Effects or no Effects?

[Brian Casey]

I played for over 20 years without effects of any kind, and was quite proud of that, for whatever reason. I just picked up a Rane compressor two years ago, but with the intent of protecting my speakers more than creating a 'sound'.

Recently, however, I started playing in a Zappa-Rep ensemble, at times with no guitar player (imagine that...), so I've had to fill the void. Rather than try a bazillion pedals I know nothing about and enter a learning curve that I didn't want to mess with, I got the Boss GT-8B. There was enough learning curve in that single unit to make me almost turn my back, but I've figured it out at least to the point that I can cover many specific sounds that there was no way I'd be able to otherwise. Scott Thunes, Zappa's studio and touring bassist during the last 10 years of his rock career, pretty much, made frequent and elaborate use of a phaser, and I fill out other songs or sections with chorus, distortion (when we have no guitar), Octaver and even some AutoWah.

On any gig outside of this group, though, I am completely Au Natural and still like it that way.

[Martin Duarte]

Hi,

I agree with many of you, I prefer not to use anything.
But sometimes its necessary to use a little bit of reverb when soloing and a little bit of chorus when playing chords, it sounds fuller and less dry.

Take care,

Martin

[Tim Pruitt]

I have a BassPOD XT Live, but have never used it while playing a service.

So no effects for me.

[Dennis Michaels]

Live I use nothing.

[Michael Stram]

Oh boy.....confession time.

The most I used at one time was 20? Yeah 20 pedals. you name it I had it. I was in my Boosty phase at the time...still kinda am.

what i can remember that i had

1. Overdrive Electronics valve grinder ( used by lee ronaldo )
2. Valve Drive i cant remember manufacturer, but its big and blue..not the blue tube pedal.
3. vintage Mutron 3 i got from Felton Crews
4. Roger mayer Voodoo vibe
5. EH Q-tron plus
6. EH Bass Balls
7. EH Bass Micro Synth
8. Snarling Dogs mold spore ring modulator
9. MXR flanger..vinatge unit no led
10. A/DA Flanger reissue

what the hell was wrong with me...

11. Hughes and kettner Tube factor (this ones really cool)
12. DOD envelope filter
13. Korg G5 bass synth
14. Colorsound wah / fuzz / phaser..I dont know if that was vintage or reissue
15. Boss Line selector pedal
16. Mutron 3+ reissue mutron..this one stinks though
17. Fulltone Deja Vibe
18. Prescription Electronics Experience Pedal
19. Vintage ibanez flanger (yellow one )

there were more...way more now that I think of it

I even got to use my dads rockmann or whatever it was called.


hey what do you want..i was 19 / 21 and had no responsibilities and to me money was just the middle man to all the crap i wanted.

[ed hauser]

sometimes ill split the signal and run the low freqs dry (compressed 2-3.1)and put just a little polish on the top end(compressed 3.1). for full range ill just use a little verb or maybe a splash of chorus(for slapping) or octaver (signal compressed 3-4.1).