How To Use Guitar Pedals For Bass (w/ Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas)

[@Beastintheomlet]

All pedals are bass pedals, no one can stop us.

[@ileutur6863]

Getting buried in the mix will certainly stop you. That said, only drive pedals carry that risk

[@MisterFatherSir310]

Not if the cut all lowend

[@CosmicHippopotamus]

Some pedals don’t track bass frequencies but whatever sounds good.

[@davethepius]

Never use "bass" pedals live and never had loss of lows. A good bass amp covers the lows, and a good mixer makes it work

[@MDee-db7by]

Check out Fuzzlord. Bass players seem to enjoy their pedals more than guitarists. I'm a little bit of both so there's alot of experimentation going on.

[@tmtmtmtmtm]

I felt so bad for Roy around 8:08 when he nailed that fill and looked over at the drummer and got nothing, looked at Josh, nothing. I felt it, Roy.

[@G60syncro]

The fact that it happens at 808 is kind of telling!!

[@phillipemery572]

Such is the life of a bass player. Only other bass players hear ridiculous fills.

[@edwardbrown561]

Yep... kicked out of the pocket lol

[@chrisdanuegis4752]

Could feel that set-up coming, but beautiful recovery 😸👍

[@TheAlfaproyect]

It's what we are used to as bass players. Locking in with our drummer. I remember once a drummer told me: "I'm not used to someone looking at me. The guitar players don't even notice me"

[@surj33t]

The "Talking Math" jam needs to be a real thing, love it

[@jeffboles2470]

PLEASE GOD!!! For the love of 2020 🙏🏻😭🙏🏻

[@lewisochoa2761]

It reminded me of Holy F*ck in the best possible way.

[@fishchips5121]

they absolutely killed it!

[@gabrielschirmbeck400]

I thought the harassment-level episode was the sovtek one

[@G60syncro]

Nah... it's gone full on assault now.....

[@davethepius]

I think th Sovtek episode is just a running joke at this point. They've been talking about a Sovtek for years now.

[@benjiboy69420]

Sovtek episode will be for the channel's 50th anniversary, no big just have patience /s

[@gabrielschirmbeck400]

@@benjiboy69420 by then Josh wil have some sort of holographic 3D surround sound tech. Will be a worthy episode

[@basstheworldofficial]

one more thing that could have been mentioned are loop pedals like the Xotic X-Blender. I'm using a lot of guitar pedals that don't work well for bass. The X-blender allows me to mix the effect with my clean tone to get my low end and some clarity back. Especially nice for RATs and MuTrons

[@benjiboy69420]

Seconded. A loop/blender pedal is a must-have for bassists, mainly for the reasons you suggested, but also great for blending in compression -- if you are using the Diamond compressor as an example, which doesn't have a blend control... problem solved! Radial Tonebones & their Mix-Blender (mix two inputs + a blendable loop) are great options, the Xotic is cool too!

[@josephchamberlain3681]

You need to try the Lil Trees "Synesthesia" on bass.

[@edwardbrown561]

The Bloop is nice, so is Broughton's Fx Loop

[@infinitybassuk]

Another "blender" for consideration is the Lazy Bear effects (UK) Active signal blender pedal. Compact size for around £80.

[@zulu5157]

The Xotic is a brillant solution with a brillant price. The Boss LS-2 can also be mentioned as a good and solid budget solution to keep up the lo end in the mix with the effect signal and the original bass signal.

[@josephpickard3108]

Just bought my first ever bass after 20 years of guitar and then I remembered this episode because of how good Roy is on bass... amazing.

[@basstheworldofficial]

great episode!

[@joshmgarner]

Mutemath = One of my favorite bands Roy = My favorite bass player JHS = My favorite pedals This video = PURE GOLD

[@SethDStanley]

Same!!

[@georgem564]

Bass really makes every song so much more groovy.

[@phillipemery572]

*most influential bass player in past 20 years walks in* Josh: "He'll do."

