Possible to continue with this hobby with just a bass?

[brad]

My girl n' me are saving up for a new place, and even though she's against the idea, I'm thinking of selling my guitar and amp to put some extra money towards our savings.  I'm actually a bass player anyway, so my 6 string guitar and amp only get used for testing out effects and the odd rock star day-dream!

So the question is: Do you guys reckon it'd be possible to continue having diy stompbox making as a hobby with just a bass instead of a regular guitar?  There aren't that many bass effects out there...so perhaps coming up with some can be my new niche!

I feel guilty for being a gear whore when there are more important things to think about.  Heck, I'm even getting rid of my cable internet connection to help save money!  It's just that going guitarless when I enjoy making stompboxes is kinda scary.

[nelson]

I am primarily a bass player, i play guitar too tho, I think it would be fun to try and modify current guitar effects for bass use. would be worthwhile, and you can share your build stories with us other bass players . Maybe employ a switch that can turn the effects from bass use to guitar use..............Sorry to hear your going to lose the axe.......I would rather sell a few pedals than lose my guitar, cause you can always replace them, without losing too much tone, lose the guitar, your basically gonna render all your guitar effects obsolete anyway.....unless you do what was mentioned above.

[Khas Evets]

Why not make a couple extra pedals each time you build one for yourself and sell them on ebay? It should cover your costs while giving the technically challenged a chance to own something unique.

[AL]

Sure, why not. A few capacitor changes and you've got a pedal "customized" for bass. I think Charlie is a bass player - he has a great site.

http://www.moosapotamus.com/

AL

[niftydog]

ABSO-FREAKIN'-LUTELY DUDE!

I'm practically exclusively a bass player and I currently have 13 pedals, a mixture of bought and DIY... plus, there's about another 15 on the wish list and that many again on the DIY TO DO list!

Go crazy!

[Peter Snowberg]

ABSO-FREAKIN'-LUTELY DUDE!

I couldn't agree more.

[Gilles C]

My opinion...

I always had regrets that I once sold my first guitar and amp because I thought I wouldn't need them anymore.

I have a friend that feels the same about his vintage Strat, Rickenbacker bass and Fender tube amp.

So make sure you won't regret selling your stuff. If you don't mind selling your guitar, you can use bass with effects easily...

[Rob Strand]

At the end of the day the priorities are your call.

Considering the amount of money involved, do you think selling your equipment will make a significant difference?

You could sell your amp and buy a smaller/cheaper one, or perhaps build a speaker sim and use your bass rig.

You could sell your guitar and buy a cheaper one too.

If you need your effects to make a living out of bass playing then that's one thing but if effects are just a hobby only you can decide if guitar is more important than effects.  You might be better off dumping the effects.

When I was playing bass a lot there was a period when I didn't have a guitar and it was crap without it.  I'd rather have minimal effects, or use (free) PC based effects and keep playing both.

[brad]

If you need your effects to make a living out of bass playing then that's one thing but if effects are just a hobby only you can decide if guitar is more important than effects.  You might be better off dumping the effects.

I don't use effects in any of my rigs!  I just enjoy experimenting with effects circuits on perf/breadboad and occasionally building the most interesting one into a finished stompbox.  I suppose what I'm asking is -is just a bass guitar enough to get the most out of stompbox making...because the majority of effects are orientated more towards guitarists.  For example tremolos aren't traditionally used on bass ect.

Maybe I'll take niftydog's advice   It's not as if I can't buy another amp and guitar at a later stage!

[Mike Burgundy]

I'm currently primarily a bass player, and yes, even as a bassplayer there is a continuing quest for better/different this and that.
I still want different ways of distorting bass. I still want different sounding compressors ( I now have a QD2, squeezer and a modded Ross, all on my board simultaneously).  I still want all kinds of different EQ. Different filters, bass wah, envelope, loopers/samplers, tremolo, octaves, delays...The list is long.
Now for those bass pedals... (I plan on butchering *actual bass pedals* from an old organ)

[Mark Hammer]

First, I salute your self-restraint and willingness to make sacrifices.  It's an admirable trait and one that will see you well through life.  AS Gilles notes, make sure they are the *right* sacrifices, but we'll assume that yours are for the moment.

Second, there are two aspects to this hobby: having stuff, and learning stuff.  True, there aren't nearly as many schematics and new designs posted for bass as there are for guitar, but part of that is because there is still much thinking to be done with regards to bass-specific or bass-optimized effects.  Learning how to take some of what's out there, pedal-wise, and make it work for YOU as a bass player, is a tremendous challenge (and I use tremendous in the sense of terrific, wonderful, marvelous).  You may evenend up learning more about your instrument for recording or performance purposes than many of the folks who come here just so they can make a lotta fuzzboxes.

