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Post by windmill on Jul 15, 2021 7:53:25 GMT -5
I was told that the most important thing I need to do with my bass, after learning it of course , is to get a good sound.
Well, Ray Brown, the renowned jazz bassist, told me and the 107,112 others who have watched his "Art of Playing Bass" on Youtube.
He demonstrated an example on his double bass but I am wondering what are the suggestions of my fellow forumites to getting a good sound on an electric bass guitar.
I dont want to go down the rabbithole of chasing "tone", just getting a good sound as Ray said.
Any suggestions are welcome
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Post by hushnel on Jul 15, 2021 10:22:46 GMT -5
It’s fairly subjective. I‘ve always been able to get what I want tweaking the tone and volumes on the bass and the amp. I do have a bass DI box that I used to shut off the bass keeping my adjustments from needing to be tweaked and for DI use. Much of the tone is in how the strings are attacked, fingers and picks of different materials can change the tone along with position on the strings, closer to the neck more bass closer to the bridge more treble. I don’t use picks but I have a set, from rawhide, to sea turtle, to copper and sterling silver, they all produce a different tone.
Things change depending on the other instruments, and room shape, generally the bass cuts through better at distances like out to the parking lot, treble does a better job at shorter distances. I start the bass, treble and volume at the half way point of the pots then dial in the general tone and volume I want at the amp. Giving me functional options at the instrument.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jul 16, 2021 1:45:12 GMT -5
I tend to think that a good bass sound is heard and felt (it's a harmony and a percussion instrument), and that requires power. Generally, about three to four times more power than the guitar amps and the PA combined. You have to get the air moving.
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MoJoe
Wholenote
Posts: 855
Formerly Known As: quiksilver
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Post by MoJoe on Jul 16, 2021 3:05:56 GMT -5
...
An outboard preamp shaping the sound exactly to what I wanted to hear was morphing into better playing and vice versa. In my case a cheapo Eden pedal that fit into the gigbag.
ed.:... part del. because off topic... 🙄
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Post by digiboy on Jul 16, 2021 8:05:51 GMT -5
There are probably 100 different answers, all legitimate, on how to get a good bass sound. So much depends on what kind of music you play, what you like to hear, what kind of gear you have, etc. My favorite bass players for their sound are Duck Dunn, James Jamerson, George Porter, Paul McCartney, Charlie McCoy, Joey Spampinato, Carol Kaye, Graham Maby, and of course Jaco. EDIT: Left out Rick Danko, absolute must!
I play a lot of blues, rockabilly, old school R&B, western swing, and country. I'll just tell you about the sound I like for myself. I play either a P bass or a Dano. They are 4 string fretted. I have Tomastik Infeld Jazz flats and foam mutes on both. Because many clubs in Manhattan have "house" rigs, I end up using a lot of different bass amps. If it's good bass amp I usually want to run it flat. Sometimes I will bump the low mids depending on the room, etc. |
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Post by hushnel on Jul 16, 2021 10:30:09 GMT -5
Geno’s post about power/amp is probably the single most important tool in the sound chain. The quality of the amp made for bass is nearly as important as it’s power.
My first bass amp was a CBS 2X12 50 watt Fender Bassman, it was OK, much better as a guitar amp, years later I picked up a Bassman 4X10 combo that actually blew away the first one with the same wattage, also a great guitar amp. From that point on I use 10” Speakers. In the 1980s the 50 watt was getting a little weak in the mix and I upgraded to the SWR Studio 220 Bass Amplifier and SWR Goliath 4/10 Eden cabinet . This was actually my first bass amp that was designed as such, It covered bar gigs exceptionally well. I still have this amp and use it as my rehearsal/studio rig.
What I use today for gigs is the Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0 500/900 watts @8Ω/4Ω I have various speaker cabinets, the old SWR 8Ω 4X10, a SWR golight jr. 2X10 8Ω neodymium and a Hartke 8Ω 15” for various power ranges and sound pressures.
For the standard bar gig I use the Shuttle 9.0 @ 4lbs and the SWR golight jr. @38lbs rated at 400 watts. If it’s a larger space I’ll either use the two 10s and the 15 or the 4X10 and 2X10, depending on ceiling height and floor space.
For the standard sport bar I’ll often play the heavily modified Squire Bronco, (I installed a Guild Bisonic bass pickup, tuning machines and pots), it ain’t your little Girl’s squire Bronco anymore “o)
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