November 15th, 2009 | 
Author: I play both guitar and bass and would like to buy either a Zoom G2.1u (the guitar effects pedal) or the Zoom B2.1u (the bass one). I can only afford one of them but i don’t which is better, to run a bass through a guitar effects pedal or a bass through a guitar pedal. Any idea’s?
I’d run a bass through a guitar pedal. The bass effects usually don’t have as good of high frequency response. However, the guitar effects may not have the bass response that the bass fx does, but that’s easier to dial back in.
You’ll trade away some effects designed for the bass, but it’s a better compromise to get the one designed for guitar.
Greetings from Austin, TX
Ken
Posted in guitar effects
I’d run a bass through a guitar pedal. The bass effects usually don’t have as good of high frequency response. However, the guitar effects may not have the bass response that the bass fx does, but that’s easier to dial back in.
You’ll trade away some effects designed for the bass, but it’s a better compromise to get the one designed for guitar.
Greetings from Austin, TX
Ken
References :
40 years of playing guitar and bass
35 years of live performance
Honestly, you should consider which instrument you have a preference for, and which you would be playing in a band. Not only for this purchase, but if you want to get a bigger amp, or a new guitar, you have to decide.
If you go with a guitar effects processor, your bass can run through, but as mentioned before you will probably have more high end response and not enough low end(which may or may not be compensated). Plus the effects pedals are designed for a guitar, and a guitar plays on a whole other octave and has much more range than a bass, and therefore a bass will sound much different through, let’s say a wah pedal for example, than your guitar will. There are reasons that pedal companies make effects for bass, because you normally want your bass to sound, well, like a bass, and not a 1 octave down guitar.
Hope I make sense.
References :
Rico Suave Inc.