How to get that certain tone

[duo8675309]

Ok, I was tossing between whether to put this in the amps forum or here, but since in the amps forum they seem to talk more about amps themselves and the hardware in them, I figured this would be the best place.

Ok, I know I don't have the best gear in the world: Peavey Combo, Squire bass, stupid stock single-coil pickups, ect ect. But I still want to get the best sound of of what I have. I'm trying to go for a good cross between Timmy C (Rage Against the Machine) and Flea when he plays finger-style. Really the way Timmy C. plays fits into both of those categories. He has this growl that I just can't seem to get with my EQ. I know I won't get very close to that growl, but I'd like to get in the ball park at least. I can manage to get near it by raising my high mids, but then everything sounds clacky and I lose my low end. Then I thought maybe I could get it by boosting the high end and mixing the mids. Didn't work. I can get the basic growl that I want, but I have to cut the lows, and then it just sounds empty. But as soon as I raise them it drowns the mids out. I like the way it sounds, but its not what I'm looking for. Right now I have something pretty close. I have the lows raised, the low mids dropped, the high mids raised, and the high raised just a little. I also have this button on my amp called "Bright" that really helps. Actually its a necessity for the tone that I like. Plus when I want a warmer tone I just turn the bright off and the compression on and boom! Strait for hard and aggressive to borderline smooth and soulful in 2 seconds. Also, I have like, 4 volume controls and I'm a little unsure on how they work. I don't have a master, just a Pre Gain and a Post Gain. I know the Pre and Post stand for Pre and Post EQ, but what's the difference and how does switching it up effect the tone? And then I have a low volume and a high volume. I know what they do, but right now the only good mix I can find for them is to turn both of them up. If I wanted to really EQ a nice motown tone I could turn the high volume down maybe, but turning the low volume down just cuts out my bottom end, and I'm pretty sure that that isn't a good thing.

So the more I mess with the EQ the more I kind of realize what each of the sliders do. It seems like the first one just kind of adds or removes the tone of the lows. The second one actually boosts or reduces the bass. The third one seems to add more of a punch. I'm still figuring out the mids. And the highs just make it really bright. All my old amp had was 3 knobs: bass, mid, and high. This is a lot more confusing. Maybe its because I've had it for two days? Its not even mine yet. The shop let me take it home for a couple of days for a test run, and I'm pretty sure this is the one I want. For the price you can't beat it. So since this seems to be the one I'll end up with I want to learn how to get the best out of it as soon as I can. Thanks for any help and insight you people might have for me!

[fearceol]

Take a look at the FAQ Sticky in the amps forum rather than the forum itself. There is a lot of info there on what you are looking for.

[Lalabadie]

Leave that EQ to a setting where you have a little more growl and a little less middle than what you want, and experiment with your finger position. Both Flea and Timmy C. often play closer to the bridge than the neck (so they are off the pickup). Experiment with this.

Usually time and varied playing will have you unconsciously choose positions to serve your tone.

[steveb98]

Originally Posted by Lalabadie

....experiment with your finger position. Both Flea and Timmy C. often play closer to the bridge than the neck (so they are off the pickup). Experiment with this.

Usually time and varied playing will have you unconsciously choose positions to serve your tone.

+1 That is the thing so many young and even old players overlook. Your hands are the key to getting a lot of different tone from your instrument. They don't spend time experimenting with the sound of playing by bridge over each pickup, between pickups, by the neck. Hard versus soft plucking of the strings. Stacatto versus legato playing and on and on. Some guys spend thousands buying an identical gear as their bass hero and surprised when it sounds different. The sound comes from their hero hands.

Watch some video of Marcus Miller playing bass sometime, even if not your fave style of music. Marcus moves around the bass all through songs to get different sounds for sections of songs. Marcus will play close to neck to slap, do fingerstyle in both by bridge and neck, and hammer-on notes with his thumb over on the neck. Then look at players like Anthoney Jackson and Lincolin Goines, and a others who don't have volume or tone controls on their basses. Their hands get them all the need.

You need to learn how to play your instrument as much playing notes and lines.

[Lalabadie]

Hero hands. Sounds like a superpower.