Do your planets line up Bass - Amp - Cab

[deepbass5]

Just thinking about my set up over the years, how it has changed for better or for worse. when do you know if the bass you once loved that is not talking to you as it did, is due to that new amp or cab that just arrived.

Or have you just fell in love again with an old Axe that now sounds great with your new Cab.

Someone posted a video on here of a Luthier  talking about how many different things can detract from the ultimate sound potential of a bass. Tone wood, nut, bridge etc.

But imagine adding in all the other sonic detraction's, without even touching on gain and signal paths, cables and strings etc

So have any of you found the magic combination, A bright cab that helps a dull bass, or an Amp with EQ centers that compliment your bass and Cab.

How many of us heed that advice and take our bass and maybe our cab with us when buying a new amp, or bass and amp to buy a cab

Do we often throw the baby out with the bath water, and sell on gear without analyzing why we are out of love with our sound.

Over to you

 

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2018 by deepbass5

[Teebs]

I've never been happy with my sound, but when gigs have gone well with people really enjoying the band, then I tend to not be so bothered and enjoy the moment, and think I must be doing something right. Everyone else's sound always seems to be better than mine, whatever setup I'm using. Just like every other bass player is better than me (although they are). GAS is built on this. Odds are, your gear and playing is fab, but sometimes a venue will sound poor for bass (standing frequency etc.).

Keep everything; buy new gear; try to enjoy.

And remember; it could be worse - you could be a singist.

[Lozz196]

I`ve found the magic, so to speak, Fender Precision strung with Warwick Red Label steel rounds into a Tech 21 Para Driver, Ashdown ABM600 and ABM410. The final ingredient was getting the port on the 410 sealed. I always wondered why when I used other bigger cabs, 610s, 810s etc the sound was "tighter" and a bit of research led me to getting the port sealed. Other contributing factors along the way were changing my pick from a 1.14mm to 1.0mm, and finally abandoning Rotosound strings due to that they die too quickly.My sound mow is exactly right for what I need so no changes are to be made. Honest..........

[chris_b]

Over the years I've sold stuff but it was always replaced by something better so, no looking back. With my current rig I think I'm almost there and sounding better than at any time in the past.

My go-to gear is a Sadowsky Metro Jazz RV5, through an Aguilar AG700, through 2 Barefaced Two10's.

Depending on the band I can switch in a Mike Lull PJ5, an Aguilar TH500 or 2 Barefaced Super Compacts.

[bazzbass]

In my gigging years in the 70s-90s I had crapola gear, cheap basses, cheaper Peavey amps.

Now I have started again, I have 3 Fender basses, 2 others, a Hartke amp, a MarkBass amp and two Hartke 210 cabs. Very happy with the quality of my gear now. I have no excuses now, if I sound like crap it means I AM crap hehe

[TrevorR]

 

Never jumped on the GAS treadmill. I’m so lucky to have my perfect set up!  Basses bought 1993 and 2001. Amps bought  around 2006ish.

Edited August 17, 2018 by TrevorR

[Dad3353]

46 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

Never jumped on the GAS treadmill. I’m so lucky to heave my perfect set up!  Basses bought 1993 and 2001. Amps bought  around 2006ish.

Well, if you start at the top, there's only one way left to go..! 

[MacDaddy]

12 hours ago, deepbass5 said:

*snip*

Someone posted a video on here of a Luthier  talking about how many different things can detract from the ultimate sound potential of a bass. Tone wood, nut, bridge etc.

*snip*

[bassmachine2112]

Hiho yes I've got my ideal set up.

Orange terror bass 500 head,Orange OBC115 Cab.

I've had these for 5 1/2 years now.

Very Happy,more than happy.I still get excited going to play a gig just to hear it.

[police squad]

I worked it out long ago but by chance.

Stumbled into P bass ownership in about 1988. Maple board, alder body 1978. Loved it

Bought another, this time rosewood board. again late 70's. Loved it even more.

Then started playing a JayDee Mark King. Hated it. Too much to fiddle with and I lost my way.

Then a hamer Scarab. Wonderful bass, didn't like the sound

Squier JV jazz bass. Yeah not bad at all

Then I found my '73 P bass in london. Traded in an Aria SBR-150 that I didnt like the sound of. This rosewood board, alder bodied bass became my goto for nearly 25 years. Others have come and gone but this is it.

Ampwise, Trace Elliot, yeah ok I suppose, Then Marshall Jubilee 300. Very good. Then another Trace and it was average again.

Then Hartke HA3500. Loved it with its transporter 4x10.

Then I bought a Musicman SUB stingray. Absolutely hated the sound until one day (so confused about settings) I set the amp flat. BINGO, a real lights on moment. Just a slight tweak here and there and it was amazing. What ever I plugged in sounded good. My 73 P bass was even more awesome.

If in doubt I go back to my 73. 

These days ampeg PF-500 into a small Mark bass 1x15. Ultra bass switched in and the rest fairly flat. It's as good a sound that I've ever had. My Flea bass sounds ace through it as do all my police basses.

But again, alder body, maple neck, rosewood board and the pick up in the Fender sweet spot and I'm happy and I know it will work for me

[Delberthot]

140+ basses, 40+ amps and 60+ cabs later I'm finally there.

