First Pedal Help

[Shmeo]

Im a new bass player. Only have the bass and the amp and im looking to get my first pedal. I have no idea where to start. What do y'all recommend for a newbie?

[itu]

My list only has few of the most common. Lots of different brands and units: https://www.effekt-boutique.de/

Easy ones: chorus, flanger, looper. Turn the unit on and tweak the knobs, that's it. Nearly any brand is reasonably good.

Somewhat complicated: octaver, compressor. You need to concentrate on your playing or need to understand the effect adjustments. There are a few good, and few really good ones.

Really need time: fuzz/OD/distortion. This is so personal. Widest selection, widest selection of tastes...

[Al Krow]

@Shmeo welcome to Basschat and more importantly to the world of bass! 

There are a lot of bass players who don't use any pedals at all and simply go bass to amp.

If you're not sure where to start a multi-fx is a great introduction to the typical sounds and tones that a pedal can provide (and they usually have a built in tuner as well). Very happy to recommend getting any of the Zoom pedals as they are really good value e.g. the newly released Zoom B1-4 or B1X-4. 

Edited May 20, 2019 by Al Krow

[bassfan]

+1 on what’s been said above by itu and Al Krow. A good multifx pedal will help you decide which, if any pedals you’ll need/want.  

In my case I’ve had pedals of all sorts for years yet only ever gigged them a handful of times. I guess it depends on the style of music you are playing, whether it’s original or covers and how faithful you want to be to that particular sound. 

It’s a lot of fun trying them out though! 

[walshy]

4 hours ago, Shmeo said:

Im a new bass player. Only have the bass and the amp and im looking to get my first pedal. I have no idea where to start. What do y'all recommend for a newbie?

Good tuner pedal. Worth it’s weight

[bassfan]

8 hours ago, walshy said:

Good tuner pedal. Worth it’s weight

+1 I’d taken that for granted. 😂

Edited May 20, 2019 by bassfan

[Stub Mandrel]

What kind of music do you want to play? That should lead your choice.

These

Chorus - thickens up your sound and adds a 'shimmer' to the top end. Good for melodic lines, subtle, especially if you use a guitar flanger with bass (which can work well as it keeps the bottom end clear and spices up  the higher tones).

Flanger - deeper more in-your-face version of chorus, used slow can give a swooshing rather artificial sound. I tend to use it when I want an obvious effect.

Phaser - gentler version of phase and chorus as it affects a broader range of sounds. I find this very lovely but less popular these days.

[Use chorus+flanger at very different rates for really wild sounds as they intermodulate, good for 'psychedelic effects'.]

EQ pedal - can be useful if used with care. Essential if you have to use other people's amps with lots of confusing dials as you can set up a 'neutral tone' and use the pedal to get the sound you like. Use to get two different sounds if you have a 1-pickup bass or to get a different sound for special effect. I prefer to use it with subtle bass boost if I need some welly when using the bridge pickup.

Distortion - very personal. I have a HM2 for completely wrecked sounds, but most people want a much subtler effect. The higher harmonics ina distorted sound often make chorus/flange etc. more noticeable.

Delay - Thickens your sound but can get rid of definition I find what sounds good to me sounds awful when played back as it ovewhelms other instruments, best used in small doses.

Tremelo - very cheap effect that adds a wobble or even a stutter (depending on depth) without affecting the note pitch. Useful for some genres like surf music. Usually best used in a subtle way as too much and it can 'overlays' a rhythm on your playing (OK if you want this!).

Compressor -  vary from simple on/off effects on some amps to flight-deck complexity. I use mine with attack and sustain near middle values and adjust level so it matches me playing normally. My aim is to use fairly subtly to even out levels when playing varied lines. Slap players generally more compression to balance out the extreme differences between hard slaps and pops and gentler muted notes. Turn off when  you want to emphasise dynamics (i.e. play soft and then loud).

Tuner - really useful and most can also act as a mute pedal.

Next to add for me?  Octaver - I really like the sound.

Main  thing with effects is don't over-use them. Make sure you have a good sound without any effects (except perhaps EQ and compression) and rely on pickup switching/tone know for most changes of sound. Bring in effects only when needed, over-effected instruments can be tiring to listen to. That said, they can be great fun if you find an excuse for stomping on several at once!

 

[Cato]

Zoom B1 multi FX.

Will cost less than most stand alone pedals.

 As well as a shedload of built it in effects it has a tuner, drum samples and a 30 second looper and also works as a headphone amp for silent practice.

Edit:should have read the thread, Al Krow beat me to it.

It really is a great piece of kit though. If I ran a music shop I'd be bundling up the beginner basses with a B1 instead of the inevitably crappy practice amp.

Edited May 20, 2019 by Cato