How do you like your sound?

[Prime_BASS]

Used to boost low mids to cut through 2 guitars but still sound relatively low. Then used to cut highs all together.

With my rig and bass now all I need is:
flat EQ
no tweeter
jazz single coils in series.
IMO this gives a great natural deep tone without losing prescence.

My JC bass gives meca great thumpy woody DB kinda tone, very deep on the lowest impendance setting.

I'm definatly one to go for more warm and vintage tone than hifi.

[ThomBassmonkey]

I like the zingy sound but with a lot of fat low end.

Gigged my full new setup for the first time tonight.

Warwick Thumb 5 BO on 3/4 "neck" pickup, 1/4 bridge with vol on full and pulled out (passive).
Gallien 700RB-II with everything flat but presence notched up a couple and the tweeters notched down a couple.
2 210RBH cabs.

Sounded almost perfect. Still need to get used to the Warwick though for those fine tweaks.

[Golchen]

I'm more in the bright and zingy camp. I really like active sounds a lot more than passive as well.

[Spike Vincent]

Somewhere in between Lemmy and Jah Wobble.

[Huge Hands]

I love flats and I like my sound to be what I call "no teeth". I liken it to being caressed by a big set of slobbery gums.

For that reason, I keep my fingernails trim (bitten) on my right hand as I hate the "clack" you can get from fingernails if thy catch the string.

This is all just my preference of course.

I know my sound probably wouldn't work in certain genres of music, and if I wanted to play those, I would change it.

However, I think it's right for what I'm doing at the moment.

I thank you.....

[alanbass1]

I'm currently playing in a simple Bass/Single Guitar/Drums/Vocal line up and we play a wide range of covers from Guns and Roses to Lady Gaga and everything inbetween - I've always gone for a 'big' sound with a lot of bottom end but also some 'click' to the top end (certainly not dull)

[EssentialTension]

Precision, flatwounds (preferably old), tone rolled off by about three-quarters, amp eq flat with adjustments to allow for the room acoustics. Fingers with very short nails somewhere between the pickup and the end of the neck. Heaven.

Edited June 1, 2010 by EssentialTension

[tauzero]

Everything I've got is dual pickup, almost all of them active. I use roundwounds (for a few months per set), put the bass up a bit to thicken up the bottom end and then what I do with the treble depends on how I want any particular song to sound - knock it back to get a smoother sound, bring it up to get more bite. My default sound has the treble up a bit, a sort of Roger Moore smiley face.

[deksawyer]

I've just restrung my Wal with D'Addario EXP 50-105's round wounds and my Jazz bass with D'Addario Chromes 45-100 flats.

Total opposite from each other, but for some reason I'm just loving the midrange burp that the flats are giving me on the neck pickup of the Jazz (I rarely use the neck, maybe just a bit of blend). I've even removed the ACG 02 preamp to make it a bit more simple.

The Wal: unless it's a fretless, flats shouldn't be let anywhere near it. It's the most wide open bass I've ever heard!

D.

[gjones]

I have three basses so I have the luxury of being able to set up with 3 different sounds.

The first is my 30 year scheckter which has a split pickup at the neck and a jazz single coil at the bridge. On this bass I have tapewound trubass strings which sound very James Jamerson, deep and round and sound great with rootsy type country and blues at low volumes and recorded but tends to get lost and sound woolly at higher volumes.

The second is my Geddy Lee Jazz which is set up with, well played in, Rotosound roundwounds. This bass has a very well defined sound whatever strings are on it and is a bit of a jack of all trades. I tend to take a bit of the treble off with the tone control and boost the bass to 'round out' the sound because the bridge pickup is set in a 70's configuration nearer to the bridge which tends to accentuate the mid frequencies.

The third bass I have is a 2002 Squier Jazz, which at the moment, is my favourite (which is very weird because it cost £95 secondhand and therefore should sound naff......but doesn't?). This also has rotosound roundwounds on it and sounds fantastic with that scooped sound (bass and treble boosted). In fact it sounds jazzier than a very jazzy jazz bass having a very jazzy day (if you know what I mean).

So the answer is I don't really have a 'sound' but like to chop and change depending on the band I'm playing wth and the music I'm playing.

