Pedals on bass pedalboard?

BenPerkins

BenPerkins

New member
Hi guys,

Building a mini bass pedalboard - Chorus and tuner are already accounted for. I think I have room for 2 more pedals. What are some you can’t live without or suggest?

Thank you
 
Totally depends on your amp and the sounds you're going for. I like compression, some kind of drive, and delay. I also like a noise gate, EQ, and synth...

If you're happy with your base tone and just want some flavor, a drive with a clean blend is a great place to start. I like MXR distortions on bass but that's not a popular opinion. If you want good EQ, something with parametric mid bands is a great choice - I use a Wampler EQuator but I would love to have a QStrip or a Source Audio Programmable EQ2. The compressor I use is an Emma Transmorgrifier, but there are tons of good choices. My gate is a trusty old Boss NS2. Delay is whatever you like. My synth of choice is an EHX Hog and I think I'd recommend something from the Hog/Pog family for good tracking and fun sounds.

Another path would be to get an HX One as a catch-all. It can be any effect you want. Line 6 stuff sounds great on bass.
 
Thank you for your feedback. I’m using a GK 400RB combo (solid state). For usage, I’m playing anything from 50’s/60’s Rock, to Sabbath influenced (fuzz, etc). I might use a bass wah in front of the pedalboard.

Seashore said:
Totally depends on your amp and the sounds you're going for. I like compression, some kind of drive, and delay. I also like a noise gate, EQ, and synth...

If you're happy with your base tone and just want some flavor, a drive with a clean blend is a great place to start. I like MXR distortions on bass but that's not a popular opinion. If you want good EQ, something with parametric mid bands is a great choice - I use a Wampler EQuator but I would love to have a QStrip or a Source Audio Programmable EQ2. The compressor I use is an Emma Transmorgrifier, but there are tons of good choices. My gate is a trusty old Boss NS2. Delay is whatever you like. My synth of choice is an EHX Hog and I think I'd recommend something from the Hog/Pog family for good tracking and fun sounds.

Another path would be to get an HX One as a catch-all. It can be any effect you want. Line 6 stuff sounds great on bass.
Click to expand...
 
Sansamp Programmable Bass Driver stores three presets. Good at getting tube amp tone from solid state bass rigs.
Not an effect, but it's nice having good core tones to work with. I brought one along for many years; sturdy & reliable.
 
Another vote for Fuzz

Some fuzzy something

Basses love fuzz

EQ pedal maybe......

Some sort of drive or distortion ....


Or Fuzz
 
If you have two spots get the Zoom BX1 bass pedal
uses 9 volt

Has all the effects

Choose later

Or just call up patches

Oh wait it has a tuner and chorus

And drum loops

Just add a board
 
I would take a Rat or an MXR bass distortion over a fuzz. I always want to like fuzz on bass, but something with more definition always wins out in a mix. But ask a bunch of bass players for their favorite drive and you'll get a bunch of different answers. Honestly for 50s through Sabbath era tones, I think Eclecticsynergy has it right - something with flexible drive, EQ, and presets will be your best friend.
 
At the risk of spamming this thread with my thoughts, I just want to say, the HX Effects is a phenomenal bass pedalboard all on its own. I was blown away by how simple it was to put together a virtual version of my existing weirdo parallel processing board, and it sounded cleaner and was easier to use. Their EQ and compression are as good or better than anything else I've tried, their drives are good, and they even have a handful of bass-specific preamp models. So much utility in there. And you can lay it out however you want. If you're looking at spending a few hundred bucks on two or three pedals, I would give strong consideration to the HX Effects instead. The only effect it didn't kick off my board was my HOG.
 
Seashore said:
I would take a Rat or an MXR bass distortion over a fuzz. I always want to like fuzz on bass, but something with more definition always wins out in a mix. But ask a bunch of bass players for their favorite drive and you'll get a bunch of different answers. Honestly for 50s through Sabbath era tones, I think Eclecticsynergy has it right - something with flexible drive, EQ, and presets will be your best friend.
Click to expand...

You have to use a blend to get any good sounds out of fuzz, hence my other thread. Also the sheer number of meh bass fuzzes on the market is astounding.
 
Chistopher said:
You have to use a blend to get any good sounds out of fuzz, hence my other thread. Also the sheer number of meh bass fuzzes on the market is astounding.
Click to expand...

That's one of the reasons I run parallel into the amp. I use my old Traynor as a bass head, and I can run into both sides at once, with distortion on one side that I can dial up to taste with the channel volume. Even in that setup I found that a Rat type or MXR (I used the Distortion III for years but the distortion on the M80 works just as well) would give me everything I wanted out of a fuzz with more control. I didn't chase the fuzz dragon though, so there are probably great sounds out there I haven't experienced. The M80 has a clean blend that is very sensitive to adjustments but awesome when you have the right amount of grit dialed in.

I don't know how useful any of that will be to anybody but me. It's just a character I happen to like. I do think an LS 2 would be a safe bet for you, and it's got more flexibility if you happen to want something other than a straight up blend in the future.
 
Seashore said:
At the risk of spamming this thread with my thoughts, I just want to say, the HX Effects is a phenomenal bass pedalboard all on its own. I was blown away by how simple it was to put together a virtual version of my existing weirdo parallel processing board, and it sounded cleaner and was easier to use. Their EQ and compression are as good or better than anything else I've tried, their drives are good, and they even have a handful of bass-specific preamp models. So much utility in there. And you can lay it out however you want. If you're looking at spending a few hundred bucks on two or three pedals, I would give strong consideration to the HX Effects instead. The only effect it didn't kick off my board was my HOG.
Click to expand...

I agree with this...the HX Effects is fantastic. Also, look for some of the older ones..the M13 or M9 is great too.
 
Overdrive and Compressor. Cannot play bass with at least one.

I used to have the MXR Bass DI+ for gain sounds. It was great, but had a sound. If you want a little lighter and/or more tube-y overdrive, I like the Tech 21 stuff.

Compressor, my favorite was the Electro Harmonix Black Finger. Sounded fantastic as a very non-transparent compressor that could get a hint of tube overdrive too, but if you want something a little more transparent, I like the MXR Bass Compressor.
 
I'm also in the HX Effects camp. I have a patch with the BDDI model and an Ampeg Classic preamp in the fx loop where I can toggle between one or the other. Timmy (2x), compressor, octaver and eq on demand.

IMG_3420.jpg
 
Thus far it’s looking like:

TC Polytune 2
MXR M281 Thump
Mooer Thunderball
Digitech Bass Multi Chorus

Still waiting for the M281 to arrive…
 
I remembered I’ve got a few pedals in storage, mostly fuzz. If the Thunderball doesn’t do the trick, I also have a DOD 250 I might try.

ehdwuld said:
Another vote for Fuzz

Some fuzzy something

Basses love fuzz

EQ pedal maybe......

Some sort of drive or distortion ....


Or Fuzz
Click to expand...
 
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