Al.B Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Hi all, i've never been one for effects and pedals etc, but that said i'd like to put together a board. Quite simply i don't want to end up with a load of novelties and pets so i was wondering what is regarded as "must haves" for Bass. any opinions appreciated. cheers Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj5string Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Thinks its different for everyone really - depends on what you play (music and other gear etc...). I guess a good overdrive/distortion pedal is useful. I like a good octaver and a tuner. Personally i never go anywhere without my headrush either. Dont just get them cos you think you should tho :-) Alex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al.B Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 Maybe i should elaborate then. i play mostly Rock/pop covers with the odd delve into funk/slap. I have looked at envelope filters and bass synth pedals to get some tonal variety, also quite fancy wah wah. I don't really know what overdrive does for a bass to be honest. I would like a nice polished tone at times would i need reverb and compression for this. Sorry to be the token idiot here but i don't want to waste money. cheers Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moo Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Why not get a Cheapish Multi FX to start with. This will give you an idea of what the different FX's do to your sound. After a while you will get a feel for what you like and dislike, as well as what fits in the mix in your band/bands. I have found that a lot of things that sound nice on your own at home turn to an indistinct mush when the drummer and guitar kick in. When you have your favourite effects dialled in to your multi, you can then go out and buy the real thing to build up your pedal board. This is what I have done BTW. I started with a zoom 506 and now have a DHA VT1 comp, (Envelope filter and Overdrive pending) because these wre the FX I used most. The Zoom is staying BTW because it has a good reverb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegas_hooker Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I guess for what you play then filters/synths/octavers and wah are going to be of great use. Maybe a little fuzz pedal perhaps. I suppose a drive pedal is handy if you play the odd rock song, something to grit up your sound and make it a little more attacking but if you want a really polished and slick tone a compression pedal would help even the signal out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Fly Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Personaly, I change my mind once a week so this is hard enough to say [b]my[/b] must-have... At the moment, in order of priority they are: - EBS Octabass - AdrenaLinn III - MXR Bass Auto Q (AdrenaLinn III has a quite good Auto-Wah that is why Auto-Q is after AdrenaLinn III) - EBS MultiComp - Aphex Bass Xciter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I think the best advice is to get a multi-effects unit, and learn about what the effects are doing, and how to get the sounds you want. You don't have to replace your unit with singles if it sounds good enough to your ears. I recommend the Zoom B2.1U The only "must have" effect I think a bassist in a guitar band should have is some sort of compression/limiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colda Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Ibanez PD-7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Tuner + compressor. After that everything else is gravy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyC Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) Tuner, that's it! Going out there and looking for effects for the sake of effects is a dangerous and expensive world. Just play, and if you find yourself in a situation where you think yeah a drive (or whatever) would work really well here etc. then go for it - but buying a pedal then looking for a place to use it seems backwards to me. IMHO of course Edited December 7, 2007 by TimmyC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I found that buying multi-fx to learn what effects do, and how you can control them was really useful. It didn't make me look for places to use the new crazy sounds I had, but it made me know what sound I wanted, and how to get it, when I heard a place that needs it. That's not worded very well sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebasshead Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 +1 for the multiFX route, at least initially. They're great for learning about FX in general, as people have already said. Their other big advantage is that you don't have to drop to your knees and fiddle between songs, you just program another patch if you need a different variation of phaser/flanger/whatever for the next song. You might find you never feel the need to upgrade (either to pedals or better multiFX) depending on how you get on with FX in general. Don't rely on the preset patches as a guide to how to use FX in a song context though, most of the presets are manufacters show-off settings and are (usually) way too whacky! Regards, Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al.B Posted December 7, 2007 Author Share Posted December 7, 2007 Thanks guys i think i'll go down the multi fx route to start with. It seems like a sensible way to go. cheers Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Fly Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) I don't want to start a discussion multi-fx vs pedals. I have used multi-fx then pedals, then multi-fx, then pedals ... back and forward several times. For a player that has never used effects intensively, I recommend a multi-fx. Something like Zoom B2.1u for example. At the moment I am using a mix of pedals (octaver, EQ, Auto Wah, compressor, phaser) and multi-fx (AdrenaLinn III). For me pedals remove on "layer" of thinking. I don't have to think "What is it the preset number for that sound?" I know that every pedal has a specific role. I also use a multi-fx. I decide the function that the multi-fx has in a specific song then, once I decided that the AdrenaLinn III does, it is just matter of on/off. I don't change the preset number. Edited December 7, 2007 by Silent Fly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Fly Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 [quote name='Toasted' post='100753' date='Dec 7 2007, 10:39 AM']Tuner + compressor. After that everything else is gravy.[/quote] True - but effects are fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Definitely a tuner (if you don't use a rack one), & a versatile/tweakable 'bass friendly' fuzz that you like the sound of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 MB1. Tuner......Chorus.....Octaver......Everything else is some mad Japanese programmer trying to confuse the issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 The only must have effect is volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 The only effect I really use often is reverb, but I have plenty of gravy at the ready if the mood takes me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Tuner is the only essential one.... So you can keep your eyes were they need to be(avoiding bottles thrown at you ! ) Actually anyone got or use a Peterson Strobe floor tuner? I'm GASing really bad for one.... All other effects are needed for certain tracks or to make up for stuff you cant do, with either bass or amp.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Another +1 for tuner and comp. But I'm starting to GAS for a nice overdrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBassBob Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Tuner and compression are the 2 must haves IMHO. However, if you're gonna be playing rock and pop, you may want to add a touch of chorus for some songs and perhaps a small bit of grit for others. It's all personal preference at the end of the day. Remember to serve the music instead of the pedals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 [quote name='clauster' post='101715' date='Dec 9 2007, 01:55 PM']Another +1 for tuner and comp. But I'm starting to GAS for a nice overdrive.[/quote] If your looking for a good overdrive check out the Humphry audio modded digitech Bad Monkey, I've had a little more time with mine now and LOVE it! , Must haves? comp and tuner, for me a nice envelope filter as you can only get 'that' sound with one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 [quote name='TimmyC' post='100785' date='Dec 7 2007, 11:34 AM']Going out there and looking for effects for the sake of effects is a dangerous and expensive world.[/quote] Just trying them out can be very expensive - I went to try out a Boss octaver twenty years ago and finished up with a Warwick Thumb (and £900 in those days was, well, £900). Never did get an octaver, though there's one in my BP-200. Still got the Warwick though. So to keep your spending under control, either take your own bass or use a crappy one to try out the effects... +1 to the multifx, anyway - I've had a Boss ME-6B and now have a Digitech BP-200 (TBH, I was in two minds as to which to keep). Cheaper multifx (and some dearer ones) have the rather less convenient up/down patch switching system. Ones like the ME-6B and its successors have direct bank/patch selection by footswitch. I'm probably sticking with the multifx for the time being rather than going to separates anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 (edited) [quote name='steve-norris' post='101779' date='Dec 9 2007, 04:39 PM']If your looking for a good overdrive check out the Humphry audio modded digitech Bad Monkey, I've had a little more time with mine now and LOVE it! , Must haves? comp and tuner, for me a nice envelope filter as you can only get 'that' sound with one.[/quote] Cheers for the heads-up on that Steve - I hadn't come across this one before. Might have to get myself one as a late xmas present. Edit - Just ordered one Edited December 23, 2007 by clauster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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