[NAS]

Brought up in bass with McCartney, Bruce, Entwistle etc. Very influenced by Casady and Lesh. Like a warm full-bottomed sound and used to go for some top end presence. Recently heard a friend playing with a drums, bass, guitar, keys combo using a Hartke Kickback 1200 through a Bassbone and an Aphex "Big Bottom" using a '70s Jazz with added P pickups between the Js and flatwounds. He managed to get a remarkable carrying sound with this which fitted the mix well. No high end attack at all, but somehow the envelope of the low end sound had a defined push which worked very well. We both play finger style only and I've always had an issue creating some kind of attack at the front of the sound without upping the high-mid and treble end.
Have since tried an Epifani UL-112C combo with an Aphex 204 Big Bottom and Aural Enhancer and a T.C. Electronic C300 Compressor with the combo leaned back on stage to help hearing the sound. Using a new Fender American Standard Jazz (thanks Rich) with both pickups open and no tone roll-off and D'Addario nickel roundwounds this set up enabled a similar low end sound with little "zing" but a clear push which placed itself well with a drums, guitar, keys ensemble. Quite a revelation. Don't know that using round or flatwounds would have a huge effect either way with this signal chain. Soloing the bridge pickup created a more middle filled sound which worked well for "Maggie May" (did Ronnie Lane do that on a WAL fretless?). But very little top end in this sound therefore probably useless for slapping, popping, tapping and other Wootenesque shenanigans which my primitive playing is unable to achieve reliably!
Very different from my previous Epifani UL-902C into UL-115 and UL-210 cabs using the Boss ME-50B "natural" compressor setting. Much more mid and less rounded bass. Using the Jazz I'd turn down the bridge pickup and tone about a third to achieve what I heard as a more vintage "thuddy" sound for '60s numbers.
My preference would be to find "the sound" I'm after with as little "interference" in the signal chain as possible. Ideal would be bass full on into pre-amp set flat into speakers with nothing else intervening, but that seems to be a wish too far. Having set off on the "effects rack" route I can see many hours of arduous twiddling ahead!

[Guest MoJo]

Steve Harris sprinkled with a little John Entwistle, add a healthy portion of Geddy Lee. Stir in some Timmy C and top it off with a spoonful of Duff McKagan et voila.

[JMT3781]

I'm all about the bright sound for me.. but i love hearing a bass player sounding warm and thuddy

[bartelby]

[quote name='bassman2790' post='858907' date='Jun 6 2010, 02:43 PM']Steve Harris sprinkled with a little John Entwistle, [s]add a healthy portion of Geddy Lee.[/s] Stir in some Timmy C [s]and top it off with a spoonful of Duff McKagan et voila.[/s][/quote]

with a hint of Justin Chancellor and seasoned with JJ Burnel.

[tino]

At the tender age of 52,I finally realised my sound matters not.givin ups not giving in...just gonna kick back and watch the offspring now...boy am I gonna abuse them....what do they know anyhow..after all they had a pants teacher.lol

[algmusic]

[quote name='essexbasscat' post='852075' date='May 30 2010, 08:09 PM']Hmmm, thought about this one a bit.

When at home, I imagine a certain sound for a given number. The ideal sound can vary between numbers, depending on style. However, on the day I like my sound to work in context to my situation. i.e.

- Two guitars. Add bottom end so the bass can be 'felt' more, as some guitarists tend to turn up their amps lower frequencies, which of course, can interfere with the bass' mids.

-Three peice. More mids, but not excessively so.

- More dance n' disco. Bottom end, but with some highs.

Perhaps the biggest influence is the sound of the instruments I'm playing with and the acoustics of the room.

Having said all that, if a new bass has materialised in my hands, my sound miraculously changes to reveal the best aspects of that bass.

Is this why I seem to keep on collecting basses ? If you have found your sound, do you stop buying other stuff ?

T[/quote]

Probably the best way to work on your sound IMHP.

I remember playing in power trio (i was on drums), and the bassist had more mids and we didn't need anymore instruments in the band..

Also the option fro bigger bands is my thinking as well. I like to step back and think of my the whole band as a sound and how I can complement it rather than, just 'doing my thing'. it's all about the music

[ThomBassmonkey]

I have to say, I don't really understand why people would EQ differently for different bands (within the same genre at least). In a standard rock band (with only one bass instrument) there should be nothing that interferes with the bass.

I play in a band with an accordion (very bassy instruments) and I don't have to change my EQ from my other band (which is a 4 piece, but the flute doesn't really count with bass and most of the keyboard work (4th member alternates between keyboard and flute) doesn't interfere with my basslines as it's usually in the higher range). The key for me is definition, so long as the notes I'm playing can be heard and I'm filling out the bass frequencies, I'm happy.