[@rolojeldres]

"most influential bass player in past 20 years walks in"??!!! 4 real? have to disagree

[@rolojeldres]

actually never heard of him, went to check mouthwhatever and first thing I found is this radiohead ripoff kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYm5iIVjasucfZI I actually don't like much Victor Wooten, but I'd say he is or could be " most influential bass player in past 20 years"....but surely not this guy (y)

[@phillipemery572]

@@rolojeldres I hope your ego keeps you warm at night.

[@rolojeldres]

@@phillipemery572 hahahaha hurt too much?? Adrian Feraud or someone like that in that case...btw, I don't play even close enough to those jazz guys ;)

[@rolojeldres]

@@phillipemery572 Linley Marthe!!!! here you go!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5KqdWqwitWGi5Y

[@I-Libertine]

I love that driving mid bass sound. Just cuts thru the mix, like great bass sounds if the late 60's/early 70's (think top 40 tuned-for-car-radios compression). The bass becomes a real voice not just a feel.

[@toddwarren4354]

Bassist here. Been using my TU-2 as a splitter and using the Morley ABY Mix pedal to mix my Line 6 M9 and Mojo Mojo back in with my clean signal. It works great but a Morning Glory sure would be a great addition!! 😁. Thanks for another great show!

[@Streetpartymarty]

Aw man the DOD bass grunge just sitting there unused... Such a tease. One of my all time favorites.

[@anthonystevens7206]

As both a guitar player and bassist, Roy is so inspiring to me! The way he fits in the feel is PERFECT and his ideas are so tasty. I’m putting my Morning Glory into my bass rig because of him!

[@ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy]

I don't even HAVE a "bass pedal." Even when I do play bass, it is running through my guitar pedalboard, and it is every bit as useful.

[@craigdamage]

So many "bass specific" type pedals do in fact have features a bassist will want. Bass effects pedals often have a "wet/dry" or "blend" control to regulate how much pure direct bass you want in your signal along with the effect.

[@ripper21717]

Id like to see them try these pedals with an active bass. It makes a huge difference.

[@christophersorensen3338]

I may have to straight up steal that Talking Math jam. That was killer!

[@ColoradoDreamin]

Q: How do you know a bass player is ringing the door bell? A: because no one is answering

[@stephenhammond3834]

Q: what's the difference between a bass player and a toilet seat. A: a toilet seat takes it from one ass at a time

[@ColoradoDreamin]

Stephen Hammond hahah, poor bass players. But the world needs humor! (And bassists)

[@stephenhammond3834]

You don't need to worry about us. We're laughing our asses off. Especially when people are asking us to fill another gig.

[@roni6135]

B(ass)

[@Sancho_Retablez]

The songs in this show are fantastic. 'Talking Math' at 14:43 impressed me!

[@kempy535]

The kick drum in the impala jam sound immense

[@joecarl5473]

Awesome episode Josh and crew!!! Informative, as always. But those had to be some of the tastiest jams yet!!! Bass should pedal more often!

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

I'm not imaging things, right? This is a real bass episode and not just a lucid dream I've stumbled into? 😲 Finally did it. Now, if we yell loud enough, we'll get the Sovtek episode 😆🤣

[@watcherofthemundane]

At 5:20 he talks about combining a clean bass sound with grit which is the easy fix to retain bass/lows on any bass effect. The boss odb works so well cause it has a clean mix. Any guitar pedal with a clean mix will work great on bass. The ehx deluxe bass muff has a low pass filter on the clean mix and it's amazing

[@micahchambers5096]

I had no idea he was the Mutemath Bassist! I love their work! Keep it up Roy

[@MascisMan1]

Roy: You don't need "bass" specific pedals. Guitar pedals work just fine. Also Roy: I put a Boss Bass EQ pedal at the end of my chain to boost back in low frequencies (100-200Hz). Now, imagine a world where you don't need the bass EQ pedal...because...the pedal takes in to consideration the loss of those lower frequencies. We will call them "bass pedals."

[@arsenije_wav8620]

Exactly

[@Wrigley953]

The choice then is (depending on how deep into the pit of pedal purchases you are) do you buy bass versions of everything or just a bass boosting pedal

[@TheRflynn]

He does say this at 2:48. Guess it depends if you are happy to run a pre amp or an EQ. Or even some adjustment on the head.

