Hi all. I play in a project with electronic backing tracks. All of the songs have the bass track lined out from the computer going to a bass amp, all settings on 12 o clock.
I play bass on a few other songs (but never with the bass backing track, so it's one or the other live through the amp).
It's a P bass. I wouldn't mind using an external pedal to shape the bass sound, and not tough the amp.
What would be best here? A Bass EQ pedal and e.g. an overdrive or fuzz pedal? Or should I look at one of those preamp type pedals? e.g. the Palmer Bass Pocket Amp? Or the little red Zoom pedal?
I have a Bass Chorus pedal already and a TC mini reverb, so am thinking maybe some kind of EQ or fuzz type thing?
Don't need to spend a massive amount, say, Boss levels of spend.
Comments
Overdrive is a different kettle of fish altogether and there's even more smoke and mirrors out there. Tech 21 do great stuff and I have used their Blonde pedal (which is a Fender guitar amp sim) on bass for a bit of edge but personally I don't use OD much. The Sansamp has been mentioned by others as well and there's a whole bunch of pedals out there which claim to be the greatest thing ever. You'll just have to play as many as you can or spend an afternoon looking on YT. If fuzz is your thing, the Danelectro FABtone is a brutal fuzz pedal for guitar but works really well with bass, Rhonda Smith used one with Prince for some of the segues between songs when playing live. The Hot Cakes Prunes and Custard is a bit of a beast as well - sitting between fuzz and OD but not easy to get hold of these days.
[This space for rent]
https://www.premierguitar.com/dr-j-d53-sparrow-driver-and-di-review
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd
They did a good demo though:
and this is a fantastic demo at all levels of gain with loads of different pedals:
Here's his playlist:
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd
It can load 40 different tones for bass and guitar and run them stacked in series, parallel blended or true stereo.
It's a superbly versatile pedal.
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd
Let's take into account, the amp I am going into is not a high end one either, it is mainly there for "volume", and happens to be a bass amp as well.
Unfortunately I can't offer much insight into the valve drive specifically as I've not played one. I don't know what amp you're using but many of the budget ones are coloured - usually the mids are scooped a little. Another consideration might be a Joyo JF14 American Sound, it's a clone of the Tech21/Sansamp blonde pedal and introduces a little grit into things as well. Cheap as chips if you can pick one up used but get one that is as mint as possible. I have two and one is starting to scream a little bit in extreme drive settings after nearly ten years.
[This space for rent]
http://www.theboxwoodchessmen.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tingiants/?view_public_for=231700547508938
And I'm not buying the new stupid tiny one where half the controls are behind a panel on the bottom.
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd