Filling out the sound

bass_drum · #1 10-21-2005, 02:58 PM

Hey I recently started another band with a few experienced friends. We are a three piece playing mostly rock.

Now the problem im having is filling out the sound, whenever my guitarist does a solo or anything like that, the song feels like theres something missing. Its not the bad, but I'd like the band to be the best we can be. Now I know that getting a 2nd guitarist would fix it, but we have a gig coming up and we dont have enough time to get another guitarist " in the swing of things" before the gig. So what do you suggest? I'm considering an octave pedal. What could the guitarist do to help aswell?

Thanks in advance!

~Justin~

Petebass · #2 10-23-2005, 03:49 AM

One of the bands I work with on occasions is rock covers band, and we have a similar problem. We found a solution that works for this type of music, though I don't know if it'll work in all cases - a nice fat bass overdrive (currently a MXR M80 pedal). The distortion over the top of the bass notes almost feels like there's another guitar playing power chords.

Octaver might work in some songs, but be careful. They track your notes well enough in the upper register, but once you get a bit low, the notes start to fall off.

bass_drum · #3 10-23-2005, 11:16 AM

Thanks for the advice!

I have a danelectro fab overdrive that seems more liek a distortion then an overdrive but ill give it a shot and see if it helps.

Anythign the guitar can do? like more reverb or something? WE Have a practice in a few hours and I'd liek to have a few ideas to pitch and see what they think.

McHaven · #4 10-23-2005, 11:33 AM

I have the same problem with my band. What I do is during guitar solos, i'll play octaves of the root. I don't know if you're a root player but if you are, try octaves of the root it fills the sound nicely

bass_drum · #5 10-23-2005, 11:53 AM

Well a few songs i can do this with, but a lto of the songs I play more complicated lines than roots. I'll give it a shot on the songs that I do play roots on.

syciprider · #6 10-23-2005, 12:26 PM

Frantone Lo Tone Fuzz gives you a heck of a bass boost and some nice gravel to fill in the sound.

The Digitech Bass Driver with it's blend knob does this well also.

bass_drum · #7 10-23-2005, 12:35 PM

would even a octave pedal (low octave) work to create a wall-of-sound to fill in the gaps?

syciprider · #8 10-23-2005, 12:53 PM

Octave down tends to muddy everything IME. I use Whammy fifth down and it works okay with distortion.

bass_drum · #9 10-23-2005, 12:58 PM

Oh I see...Thanks!

~Justin~

**Blackbird** · #10 10-23-2005, 03:26 PM

This would take an extra amp and some other gear, but you could play in stereo, using two speakers and having one signal clean and the other with effects so you wouldn't be losing that much of your original sound.