What effects do Bass players use?

[CyberStrat]

Hi All,

My son has been playing electric bass for a year of so, and also plays in orchestra for the last 3 years. We recently bought him a quality bass, and a good quality combo amp will be on it's way for Christmas.

He has been wanting to get some effects lately, and his instructor is telling him two common bass effects are a distortion/overdrive and flanger. What do you think? I should add he is 14 & like playing classic metal & Nu-metal. He also only plays a 4 string for now.

My son doesn't like the idea of the multi-pedals...In our price range it would probally be junk, and not usable for anything more than practice.

Lastly, I have let him try my guitar pedals, (bad monkey, chorus, delay, wah, phase 90). It's really wierd, most of them don't work...Is it just because of the lower freq.?

Thanks,

CyberStrat

[Gravity Jim]

For bass, I'd own a compressor before I bought a distortion box, but then, I didn't even know there a such thing as "classic" metal.

[jrgtr42]

Yeah, a compresso would go well. I use a distoirtion box (the Boss Bass dist; I like how you can blend the clean signal in with the distorted)
I'm considering a bass chorus, but I don;t know. I like bass in general to be clean and unclutters as possible. I don't even use a lot of that kind of thing on guitar, Mostly Distiortion there too.

[franchelB]

Despite of what he has said, I'd get him a multi-effect box like Digitech's BP50. Then he can play around (he IS 14 after all) with the sounds 'till he finds a preset he likes.
Most guitar effects should sound just fine with the bass, i.e. wah, phaser, distortion pedals.
Personally, and after years of trials and errors, I feel better plugging the bass "straight in" to the amp. But the amp I'd want MUST have a compressor/limiter and a graphic EQ included with the amp.
P.S. "Classic Metal" is music done before "Metallica" got famous; "Nu Metal" is pretty much post Metallica's "15 minutes of fame".

[Gravity Jim]

"Metallica's 15 minues of fame?" That's the longest 15 minutes I ever saw.

[Kap'n]

Despite of what he has said, I'd get him a multi-effect box like Digitech's BP50.

Yep. If he's just into experimenting with effects, something like that, while sounding pretty crappy, is an education of what effects sound like, and what the parameters are for them. From there, he can go to individual pedals, or to a higher end rig.

Personally, other than compression or a smidge of dirt the only fx I can think of that are useful for bass are auto-wah, or perhaps the occaisional fuzz for novelty.

I tell you, when my bass player showed up with an ME-50B, it was the most frightening day of my life. Fortunately, he decided it wasn't worth the effort. His only effect is a SansAmp.

[chuckocaster]

i like fuzz pedals on bass, a rat works well too. i normally play with a compressor, but lately not so much. i would say get the multi effector and let him play around with it, like stated before.

[mmcquain]

Our bass player uses a compressor built into his amp. For pedals he prefers a bass chorus over flange (very similar effects). He has an overdrive and a bass synth/wah effect that sounds cool on certain songs.

[cre2403]

My bass pod is the best effect unit I have ever played - not only effects but amp and cabinet modeling to boot. However,for a kid - its a little expensive. Zoom makes a nice bass effects combo box.........

[stonetone]

I use the compression on my amp, but no stomp boxes. I have yet to use a pedal that wasn't a thump-sucker to some degree. That's probably just shortcomings in my rig...

I've only ever heard one comment about my needing effects and that was just totally over-the-top fuzz for 16 measures in one song. It was a part done by the band's previous bassist, and I just ended up reworking it. I've seen various modulators and autowahs at work - mostly in local jam bands - and when it works it can be quite cool.

But philosophically speaking, I tend to let the guitars, keys, singers, horns, percussion, marimbas, penny-whistles, what have you, occupy the upper registers and focus on locking my hands with the drummer's feet.

[Rickenjangle]

Other than a compressor or a cheap fuzz unit, I'd recommend for anyone to buy the best bass and amp they can. There's no way you're going to help your bass tone with pedals as much as it's helped by having a better amp rig.

[FrankJohnson]

I have BBE Sonic Stomp - It helps define..I only use it to nudge the signal - not re-create it....

I also have a bass Chorus - I use it once in a while, for some slow stuff - it seems to fit once in a great while.....

I thought about a boosta grande by BBE to clarify signal, but haven't had a chance to check one out yet......

Other than that, the Peavey T Max and RBI/QSC seem to generate acceptable tone. It took over a year for me to learn how to get good sound out of the RBI/QSC - but I understand it now, at least for me, my playing and the cab I use.

I think that is the most important thing...learn your gear, and how you affect it, as well as how it affects you. Maybe that sounds too cliche', but I found it to be my case.

[davey]

I have never used effects on my bass rigs. I always keep the compression off, and I've never felt the need to have any effects wrecking my pants-fillingly awesome tone.

[Bareass]

i used to use a bbe sonic maximizer but found out it was a waste of money. compression is the best tool a bassist can get ( other then a good bass and amp). crank up the compression and you'll get a distortion type tone

[Plugger]

If you haven't bought the combo amp yet, have a look at the Roland bass cubes (either 30w or 100w). They are a modelling amp with good (and usable) built in FX. Sounds great for the price, imho. The available on-board FX are compression, chorus, flanger, t-wah, delay and reverb.

We started out with the 30w, and have graduated to the 100w. The 100w is a actually a serious piece of professional gear -- very versatile and capable for a 1x15 combo. The 30w can hold it's own easily in a garage band/jam situation where the drum kit is unamplified.

Good gear is ridiculously cheap these days.

-Mark

[sgant]

NOOB ALERT!

What does a compressor do, bass wise? How does it alter the tone?

[Bareass]

it literally compresses the sin wave of the bass
adding a lot of compression will give it a fuzz type tone.. just listen to billy sheehan. he only uses compression

[Great King Rat]

Qtron, Synth, and OD.

[ronworld]

Very rarely..Chorus on the floor...more often the on board amp compression.

[rodl2005]

I use the Amps OD.. on my Fender 300PRO & the natural OD on the V4BH but for added distort. I use a Green(Russian) Big Muff Pi. Also a EHX Bass Balls or Digitech Bass synth wah(envelope filters).