[@mateuszzbrog9154]

Kick drum in "Chevy Impala" sounds so good... Damn, all Your jams are awesome!!! Love You Dudes.

[@coreyknipstein7280]

After the last couple of episodes all I want is for my bass to run through a Klon or Morning Glory into a Colour Box. Now I just need to get a Color Box, Klon and Morning Glory....... I regret spending my last paycheck on that crate of vintage Hewlett Packard computer speakers but I was chasing that "1995 Dial Up Internet" sound.

[@smelltheglove2038]

Damn, so I have to get a crate of HP speakers to get that tone? The ones that are attached to the monitor or the free standing speaker sets?

[@markhammer643]

There are three aspects that get in the way of a pedal being as good for bass as it is for guitar. All of them are remediable, though. 1) Bandwidth. As discussed. Often, this can be resolved by changing one or two capacitor values. Bring the pedal to your local repair guy, along with the schematic, and 8 minutes after unscrewing the lid, it can be optimized for bass...well, assuming the soldering iron was already plugged in. 2) Sensitivity. Basses usually put out a hotter signal than guitar, making it easier for them to overdrive a guitar pedal in undesired ways. The solution can involve changing the gain of the input stage in the pedal, or simply turning down the bass's volume a bit. 3) Spectral emphasis. Most relevant to autowahs, but also true of things like EQ pedals, flangers, chorus, and phasers, all of which shift stuff over a bit to complement the part of the spectrum most meaningful to bass. F'rinstance, whenever I build or mod a chorus, I always include a lo-cut switch for the wet signal, that makes the pitch-wobble inherent to chorus less obvious for the bass, where you want the swirl, but still have more dependable pitch.

[@ileutur6863]

Exactly. Guitar pedals DO work on bass and will often sound good, but they won't sound as designed and you can't know until you try

[@quintessenceSL]

You know what else gets in the way? Manufacturers not listing the frequency response so you have some idea of what you are getting into before you blow loads of cash. The low B guys are not amused.

[@noname-ng6sj]

Actually a good comment!

[@rmazocar]

For about a year, I started our bands set with about a 30 seconds of E-bow on bass B string with an ADA flanger whooshing away.

[@charliet.sanford2495]

“February Stars” and “Hey Johnny Park” from The Colour and the Shape don’t get talked about enough.

[@mindfall82]

All of those jams were great!

[@tite93]

Some overdrives and fuzzes do suck out some of the low end on bass. If you're going for hi-gain distortion you might want to think about a bass booster or using some clean blend before overdrives

[@raven_glass]

It's not just pedals. You can use ANY standard guitar pedals, amps, cabinets with bass guitar. The only catch is that some gear designed for standard guitar doesn't have the right frequencies for bass, but that's just for you to decide.

[@AqueousMantra]

Get a better ride cymbal for Nick. Like a thinner K or maybe a Turkish cymbal... it'd be better for the room sound. Less piercing Cymbals are drummer's pedals.

[@Marco-gu6uu]

This video is the reason why I love Mutemath and JHS Pedals now. And I want that board. Believe me, I'm a bass player. A bad one, yeah, but still a bass player.

[@timothyvanburen3431]

For over 20 years I have never found the right light drive for bass. Then I saw this, saw Roy using a Morning Glory, realized I also had a Bluesbreaker style pedal (Wampler Pantheon) that I somehow never tried on bass (even though I use "guitar" pedals on bass all the damn time), plugged it in and holy shit it's the sound I've been looking for for forever and I had a pedal that could do it for literally over a year. Kicking myself a little, but thank you.

[@shawnmann]

Can we please just take a second to recognize how amazing the drum sound and production is here? Stereo! So clear and rich. No only played well, but the recording of the kit is just awesome.

[@arthuraguirrejr.9500]

100%

[@jloiben12]

When you talked about rolling off the low end all I could think of is the line from the Incredibles. If everything has bass then nothing has bass

[@cchavez248]

Corn!

[@grrggrrg4805]

Holy shit! Was just listening to Mutemath yesterday! I had no idea.

[@Phaidrus]

Killer Pbass tone! Nice, Roy!

[@rickmcginnis]

So - JHS Sessions. Why isn't this a thing?

