These cheap BASS EFFECTS are actually AWESOME!

I've searched far and wide, and finally came up with a list of 4 budget BASS guitar effects pedals.
Here are links to the pedals I demo in this video for both Amazon and Tomtop (choose whichever has the best deal, or whichever you trust more...which for me is Amazon)
*Prices mentioned in this video are subject to change without notice. Please check the links below for current pricing.
Caline "Pressure Point" Bass Compressor ( 2:00 ):
Amazon: amzn.to/2W4YqPQ
Tomtop: shrsl.com/1egs6 (save more with coupon code: HYCACP)
Mooer "Ensemble Queen" Bass Chorus ( 5:19 ):
Amazon: amzn.to/2MgzcJu
Tomtop: shrsl.com/1egrk (save more with coupon code: HY10MER)
Rowin "Bass EQ" ( 7:59 ):
Amazon: amzn.to/2CtclGh
Tomtop: shrsl.com/1ej9t
Kokko "FOD3" Guitar Overdrive ( 13:03 ):
Amazon: amzn.to/2DhARM0
Tomtop: shrsl.com/1ej9v
Full disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate, and the links in this description are affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, it doesn't cost you any more money, but I will earn a commission. Amazon has great customer service and an awesome return policy, Tomtop....well...I've heard bad things. However, I've got your back. If you make a purchase from Tomtop through one of my affiliate links, if anything goes wrong with your order, I've got your back. You can contact my Tomtop rep directly here, and if she doesn't help you out, I'll go to bat for you!
Here is my tomtop rep:
/ qiuping.lee.1
Want a Guns and Guitars shirt? buy one here: teespring.com/stores/guns-and...
Facebook: / gunsandguitarsofficial
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Support me on Patreon: / danthompson

[@MrBodoFraggins]

I like your version of "budget". So much more realistic for a lot of us compared to a lot of youtubers.

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

"These are the best pedals for a budget player. Okay, first off is this super cheap $400 EQ pedal..."

[@philipm3173]

And he put links, my fucking hero!

[@jamiladenisemolina7152]

So true

[@icantthinkofausername2605]

"This tremelo will only run you 350 quid, so pretty inexpensive"

[@themadkraken1912]

Ahem, _Andertons._

[@davidozab2753]

Good thing compression is one of those "always-on" bass effects.

[@truckasaurus]

Exactly, I'd be happy with a compressor pedal that had no switch....

[@coachster]

Could also swap out the foot switch with a soft click if it really bugs you. Can find them for about $5 on amazon. Just match up the specs you need. But, I agree, it’s an always on effect for me too.

[@N4ppul4]

@@coachster I think that the click the compressor made is not about the physical sound it makes. Its most likely about capacitor charging or at somepoint in the circuit there is a missing dc path to ground and it accumulates static charge or something when the pedal is off. Then when you engage the pedal the static or capacitor charge discharges and makes the pop sound. These are really a rookie mistakes and could be fixed with simple 0.01$ resistor in the design phase. Ofcourse I could be wrong but thats my educated guess.

[@coachster]

Eetu Jääskeläinen yeah, that’s possible too. I would just start with a soft click switch first since it wouldn’t compromise the effects components. Also, changing the foot switch is a cheap and easy upgrade which with help with the audible mechanical click. I like them since I can kick them on faster. To me, the mechanical click is only useful if you tend to turn pedals on and off without looking since the positive feedback of that click tells you it’s on or off.

[@ot4kon]

no when you use a Big muff Pi, you want to use the BMP own compression. You just choke the effect.

[@seansmit]

Take a guitar pedal, add "bass", increase price 30% 😢

[@Jesslayc]

Great video! But i, as a bassist who uses chorus almost all of the time, have to say the chorus setting you're using in this video seems much more like an intense Chorus (tbh more like a slap-back) setting a Guitarist might use and in contrast sounds (arguably) bad on Bass. The key to using Chorus on bass is to dial it into an extremely subtle tone. Little bit goes a long way and it will really richen up an already great bass-tone.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Thanks for the tip!

