DTB Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 I’m not a fan of using effects or pedals. When I played guitar I never found an overdrive pedal that sounded better than my valve amp, and just used to use the guitar volume to clean up the guitar sound, normally only using a single channel on the amp. For reasons I’ve already posted I’m playing bass and absolutely love the growl of the bridge pick up when digging in a bit and have heard a couple of bass tones that I am sure are more than just “tone is in the fingers” type of sound. So for this I am more than willing to overcome my pedal phobia, but I don’t know where the heck to start. I think the EBS Sheenan signature pedal might do what I want but I’m not sure. I definitely don’t want distortion or an obvious heavy overdrive just a subtle enhancement of the growl. Any advice / suggestions very greatly appreciated. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 If you want to keep the core tone you currently have the TC Spark Booster is a nice little pedal. If ok with a little tone flavour then the Ampeg Scrambler is good when used sparingly, think natural break-up/growl rather than distortion/drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 After years of avoiding one I eventually gave in and bought a SansAmp v2. This thing does a really good growl but will go all the way to full on distortion if you need it to. Warms up my fretless P bass beautifully, getting that early Cream era Jack Bruce sound spot on imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 43 minutes ago, DTB said: I’m not a fan of using effects or pedals. When I played guitar I never found an overdrive pedal that sounded better than my valve amp, and just used to use the guitar volume to clean up the guitar sound, normally only using a single channel on the amp. For reasons I’ve already posted I’m playing bass and absolutely love the growl of the bridge pick up when digging in a bit and have heard a couple of bass tones that I am sure are more than just “tone is in the fingers” type of sound. So for this I am more than willing to overcome my pedal phobia, but I don’t know where the heck to start. I think the EBS Sheenan signature pedal might do what I want but I’m not sure. I definitely don’t want distortion or an obvious heavy overdrive just a subtle enhancement of the growl. Any advice / suggestions very greatly appreciated. thanks. Are the bass tones you've heard on youtube / spotify etc? If you can post links we can have a listen and try and work out what is being used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 Tech21 VTDI, everything from just tube compression to full on nastiness, all blendable with the dry source tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 this one, the clip of Joe playing at the beginning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 about 7min in Marcus playing and digging in on the high strings before the other bass starts playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 Last one for now. Hopefully you get the idea……. and thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 Just sounds like bridge pick-up & compression to me. I'd probably buy a compressor first over a drive pedal but a few of them (like the Tech21 stuff) can do both. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 I get close with bridge pup and a bit extra mid but sounded like a bit extra going on, but then I not using compression. I used to hate anything but super clean, the guitarist was always asking me to run a guitar amp along side my bass rig for a bit of grit, apparently thats what his last band bass player did, but I wouldn’t. ive got a compressor built in to an old guitar pedal so I’ll try it. meanwhile……. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 Also, I get a lot closer with the Ibanez EHB than the Yamaha TRB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 I’m similar in that I don’t like pedals for tone if a good amp can do it For that reason I play a full valve amp and it growls and roars as required Pick playing will emphasise the growl more so than fingers ( something I have a love / hate regarding ) but as mentioned the TC Spark booster full size pedal gets it close and a good compression pedal may help too. Ive tried combinations of Pre amp pedals and drive pedals and they all sound harsh and fizzy ( artificial) which cranked for metal probably works but for rock and mostly classic rock it sounds wrong in my opinion Fresh roundwounds are a must and maybe even stainless may help Im about to pop a Dimarzio PBass pickup in my bass ( £60 at PMT ) as they are hot growly mid focused pickups And … even your speaker cabinet will help towards the growl reproduction Turn off horns and tweeters as they make it harsher and look at your amp EQ and add more mids perhaps You may not need any pedals !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 (edited) You don't like the tone of your bass but you don't like to change it, one of those got to change, can't have both. One is reality the other is an idea. You have to make a decision which you want to stick to. Fantasy, and live with a less than ideal tone for you, or reality, and accept you'll have to change the tone of your bass for it to... well, change? Is the result more important to you than your odd ideals, or is sticking your odd ideals more important to you than the actual result. Edited February 24, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 17 hours ago, DTB said: Also, I get a lot closer with the Ibanez EHB than the Yamaha TRB The growliest pickups I’ve ever used are Nordstrand Big Singles (I had them in an Ibby SR), if your EHB doesn’t have those already, I think they’re a drop in replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 1 hour ago, ezbass said: The growliest pickups I’ve ever used are Nordstrand Big Singles (I had them in an Ibby SR), if your EHB doesn’t have those already, I think they’re a drop in replacement. Yes it does,and they do don’t they?