[@briancherry8088]

Yes. Sometimes they sound better on guitar than bass. And in some cases only the top strings work, but yes. Most of my pedals for bass were made for guitar. And in some cases, you can use a clean boost to make the lower strings work better. It does make sense though.... the bass is a guitar after all.

[@chrisshacklett2999]

I feel like Boss LS2 is my best pedal friend

[@edbrito-swdev]

I was also expecting for them to suggest something about using the LS2.

[@iamstrangeways]

It’s the secret weapon to keep that low end on the bass. 💯

[@TheEdWebb]

I use quite a few guitar effects with my bass: fuzz is maybe hardest to get right because of how much it boosts the higher frequencies, but it can sound great. My favorite is probably my old DOD flanger, which sounds just right even on a low B string.

[@kentlangham5811]

I really liked "Chevy Impala", you should lengthen it a little and put it on vinyl.

[@gewoon.zomaar]

"Tell use your favorite Mutemath song" This can only lead to evenings of relistening albums and changing my mind every 4 minutes

[@deathfrombeloved]

It took this video to realize I've really only listened to their first album with any regularity. Diving deep into Old Soul thanks to this video.

[@kc2628]

My pedal has a guitar-bass switch so it works for both, and it has been working well over the years. Right after watching this video I unscrewed the bottom plate, looked inside, and found out the switch was not even wired to the PCB. 😂

[@evancihon7678]

Oh snap, I started playing bass about a year ago. I moved from guitar to bass ......oooooo I know I know. The church I play for needed some bass players and I said I'd pick it up and help out when I can. Short story longer I basically grabbed my over drive compressor and verb from my guitar rig and the rest is history at this point. No one has booed me off stage yet so I'd say it's a win. Also, I'd like Roy to be my spirit animal if I can choose that sort of thing.

[@ileutur6863]

Since youtube generously banned my other account, I have to repeat a comment I already left on the previous bass episode: A deep dive on Darkglass pedals would be greatly appreciated. They don't seem to be based on any existing style of distortion and they are designed specifically for bass. Despite the countless promotional demos, no one has yet to explain their features and examine how they're clipping, what their components are etc, etc

[@heybuddy6794]

I have a compressor of theirs, though i dont know much about it. use it for guitar.

[@smelltheglove2038]

Don’t feel bad, since March of 2020 I’ve lost eight accounts. Fucking insanity.

[@AmperahGaming]

@@smelltheglove2038 how?

[@kanehicks9321]

Nick your the man. Keep up the good work. Wish I could keep a beat like you bud 🤘

[@gonzalotrejos3556]

I do have (real) bass pedals, but I like a lot of the guitar ones, specially stuff from Earthquaker, Pigtronix and Wampler. You should get in touch with Juan Alderete, big name on bass pedals, and a great bassist and person. Doug Wimbish comes also to mind.

[@dtwink12]

Use an EQ. Of course! Time to go try all my new "bass" pedals.

[@stevesmith3990]

Great video and wonderful playing from Roy.

[@alangreenway6695]

I always find it interesting to hear if bass players think of their instrument as it’s own thing separate from a guitar like a mandolin or banjo, or if they just see it as just a low strung guitar.

[@candersonll]

For sure it’s own thing, it’s a percussion instrument that makes notes.

[@stevensantos3398]

listen to joe dart of vulfpeck and tell me if you think he is just playing a guitar with thicker strings or a low strung 4 string

[@camm9789]

KMA machines man, they need love. Also please do something with bari guitars.

[@UmasPapa]

Mutemath is one of the most underrated bands around. Odd Soul is an amazing record. I’m convinced Roy is largely responsible.

[@uvulapie]

Nick: "That's fine. I get it. I'm really looking forward to working with new, possibly better pedal companies." Roy in the last minute: "MUST... MAKE... EFFORT... NOT... TO... PLAY..."

[@efeedar]

heeheeheheeheheeee :D

[@palmettopedals]

I found that I had a hard time getting some analog delay pedals to work with bass. Especially the Memory Man, it just didn't pick it up. Big Muff on bass though... hot dang.

