Effect Accessories for Your Bass Guitar

Some items make your life as a bass player easier (and sometimes more fun), but often you can function without them. Bassists generally prefer a clean sound, so they aren’t as likely as guitar players to use all kinds of effects (gadgets that alter the sound). However, here are two useful effects items that bassists do often use:

• A chorus unit: A chorus unit makes your bass sound like two basses played simultaneously.

• A volume pedal: A volume pedal lets you adjust the volume with your foot, even in the middle of a tune.

  

  Credit: Photo by Steven Schlesinger

For those long hours of practicing, you also may find the following items useful:

• A stool for proper posture while playing

• A music stand to hold your charts

• A stand for your bass

  

  Credit: Photo by Steven Schlesinger

If you still have some cash to burn, get a good headphone amp (an amp that allows you to hear your bass over headphones). With one of these, you can play at all hours of the day or night without disturbing anyone.

A wide variety of headphone amps are available, ranging in price from $30 to $300. The better the unit, the better your sound — and the more you’ll want to practice. Some headphone amps (like the JamHub) even enable you to plug in with your guitar-playing friends, and you can all rock out without waking the family dog.

Credit: Photo by Steven Schlesinger

You can find most of these items at any large music store. You may have to buy the stool from a furniture store and the headphone amp online, but the really large music stores usually have everything you need.