Posted on

How To Make Your Guitar Sound Like A Bass

Ibanez guitar and EHX Bass 9 Bass Machine against rainbow gradient background

Emulating bass tones with your electric guitar can be handy for certain songs and tracks. However, you may not want to go buy a bass and learn how to play it. Luckily, you can make your electric guitar sound like a bass using several methods. Let’s cover them.

1. Electro-Harmonix BASS9 Bass Machine Guitar Effects Pedal


EHX Bass 9 Bass Machine guitar pedal

The EXH Bass 9 Bass Machine was designed to transform your guitar signal into a variety of bass tones, and it does a heck of a good job of doing so. With nine different bass tone options, you have a world of bass potential under your fingertips. Watch the video below to see for yourself the impressive potential of the EHX BASS9 Bass Machine.

See More

2. Electro-Harmonix Micro POG Polyphonic Octave Generator


Electro-Harmonix Micro POG Polyphonic Octave Generator Guitar Effects Pedal

The Electro-Harmonix Micro POG is an excellent way to make your guitar sound like a bass. Simply turn the “Sub Octave” pedal up and turn “Dry” and “Octave Up” all the way down. You’ll end up with a signal one octave lower than normal, and you’ll achieve that bass sound!

See More

3. DigiTech Whammy DT


DigiTech Whammy DT Drop Tuning Guitar Effects Pedal

Another great pedal option for achieving a bass effect is the Digitech Whammy DT. This versatile pedal includes ten whammy settings and nine harmony settings for incredible tone-crafting capabilities. And thanks to its intuitive layout, you’ll find that you’ll be creating bass sounds soon after dialing into the pedal!

See More

4. TC Electronic Sub N Up Octave Pedal


TC Electronic Sub N Up Octaver Guitar Effects Pedal

The TC Electronic Sub N Up Octaver is another cool pedal you can achieve bass sounds with. Dial into this octave generator to get old-school bass tones with the monophonic octaver. You also get access to a world of other octave tones, giving you some fascinating playing potential.

See More

5. Boss GP-10GK Multi-Effects Processor Pedal


Boss GP-10GK Guitar Effects Processor Multi-Effects Pedal with GK-3 Pickup

Emulating a bass tone using an octave pedal is a fantastic way to replicate bass tones. However, for a more realistic sound, consider getting a MIDI pickup and a processor. With the BOSS GP-10GK, you can quickly turn your guitar tone into any instrument you’d want – including bass. You’ll be shocked at how great your tones will sound! For truly impressive bass emulation, you should purchase a MIDI pickup and a processor like the BOSS GP-10GK. 

See More


Dial Into Bass Tones

As you can see, you have several options to emulate bass tones using your electric guitar. Take a look at our suggestions and see which one is right for you and your playing!

If you would like to do more browsing, check out our extensive line of guitar effects pedals.

Shop Guitar Pedals