[@andrewmiller1479]

Ive been waiting for this day

[@gustavorenovalez5229]

This is all mind blowing stuff going on here....

[@basilwhite]

Every guitar pedal I've played with a clean blend control has worked on bass. Every guitar pedal I've played that does not work on bass lacked a clean blend control. Please, *please* consider this in future pedal designs.

[@Red-lm7xo]

My brother wants a bass maybe this would be a good gift

[@seank.2589]

Did I just hear a Third Stone From The Sun excerpt in there?👍

[@adampendlebury5484]

Poor Adison...

[@keithfaust8925]

Guitar into bass pedals! Guitar into bass pedals! Guitar into bass pedals!

[@davethepius]

So many people have it in their heads bass pedals "have to" have blend knobs. Once you get that out of your head, there are so many great drive pedals to use, fuzz pedal possibilities, and what not. When I first started looking at effects, I'd look up frequency responses and most pedals have enough low end frequency to work on bass. Some bass effects marketed in the day had lower frequency responses than bass amps... not necessary.

[@wombat6]

Here's my take on this : a tool is a tool, you decide what to use it for. That's called being creative. Everything else is just marketing : when there's no real need for a product that you want to sell, make people believe the IS a need for it and THEN sell it to them. Guitarists (and maybe bassists by proxy) are crazy vulnerable to that tbh.

[@josephchamberlain3681]

You have to hear the Lil Trees "Synesthesia" pedal.

[@jamescroy9464]

I have that exact same bass but with an old school dimarzio

[@maunstermusic]

Anyone else feeling the pressure for Nick? Darren King is a hard act to follow. Great job Nick!

[@werewolfmedialv]

The ehx battalion is the most under appreciated bass pedal hands down.

[@jarkkohypponen6198]

Roy from my favourite band in JHS pedals show, Christmas came early this year!

[@whitepony1913]

Still waiting for my Sovtek episode. Please.

[@colejohnston8031]

Record time recommendation: Check out the artist "Bahamas". His albums "Earthtones" and "Sad Hunk" are simply perfect.

[@ff-qf1th]

so... I'm wondering about the magic of how these videos are put together through editing. are all of the talking bits filmed in a block, and then all the playing bits filmed in a block, and then edited to go between eachother? or do you actually go and play after each talking bit?

[@AdamFaulkner375]

Love Rat on bass. Like, really love. Like, want to marry it.

[@TannithVQ]

I love chorus on my bass lines. I love my Lucky Cat more

[@kane62898]

I would love an episode where you compare some of the most popular bass direst boxes. Loving these bass videos!

[@RobUttley]

you guys **CONSISTENTLY** PLAY THE BEST JAMS ON KZbin. And this week is no exception.

[@xstatic-ow5mz]

"the proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains" marx

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

I second this.

[@christopherjrager]

"Everything is relative in this world, where change alone endures." Trotsky

[@HenritheHorse]

But is your chain true bypass?

[@bromporke]

I have only looked up 2 bass players in my lifetime. The bass player from Jamiroqui's first album and MuteMath's Roy. These 2 guys were INSANE on all their records. Mutemath's first 2 records, I felt, were basically setting Roy loose and having everyone else keep up with his awesomeness. I hope he reads this because he's gotta know that he stands among few in his sensibility with melody, funk, catchiness and beat. There's few musicians/guitarists/classical that I enjoy more listening to than Roy, and HE"S JUST PLAYING A BASS! Love watching him live. He is his own exhibit, his own show. Masterpiece of a musician. If his mind was a theme park I'd get a season pass. (I'd also like one from Thom Yorke's, but his theme park would creep my kids out).

[@christinepostma]

loves the mute math, miss darren though

[@DanTheMaddHead]

80% of my board are guitar effects, and any chance, I use a bass amp with a guitar amp, why limit the chaos?

[@rodrigovazquez1292]

You guys should record an album together... I mean

[@amanontheland7892]

Josh! I'm a guitar player (not entering the contests). I just want to say that what you are doing on your channel this year and this episode in particular is the pinnacle of music orientated content creators on KZbin. Well done! I'd love to see you do acoustic guitar pedals someday. Love Nick's drumming too.... he's _Really_ good and a lot better than Ok :)

[@newpinglegend9304]

Acoustic pedals: good idea, and agreed about Nick.

