i cant get my j bass to voice in live shows

[RedLS1Iroc]

currently i play two different basses during live shows. i have a warwick vette active that i most commonly use but i would like to start using my geddy lee j more often. the problem is that i just cant seem to get the j's highs to come through. im using a gk cab and 300w head w/o a horn. any suggestions.

[SpamBot]

Get a P
But seriously, J pickups are very high-midsy. They don't have a large amount of highs to begin with, and then comparing one to an active bass means it'll be loads less trebly than the Warwick. I'd just recommend a lot more highs EQed in when you play the Geddy. If your amp can't provide, you need a new cab with a tweeter.

[WalterBush]

Use a preamp with the Geddy.

[TimmyP]

Don't boost the highs - all they do is add a percussive twank. Boost somewhere between 400 and 1000 to bring out the note definition and "growl". Then boost the highs if you must (but it will make for a cleaner mix if you don't).

[RedLS1Iroc]

thanks guys, i know that the active bass is going to be more trebly but even when playing it passive it out performs the fender.i think im going to try a preamp, any suggestions on what preamp?

[TimmyP]

A preamp will be a waste of time and money. It will do nothing that the amp cannot do already.

[Thor]

I pulled the stock pups out of both my Geddy's.

One now has SD Antiquity II's and one has split coil Fralins. Huge improvement in tone IMO. The MIJ pups are the Geddy's weakest link.


You can do the SD's for around 120 new. The Fralins are about twice that, a bit smoother, but not 2x as good for sure.

The mids and highs on the Fralins are more balanced. The SD's have a very powerful bottom, but need more EQ work to get the high end right.

[dougjwray]

Experiment with rolling off some of the bridge pickup. That will give you more midrange "bark"-- nastier sounding, but more penetrating.
A Jazz Bass with both pickups full on can sound too smooth to cut through.
Or... get a Precision.

[RedLS1Iroc]

ill try adjusting the neck pu, i do usually use both maxed. do you think the strings could be playing a role in the lack of high/mids. i use DR black beauties

[walterw]

try 500k linear volumes and a 500k audio tone. this will "open up" the pickups, giving you more highs. it might seem a little bright by itself, but with the band it really makes the "character" shine through, so out in the room you really hear "jazz bass" rather than just "bass".

[RobJeff3]

What kind of GK cab? I play a Jazz bass and I have always had this problem. I used compressors, tweaked EQ's, Volumes, all kinds of stuff. BTW I had a similar problem with my P bass.

I just got a Glockenklang 4x10 and it has a horn in it. It pulls the highs out of what I play wonderfully.

But if you want to try something inexpensive I have a MXR 10 band EQ that will boost your signal strength and you can tweak the EQ to give you more highs. This will help, it worked for me. Hit me up if you wana try it. It's a great EQ foot controlled so you can set it up and turn it off if you switch basses, and the gain control on it will make your signal strength go up so it will act like it's active..... kinda.

I always use DR's, but they make a .50 set.... This will give you more definition on the high strings.

Hope this helps. I have played my friends getty and it's a great bass. The Corvette is also nice too. I had one of those a time ago.
Rob

[TimmyP]

I prefer most bass cabs with the horn turned off, as the horns all work above those frequencies that are "where the action is". They don't add to note definition with the bass in the mix - all they seem to do is add a percussive "twank" that that gets in the way of other things.

[RedLS1Iroc]

i use a gk goldline 4x10 cab, no horn. thanks for the suggestions on cabs tho ive been considering a cab w/horn, and ya im interested in the eq, ive been told by several people to give that a try.

[TimmyP]

Were I a person who wished to upgrade to a better bass cabinet, it would be from AcmeBass.com.