[@vancepeeples2679]

Perfectly said my man!! Beat me to it!!

[@Chunkypumpkinhead]

Yeah! Also, playing in a post-punk band, chorus basically IS the sound of the genre. Turn the chorus on just the mid - high ends of the bass to give it that hollow, haunting sound like Siouxsie or Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, etc.

[@tacomundo]

The way he used about all of the effects sounds like a guitar player trying to play bass.

[@mikenicholson7465]

Jesse is spot on. If it's a bass it wants chorus...but not intense chorus.

[@emanuele6]

0:16 lol, it looks as if he is lifting his foot and hitting the switch on the pedal .

[@jermainelong1843]

😁Glad I'm not the only one who saw that.

[@xanderjcliffe-musicreviews7740]

yea lol

[@jacopozomparelli594]

It took 4-5 rewinds for me to understand what you were talking about but wow, now I can't unsee it. Thanks!

[@TheOpiumseven]

As a bass player on a budget, these are the types of reviews I look for,something I can afford and they work good as well. 👍

[@joek5440]

I hope you do end up getting a pedal board set up. I personally have a tuner, compressor, and EQ as my bass set up. My only suggestion is that you do not anything from Tomtop. Save yourself the headache and purchase these pedals or something similar from either Amazon or Reverb. Again, good luck!

[@dingledanarmy7402]

I can't believe how fast your channel's growing! Good for you man!

[@JamesYokoi]

That was awesome! It's not cheap being a musician in general, but I'm glad people like you exist to find great deals and to share your knowledge! Keep up the great videos!

[@danthony9311]

As a beginning bassist, I appreciate the info that you provide. Much more informative than a lot of the dedicated bass channels. Thank you!

[@joek5440]

Do not buy any of these pedals from Tomtop. I ordered 2 pedals from them. One of them does not work. When I asked for a replacement, they offered a $15 refund instead. The pedal cost me $26. Just buy from Amazon where you can at least get a replacment or send it back.

[@scottjaramillo4380]

Hey Dan, I discovered your channel only a few months ago and I can't stop binge watching your videos! I appreciate your approach to your instructionals and reviews. They are informative without dragging on unnecessarily or being insulting to newbies! Great job!!! Thanks for producing this channel.👍

[@CT68]

I'm not a bass player, but I know chorus was used on bass a lot in the 80's, particularly in New Wave and Goth bands; I'm thinking the Cure, SatB, Joy Division/New Order, etc.

[@Zentabes]

Indeed. Even Jaco used it!

[@abouc]

Sisters of Mercy made good use of chorus, too. Justin Chancellor of Tool also uses it sparingly for effect in places to add atmoshpere.

[@FromaTwistedMind]

Steve Severin of Siouxsie & the Banshees had a unique sound, loved it.

[@teresaravenshaw5477]

Barry Adamson of Magazine used it and often not sparingly. Permafrost has a glacier full of it on bass and it's brilliant.

[@Yslcherrybomb]

Omg thanks for this info 💓

[@mikewhitfield2994]

Cool! I don't do effects but I just bought a couple basses in my quest to totally suck on multiple instruments, so it's an interesting video to me.

[@mlmccollum100]

love that...."to totally suck on multiple instruments...." I'm the same way....I have about $4000 worth of guitars and another $2k in gear...and suck on all of it... but still play my heart out on Sunday mornings at church.

[@percycolburn6607]

This is a very helpful comment. Thanks.

[@L-hargestam]

I’m a bass player and this was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks 🙏

[@dandagle2629]

I love the explanation of the EQ settings! After watching this I started using an EQ on my Zoom Multistomp, with your recommended settings, and I feel like I finally found the tone I was looking for!

[@ianmiller4195]

Why am I watching this? I don't play bass. I guess that's what happens when you have a great chanel to watch.

[@Julioc96]

I agree

[@nigaltafai6778]

Yup

[@michaelpagone9709]

That prototype bass is killer

[@the_vaporwave_guy]

It really fucking is

[@itsmesandman]

copycat Rickenbacker 4003

[@Li0n729]

Kicks ass even without the effects.