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Just dropped these into my Player Series £66.00 from PMT !! For rock they sound great fingerstyle as a little more mids and growl tone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said: You don't like the tone of your bass but you don't like to change it, one of those got to change, can't have both. One is reality the other is an idea. You have to make a decision which you want to stick to. Fantasy, and live with a less than ideal tone for you, or reality, and accept you'll have to change the tone of your bass for it to... well, change? Is the result more important to you than your odd ideals, or is sticking your odd ideals more important to you than the actual result. I love the tone of my bass. All 3 of them. I was just looking to get a bit closer to this tone that i also love. where did I say I didn’t want to change? i think i said I’d even try pedals to achieve this change. and why is it an odd ideal? I don’t get your post. Edited February 24, 2023 by DTB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 I got it this morning. I have a copy of an old fender bassman head which is all valve that i used to use for guitar so I stuck some cryo treated valves in it that I was saving for a rainy day, it is actually raining here, and plugged it into a small 2x6 cab with tweeter and hey presto, absolutely nailed the Marcus Miller tone and the Joss Stone song bass tone. Tbh the Joe Dart tone is a bit too distorted for me but the other two I have spot on and without having to buy any new gear or any pedals. It was only after reading the post by @BassAdder60 I remembered i had the Bassman in storage (actually in the bottom of my sons wardrobe as he likes playing with the knobs and switches as he only 2) so it’s back in the studio with new valves and it absolutely ROCKS! So thanks Bassadder for jogging my bad memory. Once again basschat to the rescue of my sanity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 Thanks to ALL that took time to reply/post advice. Love you guys. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 5 minutes ago, DTB said: I got it this morning. I have a copy of an old fender bassman head which is all valve that i used to use for guitar so I stuck some cryo treated valves in it that I was saving for a rainy day, it is actually raining here, and plugged it into a small 2x6 cab with tweeter and hey presto, absolutely nailed the Marcus Miller tone and the Joss Stone song bass tone. Tbh the Joe Dart tone is a bit too distorted for me but the other two I have spot on and without having to buy any new gear or any pedals. It was only after reading the post by @BassAdder60 I remembered i had the Bassman in storage (actually in the bottom of my sons wardrobe as he likes playing with the knobs and switches as he only 2) so it’s back in the studio with new valves and it absolutely ROCKS! So thanks Bassadder for jogging my bad memory. Once again basschat to the rescue of my sanity. There's a Bassman head on top of a big old 'fridge' at the rehearsal space my band uses, all it does is growl/grind. Perhaps the two amp setup your guitarist suggested might be the very thing, although a logistical PITA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 24, 2023 Author Share Posted February 24, 2023 My bassman goes from super clean to super growl, probably coz I don’t need much volume. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 21 hours ago, DTB said: I remembered i had the Bassman in storage (actually in the bottom of my sons wardrobe as he likes playing with the knobs and switches as he only 2) Ah, this is such a familiar problem, I open up a kitchen cabinet and a SVT falls out, the washing machine turns out to be a B15 portaflex, the fridge freezer is really a long lost 8x10, and my wardrobe in reality is an old Acoustic 360. I must stop storing classic amps around the house, it's so careless of me, and slightly confusing. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 27, 2023 Author Share Posted February 27, 2023 Well you see I wasn’t meant to be sounding like I have all this gear and I don’t know where I’ve put it all, but I had sort of retired that amp as I used to use it for guitar a while back and then our son came along and I was evicted from the spare room and built the studio outside and I haven’t got around to moving everything out there, and he did like playing with it, and I had to trade him a tube screamer pedal for the amp as well otherwise he wouldn’t let me have it back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 27, 2023 Author Share Posted February 27, 2023 Why is it I got a killer tone with the Yamaha TRB (more growl than a pack of hungry wolves) and the I plug in the Ibanez and it sounds crap, even on passive mode. Really frustrating, really really very frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted February 27, 2023 Author Share Posted February 27, 2023 On 25/02/2023 at 09:47, Boodang said: Ah, this is such a familiar problem, I open up a kitchen cabinet and a SVT falls out, the washing machine turns out to be a B15 portaflex, the fridge freezer is really a long lost 8x10, and my wardrobe in reality is an old Acoustic 360. I must stop storing classic amps around the house, it's so careless of me, and slightly confusing. I know you taking the fosters out of me but I found it very funny. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.