Samashton12 Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I'm starting a 3 piece blues band and I might be lusting after a '66 slab body after properly listening to Live at Leeds. It's THE tone for the band and I'm currently completely, nearly broke. I have a VT bass and a P bass and I need any info on the internals of the 66' Slab Body, PU's, Caps, Pots etc. And of course EQ settings. I play in a similar style, up the neck and really digging in, almost slapping the strings. I'm nearly there with it all. Thanks, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Turn the bass almost completely off, leave the mids and treble set mid-way. On the bass, you'll want the tone set to about 75% zing. Tonnes of gain. Sounds counter-intuitive, but play lightly and let the amp do the work. Sounds pretty horrible solo'd but in the band mix it'll cut through like a knife. No need to use effects, just utilise the gain controls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 The Fender Custom Shop 63 pickup has a nice bit of breakup with volume and tone maxed. Pair that with rounds and I think you will be half way there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samashton12 Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 [quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1447320179' post='2906613'] The Fender Custom Shop 63 pickup has a nice bit of breakup with volume and tone maxed. Pair that with rounds and I think you will be half way there. [/quote] Ooo, that seems nice. Thanks so far guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1447289160' post='2906506'] Turn the bass almost completely off, leave the mids and treble set mid-way. On the bass, you'll want the tone set to about 75% zing. Tonnes of gain. Sounds counter-intuitive, but play lightly and let the amp do the work. Sounds pretty horrible solo'd but in the band mix it'll cut through like a knife. No need to use effects, just utilise the gain controls. [/quote] With all due respect I have to disagree with this. You've got the P bass - leave the tone wide open, without a doubt. You'll need the full beast coming through. It's a bit tricky to question the EQ setting without knowing what you are referring to - possibly the VT bass? I would start by saying the VT bass isn't going to get that Leeds sound - it will give you a nice aggressive valve sound but the Ampeg tone is very different to the Hiwatt tone. I'm going to sound like a broken record here but the Tech 21 Leeds is what you need. Use it as a preamp rather than a standard stomp box and with a P bass the tone is there. Don't take too much notice of the demos on Youtube as they go completely over the top - even the official Tech 21 demo. I have this pedal and use it all the time, and know from experience that with a P bass the sound is there. Of course a proper Slab would give you that extra push on top but it's certainly not vital. Definitley don't abandon the low end though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman Steve Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 I am assuming your P-bass is a maple neck. I have owned a '66 slab and feel there was a certain extra something about them. The consensus is, however, that they were not unique, in any way other way than the slab body. To that end, I wouldn't worry too much about the bass and see where you go with the pre-amp suggestion above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 (edited) Except that Frankenstein didn't have a slab body. The Ox always said that he thought that the circuitry was somehow different, but it wasn't. The only major difference between standards with maple boards and slabs was that the slabs had cap necks, ie a separate fingerboard. Of course, this fails to explain why owners of the even rarer rosewood board slabs say that they sound the same... As all MIM and USA Standards have cap necks these days, almost any new Precision should get you into that ball park. Not forgetting a fresh set of RS66s... Edited November 15, 2015 by Telebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Just use 2 Hiwatts flat out through 4 off 4 x 12s with old Fane 50w speakers. There's the sound, no mystery. It'll be bloody loud though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 ^^^ That too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slab66 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) HIWATT!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwflWR4YxV0 Edited December 7, 2015 by slab66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrag Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) [quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1447589930' post='2908671'] Just use 2 Hiwatts flat out through 4 off 4 x 12s with old Fane 50w speakers. There's the sound, no mystery. It'll be bloody loud though. [/quote] Is that one of those lightweight modular rigs? Doesn't it also help to hit the stings really hard almost above the neck? Edited December 7, 2015 by sbrag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Ox Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1447333158' post='2906765'] With all due respect I have to disagree with this. You've got the P bass - leave the tone wide open, without a doubt. You'll need the full beast coming through. It's a bit tricky to question the EQ setting without knowing what you are referring to - possibly the VT bass? I would start by saying the VT bass isn't going to get that Leeds sound - it will give you a nice aggressive valve sound but the Ampeg tone is very different to the Hiwatt tone. I'm going to sound like a broken record here but the Tech 21 Leeds is what you need. Use it as a preamp rather than a standard stomp box and with a P bass the tone is there. Don't take too much notice of the demos on Youtube as they go completely over the top - even the official Tech 21 demo. I have this pedal and use it all the time, and know from experience that with a P bass the sound is there. Of course a proper Slab would give you that extra push on top but it's certainly not vital. Definitley don't abandon the low end though! [/quote] agreed, the tech 21 Leeds is brilliant! I can even use an old 2nd hand Fender Squire and it sounds decent on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slab66 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) /www.youtube.com/watch?v=76-PBALbkiM Edited March 13, 2016 by slab66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slab66 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 [url="/www.youtube.com/watch?v=76-PBALbkiM"]/www.youtube.com/watch?v=76-PBALbkiM[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Ox Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Agreed these are top notch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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