Hearing a song - thinking it's a tube amp..finding out it's SS!

panama · #1 02-25-2011, 08:58 AM

I've been freaking out about the bass players sound on the new Frontier(s) album (ex-Elliot for any old 90s emo rockers out there) and was convinced the awesome thick grind I was hearing was simply an SVT through an Ampeg 810.

Well, I asked. Turns out it's a GK 800RB through an Ampeg 810 and what is most likely an Ibanez Tube Screamer.

Mind blown.

christw · #2 02-25-2011, 09:02 AM

Haha, you aren't keeping up with the times. Check out some of the hybrids (GB Streamliner) or even just pedals (Tech 21 Bass VT) that are out there. Your mind will explode.

panama · #3 02-25-2011, 09:03 AM

I'm familiar with the VT Bass. I was just thrown for a loop on this one!

allexcosta · #4 02-25-2011, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by panama

Turns out it's a GK 800RB through an Ampeg 810 and what is most likely an Ibanez Tube Screamer.

If you add some flat strings it will sound like James Jamerson...
There's many myths out there, but truth is SVT's can sound modern and SS amps can sound vintage. Sometimes it comes down to EQ'ing, strings, etc...

panama · #5 02-25-2011, 09:08 AM

I feel some slight GAS coming around. Might need to play with an 800RB sometime soon.

Selta · #6 02-25-2011, 09:11 AM

Honestly, in a mix, I don't think most people will ever pick out an SVT versus a few SS heads with a pedal in front of it.
Solo, I think more people would be able to, but I think quite a lot would have trouble picking the SVT out.

This coming from a SVT lover, who owned/owns a '69 SVT and a 2006 SVT-CL, and an SVP-CL into a QSC power amp, with several pedals in front.

panama · #7 02-25-2011, 09:13 AM

I don't want this to turn into one of those threads. I just wanted to point out that the 800RB sounds incredible on this recording and that I was fooled.

greenboy · #8 02-25-2011, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christw

Haha, you aren't keeping up with the times. Check out some of the hybrids (GB Streamliner) or even just pedals (Tech 21 Bass VT) that are out there. Your mind will explode.

I think a lot of people's minds would explode if they actually had a clue how bass tracks on many recordings are tracked and mixed. Sometimes detailed interviews with recording engineers will get published. The whole process is more often than not about their skills using outboard gear, and these days, plugins.

The bass rig people use on stage (which is often not as audible as the PA to audiences) has NOTHING to do with recordings, and often what bass rig is used in the studio isn't that big a part of the final sound either.

I continue to laugh each time I see posts talking about Ampeg B15 in classic Motown recordings too, Jamerson or not. Myth.

panama · #9 02-25-2011, 09:15 AM

I was told their live amp was used in the studio to record. That's not to say it wasn't tweaked. Just sayin

craig.p · #10 02-25-2011, 09:33 AM

Yes, any engineer worth his salt will take a speaker feed as well as a direct feed when the track is laid down. The question is whether it'll actually get used come mix time. Or if it is used, in what proportion to direct feed (defining "direct" as raw signal plus plug-ins). Lots of factors -- often human factors -- influence those decisions.

strke-fender · #11 02-25-2011, 09:39 AM

I teched a gig recently where our bass players rental rig was an 800RB and SVT 810. Sounded very vintage w/o effects. I think his technique was a big part of it.

greenboy · #12 02-25-2011, 09:42 AM

Even if the mic'd rig actually gets used - and used for the entire signal - two items immediately impinge: room, and mic (or mics) and their placement. Then there's the rest of the downstream signal chain. Sometimes that's minimal in impact when worked that way, but a lot of times it's way more influental than the rig, and only bass choices like strings - and player feel and technique - make a bigger difference.

jpTron · #13 02-25-2011, 09:42 AM

TS's on bass are amazing.

lomo · #14 02-25-2011, 09:48 AM

Can't really tell if it's a tube head, but there's an army out here insisting they can tell the difference between alder and ash bodied basses, ROFLMAO :-)

Smurf-o-Deth · #15 02-25-2011, 09:49 AM

Meh. Never met a toob screamer I liked.

JimiLL · #16 02-25-2011, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lomo

Can't really tell if it's a tube head, but there's an army out here insisting they can tell the difference between alder and ash bodied basses, ROFLMAO :-)

Im gonna ignore this one

However, a lot of that girth and pillowy bass sound comes from the sealed 810, not so much what amp is on top of it

jpTron · #17 02-25-2011, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smurf-o-Deth

Meh. Never met a toob screamer I liked.

Even modded?

Eric Scholz · #18 02-25-2011, 10:30 AM

I used to use a gk1001rb, and it was great for what it did. it gave a very tight tone, and could handle a 5 string with ease. it was a bit hi-fi for my taste so I changed to a Trace Elliot V-Type 300, which gives me a thick and loose sound. If you want a lot of clarity in your playing I'd highly recommend any of the GK rb series.

greenboy · #19 02-25-2011, 10:34 AM

Man. I sure am learning a lot here about recording. Golly gee, this is really the place to come if you want to learn what fanboys already know: that their brand is the BESTEST EVER!

Eric Scholz · #20 02-25-2011, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenboy

Man. I sure am learning a lot here about recording. Golly gee, this is really the place to come if you want to learn what fanboys already know: that their brand is the BESTEST EVER!

?