onehandclapping Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 55 minutes ago, grandad said: A little pineapple on a ham pizza - very nice, it's a little zing on top of the smooth ham & cheese. Another flats fan here, a touch of compression, dip the mid's a bit and find that rich, warm, creamy smooth tone that sits comfortably in the mix rather than cutting through. But each to their own. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 I have flats on two basses - both Stingrays - one is fretless and has EB Cobalt flats - largely to avoid wrecking the blank board, the other is a Classic Stingray with TIs. That one I use occasionally when I'm looking to get 60s or 70s R and B or Bernard Edwards type sound. It works well, as well - however I often feel that compared with a Stingray with rounds (all my others have them), it's like playing with some sort of dynamic controller in place - especially if you want to play slap or anything with zing - a bit like driving a sports car with a speed limiter engaged (say at 50 mph)...... As for why people want to play P basses with flats - and through modern, clean amps? Who knows, but it's a little bit anathema to me as I was in my formative years when people were rejecting low fi sound systems to hear music, low fi basses and definitely low fi amps - everyone was striving for hi fi bass guitar sounds and better sounding amps, and decent stereo systems to listen to it through. Arguably, some of the best sounding bass came from the 70s and 80s. Why would people want to emulate 60s style stuff which was pretty inaudible at the time. I guess fashion generally, and maybe nostalgia - in my view some of it is based on a very rose tinted spectacles retrospective. But if people like it, why not. Of course, with skill and technique you can achieve a thumpy sound with rounds on a more hi fi bass anyway - but try playing Level 42 on a Peavey T40 😯 I guess the modern clean amp thing is also fashion, but also bear in mind many people doing this are a bit old to be carrying old fashioned, weighty equipment around, and anyway, the new stuff probably doesn't colour the 'pure' sound of the bass and flats (unlike Jamerson and the 'Motown interface' he plugged into 😏😀) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 Another flats and clean amp user here. It gives a lovely woody sound and sits against a good fat kick drum sound like a marriage made in heaven. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 1 hour ago, grandad said: A little pineapple on a ham pizza - very nice, it's a little zing on top of the smooth ham & cheese. Another flats fan here, a touch of compression, dip the mid's a bit and find that rich, warm, creamy smooth tone that sits comfortably in the mix rather than cutting through. But each to their own. Sounds perfect to me 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 Flats on all of mine - 1999 Ash Hot Rod Precision with Roto Monels, Warwick Star Bass with TI's, G&L L2000 (USA) with TI's too. All through a LM3 and Barefaced Compact. Treble rolled off on all of them, amp set with lows around 9 o'colck, low mids around 11 and high mids around 1. Treble around 12. I like it, and lots f people tell me I sound great. YMMV. Perhaps it's in the fingers........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 Must be your fingers Flats or rounds, clean or dirty - I get met with tumbleweed 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 All you pineapple on pizza loving filthmongers are going on "The List" for the revolution! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 17 hours ago, fretmeister said: Your personal opinion has no bearing on the personal opinion of other players. That's it. Finally someone has pointed out the pointlessness of having a forum, on any subject. Moderators, shut down Basschat immediately! 😁 1 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Clean amps allow you to accurately reproduce the sound that your bass is producing, whatever it is. For some people, that sound includes flats as a component. All my Ps (bar my Yamaha BB435) have flats on them of various kinds, from TI Flats (smooth and mellow, on my 84 Squier Medium Scale) to D’Addario Chromes (more “modern” on my Dingwall Super P), to Fender flats (more dead with foam and bridge cover on my rather dark sounding 61) Ernie Ball Cobalts (bright on my 64). They all sound great, and completely different to the zingy Elixirs on my Sadowsky Jazz for example. A Noble preamp makes everything sound terrific, without losing the character of any of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 It all depends on what the tune needs. I'll often play my P with La Bella flats in my Big Band gig. Sometimes very clean if it's a quiet / gentle tune where the bass part is more about just adding low freqs. But then I'll add a bit of grit where the bass part is more interesting or needs to stand out more. It's just another colour in the palette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 " Clean amps allow you to accurately reproduce the sound that your bass is producing, whatever it is. For some people, that sound includes flats as a component. " Yes, I think that's why I swap between my 5 instruments from time to time, reminding myself of the feel and tone of one or the other and enjoying the differences. But they've all got flats. It is those differences between them that I enjoy. I use a BH250 into a One10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Too many bassists are overly precious about their sound. Unless you are a professional bass soloist, your sound doesn't matter, at the end of the day you make a "boom, boom" sound as someone once told me. 😋 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Just now, hooky_lowdown said: Unless you are a professional bass soloist, your sound doesn't matter Of course it matters, otherwise it would be more convenient to just turn up with a large rubber band. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 55 minutes ago, Cuzzie said: Interesting fact - they've gone 100% Helix. The latest album and tours - all Helix and they sound excellent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 https://www.facebook.com/blackstonecherry/videos/392769961349354/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 (edited) Flats through clean amps: different strokes for different folks! Edited August 1, 2019 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Flats on a Precision through a clean amp? Perfect for most of the music I play. If I need a bit more top, my flats of choice (D'Addario Chromes, Ernie Ball Cobalts) will respond to plectrums and popping. And they feel so smoooooth... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 (edited) - Edited March 3, 2022 by Jus Lukin 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 4 hours ago, fretmeister said: All you pineapple on pizza loving filthmongers are going on "The List" for the revolution! Agreed, deviants the lot of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 56 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said: While most of us seem pretty balanced on the matter, it's funny how black-and-white thinking can creep into these subjects. If it's illogical to play flats through a clean amp, is it therefore illogical to play rounds through a dirty amp? Perhaps the better answer to the question is another question: Why the polarised thought, when one can mix and match the best of all worlds to get the best result for the music? +1 ^^ Surely part of the answer is how much you're looking for your amp and cab to colour your tone? I'm personally very happy with clean amp + uncoloured cab to faithfully reflect what's being put through them. Allows the tone of the bass and pups (and strings) to shine through. And if I want to add any further 'flavour' I've got a bunch of pedals for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 I’m not a highly technical guy but I’ve had a lot of amps, what would define an amp as being clean, ie, is a valve amp clean, just curious 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 Dust and scratch free? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 20 minutes ago, Reggaebass said: I’m not a highly technical guy but I’ve had a lot of amps, what would define an amp as being clean, ie, is a valve amp clean, just curious 🙂 No, valves will always colour the sound, when compared to a clean ss amp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 23 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said: Too many bassists are overly precious about their sound. Unless you are a professional bass soloist, your sound doesn't matter, at the end of the day you make a "boom, boom" sound as someone once told me. 😋 Are you in my band as well, as that’s all our singer/guitarist ever says about the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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