Third, do not confuse how big the pedal-board is on stage with how much technology is applied to recording bass.  Lots of stuff is used in the studio to provide those recorded bass sounds that inspire you when you hear them, and just because they aren't powered by a 9v battery doesn't mean they aren't worth learning about and building.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

If what you like is building fx on breadboards, then you don't need a guitar at all, you can use samples on the computer or else a CD of guitar licks! This has the advantage that it leaves your hands free for tweaking!!

I'm not a guitarist (at all!) and, when I proto, most of the signal going in is either from test signal generators, or a drum machine, and finally when something is behaving interestingly or shows promise, I take it to a guitarist. (anyone in Melbourne, pop into the Music Swap Shop in Carlton & ask to try my latest proto. No, I don't know what it does... it's called the "Nasty Blue Box" for the moment.)

If you have a chance to get a house, make almost any sacrifice you have to.

[robotboy]

I frequently test with the following setup:

ipod shuffle -> 1/8" audio cable -> 1/4" adapter -> effect -> audio probe

I use the tuning samples off of http://telecaster.com as "tone generators" and the shuffle naturally repeats. You could do the same minus a shuffle by just using your computers out jack from your soundcard and an mp3 player on repeat. No guitar needed. BTW, the audio probe obviously isn't necessary if you're just testing to see how something sounds. You could use a regular 1/4" cable.

[moosapotamus]

As a lot of folks have already pointed out, if you want to keep buuilding gear, you don't necessarily need an instrument. But...

I've parted with a few instruments over the years, trades, upgrades and even just for cash, and looking back, I have to say I wish I'd never done it. I miss all of them. But, everyone has to make their own choices and then live with them.

Also, speaking only for myself, I need some kind of diversion in order to retain the bulk of my sanity over the long haul. In other words, if all I did was work, eat, sleep I'd be miserable. So, building gear, playing and recording music keeps me sane and out of trouble. I suppose if I was a professional musician and all I did was play, eat, sleep I'd eventually become miserable, too. It just might take me a lot longer to get to that point. :wink:

You probably won't miss it 'till it's gone.

~ Charlie

[SirPoonga]

Share build stories if you do.  I am thinking of breadboarding then veroboarding several effects, play around with them, see if they work with bass.

I'm still in search of my ultimate goal of having a chorused effect with an octave up on one of the channels.  Though thinking about it, I wonder if there is clean octave dow circuits, then I'd just have to play up higher to get the same effect

There's a couple of effects I want.  A chorus, an adjustable fuzz, a looper, a booster (possibly a 3 band EQ type of booster), autowah, baseballs type thing, and possibly a mctube (I love the sound of the one bass clip for it).
Oh, and I have to find the clip again,  I heard a modified green ringer that made bass sound like a dirty synth.

I wonder how a blues pedal would sound on base...

[brad]

Thanks for all the kind words!

...and it didn't even occur to me that I could use mp3s or a tone generator to test effects.  Great idea.

[Paul Marossy]

I've parted with a few instruments over the years, trades, upgrades and even just for cash, and looking back, I have to say I wish I'd never done it. I miss all of them.

I can relate. And there is a couple that I wish I had bought, and I kick myself for not getting them! This is some years ago now, but now that I have a family, I have to think differently than those days of living alone.  

[onboard]

For example tremolos aren't traditionally used on bass ect.

Funny that specifically came up - very recently I heard a clip of Bob Babbit (legendary Motown session bassist) which was his track lifted out of a mix. And wouldn't you know, he's using a tremolo that's set in time with the song's tempo. Very very cool. Talk about groovey growl.

As far as that goes, something like the EA trem can be suited just fine with a much lower value resistor at the end of the circuit than the typical 1M pulldown, to form an RC high-pass filter with the output capacitor. A little more tweakable than just lowering the cap value... :wink:

This thread is cool. You can get just as much out of stompboxes building with bass in mind! Glad to see all the thumpers stepping forward.

Gotta go grab my bass...

[Paul Marossy]

Doesn't that tune "You're So Cruel" off of U2's "Achtung Baby!" album use a slow tremolo on the bass? I always thought was a cool sound.

[niftydog]

tremolos aren't traditionally used on bass

tradition has NO PLACE in my effects rig!