Gear needed for ampless

[FretsOnFire]

Wasn't sure in which section to post this but

 

In the times in which I don't have my amp to hand just a bass and a pedal for rehearsals and gigging which one pedal would cover everything I'd need?

 

This might be a silly question but I've been looking at ampless and I'm confusing myself 😂

Edited yesterday at 13:23 by FretsOnFire

[Lozz196]

Something like the Tech21 Fly Rig would do it.

[Elfrasho]

Depends on your situation. You could literally go DI straight into the FOH. Turn up to a gig with a bass and lead, get a clip on tuner for a tenner and your pretty much sorted.

 

If you want a bit of tone sculpting plus a tuner, then you're spoilt for choice. I'm an HX stomp man, but I also happily use a 10 year old Zoom MS60b for basic needs. Pretty much anything these days will do a decent job. Don't discount something without an XLR out, that seems to be a deal breaker for some when it's really not. 

[Franticsmurf]

Personally I use a pre-amp pedal as part of my DI chain. My current choice is an Ampeg SCRDI but, of course, it's down to taste. I like to have the option of a compressor and  tuner and recently I've been using a noise gate. All of these come from a Zoom MS60b and the reality is that I could use it to give me an acceptable rehearsal pre-amp patch too. The beauty of that pedal is that if you or some one else suggests using chorus/octave/other on a song, you can easily call up something to try it out on the fly. I originally bought my MS60b so I could do just that with the intention of using a dedicated pedal for the final board. However, through all the iterations of my board, the MS60b has rarely been off it.     

[Lozz196]

Just remembered, I was YouTube hopping yesterday and saw the Flamma FB200 demoed, that would do the job very well and for not much money either.

[tauzero]

I use a Zoom MS-60B+, the successor to my MS-60B. I do intend to get the HX Stomp sorted but that needs an external PSU, I power the Zoom with rechargeable batteries that last four or five hours.

[Wombat]

I’ve used an HX Stomp for ages. Just need that and a couple of leads. I recently bought a NUX MG30 as a backup and I like it so much I’m gravitating towards using that instead of the Stomp.

 

Remember you will need to be able to hear yourself somehow if you have no amp. Relying on hearing FOH doesn’t really work. Sometimes a monitor will be provided but worth ‘spec’ing in’ an in ear (IEM) setup too. There’s lots in the IEM Bible thread about that.

[Boodang]

A multi FX like a Zoom or a Stomp will easily do the job, if however like me you don't get on with them, I use just a couple of my fav pedals that'll do the job for the gig. 

Always a comp (that does my tone shaping), an FX or two, then a radial sb2 passive DI. The nearest I've got to multi FX is the TC Plethora X as it feels more like pedals. 

If I'm not doing FX, then I've started using my behringer xr18 stage box. It might be a digital mixer but it's got a huge amount of tone shaping plus classic outboard emulations and an XLR out for FoH. And they've come down in price so way cheaper than a stomp for instance (although it's doing a different job). Then when you're not using it for gigs it can your home studio interface. Small and light as well. 

[fretmeister]

HX Stomp for me.

[warwickhunt]

You need something to create/shape tone and something to transmit that to your ears. 

 

At the cheapest end of the spectrum a multi-effects such as a Zoom MS60B (£60 used), IEM buds KZs maybe (£50) and transmitter/receiver such as Lekato (£50), will work.

 

A step up might be a better preamp Tech 21 etc (£100-£150), better IE (Sennheiser £100) and trans/rec (NUX £150).

 

You then start moving up to complex preamps, HX digital stuff (£350-£450), better IE and better trans/rec... prices vary massively now.

 

 

 

 

[Jack]

It really depends on what you need to do, specifically, do you just need to get yourself into the pa system? If so then that's comparatively easy. Or are you also responsible for hearing (monitoring) yourself? 

[FretsOnFire]

Would the following do the job?

 

BDI 21, Overdrive and comp 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

For a multifx with amp & pedal emulations, usb audio interface for recording, DI box, tuner, looper and even drum patterns built in, a secondhand zoom B3 would fit the bill and hard to beat on cost. Although this model is a few years old, the sounds still stand up, and it is still the easiest multifx I have ever used.

 

[Jack]

16 minutes ago, FretsOnFire said:

Would the following do the job?

