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Pedalboards go from barebones to NASA space command. What are the minimum effects you need as a bassist?
Music: Jahzzar, Please Listen Carefully; spinningmerkaba, Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix)
- Paul: One of the toughest topics in our initial list that I looked at!
- Dave: This is a struggle for me for a couple reasons
- I obsess over packing light
- I tend to buy pedals that I never really use on stage more than a few times
- How many do you need?
- Depends on the gig you’re covering
- Acoustic/songwriter/folk/pop/jazz
- A lot of guys will do dry and/or just a compressor
- Role of the bass is often just to exist in the low end, not drawing any attention… less is more
- Rock/metal
- Distortion, overdrive, and/or fuzz
- I really like Boss Octave (OC3), TC had a Tube Tone simulator
- Latin/salsa/funk
- Latin/salsa: Compression and Foam (old school pedal)
- Don’t forget, a preamp or an amp simulator like the famous Tech 21 Sans Amp can be a lifesaver
- That was my first pedal and still use it regularly – Great in studio
- What do you generally use on stage?
- Dave
- TC had built in, no-nonsense, compressor – shopping now
- Octave pedal
- Optionals: Chorus, volume, synth wah
- Paul
- I’ve covered a lot of gigs with just a compressor, absolute must have
- A lot of times I’m on an active, jazz style bass, so I’ll dig in fingerstyle for a barking tone. I’ll adjust EQ for different tones, more bite vs. more thud
- Line 6 POD XT floor unit, using it for about 10 years
- Have a few pedal separates, but starting to buy more into them
- My favorite effects are a nice analog chorus, and a suboctave… also have a wah for doing some funky solos
- Dave
- Loopers, why didn’t we talk about them