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Pedal board beginner needs advice!


stoker
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Started putting together a small board for live gigs and I've got a chorus on the way and a SYB-5 that was a gift from our drummer.
The thing is what else should I get?
One of my bands is a rock/pop band with a very '60s feel and the other is a blues band so was thinking maybe an overdrive or fuzz?
Any advice or tips would be much appreciated!

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First pedals I would buy would be a Tuner, then a decent pre/di and then a compressor. That is of course if I was starting from scratch, I would find it hard without my Octaver or any of my fuzzes/overdrives but I have found those first 3 are the most important, even if they're not the most fun.

Edited by EskimoBassist
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it's a really difficult question to answer - there are no [i]must[/i] have effects as far as I'm concerned, it's just personal preference.

If you've got a POD already, am I right in thinking that has a selection of FX? If so, that should give you an idea on the sort of pedals you may be interested in...

Personally, I have never felt the need for a compressor or a preamp, but others swear by them, so it's really horses for courses here. Sorry, that's not really a recommendation is it!

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[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1353946937' post='1880081']
Do you have a budget in mind?
[/quote]

Due to having a low paid job at the moment around £50 is my top end.

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1353936519' post='1879888']
it's a really difficult question to answer - there are no [i]must[/i] have effects as far as I'm concerned, it's just personal preference.

If you've got a POD already, am I right in thinking that has a selection of FX? If so, that should give you an idea on the sort of pedals you may be interested in...

Personally, I have never felt the need for a compressor or a preamp, but others swear by them, so it's really horses for courses here. Sorry, that's not really a recommendation is it!
[/quote]

If my plans work out the POD will be getting incorporated into my home recording set up.

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I'd play with some FX on your pod & see what you find you use. There's no right answer here.
I'm another that doesn't have a tuner, pre/di or compressor & probably never will have (though that could change).
I find octave, dirt, filter & chorus are the main basic pedals I use, but you might not need any of those either.

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The Boss ODB-3 is great for the buyer on a budget. You can pick one up for £50 or less 2nd hand on BC or eBay and works great for the money. Ultimately you get what you pay for and many OD and Fuzz pedals at that price are limited on either features, tone or build quality, but as a stop gap keep your eyes on the Effects for sale forum and buy 2nd hand!

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As Shep has said, the ODB-3 (especially set on lower gain settings) is a great pedal. You may also like the EHX Bass Big Muff, which can be had VERY cheaply on this forum. I had both for years before shifting them on and loved them dearly. Part of me misses them both actually, despite having swapped them both out for pedals a little more boutique.

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I would certainly consider a multi-fx during this period of 'not knowing what you want/need'. There are some great pedals to be had second hand for only a little more than your budget.
Boss ME-50B's often sell for around £80-90, and that's more than 20 different, good quality, effects easily. The Line6 M5 gets awesome reviews, Zoom stuff is coming back up.

Good luck

Si

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[quote name='stoker' timestamp='1353951645' post='1880174']
In that case an anyone suggest a decent overdrive/distortion/fuzz for not a lot of pennys?
[/quote]

As an overdrive, you might want to look at the DOD FX250, I love mine.

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Marshall Jackhammer or Guv'nor 2! Great OD pedals for not much money at all. I got my JH for £15 and my Guv for £21 off eBay. I find the ODB-3 a little too buzzy for me, lacks warmth!

You can't go wrong with a Behringer BDI-21. It's a tone shaping bass DI pedal and you can set a really lovely gritty tone or if you want to use it as an OD, you can! It's definitely worth it because they're only £25 brand new.

Personally, my essentials are delay, drive/OD, octaver and volume pedal. I do like tremolos aswell but always struggle to fit it into songs :(

Truckstop

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The one thing (IMO) you should look out for in a bass OD/Fuzz is a blend pot. It will allow you to keep the lows relatively intact. I'm a fan of the MXR Blowtorch but it is a pedal you'll either love or hate. They usually go for about £70 secondhand. Also a +1 for a decent pedal tuner. Those clip-on jobs are fine but in a tight space they can get knocked off easily.

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[quote name='stoker' timestamp='1353875721' post='1879303']
Started putting together a small board for live gigs and I've got a chorus on the way and a SYB-5 that was a gift from our drummer.
The thing is what else should I get?
One of my bands is a rock/pop band with a very '60s feel and the other is a blues band so was thinking maybe an overdrive or fuzz?
Any advice or tips would be much appreciated!
[/quote]

The best advice I can give is not to buy pedals just because you think you need them. Loads of people (myself included) have spent small fortunes buying expensive gadgets they thought they needed but in fact didn't. If you feel a sound is missing, then try to replicate that sound. But don't buy a chorus/phaser/compressor etc just because everyone says they're essential pedalboard kit!

As for ODs, I'd definitely recommend something with a clean blend. Or get a Boss LS2 and use that to blend in clean signals with your own choice of pedal.

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[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1354098553' post='1881950']
I would certainly consider a multi-fx during this period of 'not knowing what you want/need'. There are some great pedals to be had second hand for only a little more than your budget.
Boss ME-50B's often sell for around £80-90, and that's more than 20 different, good quality, effects easily. The Line6 M5 gets awesome reviews, Zoom stuff is coming back up.

Good luck

Si
[/quote]

I went to see a David Phelps gig a couple of years ago & the bassist was using a Sadowsky into a ME50B to a SWR Super Redhead. Had a great sound.

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[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1354207297' post='1883653']
The best advice I can give is not to buy pedals just because you think you need them. Loads of people (myself included) have spent small fortunes buying expensive gadgets they thought they needed but in fact didn't. If you feel a sound is missing, then try to replicate that sound. But don't buy a chorus/phaser/compressor etc just because everyone says they're essential pedalboard kit!

As for ODs, I'd definitely recommend something with a clean blend. Or get a Boss LS2 and use that to blend in clean signals with your own choice of pedal.
[/quote]

I'm only getting the chorus because I like the sound. :)
Everyone is giving a lot of food for thought. Many thanks!
Looks like I'm gonna be investigating a lot of pedals.

Edited by stoker
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[quote name='stoker' timestamp='1354223091' post='1883927']
How do people rate Behringer gear?
[/quote]

I don't either. Anything by these guys except passive Di'shave all been pants.

I wouldn't go any where with out a quality dependable tuner, and my compressor.
Compression for me is a must, for a lot of reasons outside of personal ones it also helps protect my gear from retards during amp shares.

I would suggest a preamp of choice that has a quality DI on it too. The pre-amp sound I like is on my head though, along with the quality DI so I always have my head with me, since it doesn't weigh a tonne.

I personally do not rate a lot of the pedal- esque pre-amps, just because a lot of what I have tried have sounded half arsed or cheap. Some good stuff for the monies but i'd rather invest in either an amp I like the sound of or a quality stand alone pre-amp.

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