Bass effects

Bass effects are special tools that help make the sound of an electric bass or upright bass richer and more interesting. These tools, called effects units, can be small boxes called stompboxes that you can control with your foot, or bigger units that fit into special cases. They often have knobs to change how loud or how the sound feels.

Many bass players use these effects to change their sound in fun ways. Some bass amplifiers even have effects built right in, like making the sound smoother or adding a wobbly effect. There are companies that make these tools just for bass players, helping them create amazing music.

Fuzz

Main article: Fuzz bass

Some bands started listing "fuzz bass" along with "electric bass" in their album credits by the mid- to late-1960s, and this has continued in every decade since.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, fuzz bass was popular in psychedelic music, progressive rock, and psychedelic soul/funk. It created a warmer, smoother sound by rounding off the sharp parts of the audio signal. Later, in the 1990s and 2000s, indie and alternative rock bands also used fuzz bass.

Overdrive and distortion

When a bass signal is overdriven, it changes its sound, adding new tones and making notes last longer.

In the 1980s and 1990s, this style of bass sound was popular with hardcore punk, death metal, grindcore and Industrial bands.

Since the late 1980s, companies have made special pedals for electric bass that mix the normal sound with the overdriven sound.

Chorus

Main article: Bass chorus

A bass chorus is an electronic effect that is used with the electric bass. It makes the sound shimmer. This is similar to chorus pedals used on guitars, but these are made to work better with lower sounds.

Upright bass

Upright bassists in jazz, folk, blues, and similar genres often use a piezoelectric pickup. This pickup is placed on the wooden bridge or between the bridge and the body of the bass. The pickup is then connected to a bass amplifier or a PA system. Many players also use a bass preamplifier before connecting to the amplifier or PA system. This small electronic device helps match the signal strength between the pickup and the amplifier. Some preamplifiers also have controls to adjust the sound, add compression, and connect directly to a PA system using an XLR cable.