The way you order your pedals is a huge factor in determining your bass guitar tone. While there is a conventional order that works best to preserve your signal, experimentation with unconventional pedal orders can often yield some incredible and unique sounds.
Pitch shifters and octave pedals work better when fed a pristine signal, so should go before distortion or overdrive pedals. Dynamic pedals such as compressors, EQ, and modulation should be placed next.
Compressor
A compressor pedal is usually positioned early in the chain as it can help to smooth out the dynamics of the guitar or bass signal before it reaches other pedals that tend to increase gain. This is particularly important when using a fuzz or distortion pedal, which can otherwise lead to a muddy tone.
The next pedal in the order is often a wah pedal which can be used to create a wide range of different sounds, from a deep, ambient sound to a more vocal style. The octave pedal is then added which can add an additional dimension to your sound, by splitting the original signal into lower or higher notes.
Lastly, many musicians like to use a chorus or delay pedal which can be great for creating lush, dreamy tones that really complement the rest of the pedal chain. This is then often followed by a pitch shifter or reverb pedal which can be used to create some truly unique and atmospheric tones.
It is also common for bass players to use a pedal which allows them to tune their instrument, such as a tuner or octave generator. This can be especially useful when playing live, as it ensures that your tone will be accurate and consistent throughout a set.
Finally, many performers use a pedalboard which allows them to assemble their chosen pedals into an ordered chain and keep them all in one place. This is often easier than having to lug around individual pedals and can also reduce the risk of them getting damaged in transit. The pedals can be firmly attached to the board and can be easily removed when they are not needed. This is important as it can prevent the batteries from draining, which can occur when they are left plugged in for prolonged periods of time.
EQ
The EQ is one of the most important pedals in your bass guitar’s signal chain. Using this pedal, you can make your bass tone stand out in the mix or help it blend with other instruments. A good EQ will also give you the option to pull back the low frequencies and boost the middle ones to add punch.
This pedal is most often placed after the multi effects pedal, because it allows you to control your bass’s dynamics before the more transformative effects are applied. This is particularly useful if you are using a lot of overdrive, modulation and delay pedals. This way you can gradually increase the intensity of these pedals without losing their dynamic impact on your signal.
Similarly, if you are using a wah pedal, it is typically positioned before the distortion pedals as it can be difficult to combine with these kinds of sounds. This is also the order that Jimi Hendrix used when playing with his wah pedal, and it can help you achieve his signature sound.
There are also some effects that are a little more unconventional in how they interact with the signal. For example, the POG pedal by Electro Harmonix is a unique effects pedal that adds thickness to your bass’s tone through the layering of different octaves. For this reason, it is generally positioned before the distortion pedals in your signal chain.
Having a quality EQ in your bass pedal order is essential for achieving a professional sound. Whether you’re using it for live or studio recording, a great EQ will let your bass shine through the mix. This is particularly important if you are playing with other musicians, as an EQ will allow you to equalize the levels of your bass and kick drum to ensure that they don’t conflict with each other.
Fuzz Face
The fuzz face is a classic that saturates your signal to create an intense and unique tone. It has a lot of versatility and is great for creating a psychedelic sound. You can also use it to add a lot of gain and even distortion to your guitar sound. You can find these pedals with both germanium and silicon transistors. The difference between the two is that germanium transistors have a more natural and creamy sound while silicon has a harsher sound.
The circuit of the Fuzz Face is based on a feedback network that consists of two transistors, three capacitors, and four resistors. The input is connected to the output through a 2.2uF C2 bypass cap which also acts as a high pass filter, reducing DC levels and hum in your pedalboard. The B knob on the Fuzz Face controls the amount of feedback you want and it also affects the output level. When you turn up the B knob it will increase the output of your pedal and when you decrease it, it will reduce the feedback and make your pedal quieter.
Some of the most iconic fuzz faces have been made with germanium transistors, such as the original Arbiter-England Sun Face and the Dallas-Arbiter England Big Muff used on songs by The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. But many modern versions of this pedal have a silicon transistor design because they are cheaper and more reliable than their Germanium counterparts.
Putting the volume and compressor pedals early in the pedal order will help to prevent your other effects from adding too much gain to your signal. It will also ensure that the output level of your amplifier is optimally prepared for whatever pedals you put after it. Placing the effects that have the most gain, such as overdrive and distortion, later in the chain will prevent them from saturating your signal and giving you a muddy tone.
Wah
Often used to emulate vocal-like effects, the Wah allows you to shape your guitar tone in many different ways. Whether you want to create a vocal-like growl, or a rhythm-style cry, this pedal can achieve it. Its distinctive sound comes from the shifting band-pass filter and resonant peak. The speed and angle at which you move your foot back and forth controls how it sounds – getting it just right will generate the classic onomatopoeic ‘wah-wah’ cry.
Originally designed for trumpet and trombone players to replicate the sound of their instrument being muted, it was soon adapted by guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix to produce a vocal-like effect on their guitar. His use of the pedal brought it into wide popularity, and to this day the wah is one of the most popular bass effects on the market.
The earliest versions of the Wah were passive, meaning they had no power supply and relied on your body to move it back and forth. It wasn’t until the end of 1965 that the Vox company created an active version of the pedal. This was the model that Hendrix played with.
In terms of pedal order, most people place their wah after any gain pedals such as a fuzz or compressor. This gives it a more dramatic and recognisable sound, but some people also like to place it in the middle of their chain to give a more sweeping tone.
It’s also worth noting that putting a buffer pedal before your wah will help to prevent any sonic anomalies that may occur when the pedal is engaged. There are various types of buffer pedals on the market, from the affordable Fulltone Clyde to the more expensive ProAnalog Supa Quack, but all of them have the same basic function – to act as a signal-conditioning device to ensure that your guitar tone is clean and undistorted when using the pedal.
Reverb/Delay
Reverb and delay are two effects that have a huge impact on your tone. They are arguably the most important pedals in your chain, especially if you are using them to create atmosphere and ambience.
They are both great for adding depth and fullness to your guitar tone, and can be used in many different ways depending on what you are trying to achieve. For example if you want to add a short, sharp form of echo, then use a slapback delay with a short decay time and low feedback. Alternatively you could use a long delay with high feedback to create a more subtle series of repeated notes.
Both of these types of pedals can work well if they are positioned before the distortion pedal in the chain. This is because the distortion will give a much clearer sound to the repeating notes, preventing them from becoming muddy. However, some guitarists prefer to experiment with the placement of these pedals, particularly when they are using a multi-effects unit that contains modulation effects like chorus, flanger and phaser.
If you have a multi-effects pedal that has a built in compressor then it may be best to place this pedal at the beginning of the chain, as it will compress the signal before it goes into the reverb and delay effects. This will help to keep the output level of your amp at a reasonable amount, preventing it from over driving.
The most important thing to remember when assembling your pedal chain is that there are no set rules. Experimenting with a variety of different pedal orders can be extremely rewarding and help you to develop your own unique tone, or at the very least allow you to recreate the tone of one of your favourite guitarists.