ilovefuzz.com

I've been playing bass for maybe 4 years, but that used to be just for recording purposes, playing with a pick... It helped me develop certain ways I play and create riffs, but it was all just a side thing...

This year, a band formed with me as a bass player and I quit my guitar band, becoming basically a bass player, wow. Now - it's great that i am mainly a guitar player because:
a) I can EASILY contribute with guitar riffs and whole songs as well
b) i have a more agressive and up-front style of playing, which fits our music
c) I'm not afraid of effects and out-of-the-box thinking maybe?

but c) is problematic for me... because i'm having trouble using effects on bass. Sure, I DO use a drive and a delay. My usual pedalboard RIGHT NOW is Elements -> DM-2 (must experiment more with the DMM) -> tuner
I want to do more. But I feel... unable? I WILL definitely try Ghost Echo, but i'm not sure how i'd use it... I'm thinking about a fuzz and an octaver, but even the octaver is a bit unsure to me

basically, it feels as if I started anew and needed to explore it all again... is this normal? it pisses me off And there are players I love who use effects and i want to get creative with them too, but i feel as if my hands were tied... or as if i was doing everything wrong. WHAT DO

tl;dr: effects don't on bass, what do

Yeah different instruments are a different beast, even if it's just guitar to bass guitar you've gotta do things different.

This is gonna sound boring but just use what sounds good to you. On bass I love fuzz and filters most for effects, but I've heard everything sound good in other peoples' hands, if you plug a bass into a pedal and it makes a fun sound, that's good use that.

I've heard everything sound good in other peoples' hands, too... just not in mine

I think my bass playing an band might require a bit simplistic approach despite the fact that i'd like to go all crazy and shit... maybe it will happen overtime, who knows...

I mean i still have quite a lot to figure out. Buying an amp tomorrow and then I'll need to find a great muff sound on my Elements, because I feel i need something heavy and boomy for heavier parts where I play chords for example... I might try an OC-2 or an Octave Multiplexer for shits and giggles, never used an octaver ever, so that should be fun and it'll probably not work out anyway (edit: just remembered I have a Boss PS-6 incoming, maybe I can use that, that could be fun! )

I am basically just surprised that I don't have as many problems with playing and coming up with parts as much as with my whole philosophy and finding a sound

Fuck a philosophy, write parts and play them and see how it feels. Does it feel perfect? Change nothing. Does it feel like it needs a certain sound? Find that sound. I don't think there's any need to go more complicated. There's far more value in writing and good playing than in the gear and tone you use (sorry guys), so focus on that and make the other stuff bolster the core strengths.

OC-2 is real nice for adding some beef to bass. PS-6 could be really fun too!

Thanks for the pep-talk, man I'm sort of new to this and I ALWAYS overthink everything

The PS-6 will be great, I use a PS-5. Since the bass gig is new to you, not to sound boring but keep it simple while your group gels, then slowly pepper in the fx. I use the same board for guitar and bass but use my delays and ABsynth more when I'm playing guits, filters and Algal Bloom with low gain on bass. The PS-5 is used sometimes just to add a fifth to my bass note when the guitarist is soloing (I have a 3-piece band).

They are different instruments so instead of taking your guitar style or whatever over to bass responsibilities, yeah you are starting over. That's a good thing

i try to use the same board with guitar and bass but do sometimes end up taking pedals off when i use bass, maybe just because i only play bass in a band and live, not guitar at the moment
i try to buy effects that are bound to sound good on both - i really like reverb on bass too, when i had a ghost echo it was rad
what ever you choose to do, just have fun!

monkeydancer wrote:Fuck a philosophy, write parts and play them and see how it feels. Does it feel perfect? Change nothing. Does it feel like it needs a certain sound? Find that sound. I don't think there's any need to go more complicated. There's far more value in writing and good playing than in the gear and tone you use (sorry guys), so focus on that and make the other stuff bolster the core strengths.

qft

Effects are there if you feel like something's missing. If you can write parts and play them well and enjoy the sounds you're making there's no need to overthink it because you're used to having more pedals at your feet.

Yeah, Monkeydancer hit it on the head. But also, what's this new band like? Whatever your instrument, it's all about context. When I'm writing for Crotchthrottle, it's fx on everything! Fx on the drums, on the bass, on the "guitar," on the vox... but I find that in Monument Thief, it is much more about stacking gain stages to get my dirt and dynamics just right. I do have some modulation and delay, but that tends to be more for spot use in those songs... because that's what feels appropriate to me.

If your new band feels fine without much fx on the bass, there's no problem. If you feel like you want more, or that there's something missing, figure out where it would fit best first, and then dig into what sort of sound you want there.

I agree that it depends on the song/band. I have forced effects on parts that didn't need them and I have really helped parts shine with them. As long as the band is open to experimenting and you guys are using your ears, all will be fine.
I would say that getting a LowPass Type wah instead of BandPass one is AWESOME with fuzz on bass.

The best advice I can offer is that you let the instrument/effects serve the song, not the other way around. It should be all about the songwriting craft. If it needs an effect use it. If it needs a complex part then put it in. Otherwise just keep it simple.

Pretty much echoing ^ bass really is about serving the song and keeping things moving, your sound has a huge impact on the overall atmosphere no matter what stye or sound so you kind'a have end up being wayyyyyyyyyyy more picky about what you use, even pedals like the BBM are useful to people The one thing you will get [or not.. some people are well… you've seen sling blade right…?] very sensitive to pedals messing with your unity gain and/or lows, and what I mean is you don't want to drop out of you normal place in the mix [sometimes louder is good for what you are doing and low loss can be battled by a bit of a output bump depending on the song]. That's why even though I have a shit ton of pedals what goes on my board is over scrutinized during rehearsals because I don't like having to think about anything other than playing and using effects is part of playing if they are part of your sound/style, you want to be able to feel you need a sound and know that whatever combo of things you turn on to get it don't make you drop out or double your volume [people get mad at you for some reason for this..]

thanks, guys to be honest, i've had a bit of a rough start, playing borrowed gear and slowly trying to get my own. That didn't help me get comfortable at all... but today i bought an amp at least, plus i'm just trying to figure out a bass
right now i'm playing an active schecter. it's a pretty dumb bass, but it's very comfortable. Thought about getting it on the cheap, but right now, i'm thinking that if it's still available in two weeks (payday), i might buckle up and get a 70's Sekova Tele bass instead for some better instrumentage

all in all, there have been some bumps along the road already... so they got me a bit nervous and i've had a hard time loosening up and just enjoying the music, because I'Ve had to fight a weak and shitty sounding amp and a bass i'm not too happy about

DarkAxel wrote: I think my bass playing an band might require a bit simplistic approach despite the fact that i'd like to go all crazy and shit... maybe it will happen overtime, who knows...

To get all crazy and shit, you need to first be able to be all simple and just do stuff on autopilot.

As a wise man once told me, "To play free, you have to be free."

In this case, that's free of thoughts of 'what do I use, etc' and just be able to reach out and do it - effects, instrument, whatever.