i guess i just feel like buying a few pedals to play around with but they need to be considered choices. the boss TU-3 seems to be well regarded as a tuner (yes i have a tuner but.... you know
), and the bass clone chorus pedal will hopefully get me sounding a bit more realistic when playing joy division. (ive just bought this one, my first purchase).
That’s as good a reason as any and I do love a bit of chorus. MXR bass chorus was my first pedal. I wasn’t saying go one way or another, just think about what you’re trying to achieve. Drive pedals are like chillies. Which type you go for has a huge influence on your overall flavour. Personally, I don’t like an aggressive drive and I don’t currently have a dedicated drive pedal. My preamp has built in drive and I currently have it always on but set low. Playing normally you hardly notice it, but dig in and play hard and it gives a nice bit of sizzle.
Took me a while to understand preamps. I think of it as a signature style. It’s the last stage of your chain that gives a subtle colour to your sound. In the old days, tube amps had their own unique character. Modern solid state amps are a bit blander and a good preamp can add back a bit of character. If you are gigging, they also mean you can take your sound with you, to whatever amp you plug into. There are lots of preamps designed to sound like classic amps as well. It all depends what you are after.
No recommendation on power supplies. That one you linked to looks pretty good though. I think it has all the options you’ll ever need.
I reckon a chorus is a sound choice. You might also look at some kind of fuzz. That’s a different flavor of drive that your rumble can’t do.
As you have probably realized, pedals are fun. Like I said above, my perception as a guitarist with a bass is that less is more for bass and that too many effects can mess with the clarity and drive you want bass to bring to the low end of a song. Happy to be corrected in that.
what I’ve found interesting is the difference in how a bass tone sits in a mix compared to being heard on its own. With guitar, what you hear with the guitar on its own is pretty similar to how that tone sounds in a full band context. With bass theres a bigger difference I feel.
i maybe wrong but I think the obsession with the sans amp is to do with people trying to get the ampeg svt tone used on lots of (90’s) records. Also lots of gigging bass players seem to have a bass amp on stage but also send a DI signal to the PA and the sans amp is a well regarded way of doing that too.
Personally, I don’t like an aggressive drive and I don’t currently have a dedicated drive pedal. My preamp has built in drive and I currently have it always on but set low. Playing normally you hardly notice it, but dig in and play hard and it gives a nice bit of sizzle.
so like the bass soul food then?
You might also look at some kind of fuzz.
so not like the bass soul food then? 🙂
No recommendation on power supplies. That one you linked to looks pretty good though. I think it has all the options you’ll ever need.
it has all the options but there seems to be a wide price range between power supplies like that at £25, and recommended isolating supplies suggested by chatgpt such as the truetone CS6 at £120! im happy(ish) to spend whats needed once, rather than buy cheap buy twice, but dont want to drink the kool aid and spend unnecessarily.
Also lots of gigging bass players seem to have a bass amp on stage but also send a DI signal to the PA and the sans amp is a well regarded way of doing that too.
i thought a pre-amp was a way of bypassing the amp altogether, sort of 'taking your own amp in a small box' to a gig and plugging into their system. why would you have your own bass amp on stage yet still plug into a PA?
thanks. always learning 🙂
i thought a pre-amp was a way of bypassing the amp altogether, sort of 'taking your own amp in a small box' to a gig and plugging into their system. why would you have your own bass amp on stage yet still plug into a PA?
Unless you are in a very small space, your onstage amp won’t be big enough to fill the room, so you need to use the venue pa. Plugging in a preamp means you take your own tone with you. The amp on stage is just so you can hear what you are playing. The other option is to use in ear monitors ( also known as silent stage).
No idea about the Bass Soul Food, never heard of it. The more important question is do you like it? That’s all that matters.
You need to get your head round the idea that you’ll need to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. Get ready to buy and sell a lot. EBay and Reverb are good for this.
ok ta. just acquired a boss TU-3tuner and a donner ISO 8 power supply for £65 which im happy with. the bass clone pedal was £45 and i got the original 20 x 11" vevor pedalboard with carrybag and a few leads and velcro for £20.
good fun this isnt it, waaaaay better than spunking a few hundred quid in a oner 😀
sods law isnt it, just checked vinted and theres a boss TU-3 tuner on there for £40, plugged in and used once, sat in a cupboard since apparently.
im sorted now but it seems a bargain for any of you out there maybe wanting one?
https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/9027961052-boss-chromatic-tuner-tu-3?referrer=catalog
Personally I'd spend a bit more and get
https://www.thomann.co.uk/harley_benton_powerplant_iso_10ac_pro.htm
Because the wall wart powered ones aren't as gig robust and this gives you all the future proofing. Cheap ones aren't properly isolated and are no better than a daisy chain in a box
Start with a good tuner and then see if you can borrow a drive pedal, you can use a guitar pedal if you like because not all of them filter the low end (avoid a tube screamer) I use an ODR1 mini, an octave pedal is a good one to try. Chorus gets you into 80s mode