[@SteeleResolve]

I'm always on the look out for new effect pedals with good quality and budget prices. Thanks again Dan!

[@davidharrison4335]

These do sound great. Thanks for taking the time to find good ones, I love watching the budget videos. And of course, your honest opinion on the products is always appreciated. keep the great content coming, Dan

[@arth1804]

I love the EQ review with explanation of different frequencies. Maybe you could make a video on dialing in the bass EQ and share your experiences? I used to spend hours playing with EQ and trying to dial in a tone that sits well in the band and developed fixation with low mids which seemed to work miracles for me until I changed to a completely different sounding bass and whole thing started again. I'd love to hear some thoughts on this topic and I bet it would be useful to a lot of bass players. Btw. Choruses on bass are great. Being a fretless player I used it all the time as a part of my basic tone and to my surprise nobody in a band complained and they liked it. It seems to me that it enhances some harmonic content that makes the bass fuller and richer, but a good pedal should keep the fundamental intact, so the seemingly out of tune sound you're talking about doesn't happen. They do a lot of these dry-low/modulated-highs controls on bass choruses because of that, but there aren't many bass choruses in budget range. It just happens that Ensemble Queen sounds really bad to me. Not what I am looking for in a bass chorus. You can easily grab used Digitech Bass Multi Chorus (I don't think they make them anymore) for dirt cheap and they are really good, despite some people hating it just because it is digital (so is Ensemble Queen AFAIK). Right now I am waiting for my EHX Bass Clone which I wouldn't consider "budget" but isn't expensive either, with really high expectations. Hyped as hell, 'cause it sounds really good on most demos and people seem to generally like it. Cool video, cheers!

[@lukealberti5094]

I’ve been watching a ridiculous amount of bass pedal demo videos and this is one of the better ones.

[@samwalker2344]

Almost 100k man! You deserve it, you have been a big influence in my guitar playing and how I look at guitars- I’ve been subbed for awhile, and I’m proud to see you get this far!

[@TrailnTriggerTV]

I thought your pedalboard was mounted in front of your laptop and you were donkey kicking the switches. Kinda sad to figure out it was a second camera.

[@timburlingame5893]

I refuse to believe that isn't what's happening.

[@btgrant]

Been doing some pedal shopping recently and I’ve been watching a lot of videos like this. This is the best one I’ve seen so far. Thanks & you’ve earned another subscriber.

[@DinoHade]

Really great, that you make this kind of videos. Especially for people who are just starting to learn guitar these videos about affordable/cheap great gear are awesome! Keep it up!

[@jodyhendrix5876]

Great video, thanks. I’m definitely getting that EQ pedal

[@bryanyasuhara2994]

Just bought 3 out of 4 of these for my board. Thank you for the demo. Super helpful!

[@densetsu_vegas]

I recently joined a band that actually pushes me to better myself. That being said I wanted something to get my notes all to the same level, and have never even tried a pedal for bass before and that brought me to this channel. Thank you so much for the very detailed video, helps me out more than you know.

[@jeremybeavin9737]

The eq explanation helped me so much!

[@GarageBandSuperheros]

I was thinking the pedal board was upright sitting against your desk and when you went to switch them around 0:17 I thought you did like some weird fairy kick and was like, What Are You Doing?! haha :D

[@truckasaurus]

FWIW, the Chorus depth is set at max (dimed) for the demo, which is what you want for demoing the capabilities of the pedal, but not where you'd want to set it for playing (unless you're Journey, lol). I little hint of chorus can go a long way, I mean, listen to Duff's tone on Appetite....

[@N0-0n3]

If you're in a new order cover band you need it on full

[@joemurray2523]

Yeah I thought similar - I feel he should have busted out a fretless to really make the chorus shine!

[@ethann9433]

80's music in general was very chorus-heavy. The first few metallica albums have a ton of chorus on both the bass and the guitars in the clean sections

[@freereinvoltaic]

Thank you Dan! You nailed it with the EQ pedal. It seems to be exactly what I’m looking for.

