Does anyone just use a bass & amp?

[BigRedX]

I've gone for a simple setup too.

Bass > Line6 Helix > RCF745 FRFR. Job done.

[lojo]

Yes , but it is a multiamp 😀

[BigRedX]

1 minute ago, lojo said:

Yes , but it is a multiamp 😀

Actually I'm only using an amp sim on two of my patches and then it's as an "effect". I haven't found the need for any of the cab sims yet.

[lojo]

I think Cab sims on my amp can only be used if your not using a Cab .

I mainly just use amp sims and the basic effects , but it does allow me to have a varied selection of rig sounds with one rig . I love it anyway. 

[rushbo]

For about 20 years, my rig consisted of a Peavey TKO combo and an Ibanez 850 Roadstar bass. That got me up and down the UK numerous times and quite a way into Europe, too. Heavy as hell, but a thirty second set up and it sounded ace. Now I know better (cough), my go-to rig is one of my P bass bitsas,  plugged into a Genz Benz Contour combo, but via a minimal pedal board consisting of a Zoom B3 and mt faithful SmoothHound receiver.  I've got the extension cab for the Contour, but I hardly ever use it. It looks and sounds brilliant, tho. My set up time is close to three minutes nowadays.

Edited April 18, 2018 by rushbo

[Frank Blank]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

I've gone for a simple setup too.

Bass > Line6 Helix > RCF745 FRFR. Job done.

I am seriously considering this route but it means parting with my AER and it took so long to get it, however I know the tech has superseded it really.

[Al Krow]

10 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

I spent 28yrs of a 30yr playing career with no pedals. Recently I have been using them. They are fun to have but not essential. They do sound good though. The best improvement to your sound is practice though.

Sums things up perfectly! 

[Deedee]

Bass ➡️ Zoom B3 ➡️ Trace Head ➡️ Berg cab

There are a couple of tunes that require specific effects.  95% of the time I play clean, just using the tuner on the B3.

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, lojo said:

Yes , but it is a  £1,200 multiamp fx (which is equivalent to a LOT of effects pedals) and is hardly bass --> amp & cab 😀

Fixed 

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by Al Krow

[yorks5stringer]

Shitty headstock tuner-Bass-Cable-Combo Amp.   if there's a PA provided then DI out of combo, although last gig which involved a long walk from my car to the venue I just DI'd and heard my Bass through the floor monitor. Oh, I have a Pitch Black Tuner somewhere but usually forget it and anyway the guitarist is usually out of tune....

[BigRedX]

2 hours ago, lojo said:

Yes , but it is a  £1,200 multiamp fx (which is equivalent to a LOT of effects pedals) and is hardly bass --> amp & cab 😀

 

40 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Fixed 

The great thing about the Helix > FRFR set up is that it can be as much or as little as the band/song requires. Because of the way the Helix works only those modules that are in the signal chain and actually switched on have any effect on the sound. I have one patch that is essentially just a volume control and nothing else. On that one apart from the A to D and D to A conversion at the input and output, there is no signal processing going on at all - not even the baked in sound that all bass amps have. 

And price isn't everything. The list price of the amp it replaced in my old rig was double that of the Helix.

[Al Krow]

18 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

The great thing about the Helix > FRFR set up is that it can be as much or as little as the band/song requires. Because of the way the Helix works only those modules that are in the signal chain and actually switched on have any effect on the sound. I have one patch that is essentially just a volume control and nothing else. On that one apart from the A to D and D to A conversion at the input and output, there is no signal processing going on at all - not even the baked in sound that all bass amps have. 

And price isn't everything. The list price of the amp it replaced in my old rig was double that of the Helix.

The Helix is a superb piece of kit, I totally agree. One of the guitarists in the band I'm in has one. And if / when they bring out the Helix HF Mark II with added aux in, headphones and DI out next year I'll be upgrading my B3n for sure. My point is that pretending it's not equivalent to a LOT of individual pedals is stretching things.

So your set up is hardly the bass --> amp that the OP was asking about. It's almost the opposite in fact, it's bass --> every bloo*dy pedal you can imagine  --> amp! I'm just having a light hearted dig about that  

Edited April 18, 2018 by Al Krow

[bazzbass]

I have heaps of pedals and boards, dunno why, I hardly ever use them lol

If I'm cabbing it to a gig with backline, a gigbag with my polytune will do me.or the polytune clipon.

