Your settings K&K Rockabilly Slap Special??

crybaby54 · #1 05-18-2008, 06:51 PM

Hi, I´m searching for a great bass sound since a long time(I like haley´s Rock around the clock slap sound)....I play guts and the K&K Bassmax with that dual channel-preamp. I cannot get a very good sound out of that? My settings: FINGERBOARD: gain 4,2, highs 2,9, mids 0,8, bass: 0 BRIDGE: gain:2,1, highs:5, bass:5, mids:1...........what do you thing about mids in slap sounds...are mids necessary in the eq of the fingerboard pieco???
And what do you think about mids in your basssound....I scooped them out most times...now I have put a bit mids on that preamp for my basssound......is that ok(?)...... what do you think about mids and highs in your bridge-pickup????It´s
so hard to get a good sound, which ist not to boomy, which is not woody..... and to get a good slap, which is not to sharp?! I´m very interested in your settings, once upon a time I will go crazy, cause I don´t get that sound, I want!!!!!!!!!
My AMP IS A HUGHES&KETTNER Basskick 515(200watt).
Greets
Herbert from the greyhounds

airtime323 · #2 05-25-2008, 04:30 AM

Hi u need to lower the action so all strings are about 1in from FB,take the bridge down slowly shaving off the feet of the bridge but make sure u still have the curve hope this helps

Gearhead43 · #3 05-25-2008, 11:43 AM

One inch action? Shave the feet?

airtime323 · #4 06-01-2008, 04:18 AM

Yes the feet of the bridge,slowly take off a few mm as this lowers the action

moles · #5 06-01-2008, 06:18 PM

Um, he's asking about his preamp settings......not his action....

Herbert, here are some thoughts:
Swapping eq settings over the web are a little bit misleading and not-very-useful to you. If you were to dial in my settings, for instance, the end result is not necessarily going to sound the same - you've got a different bass, strings, amp, pickup placement, fingers, playing style etc etc...
It sounds like you're heading in the right direction though, with adding some mid range into your sound. Are you listening out in the room, or just in front of your amp? A nice, scooped out sound heard from in front of the amp would probably just get lost out in the room which is where you want it sounding good. Having a touch more midrange than you think you need is often a good place to start.

As far as bridge settings vs. the fingerboard settings - I play a mix of styles so I've got my bridge setting pretty flat, with a minimal boost in the low end and slight cut in the mids. Those pots give you +/- 20db! If you're having trouble bouncing back and forth between too boomy and too woody, try making the eq tweaks a little more subtle. My fingerboard has all the low end rolled off just to cut the noise out of it. I slap lower toward the end of the fingerboard than most, so I get a bunch of low end garbage that resonates after every hit if I don't dial it out. I've got quite a bit of boost in the highs, but then my clicky is mounted quite close to the neck joint, and I cut a bit of the wranginess at around 4K on my graphic to smooth things out.

Honestly I think the best advice with this system is just to keep making very small adjustments til it sounds right. It's got a lot of power in those little pots, and it's easy to get frustrated and start making big sweeping changes...that gets you nowhere fast.

ZuluFunk · #6 06-02-2008, 07:58 PM

I think you might be better off just getting a decent tone and doing all of your EQ-ing on your rig's pre. I don't have my bass with me right now so I can't tell you my settings. It's important not to mix up your fb and bridge signals...that can get nasty.

When I get home, I'll check out my K&K for you.