EQ - don't knock it until... - Page 2

JOME77 · #21 07-06-2012, 11:11 AM

Interesting experiment. I've gigged quite a few times with the bass and treble dimed but rarely the mid's (except a few times with my fretless.
I actually like having a little boost capability at the bass though so when I switch from finger style to pick I can tweak the tone some.

One other thing to take into consideration would be the trim pot on the Bart preamp.
I could see this working more with the trim pot turned down below say 1/2 (more so than with it run fairly hot; >6-7). You could easily introduce preamp overdrive otherwise.

Darkstrike · #22 07-06-2012, 03:44 PM

Been messing with this, not my bag so far, lacks some of the snarl and bite I enjoy. With fretless digging in can bring some back.

Take into account that I'm only trying it on my own practicing, I rarely use a tweeter, and I'm using a Streamliner(eq-d flatish), might be better for a modern sounding amp?

Jeff Moote · #23 07-06-2012, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkstrike

Been messing with this, not my bag so far, lacks some of the snarl and bite I enjoy. With fretless digging in can bring some back.

Take into account that I'm only trying it on my own practicing, I rarely use a tweeter, and I'm using a Streamliner(eq-d flatish), might be better for a modern sounding amp?

No, I think I am getting the same effect as you with a bit more hi-fi setup if I understand what you mean by snarl and bite. I find gratuitous use of EQ boost takes away from the string noise, "woody" sound, etc. that IMO is a big part of bass sound. Yeah I know that in a mix you don't notice all that stuff, but if you hear the bass track soloed on a really good recording after it's all mixed down, that stuff is still in there. It may not be apparent to the listener, but those sounds are part of what gives the bass its place in the mix (IMO, YMMV, etc.)

SteveC · #24 07-06-2012, 09:54 PM

I haven't had a chance to gig the boasted EQ yet but will next week.

**Ryan L.** · #25 07-07-2012, 02:10 AM

Didnt work for me. Tried it for a few songs, then went back to my usual flat setting. I guess for me it's a "if it works, don't fix it" scenario.............

oren · #26 07-13-2012, 10:10 AM

I've been trying this out on my SKB as I've been practicing the last couple of nights, and it's not a bad sound - to my ears it gets more of a Jazz Bass like sound out of the Roscoe Bartolinis and preamp. It is definitely noisier and seems to amplify any sloppiness in my technique. Is that a feature or a bug?

VroomVroom · #27 07-14-2012, 11:42 AM

FWIW, a few notes after a few more gigs...

- On my SKB 3006, this just WORKS. I still smile a little with each note. I still don't go, "Full Jimmy" - I keep the highs centered, and I don't completely bias the bridge pickup, but the tone is wonderful. Fat, full, and warm across the board, with a bit of extra punch and grind in the upper mids.

- The volume knob, or the pre-EQ vol/gain on the amp, really is the wild card. It's easy to go a little overboard, but at the same time...if you back off just a little...there's the sweet spot.

- I know this sounds pretty corny, but I've really been working on trying to maximize the Haslip vibe. Not so much his exact playing, but more of an osmosis type of thing. I just love how he ATTACKS the music, and I'm really trying to incorporate it. Here's the corny part - the tone helps. Really.

- This just doesn't work on the J's. 60's or JB placement. IME/IMO, yada, yada. Just seems like overkill across the spectrum. That inherent punch goes out with the bath water. I can totally get how it'd also fail on a bass like Ryan's, with different pickups, or with Jon's MM beast, where the boost-only pre would create a massive blast radius.

SteveC · #28 07-14-2012, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

FWIW, a few notes after a few more gigs...

- On my SKB 3006, this just WORKS. I still smile a little with each note. I still don't go, "Full Jimmy" - I keep the highs centered, and I don't completely bias the bridge pickup, but the tone is wonderful. Fat, full, and warm across the board, with a bit of extra punch and grind in the upper mids.

- The volume knob, or the pre-EQ vol/gain on the amp, really is the wild card. It's easy to go a little overboard, but at the same time...if you back off just a little...there's the sweet spot.

- I know this sounds pretty corny, but I've really been working on trying to maximize the Haslip vibe. Not so much his exact playing, but more of an osmosis type of thing. I just love how he ATTACKS the music, and I'm really trying to incorporate it. Here's the corny part - the tone helps. Really.

- This just doesn't work on the J's. 60's or JB placement. IME/IMO, yada, yada. Just seems like overkill across the spectrum. That inherent punch goes out with the bath water. I can totally get how it'd also fail on a bass like Ryan's, with different pickups, or with Jon's MM beast, where the boost-only pre would create a massive blast radius.

