[quote name='basstech' timestamp='1337197172' post='1657090']
There must be a total of 3 bass pedals that sound good to my ears - the rest sound .......well, crap - and yet I keep seeing 'em held in high esteem by some people.....(Big Muff springs to mind).....
Surely if you've got a good basic rig, a preamp, chorus and compressor that's all you need??
Am I missing something or is it just clever marketing by manufacturers?
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I don't know... I find that many pedals sound good. Others I don't like... but I'm not sure they sound "bad", it's quite subjective, and I know that some of the pedals I discard as "not likeable" can sound good in the band mix, since I see bands using them live...
As for "all you need is"... well, I don't think we all have the same needs. If you play rock covers exclusively you could probably do without an envelope filter of some sort... but I can't. I must have one *at least*, and I do not use chorus at all (I do have a phaser 'though). I use 2-3 dirt pedals too. But no compressor in my board. Funny, eh?