What? No Overdrive?

[Hobbayne]

Strange experience today. Played an afternoon pub gig with my classic rock covers band which went rather well. Until I was approached by a man in the toilets
Turns out he was the bass player with another classic rock band who came along to listen.
Basically, he told me that my bass sound was sh*t and I should use an overdrive on the bass guitar albeit subtely.
I dont really use effects apart from a chorus pedal and dont see the point of having the bass overdriven when we have two guitars fighting it out for supremacy.
I had my Nate Mendel Precision into a Markbass CMD 121 with a NY 121 ext cab.
What do you guys think? Maybe some overdrive for classic rock bass?

[RhysP]

That probably means he thought your sound was much better than his.

[Cato]

I suppose it depends on what you are playing, but generally I'd take clean & punchy over dirty & mushy every day of the week.

[ezbass]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1451512572' post='2941206']
Basically, he told me that my bass sound was sh*t
[/quote]
[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1451512842' post='2941208']
That probably means he thought your sound was much better than his.
[/quote]
+1

[Twincam]

Mark bass known for a rather sterile sound, don't many use a valve overdrive pedal in front of them? Even without much gain to thicken the sound somewhat.

[RhysP]

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1451515193' post='2941228']
Mark bass known for a rather sterile sound,
[/quote]

Really? I wouldn't say that at all going by the one I used to have.

[Twincam]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1451516043' post='2941233']


Really? I wouldn't say that at all going by the one I used to have.
[/quote]

Not by me, I think they are fine the cabs and heads.
Just I've heard it said many times. And in a way I guess i could see why people who are used to other amps especially older gear, valve stuff especially say this.
So maybe that's all he meant when saying about the overdrive.

[Number6]

Just say noted.....

[Woodinblack]

I say you use what you use, and its up to you to decide what is a good sound. Its fine to listen to people but that doesn't mean you have to change. I tend to use a bit of overdrive, but only a little because I don't really like clean. However, I wouldn't tell someone their sound was sh*t unless they asked (and then I would offer it as a suggestion).
Try it, see if you like it and if you do add it, if you don't, don't.

[ahpook]

Well, I hope he didn't actually say it was sh*t !

A bit of overdrive can add a certain something to a sound without it actually sounded all distorted and guitar-like and it certainly wouldn't sound out of place in a classic rock band - cranked SVTs and all that

But it's very much about how you want the band to sound. Maybe your helpful friend just likes grindy bass and says that to all the bassists he meets !

EDIT: Pretty much what Woodinblack said !!

Edited December 30, 2015 by ahpook

[dannybuoy]

The bloke might have had a point - if you're not playing into a cranked tube amp then having a bit of mild grit from an overdrive pedal is just what you want in a classic rock band IMHO - I rarely turn mine off!

[Behlmene]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1451512572' post='2941206']
Strange experience today. Played an afternoon pub gig with my classic rock covers band which went rather well. Until I was approached by a man in the toilets
Turns out he was the bass player with another classic rock band who came along to listen.
Basically, he told me that my bass sound was sh*t and I should use an overdrive on the bass guitar albeit subtely.
I dont really use effects apart from a chorus pedal and dont see the point of having the bass overdriven when we have two guitars fighting it out for supremacy.
I had my Nate Mendel Precision into a Markbass CMD 121 with a NY 121 ext cab.
What do you guys think? Maybe some overdrive for classic rock bass?
[/quote]

No overdrive on a bass. Overdrive is for guitars.

[Naetharu]

First, to the OP - don't let one person being a bit of a nob make you question your tone. If you're really unsure then by all means ask your band-mates for some honest feedback but from what you say it sounds more like the bloke in question had a bit of a chip on his shoulder than anything to do with your tone as such.

However, on a slightly different note I would say that some subtle overdrive/distortion on the bass can actually really help it cut through. I tend to run my Ampeg SCR-DI with the scrambler section turned on, drive at around 10 o'clock and the blend around 11 o'clock. That gives me a bit of bite when I dig in and a little bit of sustain from the compression while keeping the tone nice and warm. I guess closer to a nice tube amp sound as mentioned above.

[quote name='Behlmene' timestamp='1451533989' post='2941338']
No overdrive on a bass. Overdrive is for guitars.
[/quote]

Not sure if you're serious about this, but if so you need to open your mind up to new sounds my friend. It's fine if you're not keen on a driven tone for your bass playing, but simply ruling that a given effect should not be used is daft.

