can guitar pedals be used for bass?

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
Ive noticed that there are pedals for bass. Are they really different or just marketed for bass players?
 
Re: can guitar pedals be used for bass?

My bass player and I both have fuzz pedals from EHX.

There is a HUGE difference in sound. Same thing goes for wah, although he doesn't own one.

I'm assuming the same is true for a lot of pedals aimed at bass. They are probably tuned specifically for the instrument.

With that said, I've heard great sounds by bass players with guitar effects. It's all about tweaking at that point.
 
Re: can guitar pedals be used for bass?

I was figuring the wah and stuff were prolly tuned for low freqs
 
Re: can guitar pedals be used for bass?

I found some good deals on guitar effects (a phaser and a DOD envelope filter) that my kid uses for bass. They sound great. So there's always the "if it sounds good to you..." concept, but most bass effects are EQ'd specifically for bass.

I would guess a lot of guitar effects shelve off the lows to limit distortion in the sub-guitar range. For bass, you'd lose a lot of signal running through filters like that.
 
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Re: can guitar pedals be used for bass?

bass pedals are designed to 'work' specifically with low frequencies. Some guitars pedals will work too but not all of them.
 
Re: can guitar pedals be used for bass?

I've seen this question on the BYOC forums several times. Basically, all you have to do is change one resistor value on the input side.

That being said, any guitar pedal will work for bass, but you may lose some low frequency when it's engaged. How much depends on the pedal. "Bass" versions are the same exact guts as their guitar counterparts, just with the low pass filter removed. So, if you're a bassist who likes the Geddy Lee style tone (all mids and no lows) then you'd probably be fine. If you want thundering lows, then you'll probably not enjoy the sound of a guitar pedal.

MANY bassists use "guitar" pedals. For example, the Big Muff is a popular bass fuzz. I use a Boss DD-6 with no issues. Same with Tremolo. The EH POG sounds great with a bass.
 
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Re: can guitar pedals be used for bass?

My old bass player would use my Pro CO Rat for a fuzz sound and could pull off some sick MUSE tones. I also heard some bass pedals work nice with guitars.
 
Re: can guitar pedals be used for bass?

I use a bass fuzz on guitar - makes it sounds sorta like a distorted bass.

I think burton used a morley guitar wah for bass.
 
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