Reverb and chorus are always good to have.

Boss makes good stuff.

It depends completely on what kind of sound you’re looking for. Find out what some of your favorite guitarists/bassists are using and do some research on how to achieve those tones. If you have a computer and/or laptop (for live gigs) you can get all kinds of free software to generate most effects for free, and with some additional slight EQ/compression achieve amazing sounds. You don’t always get what you pay for when it comes to effects pedals, so educating yourself is the best way to win. Also hit up the local music stores and try out everything you can… using your own equipment if possible. Any good music store would be willing to let you try things out so you can find what works out best for you.

I like a compression pedal for my bass. You can also get a rack that has a variety of your chosen sounds so you don’t have a mess of foot pedals umm, well, under foot. I agree with @Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard, I like Boss pedals. Chorus and reverb are great for guitar but can be overwhelming with a bass (I like nice clean bass lines).

IMO a wah pedal is a great thing to have and is one of the few effects that can’t be duplicated effectively without the pedal (only because of the mechanical action of the pedal). Nearly all other effects can be achieved with a digital effects board or even by software on your PC or smartphone.

First of all I wouldn’t recommend using anything designed for a guitar on a bass and vise verse. I’ve had a vast array of effects in the past, many of which I want to obtain again, but depending on what type of music you want to play is where you run into the problem of choice. A Fuzz box isn’t going to get thick heavy distortion for heavier stuff and a death metal distortion pedal isn’t going to work for lighter jazz. Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for you can go out and find according pedals.

At the moment I only have 2 effects. Reverb, which comes standard on many different model amplifiers and my Distortion Factory by DigiTech it’s modeled after 7 different pedals to get that _all in one deal.

Also, these effects are usually found in most music. Other effects too, but I feel as though both reverb and distortion are use more overly than the others.

Call the helpful fellas at musiciansfriend.com and tell ‘em what you’re playing/what you wanna spend…