The official 'how to' tone guide.

[darkside 88]

P tone:
Neck pickup, series, passive, you may adjust treble to your liking, to go from Geezer Butler to Roger Waters to Steve Harris.

Old school J: Both pickups, parallel, passive, treble to 3/4, or for a Jaco tone, bridge p/u with treble at half or none.

The 'Timmy C': Both pickups, parallel, Active with treble.

The 'Marcus Miller': Same as the Timmy C., but cut the mids on your amp.

Is that a Ric?: Neck pickup, parallel, active with boost, pluck or pick hard over he neck pickup. Alternatively, use the bridge pickup in series, active w/boost.

Ernie was here, almost a Musicman: Both pickups, series, active, with or without treble boost, adjust mids to your liking.

...all I can think of right now.

[doormatt]

hey great information! I also heard you can get a Justin Chancellor sound.

[quickervicar]

Justin Chancellor is much like Timmy C only use a pick.
Note: this is the old Timmy C tone. Anything from Evil Empire & later has the Jazz-through-SVT grind in place of the MM-through-SWR sizzle.

[snowdan]

marcus miller tone out of a climax: parallel, passive. EQ: boost low mids and bass, leave middy mids. cut at about 1.5 khz, boost higher up. quite a bit!

[quickervicar]

But where can you buy his hat?

[lpdeluxe]

That's the important question!

[darkside 88]

Oh, I also recommend if you find your perfect tone in Series, use those same settings but in Parallel to record. Series has a tendency to overdrive the recording.

[spideyjg]

Geezer on Heaven and Hell, both pups, series, treble all the way down, bass to half, roundwound strings.

Mob Rules all the same but neck only.

Jim

[bradjonesbass]

Originally Posted by darkside 88

Oh, I also recommend if you find your perfect tone in Series, use those same settings but in Parallel to record. Series has a tendency to overdrive the recording.

It does indeed, but in a good way - if that's the sound you're looking for anyway.

[darkside 88]

Originally Posted by bradjonesbass

It does indeed, but in a good way - if that's the sound you're looking for anyway.

That's true. It's a tough sound to manage, though.

[bradjonesbass]

I use it when recording rock/grunge type stuff. When recording jazz or anything like that, it's parallel.

[Infernal Affair]

Let's bring this thread back. Anyone know the best way to cop the P bass tone? I just got a P bass with a Seymour Duncan pickup installed (I'm guessing a quarter pounder) for the first time and was floored by how much punchier it was than any setting I could find on my L2Ks. I know that the L2K is supposed to be more aggressive, but it didn't seem that way. Maybe I need to raise my pickups. The P bass pickup was really close to the strings.

I know there was another thread on copying the Precision tone, but it seemed like there wasn't a clear verdict.

[lug]

Originally Posted by darkside 88

Oh, I also recommend if you find your perfect tone in Series, use those same settings but in Parallel to record. Series has a tendency to overdrive the recording.

My exact experience and modus operandi as well.

[redstrand]

Great information. I've been saving my pennies for a L-2000...now to pick which color.

[spideyjg]

Originally Posted by Infernal Affair

I know there was another thread on copying the Precision tone, but it seemed like there wasn't a clear verdict.

What the heck is a P tone anymore anyhow?

With all the aftermarket widgets added to alter the bass can anyone truly define a P tone?

My take, neck, in series, treble to whatever, bass back 2/3 or more. See my Sabbath settings.

Pickup height is important. I sound like a broken record but I run the pickups high and tilt the bridge one to get what I want out of the thangs. I do it to every 2K I have.

Jim

[lug]

I, for one, cannot duplicate my Pbass on my L2000. Some quality in the mids of the Pbass just set it apart from any of my other basses. I can even get closer to a Ric than a Pbass but find the L2000 has it's tone that stands just fine.

[Infernal Affair]

Originally Posted by spideyjg

Pickup height is important. I sound like a broken record but I run the pickups high and tilt the bridge one to get what I want out of the thangs. I do it to every 2K I have.

Jim

I'm definitely going to run my pickups higher. I haven't adjusted them in the newer one I got and I really think that's the issue. They're pretty low to me. Prolly could use a set of new strings as well. Been wanting to check out the TI Super Alloys since some people swear by them.

Don't get me wrong. The L2K and the P Bass are two different animals and I love the L2K sound. I just wanted to see if I could capture at least the same punch.

[spideyjg]

Originally Posted by Infernal Affair

I'm definitely going to run my pickups higher. I haven't adjusted them in the newer one I got and I really think that's the issue. They're pretty low to me.

I just wanted to see if I could capture at least the same punch.

Chef and I both run them as high as possible without the string hitting the poles when you dig in.

If anything I have to hold mine back using a light touch. I whack it and small objects bounce. Can't imagine more punch than that.

Jim

[BigSwami]

Originally Posted by spideyjg

What the heck is a P tone anymore anyhow?

The tone made by the P-bass with less of the tone-altering gear applied. See Stevie Wonder, "I Was Made To Love Her."

[lug]

To me Pbass is:

http://www.box.net/shared/static/qdpbgmm736.mp3
(much appologies to Edgar)

Has a certain "konk" sound in the mids that's hard to dup without a pbass pup in the correct position.