Last time we looked at a few ideas for effects pedals for use with acoustic guitars. Actually for bassists similar rules apply. There are plenty of interesting bass pedals around but first question to ask is, can I realistically use this in my worship band context? Having said that I have seen a few bass players blend all sorts of effects into worship very nicely but for every one of those I heard another ten that use too much, too often and it doesn’t really fit with the style of the music or even worse veers into lead guitar territory and loses the low end – which is the whole point of having a bass in the first place. So as per acoustic the place I’d start out is to make the very best of the original instrument tone you have.

So perhaps two good places to start are compressors and DI’s. Compressors effectively smooth out your sound, evening out any nasty volume peaks and troughs. Great if you regularly change finger positioning and picking attack style. Just make sure you buy one that’s designed for bass. A dedicated bass DI can really help shape a consistent tone through a PA system – which is particularly useful if your church building is tricky for bass tones. A good DI is also helpful if the bass amp you’re working with isn’t very good or a useful back up rig in its own right.  Read More »