It's my main reason for disliking Ashdowns so much (IMO, of course) they can either be EQd with enough bass to fill the sound and they become muddy, or you can EQ them for definition and they don't have enough bass to fill the sound out.

Maybe I've just been lucky that all the guitarists I've played with have known how to EQ themselves (and have had good amps) or they're open to me fiddling with their EQ to get the best out of the overall band sound. But I've played with a couple of people with Mesas (which are very bassy sounding amps) and never had any problems with frequency clashes.

[Sarah5string]

Depends what I'm play. Bright poppy for slap, deep and growly for rock, somewhere in the middle for everything else

[basshead56]

I think if you´re playing in different bands with varying styles, it´s good to have different sounds.

I´m playing with a few bands and projects at the moment and with each one I use different gear and EQ settings.
One of these is an onlne only band-just recording and no live shows. The style is sort of indie I guess
For this, I use my siennaburst 78 Fender Precision (which I´ve been using as a studio only bass) going straight into the VBA400 and one VBC 4x12. Lots of low end and mids-thick and heavy.

Another project I´m working on with my drummer is a sort of electronica-type set up. For that, I use my Precison Deluxe, going into my Ampeg SVT 4PRO and 610 HLF with my effects board (comprising of various EHX boxes) in the effects loop. I use both the MM type bridge pup, and the P, with the tone on full and the treble boost on too. I set the EQ to sound brighter when using the effects (via the EQ IN/OUT switch on the amp) and rounder when not in use-though usually I have at least one effect running most of the time. The reason I go for the brighter sound is that the synth player tends to occupy the bottom end most of the time and uses a microkorg and vocoder for all the wackier top end stuff.

With the indie band I occasionally play with, I use my Gibson Thunderbird Studios (IV and V) and my Marshall (half or full stack depnding on venue), with no effects. the sound of the band is very influenced by the likes of The Breeders, Belly, Kings of Leon and Arcade Fire etc, so I try and get as much bottom end and low mid as I can, and the TBird delivers growl and rumble in spades. I usually have the neck pup on full and bridge under half. The EQ on the amp for this set up is quite simple, Bass at 2/3, mids just past 12 o clock and the treble at 12. I use the contour switch on the VBA400-set to to 3 and have the deep switch engaged too.

I also play in a backing band for a country/rockabilly duo, so usually take out a Precision and put that through my small amp, which is now an SVT Micro rig (gigs are small to medium pubs and always DI´ed). Last weekend I got to take out my brown sunburst/maple 78 P and SVT Micro with the two 210 cabs for the first time-gorgeous sound and got plenty of questions/compliments about tone and gear afterwards. Had the gain at 9 O clock and the eq almost flat (just rolled back the mid slightly and boosted the bass a little) and the master volume under halfway-more than enough-didnt really need to bring the second 2x10, but hey, they look class!

The main band I play with now is a punk-pop trio.
For that I use the Mark Hoppus sig P bass, straight into my 4PRO and 610HLF. The MH is a bright enough sounding bass, with plenty of mids, so I tend to leave the EQ close to flat, maybe boost the low end. And with only a volume knob, it´s pretty much plug and play. The sound is seriously rich and full, so the guitar sits nicely on top of it, no need for much else.

guess it really depends on what you want to sound like.
For what I´m doing at the mo, I´m very happy with the sounds I get.
Only downer is I can´t bring any of my amps down under with me

Edited July 21, 2010 by basshead56

[2pods]

As I am no longer assaulting the ears of the general public ( Stingray, bass 70%, mid 40%, treble 70%, amp flat.), I've been thinking more and more about bass sounds in general. Especially active basses and recording.

Obviously, on a reasonably pro recording, notes are made on the bass eq etc, but what about the likes of our home recordings ?
There must be some of us who take notes in case of song neglect (Guilty. Start something, lots of gigs, come back to it in a few months, can't remember how the bass eq was set.) but I'm not one of them.

As in the original post, I liked Rhino Edwards (though more for his work with Judie Tzuke. Check out his stunning birthday perfomance on the live "Road Noise"), Mark King etc, though I like a nice smooth sound as well.

So I think I'm going get the bass out, and try to get at least a "Vanilla" recording starting sound I'm happy with.

Oh, I forgot.
Have never used flats, though I will give them a go at some point.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[4000]

[quote name='Spike Vincent' post='854263' date='Jun 1 2010, 10:31 PM']Somewhere in between Lemmy and Jah Wobble.[/quote]

Nice one.

