please chime in on tone!

[sammyp]

Hey guys,

i've been practicing bass hard for over a year now, guitar for 25 years....so i know when something's not quite right! I love the quality and feel of my Corvette Taranis but i bought it because it was a steal of a deal....not cause i thought it out and tried it thru amps etc...

it was marketed as a metal bass and although it mixes very well in my studio there is something round and full i miss about my american jazz....the warwick is thick but so full of lower bass and low mids ....i'm just wondering if i can clear all this up my installing a split coil pot for the bridge humbucker?

i love the quality of this instrument but this is starting to really bug me....

it takes awhile to learn how to EQ and deal with the pickup configuration of an instrument ....after a decade of constant gigging i can capably dial up a Tele, strat or les paul perfectly stage/ studio wise.

I need help with this bass thing ..i don't have the experience with models and PUP configuration ....

trouble is - i haven't been playing and buying basses long enough to know what i really like or need! i need to have good tone for a country bass gig and an 80's - 90's rock gig! i don't know if it's a P or a J Bass i like!? I just know if it's right or wrong!

I like round, thick bass tones with bottom and defined top...enough mid to cut thru.....i like JohnTaylor, Faith No More guy for tone.

any advice welcome! be blunt an honest guys with your opinions.....i need to have the right stuff!

oh ps: the taranis has a single coil in the neck and a humbucker in the bridge!

[air_leech]

personally I don't think modding an instrument to find an elusive tone is a good route.
I've been there before and IME it means spending a lot of money only to find out you were better off selling or trading it for something you do like from the get go (which is a good basis to mod if you want to fine tune the basic tone to get you to that ear nirvana).

that being said I much recommend experimenting with string types and gauges. the right string set can turn my opinion about a bass 180 deg.
I suggest trying nickel plated light gauge strings (.040 - .100) with a hex core such as the DR Lo Riders nickel.
I'm a big fan of John Taylor too and I think they lend more to his tonal ballpark (or the bass tones of that era in general) than stainless steels which always sound lacking on mids and too harsh on top.

[sammyp]

thanks Air ....i know what you mean....i have so many guitars and suit each one to the gig....i guess i need more than one bass to be happy but i don't think i should part with this one ...i'll check out your string selections for sure .... i forgot to mention that i string the taranis with a standard 4 string set ....rather than the low B - D it is marketed with!

and you're right...a bit of a mod doesn't change an instrument's inherent character .....i can do the split coil myself and prolly will so the cash isn't an issue..



from your signature i can see you own 3 basses LOL ...i guess i'm solidifying my hunch!

[sammyp]

maybe i gotta chase this string guage thing harder ......i'm not used to it being an issue because guitar has so many more variables...pedals, od, distortion....bass is clean for the most part!

[jon5252]

Like you, I have been chasing bass tone for decades. I have done that through over 30 basses and more money than I am willing to admit to. Not cheap basses either, everything from Lakland to Fender, Dingwall, Warwick, I have owned them all . A while back I read an article by Adam Nitti on his website that really applies to this - the sound is in your hands. He talks about having dozens of students playing high dollar basses, and they sound lousy. I also believe if you play a dozen of the same model and make of bass, you will find no two are alike. I have finally latched on to a fretless Stingray 5 that seems to do things best for me, but I have decided if things don't sound right, it is because I have not learned how to make the bass sound the way I want. Check out the post on Adam's site.

[fourfinger]

It's all about the strings, IMO. If you think something "round and full" is missing from the tone then to me that screams, "Try some flatwounds before you try anything else!" You can usually find flats used here on TB for cheap. My favorites are TI Jazz flats if the bass does well with low tension strings, or the lighter gauge D'Addario Chromes if it doesn't. But there are plenty of other options.

[sammyp]

Originally Posted by fourfinger

It's all about the strings, IMO. If you think something "round and full" is missing from the tone then to me that screams, "Try some flatwounds before you try anything else!" You can usually find flats used here on TB for cheap. My favorites are TI Jazz flats if the bass does well with low tension strings, or the lighter gauge D'Addario Chromes if it doesn't. But there are plenty of other options.

i think the crux of my struggle is that i'm a fender guy at heart...although i haven't been playing/ buying basses long enough yet to know all the ins and outs ....i recently hotrodded an SX p bass - tweaked the nut, set it up and installed a Duncan 1/4 pup....feels like home to me.....and i miss my american Jazz which i picked up too early in my playing to appreciate.....i've only been buying and selling basses for a year and a half

like guitars ...i alway seem to gravitate towards single coil setups like Teles ....i think basses are the same for me ....humbuckers just create to much mud and not enough tone satisfaction.

my warwick is exceptionally well made ...but i think the humbucker in the bridge has gotta go or be split!

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by sammyp

i think the crux of my struggle is that i'm a fender guy at heart...

Me too...that's why I play Fenders now. I tried the modern route and it's cool for some things, but only a Fender truly satisfies me in every way.

[sammyp]

thanks Jimmy, i need positive reinforcement ....i think i know where i'm headed!