Bass Guitar Pedals Are Effective

By Author: Victor Alba
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Bass guitar pedals are effective, literally. Effects pedals for the electric bass guitar are great for bassists who want to experience playing the bass at another level, while also having a lot of fun experimenting with a wide range of different sounds.

Effects pedals or what some like to call stompboxes were at one time only made for the six-string electric guitar. Recently however, bassists were able to get in on the fun, as effects companies began making bass guitar pedals.

Before bass guitar pedals existed, bass players had to resort to using guitar effects pedals. As I had previously mentioned, they were the only effects pedals available at the time. This worked out OK for them, as the results were not bad, but not perfect either. You see, when a bassist had to use a distortion pedal for instance, that was specially made for an electric guitar and not a bass, there was a little problem. The problem was that the low frequencies that characterize the bass were hard to hear and got lost. Nowadays, bass players can still get the dirty, distorted sound they want, while still sounding like they're playing a bass ...
... guitar.

Bass guitar pedals/stompboxes are not the only option bassists have for effects. Some bass amplifiers have built-in effects; however, in most cases these effects are only limited to distortion and/or reverb. It's also important to mention that there are a lot more amps with built-in effects available for the electric guitar than there are for the electric bass. Another alternative to effects pedals are rackmount units. A single rackmount unit usually contains multiple effects; however, rackmounted effects units are usually large, bulky, and expensive. Additionally, they are mostly used in the recording studio, as opposed to on a live stage. Bass multi-effects pedals have been a godsend for bass players. Unlike rackmounted units, they are a lot more compact (although, bigger than a single effects pedal), thus making it more portable and better for use during a live performance. So it's no surprise that a lot of bassists prefer bass guitar pedals for their effects, over the other forms.

Bass guitar pedals look and sound like the effects pedals made for their six-string counterpart. Almost all the effects available for the guitar, are available for the bass, they include: distortion, chorus, delay, compressor, and wah-wah. There are certain effects though, that in general, tend to be more preferred by bass players such as distortion and compressor. Effects like chorus and flanger tend to be more used by guitarists, rather than bassists; however, it doesn't hurt to experiment with new and different sounds. As a matter of fact, different bass effects pedals can really help a bassist express his or herself better while playing different kinds of music.

Bass guitar pedals are for every bass player, no matter what level you are at. More experienced bassists however, will probably get more out of them especially while soloing. Effects like the bass wah-wah pedal can almost literally make the electric bass speak for itself. Bass effects pedals can really help in the art of self-expression, which is what soloing essentially is. In fact, many bass legends have showed the world, often times with the help of effects pedals, that the bass guitar deserves more recognition and is not an insignificant instrument.

All in all, bass guitar pedals are effective in many ways. They are probably most effective though, in bringing a lot of fun and enjoyment to bass players of all skill levels.
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Bass guitar pedals will make you sound better, even if you're using the most average electric bass and amplifier. In the process, you'll also have a lot of fun. If you would like to learn more about bass effects pedals visit the following site.Bass Guitar Effects Pedals