[@iamoraal]

Great review. Never thought about using effects on the bass... sounded great.

[@RonaldoSicurella]

Great review thank you. Very informative. I particularly like the Eq/Compressor combo. I think it’s an essential quality for that smooth consistent sound/tone like a high-end studio recording. Really nice.

[@eternalharvestfarm]

That's crazy how good that overdrive sounds with a little bass added back in with the EQ pedal

[@vonvizmanos8811]

I am really buying this EQ and Od!! Awesome review.

[@thisisnotmyname91]

Dude I've been waiting for this. Really looking to build my bass setup. You confirmed my thoughts that eq and compression are my first buys. But that overdrive/sansamp sound was unexpected. Thanks again!

[@toddflowers8052]

I'm not a bassist but,they sound good to me ,nice demo , great prices too ! Thanks ! :-)

[@minglyu3895]

Very helpful with that eq part, thank you, man!

[@GunsandGuitars]

You’re welcome!

[@kel5944]

It’s cool how your explanation of the bass EQ is the same as I have discovered when tuning car audio bass.

[@lcbryant78]

I’m so glad I found this channel. Well done

[@josephjordan2883]

Great clip! I have two great chorus pedals on my board. They get used sparingly, about 1 out of 10 songs. But, that lush sound they produce is something everyone hears, and the band loves it too. I’d choose a chorus over drive or fuzz any day.

[@RiffHarvester]

I'm building a bass pedal board for my daughter and I threw the kokko overdrive before the preamp and I got a killer tone. Totally by surprise!

[@toffeemilky]

100K!!! Congrats Dan! You deserve it so much (:

[@DIYGene]

That Bass EQ had some awesome sounds. Nice job!

[@icemanrunning777]

Thanks for the recommendation, Dan! Didn't want to spend that much to get those groovy tones. This is totally awesome!

[@cokolok0]

GreAt vid, man! Actually, much more useful to understand how bass fx and eq’s really work and how to get the best out of them. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@mrlionel1965]

I’m not a bassists either. Been playing guitars and keys for 35 yrs. I have been puttering with home recording and your info on where to set the bass frequencies was great useful information we all can use. Thanks for another great vid.

[@ThaRealChuckD]

Good overview of the EQ. Thanks. Agreed 100% on the overdrive too.

[@mvyper]

The secret of bass overdrive is to have a good, clanky clean sound and drive it just a little bit, relying on the clean to give deepness and clarity to the tone. You need a pedal that has a blend option and blend just enough of that distorted sound.

[@johnjareo1047]

Yep. Mxr-M80 does the trick

[@mvyper]

@@johnjareo1047 Everybody gives me crap when I say this, but in the late 2000s I used to play bass in a rock band. My go to sound was a BOSS ODB3 in front of a clean amp : just a tad of drive, blend at about 9:30, scoop the lows and push the his. Jeez, that little yellow monster gave me all kind of satisfactions. People just expect it to sound good using it as a distortion pedal.

[@danieledwards305]

Congrats on 100k mate... You deserve it!

[@DanielPerez-vi9ml]

I bought the exact same EQ and Overdrive pedal, went to a rehearsal with my band, almost used the same adjustments and it does sound like a Samsamp. It has very good dirt without losing low end while using the EQ, very bright and metallic. If you don't want/like that brightness, just adjust your tone on the bass or pedal and you're good.

[@shannonjones3714]

Awesome demo! Thanks for posting!

[@thomasmccann8008]

I’ve been waiting so long for this video!

[@nicodemuscg]

I do play bass and really like this demo. I'm always love hearing these cheap demos by an actual bass player. Frequently you seem gear demoed by guitarist that don't really understand the role of a bass in the band or that play licks that'd never be useful. I'd love to see a video of making that Sansamp knockoff.

[@drink60shot]

WOW! I love your bass!! Thanks for the suggestion and review. It's very useful.

[@luiszv14]

Man that od/eq combination sounds killer!!!

