find it strange that there's a huge big section of the forum dedicated to bass FX.
For now, I'm still quite happy to plug straight in...
[/quote]

quite simply, there is a large section on the forum dedicated to FX simply because there are large numbers of bass players who use effects, and are interested in them (in addition to a post or two every week from somebody saying 'my fingers are the only FX i need' or 'why do you need FX')

some bassists don't use effects, or dislike them, and that's fine for them. I personally don't use FX for any reason other than i like the options of being able to boost my volume, or add some o/d or fuzz to my signal. a lot of people have pedalboards with just a tuner, a compressor (in some cases) and boost or dirt pedals. none of those will make the bass sound out of synch with the rest of the band. other people have vast pedalboards, containing every type of effect you can imagine - and it's safe to say most of them aren't playing in a beatles tribute act, or a generic indie band. but why should you be limited to just bass and amp, just because you play an instrument that traditionally existed in the background to support the rhythm. some bands don't have bass players at all, other have 2 bassists and no guitarist. why limit yourself by what other people have done - if it sounds good, go with it...

[sk8]

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1327407295' post='1510604']
on the whole I find it strange that there's a huge big section of the forum dedicated to bass FX.

[/quote]

Doesn't that tell you that there is a large community of bass players that use effects........................

[pantherairsoft]

Depends on what type of music you play. I play drum & bass and dubstep - Hard to play synth bass without the sounds to make me sound like a synth! I'm still a bassist, I just take a different approach to the instrument to your average covers band bassist playing pop, rock, soul etc...

Each effect has its place in a genre - Envelope for funk, Over drive in rock, etc etc - Listen to Jamiroquai and tell me effects don.t make that bass sound good!!

If I was in a rock band now I'd likely not use any, as i like a fat clean bass within the genre, but I currently use over 20 pedals on my pedalboard as part of a live show - as the music I play works that way!

[musophilr]

Today I tried a compressor pedal. I'd have to tinker a lot more with the controls before I found a sound that I preferred to the straight through sound. Maybe at gig volume it'll be different.

[GarethFlatlands]

The only effect I ever used with any regularity on bass was a bit of chorus, and these days I just run tuner > compressor > overdrive > DI.

It's a combination of things for me. I don't really like envelope effects and the number of other bass specific effects (or guitar ones that work with bass without compromising tone or requiring a blend pedal) seem relatively few. And I'm too lazy/poor to mess around too much with my setup. I can see why other players use them but if I want textures I'll generally move to a synth and keep the bass for uncluttered low end.

Guitar effects are another story.

[Ed_S]

I use about half a minute of chorus for the intro to Widowmaker by WASP... does that count?

I have nothing against people using f/x, but I must admit it makes me laugh when somebody rocks up with a pedalboard that's almost a two man lift and proceeds to use one pedal, once.