[@aidangardner3770]

The Talking Math jam might have been my absolute favorite jam in the shows history!! Making bass boards is one of the best things ever, hope everyone starts giving their bass players pedals!

[@adamcarbone5216]

Excited to try the Pulp and Peel on bass!

[@AradhyaOnBass]

Some argue that the OC-2 IS a bass pedal.

[@mistercheetah9717]

I got a Bass VI type of bass and started looking at my pedals... a Zvex Mastotron, old Ibanez Weeping Demon wah, Boss CE-20... all of them have bass focused settings, none of them sounded better with my bass... go figure.

[@diegobelden7888]

"Bass pedals" apart, those where some juicy jams. Really enjoyed this one

[@ncmartinez_his]

Maybe more importantly, can you use guitar pedals for vocals?

[@AjCohn]

Yes! And it sounds awesome! My favorites are chorus, trem, drive, and reverb. Vocoders too!

[@rafafontanez6961]

Amazing!! I been playing guitar for many years and I have a lot of guitars pedals and I was wondering if I can use some of those guitar pedals for my bass pedal board. Anyways! Thank you! Great Episode!!!

[@benpierce8137]

This has got to be my favorite video of yours so far Josh. I've been a big fan of JHS pedals for years but I have been listening to MuteMath since before the beginning. Back when Earthsuit was still playing local gigs circa 1994-95. I got invited to their CD release party at The Howlin Wolf in New Orleans for the first MuteMath full album. I love every album. I pity anyone who never got to see them live. This was such a fun episode to really see stuff used in a different way.

[@SethDStanley]

I got to see them live twice, and it wasn’t enough times...

[@drewsmithbass]

Surely now that you've Obliged and made a Video about bass pedals, There's time to give Everyone watching another Kind of video they want...

[@6strbassplayer]

All pedals are bass pedals. Only thing that matters is weather you like it or not. I have a ton of effects, bass and guitar. Least we forget...Bassist number one go to pedal, OC2, was a guitar pedal at first. More importantly though. Bassplayers finally getting some love here!

[@Frijolero18]

Funnily enough, this guy looks like Kevin Parker in 10 years

[@joermnyc]

“I’m standing right here.” -Nick 2020 Next week: “Do bass pedals work on guitar?” 😂 My bass pedal line up is (in no particular order): an MXR Bass Innovations Envelope Filter and chorus/flanger, a Barber tone press, a Catalinbread Echorec, a Pigtronics Disnortion (I use both outs (clean and dirty) and blend them), a JHS Clover... and a Korg tuner (honestly I just slapped together a bunch of leftovers from my guitar boards over the years, and added in the MXR pedals.)

[@Jaspertine]

I believe Buzz Osbourne of the Melvins uses a bass distortion on his guitar.

[@DaveAtonal]

I used to use a BOSS DS-1 Distortion for my bass tone from 1991 onwards - till idk how long. Long. After a while i upgraded to different multieffects pedals and to compensate for the low end loss, a Yamaha RBX765 which had active pickups. Active pickups and distortion pedal all the way!!!

[@ONealMusicStudio]

I was the touring bassist for the Motown group The Miracles a few years back before Covid hit. So obviously I really needed to nail that Jamerson bass sound as the guys insisted on the music sounding like the original recordings. I used a mic’d SVT that ran clean into the console then on my pedal board I used a Bass Soul Food on very light overdrive and then also used my Ampeg SCR DI preamp to EQ the bass back in but also used the Scrambler ever so lightly that I blended with the Soul Food to even it out a bit. For that extra JJ punch I also engaged my noise gate just enough to add that attack. String mute of course. It’s not exactly the way I’d do it in a studio but live it sounded spot on. At one concert in St Louis we had one of Michael Jackson’s former sound guys with us and he was blown away at how he was able to take my pedalboard sound and blend it with the mic’s clean sound to recreate that epic bass tone. I’m not a big pedal guy but they can be used very creatively to come up with some great sounds. Today I have 13 pedals on my live board and loving it!