Pedal with Loop option and Delay

[WillEdwards]

Hi All

Basically, I have been playing bass for a while but have never used effects.

I was playing with a guitarist last night who had a pedal that could record loops live and play them back. He could lay a couple of loops over each other and then jam on top of them. This same pedal also had a delay with variable frequency, modulating delay and a reverse playback. I just thought that it was so awesome and I would like one myself!

Firstly I was looking for a pedal which could record live loops and also had a delay option. I am not so bothered about the other delay options.

Secondly, are guitar effects pedals different from bass effects pedals, or can you just buy a pedal and it can be used on either a guitar or bass?

Does anyone have any suggestions of pedals that their friends have used/ ones that they have played with/liked themselves?

Thanks,

Will

[deej]

Guitar and bass pedals are usually aimed at different frequencies. Some guitar pedals dont retain the low end of the bass, but some people might like the sound it gives. Any pedal with a blend knob will generally be good for bass because you can bring back the original tone of the bass. Failing that, you can just buy a blend pedal separately and put the pedals through that to mix your bass in.

For the looper and delay take a look at the EHX Memory Man w/Hazarai, does pretty much everything you're asking. The Akai Headrush is a good shout too. If you wanna go crazy and have the money, check out a Line 6 M9 or M13. Its a multi fx unit and the looper on it is excellent.

Edited December 31, 2010 by deej

[GarethFlatlands]

Also look at the Line 6 DL4 and Boss Giga-delay.

[WillEdwards]

Thanks guys for the advice.

I tried the Akai Headrush with Hazarai and although the delay was really good I thought that the loop function was poor because each of the loops had to be the same length.

I have had a look at the other suggestions but they are getting on the expensive side of things and I am not sure that I want to spend that much straight away on my first pedal.

Do you know whether the Boss DD7 supports bass frequencies? This is still quite expensive but a little cheaper than the other suggestions.

[Doddy]

[quote name='WillEdwards' post='1078078' date='Jan 4 2011, 11:09 PM']I tried the Akai Headrush with Hazarai and although the delay was really good I thought that the loop function was poor because each of the loops had to be the same length.[/quote]

You'll find this to be the case with most of the pedal loopers. If you initially put down a 4 bar loop,everything you layer over the top will be over
those 4 bars.

[Salt on your Bass?]

[quote name='deej' post='1073951' date='Dec 31 2010, 07:22 PM']For the looper and delay take a look at the EHX Memory Man w/Hazarai, does pretty much everything you're asking. The Akai Headrush is a good shout too. If you wanna go crazy and have the money, check out a Line 6 M9 or M13. Its a multi fx unit and the looper on it is excellent.[/quote]

+1 to this. The main differences are the memory man is a delay with lopper added, the headrush a looper with delay added. I went through simiar as you a while back and setted on the ehx as i preferred the delay options. You could also of course get a seperate looper and delay which would open up a lot of options as well.

I think a multieffect could be worth it though. Sounds like youve started down the dark side and you wont stop after just a looper and delay! If you are thinking about others though i wouldnt dissmiss them. The m9 is a hell of a pedal and comes up round here at a fair price every so often. Good bang for your buck.

Best advice is try em and see what you think and what suits. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

[peteplaytime]

[quote name='Salt on your Bass?' post='1086351' date='Jan 12 2011, 07:10 AM']You could also of course get a seperate looper and delay which would open up a lot of options as well.[/quote]

The synth player in my band decided to quit the band over Christmas. I've stepped into the breach, using a looper pedal to loop my bass lines then playing keys (or vice versa) over the top. I went through exactly the same process as you in choosing a looper. I tried out the Akai Headrush - the delay was pretty rad (the multiple head tape echo simulation in particular) but I couldn't get along with the looper (probably my technical incompetence rather than the pedal).

In the end I decided on a Boss RC-20 for loops and a Boss DD3 for the delay. I find the RC-20 incredibly simple to use, you can store loops in the memory and you can overdub easily. I picked up a DD3 on ebay for £40 and it sounds fine.

Obviously not much use if you have restricted space on your board, but is an option you could consider...

Edited January 12, 2011 by peteplaytime