Just go listen to some Muse, or Avenged Sevenfold, or The Killers, or The Dead Whether, or Mastodon or The Neutral Milk Hotel. or The Arctic Monkeys &c. to see how effective drive/distortion/fuzz can be when used well.

Sure, its not appropriate for all occasions - you probably don't want to crank the Big Muff Pi when playing mellow backing to an acoustic set, but used well over-driven sounds on bass can be fantastic.

[Lozz196]

Well I can see where he`s coming from to a certain point, though for me overdrive on a bass also depends on what other instruments are in the band. I`d only look at using overdrive if in a 1 guitar band, to fill in the sound. As it`s 2 gtrs, nah, keep it clean and punchy, too much drive will just muddy everything up. Besides, the Nate Precision has a Quarterpounder in it, not exactly a low powered pickup, that should be plenty with the Markbass set-up.

[cameltoe]

I've never thought of overdrive as being the solution to a poor sound. Used well it can add a nice edge to the sound, but you then have to find a pedal that can give you that audible difference in a band situation! Once in the mix many dirt pedals can disappear.

Playing devils advocate just for a second, if you did have a sh** sound I'd say it could be the room, or the EQ setting, and would advise having a listen out front during sound check, if you don't already.

It's more likely he's a bit enthusiastic about playing bass and just wanted to say something to you to show off a bit.

[lojo]

Fender into a mark bass in a small gig environment usually has other bassists telling me it sounded awesome

He might just love overdrive bass , we all have our preferences ?

I'd go hear his band before you take his advise

[JapanAxe]

Toilet Man(TM) has communicated his preference to you. That is all.

[Graham]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1451551851' post='2941382']
Toilet Man(TM)
[/quote]

Sounds like the world's most disapointing super-hero

To the OP, a little overdrive can, counter-intuitively, add some clarity to your tone and help you cut through. This might be what the guy meant, but doesn't sound like he approached the subject with you very well.

End of the day, are you happy with your sound, and does it work in the context of your band? If so, ignore all others

[gapiro]

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1451552316' post='2941386']
Sounds like the world's most disapointing super-hero

To the OP, a little overdrive can, counter-intuitively, add some clarity to your tone and help you cut through. This might be what the guy meant, but doesn't sound like he approached the subject with you very well.

End of the day, are you happy with your sound, and does it work in the context of your band? If so, ignore all others
[/quote]
Toilet Man - Always Leaves you in the S&%t? Toilet Man - Will leave you feeling flushed?

[Japhet]

One man's meat is another man's poison. The bloke is entitled to his opinion but should keep it to himself. There were probably plenty of other people who liked the sound.

[paulbass]

Don't be put off by his comment. You could have a 100 bass players in that room and each one would have a different opinion. If you were to watch him play you may think he has too much overdrive to his sound maybe. Go with what your happy with. At the end of the day if we all sounded the same it would be boring.
I play in a heavy rock band and I use a very small amount of valve to just give me a bit of grit on 2/3 tracks but I'm more into a compressed tone to give me that punch...but that's my preference. With 2 guitars it might be wise to keep it clean in your instance.Less is more.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1451555326' post='2941413']
One man's meat is another man's poison. The bloke is entitled to his opinion but should keep it to himself. There were probably plenty of other people who liked the sound.
[/quote]

This. Personally it annoys the hell out of me when I see a band in a pub playing rock covers and the bass player has the cleanest tone imaginable. Often with the horn on full. It just doesn't work for me and is as strange as if the guitarist was finger picking a jazz box with no overdrive through Smoke On The Water. This is not a pop at the OP btw, just a general observation of some local acts.

That said, I would certainly not advise the bass player of how he 'should' be doing things, and if someone said as much to me tey would probably get a swift kick up the arse for their troubles.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1451512572' post='2941206']
...
What do you guys think? ...
[/quote]

I think 'tosser' and 'f**k off'.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1451515193' post='2941228']
Mark bass known for a rather sterile sound ...
[/quote]

In which universe?

[Twincam]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1451562243' post='2941520']


In which universe?
[/quote]

I think sterile is a strong word. Too me it means overly clean.
There excellent gear. And admittedly my on experience is mainly of there cabs, but there not known for there tone colour and in some situations I can see why a mark bass rig alone while never sounding bad, would not sound as good as another rig. And vice versa a mark bass rig will do a better job in other situations.