Bass Gear Guide
Five Essential Bass Pedals
Essential Bass Pedals…
Five Essential Bass Pedals… We’re preaching to the choir when we say the bass guitar is one of the most important instruments in music today. The bass serves as the backbone of many of today’s greatest songs. So much so that many bass guitarists have been recognized for their contributions to music. Bass guitarists such as Charlie Haden, Kim Gordon, Flea, and Thundercat are considered by Rolling Stone to be instrumental to modern music and how it has developed so far. These musicians have inspired many to learn the ways of the bass and to follow in their footsteps.
If you’re one of these people and are looking for more ways to improve your bass playing, then this article is for you. We’ve put together five essential pedals that’ll help you achieve the sound that you’re going for. Hopefully, this list will help you pick out the right pedals from the hundreds of options that are out on the market today.
Darkglass Super Symmetry Bass Compressor
One of the most important things that you’ll need is a good compressor pedal. Enter the Darkglass Super Symmetry Bass Compressor. While many compressor pedals negatively affect the bass’ tone, this pedal can emulate studio-grade compressors without negatively affecting tone at all. This pedal is similar to having a studio on your pedalboard, as it’s one of the more natural-sounding compressor pedals out on the market today. As a bonus, the pedal even comes with an inherent envelope effect which can help you emulate the old school compressor sound.
Aguilar Filter Twin
Tone is one of the important elements of bass playing. This is why it isn’t surprising to see a filter pedal make it on to this list. Filter pedals are one of the most effective ways to impact the tone of your bass guitar, as they boost or cut frequencies to achieve a specific sound. The Aguilar Filter Twin is a great option, thanks to its unparalleled flexibility. The Aguilar Filter Twin allows for more tonal control, as it lets you switch between original filter tones or classic 70’s-inspired funk sounds. This feature allows the bass to produce unique and expressive sounds that can adapt to a multitude of genres, making it a worthy addition to any pedalboard.
DigiTech Luxe Polyphonic Detuner
If you’re looking to put together a more minimalist pedalboard, then the DigiTech Luxe Polyphonic Detuner may just be the thing for you. And while chorus pedals can also do this, the sound produced when they are used tends to sound quite synthetic. The Polyphonic Detuner is a great way to help you thicken your tone without the use of a chorus pedal, all while maintaining as much as the bass guitar’s natural sound as possible.
Boss SY-1
As we’ve already talked about in Synth Pedals for Bassists, No MIDI Required a good synth pedal can be quite useful as they allow you to replicate the sound of traditional synths and keyboards. This is why the Boss SY-1 is one of the more significant innovations to come out in recent years. Since its debut at the National Association of Music Merchants Summer Show 2019, the Boss SY-1 has quickly cemented its place as one of the best synth pedals for electric guitars and bass guitars thanks to its two preset modes that make it one of the easier synth pedals to use. This combination of functionality and accessibility is what makes it perfect for any bassist.
Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro Delay
Lastly, a delay pedal is one of the more versatile pedals out there. This makes it essential for any pedalboard no matter the genre. However, the Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro Delay isn’t your ordinary delay pedal. The pedal’s relay-style tap-tempo switch allows the user to create unique compositions, as it gives the user extensive control over the delay function. What’s even more impressive is the fact that it maintains the bass’s natural sound quality, even with the use of heavy digital delay.