Gear needed for ampless

[Dad3353]

22 hours ago, FretsOnFire said:

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 😂

 

If you're amp-less, how are you planning to hear your own bass..? From the rehearsal/gig stage monitors (if existant and capable...)..? With ear-phones, fed from the pedal..? Wired, or wireless..? How will the other players and (if relevant...) the FOH for the audience, hear the bass..? Standard practice for FOH is a feed from a DI box, which the bass plugs into. Is that all that you require, even for rehearsal..? The question needs fleshing out a little, I think. 

[synthaside]

If your looking at doing this on a budget ,  Can i recommend  a  Valetone Gp-5 , Im using  this is a 70 quid  IR loader / amp sim tool ,  https://www.andertons.co.uk/valeton-gp5-multi-effects-processor-amp-and-ir-loader/

have a watch of this  it should jump to the bass settings section at about 15 mins in.

 

 

I use mine ( hell i use the finger bass preset ) in place or an amp straight into a the PA system  ,  my setup is this on the end of my pedalboard  straight into the rehearsal space PA .  I can adjust any of the settings straight from my phone  i dont bother with any of the effects which are a bit " meh " but as a tiny amp in a box its fantastic.

Edited 21 hours ago by synthaside

[mike257]

On 15/09/2025 at 01:19, FretsOnFire said:

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 😂

 

It depends what "everything you'd need" is! I've done ampless gigs with nothing more than my bass, a clip on tuner on my headstock and a basic DI box before now. If you're not much of an effects user, that might be all you need and about as simple/compact as it's possible to be. 

[Ed_S]

If it's all I'm taking, I favour something 'real' that doesn't have to boot up. For example I personally wouldn't entertain the HX stuff without a backup because my very-light-home-use-only HX Stomp no longer boots - it just sits there with the backlight on but nothing happening. Support told me I was out of warranty/luck and could pay somebody to look at it if I wanted, but tbh it was never useful enough to warrant throwing good money after bad, so it's a paperweight.

 

Fly Rig v2 is a good unit for travelling light (or at very least I like mine) but make sure you mark the positions of your settings, as the little knobs and buttons are easily scrambled in transit.

[dave_bass5]

This is why i went with my EBS Microbass3. less to go wrong and all knobs are quickly accessible. It’s just feel more natural than the menu driven devices, although it does a lot less. Rock solid though. 

[Pow_22]

my favourite tone shaping DI currently is the Origin Effects Blackface 64.  One of these, a tuner and a Cali76 and i could gig with that

[FretsOnFire]

Thanks for the great responses folks I really appreciate it and I've been looking into zoom B3 and really do like that option.

 

My one Q is now to in ear monitors so I can hear myself clearly.

 

What's the best option for in ears?

[Dad3353]

I've never really understood, nor 'bought into', this idea of 'tone shaping'. I plug the bass into an amp/DI/console/whatever and play bass. Too simple..? Probably, with the disclaimer that I'm a drummer. (And 'No, I don't 'tone shape' drums, either. I just play them. Tone is in the fingers.')

[dave_bass5]

15 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

I've never really understood, nor 'bought into', this idea of 'tone shaping'. I plug the bass into an amp/DI/console/whatever and play bass. Too simple..? Probably, with the disclaimer that I'm a drummer. (And 'No, I don't 'tone shape' drums, either. I just play them. Tone is in the fingers.')

But your amp/rig is tone shaping. 

[Dad3353]

4 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

But your amp/rig is tone shaping. 

 

So is the room I'm playing in, and the atmospheric pressure of the day, and whether I play towards the bridge or the neck, or my mood, or ... whatever. 

[BigRedX]

21 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

I've never really understood, nor 'bought into', this idea of 'tone shaping'. I plug the bass into an amp/DI/console/whatever and play bass. Too simple..? Probably, with the disclaimer that I'm a drummer. (And 'No, I don't 'tone shape' drums, either. I just play them. Tone is in the fingers.')

 

Everything from your fingers and strings right through to the speakers and cabs has an influence over how the instrument sounds.

 

My response is to eliminate the as many of them as possible, and to reduce the influence of as many of the others as possible to make it easier to control the sound I and the audience hears.

[Dad3353]

1 minute ago, BigRedX said:

Everything from your fingers and strings right through to the speakers and cabs has an influence over how the instrument sounds.

 

My response is to eliminate the as many of them as possible, and to reduce the influence of as many of the others as possible to make it easier to control the sound I and the audience hears.

 

Maybe I'm just lucky; the sound I hear (I can(t know what each audience member hears...) suits me just fine, either when playing bass or drums. I'm just not that 'precious' about it. It sounds good, that's all I need. 

[synthaside]

 

4 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Maybe I'm just lucky; the sound I hear (I can(t know what each audience member hears...) suits me just fine, either when playing bass or drums. I'm just not that 'precious' about it. It sounds good, that's all I need. 

This is going to be super heavily genre / band dependent  .... If i used the tone I need for for example " Placebo"  or  some other Pop punk in a some blues funk /jazzy number ... the looks i'd get from the audience and my band mates would turn me to stone .

There's only so much that can be done with Pick > fingers and onboard Eq , not everyone needs  a Fuzz / synth pedal  but for some gigs i'd be lost without them

Edited 2 hours ago by synthaside

[Jack]

"Tone is in the fingers" is great until you try adjusting your fingers to get the sound of an overdriven tube amp, a DOD meatbox or a reverse delay.

[Jack]

1 minute ago, synthaside said:

 

This is going to be super heavily genre / band dependent  .... If i used the tone I need for for example " Placebo"  or  some other Pop punk in a some blues funk /jazzy number ... the looks i'd get from the audience and my band mates would turn me to stone .

There's only so much that can be done with Pick > fingers and onboard Eq , not everyone needs  a Fuzz / synth pedal  but for some gigs i'd be lost without them

Beat me to it.

[synthaside]

2 minutes ago, Jack said:

"Tone is in the fingers" is great until you try adjusting your fingers to get the sound of an overdriven tube amp, a DOD meatbox or a reverse delay.

Aye but you said it better .... " 🙆‍♂️

[Jack]

37 minutes ago, FretsOnFire said:

What's the best option for in ears?

That's a much harder question to answer I'm afraid, and it's much more dependent on other gear and members of the band as well. Are you in control of this mix? If not, who is? Do you have a spare aux mix or two on the mixer? Every mixer? How will the rest of the band hear your bass?

 

To get you started I have a band member who uses and likes the Xvive system (which is a good budget option), I use a Sennheiser G4, something more mid-range in price.