 

[stewblack]

I'm like a footy manager with a big squad but no real idea as to his first choice 11. I actually enjoy chopping and changing amps and cab combinations with different basses. It's not a never ending quest for that mythical grail of the perfect sound. I know that being an addict I won't ever understand the concept of 'enough', when I get what I'm looking for I just wonder what's next.

So, last gig I matched my trusty old Eden Nemesis with two MB 1X15s and played my 1983 Aria, the one I'd save from the fire, and it sounded ace. Next gig I might try a Behringer head through a single Barefaced cab and put a Harley Benton jazz through it. Who knows?

The only certainty is I will never go back to heavy cabs. Heads yes, cabs no.

Edited August 17, 2018 by stewblack
Typo

[chris_b]

3 minutes ago, stewblack said:

. . .  Heads yes, cabs no. . .

. . . and don't forget the lube!

[NancyJohnson]

It's taken an awful long time to get the tone I've wanted.  Tech21 stuff was a revelation, as to was dumping the old Ashdown gear I was running and getting the Hartke endorsement (the Hydrive cabinets were dreamy, lightweight, bright etc.).

Right now, tone heaven.  Racked poweramp, Tech21 GED2112 or the new dUg stompbox.  The biggest revelation though has to be the Barefaced Big One that I won at the SE Bass Bash a couple of years ago.  I took it out and gigged with it that night and it's just outstanding and is my number one really.  I'd like to experiment with a pair of 1x12s or a matched 1x12 and 1x15 (TKS 1126 and H115), just so I can run the GED2112 in dual channel mode and then bridge the amp/daisychain the cabinets should the application arise .  The whole backline set up I run works brilliantly with any of my basses, from the couple of cheapies up to the really expensive Lulls and Hamer.

[visog]

5 hours ago, TrevorR said:

 

Never jumped on the GAS treadmill. I’m so lucky to heave my perfect set up!  Basses bought 1993 and 2001. Amps bought  around 2006ish.

That's a wonderful sight!

[deepbass5]

Police Squad - mentioned there about playing with a mostly flat EQ. 

I am as guilty as the next for always setting a cut in the low mids before playing a note or checking the room acoustics, habits may be depriving us from discovering a better sound on offer.

I often think back to playing with a programmable effects unit. Set all your sounds up at home and surprise surprise get on stage its all over cooked and unusable. I'm just plug n play now.

[Bridgehouse]

The one place in any venue where bass sounds worse than anywhere else is right next to the cab where the bass player stands....

[deepbass5]

Yah

hate it when pinned between a cymbal and a wall or PA cab smacking the bass on things and ya cab is a foot behind ya knees.

Always use my trolley board to get the cab off the floor and position it at an angle away from the back wall, the drummer will say "are you leaving that there"

[Bridgehouse]

2 minutes ago, deepbass5 said:

Yah

hate it when pinned between a cymbal and a wall or PA cab smacking the bass on things and ya cab is a foot behind ya knees.

Always use my trolley board to get the cab off the floor and position it at an angle away from the back wall, the drummer will say "are you leaving that there"

When I first tried wireless I wandered off into the main part of the venue whilst sound checking... the bass sounded so much better... so much better.

[ead]

Sort of reverse order:

Cabs - Sorted - Barefaced, been using them for several years now.  Recent switch from Compact/Midget to a single Suoer Compact

Amps - Pretty much sorted - GB Streamliner (with Ampeg PF500 backup) been using the Streamline for several years too.  It;s possible that at some point I'll sell the PF500 and get another Streamliner.  However never tried a LM3.

Basses - Self confessed tart - However for the covers band settling towards a P bass as the optimum, for the originals band ACGs are the way for me (with occasional Spector Euro 4LX use).

[uk_lefty]

I don't think I'm there yet but I think I know where I'm going. 

A bass has to have a bridge pickup for me... I love my P but there's just something about the bridge pickup bite that I prefer in my tone. 

Amp - I love trace Elliots but they're too heavy to be practical. I have had good sounding Hartke and Gallien Krueger's but my Ashdown RM 500 does the job. Sufficient power and a good EQ for gigging. Don't need more.

Cabs - 2x Ashdown RM 15 lightweight cabs. Ok my current set up is one fifteen and a two by ten but I want to go back to two fifteens as it suits me better.

I can't be bothered tinkering more with Amps and cabs. The simplicity of the Ashdown works for me and I don't need more bells and whistles than it provides. I find string choice and pickup to have far more choice to faff about with and make real differences to the tone. I have a fender bronco practice amp that Sims loads of other Amps, that's great for tinkering with but I'm happy with that rather than buying an SWR or another Gallien Krueger, amp swaps only end up costing money and never fully satisfy me!

[walshy]

I am finally there and 100% happy. 

Barefaced 6x10 is mighty sounding and super light.

Aguilar DB751 same but not light.

Fender P ‘69 or ‘64 depending on rotation.

Incredible sound and people always comment how good it is, so must be doing something right. 

[Reggaebass]

That’s a great setup  it’s got me thinking now 👍

[martthebass]

Playing in a Glam Rock tribute act forces some compromises on the bass end.  I’d been playing a Status for years and loved the sound and flexibility but it didn’t look right - similar with the MM basses. I’ve ended up on Mustangs which I can just about tweek to a decent sound in most venues but I have to be a bit judicious on occasion with the eq on the MarkBass set up. 

[stewblack]

23 hours ago, chris_b said:

. . . and don't forget the lube!

Never! Never leave home without it. Improved my performance no end.