The bright bassist club

infamusblkdeath · #1 07-13-2010, 10:03 PM

i have a feeling that the members here are going to be about as common as unicorns...

anyways, i've noticed that most bassists of the forum prefer to have either flatwounds or dead rounds on their bass. also i guess you could say it would seem like people eq their bass and amps with alot of lows/low mids for a very thumpy, old school tone.

but me?? well, i honestly like to make my bass as bright and crisp as possible. i love a brand new set of rounds. i incorperate as much high mids/treble as i do lows/low mids, if not more. guess you could say i'm a big fan of bands that have their bass sticking out like a soar thumb (in a GOOD way..

) like rush, yes, tool..etc.

one problem i have run into on the forum is that i have literally found NO ONE else here that likes their bass to sound as i do, or at least similar. could be cause i've never tried to disguss this with anyone here before though..

so what do you say guys?? complete failure of a club? am i the only "bright" bassist here? or am i not alone?? if you out there, speak up bright bassists!!!

motionkid · #2 07-13-2010, 10:19 PM

Gritty trebly goodness right here!!! Number please!!

Exploiter8 · #3 07-13-2010, 10:22 PM

I've always been a fan of THE OX and his sound. GOTS to have me some HIGHS!

X8

tfernandez · #4 07-13-2010, 10:36 PM

right there with ya. Clarity and note definition are bigger in my book then a honkin low end. though i don't have the bass or rig to satisfy my tonal needs -_-

EZ9R · #5 07-13-2010, 10:59 PM

Top 10 Favorite Bass sounds recorded. Not in any order. 1. Jaco "Heavy Weather" not all that album was fretless. 2. Stanley Clarke RTFs "Where Have I Known You Before". 3. Geddy Lee "Hemispheres". 4. Geddy Lee "Power Windows". 5. Geddy Lee "Test For Echo" 6. Jeff Berlin, Bruford's "Gradually Going Tornado". 7. Chris Squire, Yes "Fragile". 8. Andy West, Dixie Dregs "Free Fall". 9. John Enwhistle Alembic in "The Kids Are Alright" 10. Chris Squire, Yes "Yessshows".

Each had a different sound, but how it was present in the mix.

b4nny · #6 07-13-2010, 11:08 PM

I like both extremes: I have a VM Jazz which I keep strung with rounds, replaced as often as I can afford. I like to dig in and get a sweet trebly bite and attack. But lately I've been really desiring a second bass, perhaps a hollowbody or EB0 or something of the like with a really big, fat sound. If I can get a bass like that, I want to keep 'er strung up with Labella flats that're as dead and dull as possible, because I also love a good classic bass tone.

metalinthenight · #7 07-13-2010, 11:15 PM

Right there with ya. I'm not going to say that I like Entwhistle's or Squire's tone 100% of the time, but I love that bright sound. I gotta hear every note like the low end of a piano. It's just something about that grind...

hachi kid · #8 07-13-2010, 11:31 PM

yep, I actually bi-amp so I can have a crap ton of treble without sacrificing my low end to support the band. also, I'm using fingers. no pick. take a listen:

http://www.purevolume.com/josephcote

infamusblkdeath · #9 07-13-2010, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionkid

Gritty trebly goodness right here!!! Number please!!

sure!! i hope this really takes off, you get the lucky #1!!!
that makes me "creator" i guess. if any one else would like a number, please contribute!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfernandez

right there with ya. Clarity and note definition are bigger in my book then a honkin low end. though i don't have the bass or rig to satisfy my tonal needs -_-

me niether, doesn't help i'm on a fixed budget either..

lately i've been aiming at cheaper active basses for more tonal choice, but i've had a hard time finding the ones i'd really like to try...

Quote:

Originally Posted by b4nny

I like both extremes: I have a VM Jazz which I keep strung with rounds, replaced as often as I can afford. I like to dig in and get a sweet trebly bite and attack. But lately I've been really desiring a second bass, perhaps a hollowbody or EB0 or something of the like with a really big, fat sound. If I can get a bass like that, I want to keep 'er strung up with Labella flats that're as dead and dull as possible, because I also love a good classic bass tone.

same here actually! i got a vm jazz last year cause of the price and how bright it was. but now i'm dying for a stingray. since i don't make alot of money i'm going to have to wait awhile to get my hands on one, this even goes for SBMM as well..

but i've been think about giving the yamaha BB's a shot to see what brighty goodness i can get out of them. a local shop had a 614 going for like $275 cause they couldn't get rid of it.

infamusblkdeath · #10 07-14-2010, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hachi kid

yep, I actually bi-amp so I can have a crap ton of treble without sacrificing my low end to support the band. also, I'm using fingers. no pick. take a listen:

http://www.purevolume.com/josephcote

not bad. i love modulated effects over fuzz/distorion i must say though. that first post-rocky track is definatly a good example of what i like to do with a nice crisp tone

crentest · #11 07-14-2010, 01:42 AM

i like a nice "honkey" tone, i want to hear the definition rather than just feel the notes.
i've been known to replace my strings every month....