For gigs where I'm taking the rig, I'll use a board with Polytune, MXR M87 Compressor and my G30 wireless. Not that I move much, but I like to hear the soundcheck whilst walking the room to make sure it's sounding good.

If going into the PA I'll add one of my preamp DIs, the M80 or Ampeg SCR DI or PBDDI. Or just my Radial J48 DI.

 

too many choices, fart oo many

[DaytonaRik]

Bass into the wireless TX, wireless RX into a Korg rack mount tuner into the ABM...job done.

[tom1946]

On 18/04/2018 at 07:38, spongebob said:

Bass, amp, cab. Job done!

Me too! pedals complicate things unless it's an EHX organ that i've just bought for use with a guitar...

[fretmeister]

21 hours ago, Ghost_Bass said:

Have you seen this one?

Face it to the back of the headstock and there's not much visible from the front. If your bass has a black headstock then it becomes invisible. Not a very big screen but if you have a decent vision won't be a problem.

 

EDIT: more pics:

 

like i described:

 

or, completely invisible:

I've got one of those. It's pretty good.

Same issue as with a lot of vibration sensing tuners though - if your band mates don't shut up the bass body can still vibrate at whatever freq the PA / guitar amps are pushing and make the tuner reading very dodgy.

 

It does seem to get through batteries a bit too.

[Barking Spiders]

I use only two units, both Soundblox 2, the Manta envelope filter and the Orbital Modulator which phases, flanges, choruses and tremelos. As I mostly play funk and electronica stuff IMO the bass sounds need to be a bit out there

[Al Krow]

47 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

I use only two units, both Soundblox 2, the Manta envelope filter and the Orbital Modulator which phases, flanges, choruses and tremelos. As I mostly play funk and electronica stuff IMO the bass sounds need to be a bit out there

Oooh, apologies to the OP for derailing the thread temporarily, but what settings are you regularly using / do you find work well on your Manta? 

[Dave Vader]

17 hours ago, BrunoBass said:

I used to use a TC combo: bass in one hand, combo in the other, bag of leads on my back. One trip from car to venue, nice.

Put your leads in your gig bag.

[Delberthot]

I had one of those D'addario clip on mini tuners and thought it was dreadful. I've been using a snark clip on for the past couple of years.

I usually only have it clipped on for the first few songs.

Other than that I'm straight into my amp via the wireless

 

[Jonse]

I usually run about 8/9 pedals on my board including a sansamp which is always on. I took it apart last night so band practice was just bass and amp. 

It was...different. It was nice to go back to basics but ultimately I didn't like the lack of tone shaping ability. Felt like I was missing a limb. 

[Barking Spiders]

5 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Oooh, apologies to the OP for derailing the thread temporarily, but what settings are you regularly using / do you find work well on your Manta? 

Not actually done any gigs unless you count the occasional bit of function band depping and I haven't been using  it for those.  I've only ever used a compressor (not mine) for those which I find good for slap n pop.

[redbandit599]

I gigged for years just bass straight into my trust old Ampeg 410 combo (8 stone back breaker) - it was fine.

Last few years I've really got into effects and have a different gigging rig - my core tone is still derived from bass, amp, fingers and pick up selection eq etc. but the added effects (which I switch in and out to suit the songs - covers) are something I wouldn't be without now. My band love them too.

I 'could' play all the songs we cover without effects - but it would sound rather dull imho. For where the songs are pretty similar sound wise then I can see getting your core tone as simply as possible is preferable, and for my other more straight ahead rock/metal band I don't use much.

e.g. Knocking out Plug In Baby 'clean' sounds meh compared to the same but with some Russian Muff and a bit of cocked wah. I'd say your kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

The other big thing for me is it's fun - I like crafting different sounds and mixing the pedals to see what I get.

That old Ampeg has recently taken up residence in my mates practice space - I've chucked by Zoom B3 in front, and recently a Hartke Bass Attack. The old beast sounds amazing now! (Hasn't made it any lighter though )

 

[Elfrasho]

I went bass into amp for the first 15 years of playing. I then got involved in a project that needed a few things so I had numerous different setups, some were huge and heavy! 

I'm back to not needing effects but I still use a small multifx as my preamp and tuner. Try to avoid using an amp as much as possible and just got full FOH! 

[stingrayPete1977]

I'd happily put my bass straight into the desk with a decent monitor wedge pointing back at me.