How to get this bass tone

LCMBassist · #1 02-20-2009, 12:12 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf8GJIi_1WM

Little bit of nostalgia for you all who remember it. However, what's this secret to this bass tone?! It's very smooth, YET it also has a little bit of valve break up. It sounds almost fretless, but it isn't. I have no idea what kinda of amp he was using, except he uses Ampeg now. I think that Jazz bass is either late 60s or early 70s.

rarisgod · #2 02-20-2009, 01:13 PM

Welll he's using a pick which kind of surprises me with that tone, but he's playing really close to the bridge, like where Jaco plucked, so that probably helps. As for the smoothness, I'm not really sure.

One Drop · #3 02-20-2009, 02:31 PM

I hear a lot of J bass growl which is smoothed out by what sounds like overdriving a tube amp, and some healthy lows dialed in.

kcolyar · #4 02-20-2009, 04:57 PM

That was from 1991. All the amps sounded like that back then, LOL. I agree with previous post. Overdriven slightly, a little compression and some warm low mids. Plucking kind of hard. This is from the era I played alot in. Us old guys couyld get that tone cuz thats all our amps and rigs could produce.
When the newer hifi sounding basses came out with the cleaner amps, I was lost tone wise, None of my gear is close. I can never figure out the new tones cuz, I own old amps.

LCMBassist · #5 02-21-2009, 11:42 AM

So my Sansamp will help then? which frequencies would you specify as low mid?

kcolyar · #6 02-24-2009, 09:54 AM

I'm gonna guess 200 to 400hz range. It will depend on a lot of factors, strings PU's your bass's natural sound and what freq's it naturally produces! Good luck.