Must-Have Pedals for Bass Players

Today, I'm sitting down with Janek Gwizdala to talk about foundational bass effects pedals that EVERY bass player should know about. These pedals will open up a wide range of sounds for any bass player, making it easy to recreate the tones you love and experiment with tones unique to you!

Table of Contents:
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Our Goal
01:05 Preamp Pedals
04:03 Compressor Pedals
06:10 Fuzz Pedals
09:22 Octave Pedals
12:06 Honorable Mentions
14:41 Multi-Effects Pedals
16:31 Thanks for Watching!

Pedals Mentioned in this Video:

Preamp Pedals

Compressor Pedals

Fuzz Pedals
Darkglass Audio Alpha Omega Ultra v2 -

Octave Pedals

Honorable Mentions

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⬇RECOMMENDED MATERIALS⬇

CREDITS:
Host/Co-Production: Mason Marangella
Videography: Ricky Chavez
Video Editing: Victor San Pedro
Co-Production/Design: Mason Mejia
Audio Engineering: Hunter Harrison

LOCATION:
Vertex Showroom - North Hollywood, CA.

#BassPedals #JanekGwizdala #BassPedalboard

[VertexEffectsInc]

Did we miss any crucial bass pedals? Tell us in the comments below!

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Table of Contents:
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Our Goal
01:05 Preamp Pedals
04:03 Compressor Pedals
06:10 Fuzz Pedals
09:22 Octave Pedals
12:06 Honorable Mentions
14:41 Multi-Effects Pedals
16:31 Thanks for Watching!

[nobleamps]

It's true, Janek has serial #9! He along with Tim Lefebvre was one of the early voices who convinced me to quit my day job and go full time building vacuum tube preamps in my garage. Still doing it, still loving it, still grateful to guys like him, Sean, etc.

[JaapTedros]

I'd say something like the Zoom B1X Four multi-fx is the single must-have pedal for beginner bass players. Extremely affordable, has EQ, a looper, tuner, drum machine, aux input (for backing track), and many, many, many options for amp/cabinet simulation and pedal chains. It runs on batteries if needed, and is even usable enough for first gigs.

[jamesnell]

I'd say an equaliser is very much underrated. Especially crucial for us guys playing in our bedrooms through a combo with just a bass, middle and treble knob. You can get a lot more from your distortion and other effects pedals by pairing them with a 7 band equalizer & just been able to shape your clean tone more precisely than a typical home practice amp & your bases active circuitry is worth it.

[DefenderBOSS]

My bass pedalboard. (Basic classic vintage precision bass tone)

1. MXR M87 bass compressor
2. Boss tu3 tuner
3. Boss bass equaliser geb7
4. Ameg scr-di pre-amp

Why is the tuner second? I like the compressor first because it has a graphic sound visualiser to see sound signal even when muted from tuner which comes after. Why the pre-amp pedal last and not first? Well it sounds better, saturation after compression. And the ampeg pre-amp has XLR-out so it Is the final output of the pedalboard. The ampeg scr-di pre-amp pedal also has a scrambler circuit which is a bass overdrive. I had a bass fuzz pedal but I sold it cause I didn't use it at all ever. These four pedals fit very nicely on a small pedalboard easy for gigs and studio sessions

[morphman]

I feel like this vid went a bit further up the ladder than they claimed (several times).

Intro said this was for "beginners", several mentions of "budget options" and "for all price ranges", then the cheaper of the pedals lie in the $150-250 range.
What beginner is going to splurge $600-1000 on effect pedals?

And there was a lot of talk about the pedals, but no demo to see why you should spend the "10x up from 'this' model" on a pre-amp. No explanation of how each pedal would change the sound, or how the sound would change with different interactions between them.

At best, this is a display of pedals you guys happen to own, not exactly a beginner-friendly guide to the essential pedals.

And to those out there that are true beginners, ALL the pedal types talked about here are available from lesser-known brands for like $40/50... Or you could get a multi-effect box with all 4 and more for about $200 (the average cost of one of the pedals they talked about as "budget option").
Won't give you the best sound, probably shouldn't bring it up on stage, but excellent for playing around with at home if you're new to the art and don't want to commit a full month's pay into it just yet.

[n_phaneuf]

I know it’s dumb but I have to say: all gigging bass players should have a tuner on the floor.

[jm]

I've been searching for a video like this for a long time. Great video!

[seankent]

More bass player love! Woot woot! Thanks Mason, great video!!!

[liozeon]

Thanks guys. I always enjoy hearing Bass pedal reviews.

[Dave_Meunier]

man thanks a lot ! Thats was exactly what i needed, I'm a bit lost in the pedal world and that gave me a simple answer on what to focus on !

[dakotawagner]

Loving the love you’ve been showing us bass players lately! would love to see something regarding rigs for some studio legends - Janek is too, but you can’t help but see his personal style and flavor coming into his work — and he’s earned it! However, his approach is more creative and out there (jazz and electronic)- so it can be harder to draw more generic conclusions when it comes to bread and butter tone with no special flair. Thanks!

[mikelindinger]

Meine "Geheimwaffe" ist das Pedal "Knock Out" von Electro Harmonix, ein Attack-Equalizer. Es gibt dem Bass fetten punch/attack ohne Ende oder drahtige Höhen beim Slappen. Und es eignet sich unheimlich gut für schwierige Räume wie Kirchen mit viel Hall.
Während der "Normal-Sound" im Raum mulmig und verwaschen klingt und eben auch kräftig nachhallt, gibt Knock-Out dem Bass mehr Klarheit und Durchsetzungskraft mit weit aus weniger Nachhall. Und es ist relativ günstig im Preis (ca. 80.-€)

[felipecortegana]

I loved at the end of honorable mentions when it gets to the juicy pedals the cash register starts popping off 😂 too accurate

[samhaynes]

THANK YOU for making a BASS video!!! You make amazing informative content -- but very little is about bass guitars. Please do more bass videos!!!

[timothycolbrese]

Super awesome that you had Janek on this video!!!!

[stoutlager]

Good selection. For Canadians, or bassists who happen to be shopping in Canada for whatever reason: I strongly recommend the Diamond Bass Comp. It's as good as any of the high end US offerings for pedal compression.

[EllieReagan]

“If you’re a beginning bass player…..let me introduce you to Noble and Origin.” Great vid, guys! Thanks

[SuitcaseSamBand]

I fall into the category of singer/songwriter/guitarist who sits in on the bass from time to time. I used to just use an old dynacomp (always on) when I played bass. Recently bought a JHS V4 pulp n peel for a gig and I'm pretty happy with it. The fact that it comes with a balanced line out (xlr/DI box) is a huge plus for a (predominantly) acoustic player/sometimes bassist. And as a sometimes bassist, the dirt toggle switch comes in handy for that "zipper" sound. As I said above, I wouldn't classify myself as a bassist but the V4 Pulp n Peel ticks all the boxes I need to get the job done. PS. This comment is in no way sponsored by JHS pedals. I purchased the pedal, with my own money, from a third party retail supplier. I don't even think JHS is aware that I own one.

[just_kyashi]

Love this idea! I recently minimized my board and am rocking an HX Stomp now but still keep my TU-3 and my Diamond Bass Comp on there. Favourite compressor for me!