Depends what I'm doing. If I was playing reggae, obviously I'd roll everything off. Playing noodly fusion, I'd aim for something that allows that, possibly more in a Janek / Richard Bona vein (I'd prefer to go more Stanley but I'd look a prune). For rock (which I tend to play most, although I'd probably class it more as power pop), I tend to favour something big, growly, trebly and slightly distorted (think Squire, Entwistle, Geddy or possibly a deeper-sounding Lemmy). It really varies according to the setting and song / passage though.

Of course people's perceptions differ anyway; I always classed Chris Squire as trebly (in a good way) but a guy I used to know completely disagreed. I guess if you're used to active basses, hi-fi amps and tweeters then he's not trebly at all. If I have tweeters the first thing I usually do (although it depends on the guitar and the rig) is turn them off. I never have my amp flat, it's normally heavily eq'd. Unlike the OP, most of my life I've had to compete with distorted guitars and that has shaped my typical sound, although not to the degree that I stifle my natural tendencies; I probably compete for our guitarist's frequencies more than I should.

I've always like the sound of flats on record but have never liked the sound I produce when playing them, at least up until playing an old Warwick Thumb with TIs in the Gallery at weekend. That was a revelation and I may buy myself a set to put on some bass or other in the future.

[Muzz]

Amp (LMII) flat, Schroeder 1515L, Sansamp BDDI EQ flat with varying amounts of Drive. Maple Precision with EB Slinky rounds, tone open, or Maple Stingray with EB Slinky rounds, flat treble & mid, bit of bass. Played with a Dunlop .88 pick and enthusiasm. Lovely. GAS-free.

[Davo-London]

I like nickels, DR sunbeams to be precise – so with fretless (alder, maple and rosewood) I go for the Jaco tone i.e. 95% bridge PU and with a slight bass boost – mid and treble flat with Audere preamp. Absolutely scrummy.

For fretted, (walnut, maple and rosewood) I go for the Anthony Jackson articulate sound. Again slight bass boost on Audere pre and then either treble flat, which is pretty trebly anyway with this set-up or treble cut for that woolier tone that’s great with fast jazz playing. But not woolly.

On my ABG I have TI flats to try and get the URByist sound possible. I even lower the tuning to get lots of slap on the fingerboard. This is the only application for flats for me.

Besides, you can get a great woolly flaty sound with rounds just using the thumb and palm muting technique, which is why I never use flats. You cannot add treble to flats on an electric bass and get a roundwound tone, but you can do it the other way round – or very close.

Davo

Edited July 21, 2010 by Davo-London

[algmusic]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='900773' date='Jul 21 2010, 10:13 AM']I have to say, I don't really understand why people would EQ differently for different bands (within the same genre at least). In a standard rock band (with only one bass instrument) there should be nothing that interferes with the bass.

I play in a band with an accordion (very bassy instruments) and I don't have to change my EQ from my other band (which is a 4 piece, but the flute doesn't really count with bass and most of the keyboard work (4th member alternates between keyboard and flute) doesn't interfere with my basslines as it's usually in the higher range). The key for me is definition, so long as the notes I'm playing can be heard and I'm filling out the bass frequencies, I'm happy.

It's my main reason for disliking Ashdowns so much (IMO, of course) they can either be EQd with enough bass to fill the sound and they become muddy, or you can EQ them for definition and they don't have enough bass to fill the sound out.

Maybe I've just been lucky that all the guitarists I've played with have known how to EQ themselves (and have had good amps) or they're open to me fiddling with their EQ to get the best out of the overall band sound. But I've played with a couple of people with Mesas (which are very bassy sounding amps) and never had any problems with frequency clashes.[/quote]

I kinda know what you mean, but if you're referring to my comment. I mean the overall sound of the band is important. If you're eq-ing an album. In order to get a full sound, you'd eq the bass and guitars/keys differently for a trio,quartet, quintet setup according to the musical space in pitch available, also the sound of the room has alot to do with it, unless you're hooked up to a big PA, then it's the sound guys job, but if you give them too much or too little colour in your sound that has an effect.

I did a big festival gig where, I DI out out of a SWR rig.. we did a second set later and the Amp was moved, and I had limited time to move it back before the show (runnner's co*k up), I used my sanpamp straight into the desk, the band and the audience said the bass sounded much better in the second half..

I agree, I hate Ashdown too.. I can't get on with them.. I like a mix of tones, from bright an punchy to warm and growly and I can't get one nice tone out of them