[@georgeshammas9011]

Great demo man I’m definitely considering getting that compression pedal I never new that it made such a difference

[@andrewlawrence5255]

I really liked that brief run down of the EQ and the different frequencies. Could you do a more in depth one? Maybe with something like the MXR 10band EQ? Cheers

[@anthonyhanson2849]

The od and eq sounds great together. I’ve been playing bass for years without any pedals. Might be time to add a few to my rig. Thanks for the tip.

[@ethanbates5267]

Yay!! This video was definitely worth the wait!! Luv it

[@danterosales6985]

Been waiting for bass effects, only have pedals for my geetars, thank you!

[@jsorensen]

You nailed the kind of bass distortion I love!

[@Skaxarrat]

That EQ-Overdrive combo sounds great!

[@sevg10]

Always good to know there are cheap options for those starting out their pedal journey! I think I may get the EQ just to try it out. Thanks!

[@lanimask4314]

Eyyy I’ve been waiting for this video, this is great 👌🏻

[@ryanbarber6615]

I’m not really a bassist but this video opened my eyes to bass having more than one sound

[@thebassrogue]

Dude, there's guys doing such cool stuff with basses. Sam Wilkes being my current favourite specially when he plays with knower!

[@mattowens2260]

Woohoo! Never liked a video so fast! I would really love to have that bass pedal board for your gift away Dan. Your channel is one of two that I use the notification bell for. Thanks again!

[@broomboi7504]

I was going to look for my first bass pedal and this video was super helpful! Thanks Dan! that compression pedal seems like it works well for the price

[@gharodc614]

I love the combination of the Overdrive pedal with the EQ pedal. This was a good Bass pedal demo.

[@TheseTangledWebs]

I really love your guitar content. Thanks for making it

[@MichaelStoneham]

I have been a subscriber to this channel for couple years now. I love your demos, reviews and sharing all things musical. I play bass. This is a great review of some great budget pedal options that are actually useable. Love your giveaways hope these go to a good home and find lots of use.

[@sk8board_blues248]

This video was super helpful, thank you!!

[@dollymaehendrix]

i loved how he just played the Around The World intro and also thanks for this video ive really been searching for a few affordable pedals :)

[@Derby420]

Awesome vid as always! Gives me some ideas for my own bass pedalboard! Thanks again, and congrats on your 100k! =)

[@jakubshouseofrock7109]

Great video as usual dude! I recently did a video testing the Kokko FOD3 Overdrive with bass, and to me it gave a similar sound to when you run a bass through a guitar amp. Good tip to use the EQ pedal with it

[@muchersomucherias5918]

I see you got better on bass aswell :D Cant wait for full video on this bass!

[@muchersomucherias5918]

Also i'd love to get that eq pedal! My cheap Behringer overdrive eats all of the low end :/

[@gabesluis305]

I had a buddy throw in his sansamp pedal along with a sub cab he sold me and I didn’t know how expensive they were at the time. I absolutely love it and am so glad I don’t have to worry about finding other bass pedals. But if I did, this video would be right up my alley.

[@issacmarkaguayo9220]

HAPPY 99K, ALMOST THERE!!!

[@RookieDIY]

Hey Dan, I'm so glad you pointed out that most bass distortion pedals are not what you'd expect. I've thought the same thing with the three or four that I've bought and ultimately returned or trashed. I thought I was doing something wrong. Thanks for clarifying. Now, I know I said I would love the pedalboard before on previous "gift away" videos, but this would be my number one pick. If I did happen to be chosen for this (fingers crossed), I'd say go ahead and give that chorus pedal to someone who would really want it. I don't love the way chorus sounds on bass and I'm sure there's someone out there who has that perfect use for it, it's just not me. Thanks again for your time and effort put into these videos. I'm sure everyone will agree, you do awesome work and I look forward to your videos every week. Keep up the good work.

[@sjohnson8079]

Congratulations Dan! A 100K subscribers!!! A milestone, up to the next!!! 😍😘😀

[@rosswalters6852]

Chorus in a band setting is a must for me. But it took me a whole year to get the settings dialed in. It’s nothing to do with the sound of the chorus. But with the right chorus set to do very very little actual chorusing it can really thicken up the bass (think of it more as doubling what you’re playing rather than actually applying chorus). I really recommend you try it because once I discovered that sound I’ve never looked back. Sounds great and makes the bass massive without stepping on the toes of another band member. Great video keep up the good work.