I have tried a little of the "extreme eq" on my JJ but have tended to stay with a low mid boost and slight bridge pup bias. Seems to really growl.

ubone · #29 07-14-2012, 02:14 PM

Interesting observations Jerry.
Maxing out the mids, bass, while leaving the treble about at 25% and favoring the bridge pup with a 10 to 20% neck pup bias works very well on my SKB traditional Bart soaps.
Everything on the amp is set flat.

On the Century fretless JJ, I have found that bass and miss, at 75% with the treble at 5 -10%, again, favoring the bridge pup with at max a 20% neck pup bias, really perks the JJ up. The treble variable is the key to clarity in this case. Too much and the upper registers become brittle..

()smoke() · #30 07-27-2012, 08:07 PM

I just saw this thread. Interestingly, I've been playing my SKB 3006 with the treble dimed and the bass about 8-9 and then using the low mid boost often dimed as well. But, I've been doing it only when playing thru my amp, I haven't done it at any gigs where I'm going direct because the treble raises the noise through my in-ears considerably.

my only amp now is my old SVTII with a 810, so the eq has been my way of compensating for the treble snap and deepness that I could get from other rigs but not so much with this one

I admit that when I've arrived at this eq, it's never been intentional, and I've sometimes felt almost silly when I notice where it's set!

however--my mentor and good friend Renny Corrente has always played with a very liberal use of onboard eq, and when he hands my roscoe back, the eq is often almost maxed--because that's just how it sounds best to him, he doesn't worry about what is 'flat' or what the eq points are...and his sound is massive and punchy as all get out

interesting thread Jerry!

SteveC · #31 01-05-2013, 09:52 AM

Revisiting this with my new fretless...only tried it at home but I kinda like it with a bridge pup bias...a Jimmy-esque sound.

Of corse, it sounds petty damn nice flat and centered as well!

**cheezewiz** · #32 01-27-2013, 09:34 AM

I tried this. I was shocked. Sounds great! Definitely another tool in the kit.

kokorollc · #33 01-27-2013, 10:10 AM

I think this was a "Tobias thing" that Jimmy carried over to his Roscoes. The old TCT preamp and even the NTMB are rather subtle tone shaping tools compared to some of the other monstrous onboard EQs that boost or cut 3000db(joke). That's one of the main reasons the old Pre Gibson Tobias basses are so sought after. The preamp was extremely musical and seemed to enhance the amazing natural tone of the instruments. I "dime" my Basic 5 fretless and it works beautifully. Jimmy's early fretless tone exactly. Makes sense that he would have requested the preamp be designed the same way for his Roscoes. I would not recommend this approach with every pre however . I've heard some basses that can get pretty ugly with even the slightest hint of boost. The tone has gotta start with the bass and hands.

bass12 · #34 01-27-2013, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kokorollc

I think this was a "Tobias thing" that Jimmy carried over to his Roscoes. The old TCT preamp and even the NTMB are rather subtle tone shaping tools compared to some of the other monstrous onboard EQs that boost or cut 3000db(joke). That's one of the main reasons the old Pre Gibson Tobias basses are so sought after. The preamp was extremely musical and seemed to enhance the amazing natural tone of the instruments. I "dime" my Basic 5 fretless and it works beautifully. Jimmy's early fretless tone exactly. Makes sense that he would have requested the preamp be designed the same way for his Roscoes. I would not recommend this approach with every pre however . I've heard some basses that can get pretty ugly with even the slightest hint of boost. The tone has gotta start with the bass and hands.

Andrew Gouché (who plays MTDs) also apparently plays with all of his EQ knobs "dimed".

**Pacman** · #35 01-27-2013, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kokorollc

I think this was a "Tobias thing" that Jimmy carried over to his Roscoes. The old TCT preamp and even the NTMB are rather subtle tone shaping tools compared to some of the other monstrous onboard EQs that boost or cut 3000db(joke). That's one of the main reasons the old Pre Gibson Tobias basses are so sought after. The preamp was extremely musical and seemed to enhance the amazing natural tone of the instruments. I "dime" my Basic 5 fretless and it works beautifully. Jimmy's early fretless tone exactly. Makes sense that he would have requested the preamp be designed the same way for his Roscoes. I would not recommend this approach with every pre however . I've heard some basses that can get pretty ugly with even the slightest hint of boost. The tone has gotta start with the bass and hands.

Actually, Jimmy said that he does it so he has only one knob to worry about. He runs the back pickup full as a "default" tone, and then rolls in the neck pickup to warm things up as needed.