 

BDI 21, Overdrive and comp 

Probably. Sorry the reason most people are either being vague or just recommending what they use is that we don't really have the information we need to properly answer your question. What's the situation? Band? Type of music? Volume requirements? Will this be going in to a pa (yours or supplied?) or backline? Do you also need some way of hearing yourself? Etc etc etc. Really the only thing you actually need is a DI box or something with an XLR output, and even that isn't actually necessary. Nothing to stop you just taking a normal guitar cable and plugging the bass straight into the mixer.

[Geek99]

I just use a zoom b2

[PaulThePlug]

Maybe the Behringer BDI21 would be the place to start... Bit of EQ, Bit of Drive and DI... and great value.

[SimonK]

[FretsOnFire]

3 hours ago, Jack said:

Probably. Sorry the reason most people are either being vague or just recommending what they use is that we don't really have the information we need to properly answer your question. What's the situation? Band? Type of music? Volume requirements? Will this be going in to a pa (yours or supplied?) or backline? Do you also need some way of hearing yourself? Etc etc etc. Really the only thing you actually need is a DI box or something with an XLR output, and even that isn't actually necessary. Nothing to stop you just taking a normal guitar cable and plugging the bass straight into the mixer.

I'm after something that will be easy to take on public transport to rehearsals and gigs, type of music is a mix from metal so Iron Maiden etc down to Luther Van Dross lol 

And going into a supplied PA

[dave_bass5]

If its good enough for Steve Harris.....

 

https://www.thomann.co.uk/tech_21_sh1.htm?srsltid=AfmBOoq6G8Gw2qdTyexCgK7B8neKOQorH7cBLPsq0PwU2n4yXAyOD88ddVU

 

 

Edited 23 hours ago by dave_bass5

[Boodang]

25 minutes ago, FretsOnFire said:

I'm after something that will be easy to take on public transport to rehearsals and gigs, type of music is a mix from metal so Iron Maiden etc down to Luther Van Dross lol 

And going into a supplied PA

So that could vary from just a DI box to tone shaping and effects to all of that and I want in ear. 

However, none of that in essence is difficult. If you like the sound of your bass and need nothing else, buy a DI. If you want tone shaping you'll need a Zoom/Stomp/pedals then DI. If you want one of those and IEM then you'll need two outputs, DI and IEM, and it's more complicated and more money. 

Btw, a cheap and reliable way to do iem.. instead of using a wireless system (expensive, flakey, black magic), I use a wired system (cheap, reliable not voodoo). I run a physical cable to a headphone amp on my belt to my in ears.

[Jack]

44 minutes ago, FretsOnFire said:

I'm after something that will be easy to take on public transport to rehearsals and gigs, type of music is a mix from metal so Iron Maiden etc down to Luther Van Dross lol 

And going into a supplied PA

Then your setup sounds ideal. My backup board is kind of similar and works great. 

[casapete]

5 hours ago, FretsOnFire said:

Would the following do the job?

 

BDI 21, Overdrive and comp 

Behringer BD 121 is a great start to solving your needs I think. G4M can deliver one to your door

for around £24.
In case you didn’t know, they are based on the Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver, which is a mid

range industry standard. I have both ( Tech 21 and the BD121) and the Behringer isn’t far

behind, especially when you factor in the price differential of around £225.

You can experiment with the BD121 for sounds and use the XLR DI out into the desk. In the

unlikely event you really don’t like it, then it’s handy for a spare ( or even flog it on here! ). 
£24 is a bargain price for such a useful pedal IMO. I have a couple of them, and there’s always

one in my leads bag on every gig I do. 

[jezzaboy]

Having owned multiple tone shaping di`s over the years, I actually prefer the Behringer to the Sansamp. Cheap as chips and sounds good for what I want it to do. 

[fretmeister]

1 minute ago, jezzaboy said:

Having owned multiple tone shaping di`s over the years, I actually prefer the Behringer to the Sansamp. Cheap as chips and sounds good for what I want it to do. 

 

Caline make a copy of the V1 BDDI as well.

 

To my old ears I think the Caline is slightly less scooped. I still have both though!

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

18 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

For a multifx with amp & pedal emulations, usb audio interface for recording, DI box, tuner, looper and even drum patterns built in, a secondhand zoom B3 would fit the bill and hard to beat on cost. Although this model is a few years old, the sounds still stand up, and it is still the easiest multifx I have ever used.

 

I have this ! This’ll do the job ! If plugging into mixer etc , there is the option of using effects or going direct by the touch of a button at the back.