The Fender bass pedal is a bass multi-effects unit from Fender that gathers the core of a bass rig into a single box: a compressor, an overdrive, an EQ section and a DI output. In a Sweetwater demo video, presenter Mitch Gallagher and Fender's Stan Cody described it as "kind of a one-stop shop for bass"1. It was designed by Alex Aguilar1.
What it does
The pedal chains four sections that a bass player would otherwise cover with separate units. The compressor is described in the demo as "a true rms studio style compressor not like a guitar stuff", meaning it behaves like a studio-level dynamics control rather than a typical guitar stompbox compressor1. The overdrive is built around keeping the fundamental intact: as Cody put it, "he made it not rob the low end", so the drive can be pushed without thinning out the bass signal1. An EQ section follows, with "a 3-band eq" for shaping tone1.
Controls and connections
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Compressor section | True RMS, studio-style compression1 |
| Overdrive section | Drive that preserves the low end1 |
| EQ section | 3-band EQ1 |
| Bypass buttons | Individual bypass for each section1 |
| Mute switch | Mutes the signal for silent tuning1 |
| DI output | Direct out with a ground lift switch1 |
| Tuner output | Separate output dedicated to a tuner1 |
The individual bypass buttons mean each section can be switched in or out on its own, rather than the whole unit being one on/off stompbox. The separate tuner output and mute switch let a player tune silently between songs, and the DI output with ground lift is aimed at going straight to a PA or recording interface1.
In the demo
In the Sweetwater video, Mitch Gallagher walks through the pedal with Fender's Stan Cody, who explains the design choices behind each section, including the studio-style compressor and the low-end-preserving overdrive1.
Sources (1)
- Fender Guitar Effects Pedals at Winter NAMM 2019, Sweetwater (youtube.com), 2019-01-25
