Less is more???

slap5string · #1 08-12-2011, 10:07 AM

How many in the bass community run more than a head / amp to power your cabs? I am currently running my Musicman through a GK 700rbII, Sansamp RPM, and DBX 160A compressor and am tired of knob twiddling to find a sound for each of the 3 bands I currently jam with. It seems I spend more time finding a balance between the components and would like
to simplify my tone shaping abilities. What I thought was a blessing in having all these ways to taylor my sound has become a curse in that I can never dial in the sound to my liking day to day. I am considering the M9 Carbine as a replacement for all this gear. Any thoughts???

**IvanMike** · #2 08-12-2011, 10:22 AM

been there - done that. frequently the only folk who can hear the difference are you and...you. My algorithm is to find an amp/preamp, cabinet(s) and a bass that i like the sound of and call it a day. Most units allow you enough flexibility to alter your sound, and your hands/technique can do a lot more than that in most cases.

so yeah - less is more.

or - use things like the rpm as a on/off switch for a ratty sound - set it the way it sounds best for that, and then just turn it on or off.

PSPookie · #3 08-12-2011, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IvanMike

been there - done that. frequently the only folk who can hear the difference are you and...you. My algorithm is to find an amp/preamp, cabinet(s) and a bass that i like the sound of and call it a day. Most units allow you enough flexibility to alter your sound, and your hands/technique can do a lot more than that in most cases.

so yeah - less is more.

or - use things like the rpm as a on/off switch for a ratty sound - set it the way it sounds best for that, and then just turn it on or off.

This.

Yeah, I find I get the best results when I pick gear that requires minimal knob-tweaking to get "my" sound and then use any pedals in a strictly on/off fashion.

will33 · #4 08-12-2011, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IvanMike

been there - done that. frequently the only folk who can hear the difference are you and...you. My algorithm is to find an amp/preamp, cabinet(s) and a bass that i like the sound of and call it a day. Most units allow you enough flexibility to alter your sound, and your hands/technique can do a lot more than that in most cases.

so yeah - less is more.

or - use things like the rpm as a on/off switch for a ratty sound - set it the way it sounds best for that, and then just turn it on or off.

+1

On bass, I like it plug-n-play. A few tone controls in the right spots or better yet a sweep knob on the mid control I find is enough to adjust for problem rooms. I'm also one who says tone is in your hands, how you play, or switch from a P to a J or vice versa for a whole 'nother group of tones. I don't do a lot of slap, if I did I might be inclined to get something similair to the carvin heads so you could set up a good finger sound, then set the graphic for a good slap sound and footswitch back and forth on the fly but then again I know guys who sound great playing both styles without touching a single knob so that really isn't a necessity either.

rockstarbassist · #5 08-12-2011, 10:56 AM

The M9 is awesome if you like onboard features and are a tweaker like me.

Footswitchable graphic EQ and Voicing features, onboard A+ compressor, etc. I've had all the Mesa mapz and this is my fave by a long ways. :thu:

Gearhead17 · #6 08-12-2011, 01:45 PM

In my cover band, I cover so many different tones with two different tone settings. One for a defined, punchy finger style attack and the other tone for edgy distortion on certain pick playing songs.

Moving my hand towards the bridge or neck pickup is the majority of my tone changes. Grabbing a pick for other songs is another way. I have a blend pedal with a distortion pedal, that's channel 2 and just requires one foot switch to turn on. My Carvin head has a built in compressor - not the best, but does keep my low end in check and is left at one setting all night.

Before you spend more money on your rig, just rock the GK head with your Musicman. See how that sounds and go from there. The RBI, as mentioned before, could work great as a "dirty effect". You already have a great sounding GK head. Leave the compressor out of the loop for right now.

The simpler, the better it is for tone changes. You can focus on playing and just having fun. At shows, the more gear you have, the more troubleshooting you have to do....

slap5string · #7 08-13-2011, 07:27 AM

Thanks Guys - all great advice! My bands range from Lamb of God style metal to Commodores "Brick House" for my cover
project. I've thought about running two completely different rigs but don't want to spend the $ if I don't have to.

Andy_D · #8 08-13-2011, 08:00 AM

Try something that allows you to store presets. I can do this right now with my V-Amp Pro. Long term I'm looking at a TC Electronics RH 450 in my future. It looks real basic and simple to use, can store presets, built in tuner. Between the presets and the sweepable mids on a couple of my basses I should be able to cover a lot of ground without a lot of tweaking.

georgestrings · #9 08-13-2011, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slap5string

Thanks Guys - all great advice! My bands range from Lamb of God style metal to Commodores "Brick House" for my cover
project. I've thought about running two completely different rigs but don't want to spend the $ if I don't have to.

I'd consider same amp, different cabs - as an example, I tend to like a 610 or 810 for modern rock, hard rock, metal - and a 215 for classic rock, blues, and modern country... Besides, a nice benefit of having multiple cabs is that you can leave them wherever it's handy - like a rehearsal space, or gig truck...

- georgestrings