 There was a time, not long ago, that I avoided pedals like the plague. Being a bass player, I never felt the need to use pedals, and on the occasions that I did try them I was never happy with the sound. I always had the idea that "bass players are the backbone of the music, you aren't supposed to be flashy". My mind was changed when I starting working at Sylvan Music and was encouraged to try out all the pedals. These are a few opinions that I have developed over the 7 or so years of working here. The first thing I would advise is, whenever possible, buy bass-specific pedals. The biggest problem with using guitar pedals on bass is the massive cut in bass frequencies, and losing your low end is counterproductive. Bass specific pedals are made with the bass frequency range in mind so you keep the low end and get the effect as well. My second discovery is that having Wet/Dry controls is almost mandatory. Wet and Dry knobs control the volume of two different signals; the Wet being the effected signal, and the Dry being the clean signal. This way you can dial in as much or as little effect as you like while having your clean level unaffected. My personal rig includes: the MXR Bass Fuzz Deluxe, MXR Bass Envelope Filter, and the EHX Freeze. Feel free to come in and check out these and many other bass specific pedals. -Kevin  Kevin is a veteran Sylvan Music employee, with a profound love of usually four stringed instruments like bass and ukulele. He's also an accomplished jaw harpist. You can find him playing shows around town in his folk/rock band Sun Maiden, or his metal band Rat King. If he's not at work he's probably covered in grease working on one of his motorcycles.
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 The world of acoustic guitar pickups is vast and ever-expanding, with new technologies and designs popping up seemingly every week. The most recent pickup design from LR Baggs is The Lyric, which utilizes a microphone element that is attached to the bridge plate of your instrument. A microphone on the bridge plate you say!? That sounds like a load of malarkey. But it’s true! Unlike most internal microphone systems which utilize a highly sensitive mic capsule mounted on a gooseneck (and often pointed directly through the sound hole towards the strings--a highly feedback-prone system if you ask me…), the Lyric is substantially smaller in size and makes use of a “top secret” EQ curve developed by the engineering wizards at LR Baggs which reduces the awkward boxiness usually associated with internal microphones. This is a serious step in the right direction if you, like myself, are looking for the most accurate means of amplifying your high-end acoustic guitar without the hassles of conventional internally mounted microphone systems. Pair your LR Baggs Lyric with their award winning Venue DI for the ultimate dynamic and portable acoustic rig. That’s what I did, and I haven’t looked back. Check out all the great products that LR Baggs has to offer (as well as some killer demo videos) at their website, www.lrbaggs.com -McCoy  McCoy Tyler is a salesman at Sylvan Music with an aptitude towards acoustic guitars, amps, and pickup systems. When he's not spouting musical knowledge on the sales floor, he can be found doing some hot picking and sweet singing with his group The McCoy Tyler Band.
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