Exploiter8 · #12 07-14-2010, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exploiter8

I've always been a fan of THE OX and his sound. GOTS to have me some HIGHS!

X8

Okay, I guess I have to ask, "Number Please?"

williamk · #13 07-14-2010, 12:41 PM

I belong in this club too!

LiamPodmore · #14 07-14-2010, 12:43 PM

I use roundwounds and i like a nice bright tone, depending on the song and situation, but most of the time its the brighter the better fer me. Number Please?

I<34080 · #15 07-14-2010, 12:46 PM

New rounds on a Ric=heavenly, and unless circumstances may me EQ otherwise, I love cut the bass and boosting the treble.

lunarpollen · #16 07-14-2010, 12:58 PM

I am a fan of it in the right contexts. But never when the overtones are brighter than everything else in the band, cymbals included.

The Mouse · #17 07-14-2010, 01:23 PM

It depends what kind of music I'm playing. I have La Bella flats on my Precision and Ernie Ball Super Slinkys on my Musicman. Worlds apart, both basses sound amazing..

T. Alan Smith · #18 07-14-2010, 01:36 PM

Depends on the situation, overall, my preference is a hi-fi rig, be it tranny, tube or hybrid. If I'm playing more of a supportive role, then you can't beat a P w/flats. If I'm playing one of my solo gigs with a looper, I greatly prefer my MusicMan instruments with either the piezo/humbucker or single coil/humbucker setups, both strung w/rounds. I've been thinking a Peavey Cirrus with stainless rounds would be ideal for my looper work.

plangentmusic · #19 07-14-2010, 01:45 PM

I used to play SOOOOO trebly -- because I love clarity in the bass. I HATE muddy bass!!! And it sounded more modern and it sounded like the guys I like -- mostly Squire.

But now, I play with a fuller sound -- not too much lows end, but with more middle. It punches better. When I record, I still cut everything below 60db to reduce hum. But now I pump 400 instead of 6 hz and I'm still considered "bright."

But every now and then I turn the treble all the way up on my MM and tear a few heads off!

BritFunk · #20 07-14-2010, 02:05 PM

My Friends,

I have to sign myself up for this club as well.

About a year or so into my bass playing I discovered that the extremely "bassy" tones just do not travel very well in live performance.

I started experimenting with increasing the highs and high mids on my existing rig. Still wasn't enough to suit me.

I then picked up a Peavey Century Musical Instrument Amp head, frequency response (allegedly) 30 - 30,000Hz, and I matched it to a Traynor 2x15 cabinet with full-range PA speakers installed. Whoa - major difference. I (and everyone else) could hear every single note that I played. I don't care if you're in the nosebleed section - you absolutely *will* hear my bass.

I'll be totally honest - as far as *my* rig is concerned I do not like distorted bass. I like a squeaky-clean solid state sound - no overdrive, no tubes (that being said, I greatly appreciate tube tones and a bit of edge on other folks' amps, just not on mine, especially live). Likewise I generally do not use effects. Ever. I will add some chorusing or light flanging on a recorded work after the fact, but I always go to tape clean.

(As an aside, should anyone ever manufacture a Bass Chorus pedal that will allow me to add the effects to only the treble frequencies I will buy one - otherwise I have to bi-amp to get what I want out of a chorus, which is more of a PITA than it is worth these days. The best chorus pedal I ever owned was an older guitar chorus that refused to noticably effect bass frequencies - you get all of the shimmer without screwing with the bottom end.

)

The brightest roundwound strings that I can manage to find also help - if I could afford it I would change them every time I practice or record. Even slightly dead strings lose their ability to really inspire me like new, fresh strings.

Think Chris Squire on "Roundabout" or pretty much anything by Mark King.

There have been times that my live performance tone has bordered on obnoxious, but in the types of music that I played it worked very, very well. The bottom was always there, but the high end was well-represented also.

Mids? Bah. Who needs them? LOL!

----
Kurt