Can there a guitar effect that can simulate a bass? I mean it will turn my guitar into a six-string bass?
Or am I just asking for something absurd?
You could try something like the Rocktave Divider or the MXR Blue Box, but other than a pitch shifter, you'll be looking at a fuzzy and "synthish" sound thanks to the way non-DSP octave down pedals work.
Take care,
-Peter
My experience with *faux* bass using octave effects (in this case an EH Micro-Synth) was basically that you had to "play the effect", and find the particular notes and techniques that produced convincing results. You can get usable results, especially for recording, but in a pretty restricted capacity (i.e. guitar + effect is no 6 string bass). Then there is the hex-pickup/ guitar synth route. If you are talking about live performance, there is the whole issue of bass amplification vs. guitar amp. It really comes down to: what do you have in mind? If you just need to hold a pedal tone, or play a real simple line for a song or two, it might be worth it. But if you plan on an extended Entwistle/Squire/Pastorious/Flea/Collins/Wooten cadenza.... It's time to find a good bass player, or buy a bass+bass amp and practice, practice, practice.
Kerry M
Sorry to say it, but the only box that I've ever heard that does this (a) convincingly and (b) reliably is the Digitech BP50 pedal.
I use a Dano Chilli Dog for bass parts. It's not distorted and is clean enough to do a pretty convincing impression (if you stick to the wound strings).
Tonally, it sounds like an instrument with dead strings and all the high end rolled off (think reggae/dance and you'll get the idea) so it's limited, but I'm not complaining as I like that sound.
What your looking for is an octave down pedal, the boss oc-2 can produce a tone 2 octaves below the original signal.
But!, nothing beats the sound of a 34 inch scale bass with the proper strings
peace!
I have the BOSS OC-2. You could get close with that. But, like was said, it ain't quite the same thing...
The Shoctave by Joe Davisson I just built does it, if you run the blend knob all the way CW. A bass on Mars or something! I plan on driving my band crazy! I love the sound when the oscillator is trying to find the right note. WEEWEEOOODILYOODILY WEEOO!!
Sweet!
RDV
MXR made an analog pitch shifter. No tracking or square wave buzz to worry about, but I've not actually heard one or seen a schematic.
I've used my Whammy reissue to try to get some usable bass sounds for recording, and it's tough. I've experimented with humbuckers, single coils, neck and bridge, pick/fingers, and all kinds of tone pot combinations, and it's not very convincing. The best setting I've found is my bridge single coil with the tone rolled to 2, and a bit of compression (Dyna Comp) afterwards, and only very light playing with the fingers. Does anyone have any suggestions to get a better sound (more realistic, convincing), or should I accept the limitations of this setup?
Alex
I second the Whammy suggestion.
I love the "bass" on the White Stripes' Hardest Button to Button. The tone is big and bouncy. I think the secret is that it's not really being presented as a real bass guitar, as in, it's not as if it's trying to be pass itself off for a p-bass.