[@paulcallas6109]

Thanks for sharing. You're an awesome player too with great tone.

[@MyCovertNarcissism]

Great video really enjoyed this one. Just wondering what your thoughts are on Multi-Effects pedals? I just bought an old "Zoom B1ON" and it's pretty cool, even has a Looper, tuner, and a basic drum machine built-in

[@captaintony1227]

Another great video !! Thanks keep up the hard work

[@matthewsouza383]

Dan - your channel is a gift to all us DIY'ers. I found this vid looking for 'best bass chorus..' Yeah, I play with chorus. Curious as to which you tried before but your take on the Moore works for me. Incidentally, I learned my setups at an old store in my hometown from none other than that Chorused-out bass player on those Journey records. Small world, Thanks & All the Best

[@Bassguitarist1985]

The compressor "pop" is from the footswitch itself. You can try adding an additional bleed resistor on the output to bleed more DC voltage, say 100kohm to ground. I did the footswitch swap to a soft latching and the resistor, dead silent no popping.

[@patlrampros]

thank you for your consistent examples with and without the pedal with fingers, pick and slapping. This is how to demonstrate the 'affect' of a pedal. Same riff, with lows and high notes, three different ways. Rigor is hard to come by....excellent. You have my subscription. And really, way do you have to pay $250 for a pedal. I bought a really nice used mexi jazz bass with EMG pickups on Craigslist for $200. And you want me to pay that much for a pedal??? Great job.

[@omnic989]

Very much want that pedal board. Those all sounded great.

[@josephmartinez2907]

Glad you made a bass effects video!!! i'm always on the search for pedals i can use on my bass. One that I've found in this price range that works really well is the Joyo Sweet Baby Overdrive. no need to add much EQ (other than what I had on my bass amp) for that to add nice dirt to my tone.

[@juusokovala45]

FINALY! I really want that eq ja drive!

[@iwannaplaybass8127]

Alright just what Ive been waiting for!

[@Power_Tech_TV]

Yay! Thanks Bro for the review!

[@gjrodgers20]

I love all of your bass videos!!!

[@Power_Tech_TV]

Ive got my fingers crossed for the mod bass kit!!! Thanks Dan!!!

[@DIYGene]

You are so close to 100k I bet you hit it tomorrow. Congratulations!

[@roadykin]

Joyo Dr-J Sparrow is a cheap overdrive that I like. I use it with highest gain on that pedal but mix is almost all the way dry. Harmonies knob is also awesome on this unit.

[@RJsCave]

bass pedal reviews! Halleleua! No one does Bass pedal reviews! Hardly anyone makes Bass pedals to do reviews avout! Huge thanks dan! another great one! Keep 'em coming! And YES! i would love to have those pedals as i'm building that pedalboard and it is ultimately going to be for both guitar and bass. Here's a suggestion... Get an Ibanez Mikro Bass and mod it. I did and they're very cool little basses and as low as $150 new means they're good mod platforms and available used for under $100 and they come in 4 and 5 string versions at a 29.6 inch scale length

[@pulsehead]

A trick I used a lot in the power trio I played in years ago was when the guitar was really digging into a solo, I'd play something more simple like whole/quarter notes on the root and kick on a little Chorus to help it sound a bit more interesting. Then again, we were a living room band and never even made it into a garage, so what do I know? It was fun and totally worth the 75 bucks I dropped on my BOSS Bass Chorus pedal all those years ago. Another fun trick is to kick on the chorus and throw a harmonic and just let it ring out. Great sound.

[@teresaravenshaw5477]

I use chorus on full depth but only middle rate, and it sounds great whether alone or in a band setting. It's possibly the coolest bass effect there is. Flanger and phaser are in the running too.

[@finiteaffinitymusic9559]

I love all your budget videos. You understand that alot of us live paycheck to paycheck. Keep going Dan!