my band doesn't like my tone anymore

[serruto]

I've been playing with those guys for a couple of months and things were just fine with my tone. We play alternative rock and my tone is in the veing of Chi Cheng of the Deftones and Adam Clayton of U2 ( a smooth semi scooped tone with plenty of bottom and no too much -if any- upper mid range).
That's the way i've always played, im not into the "up front in the mix, cutting tone" that most modern bass players are into, what made want to play bass was that heavy sub frequency tone; almost synth like.
Well, the problem is that my bandmates want me to cut the bass and crank up the mids and highs to sound like Justin Chancellor or Chris Squire, i played with that eq last night and i felt really out of place, I never use the bridge pick up in my Jazz bass because it makes it sound burpy and annoying but that's is the sound that my band wants to hear.
I'm not really desperate to continue with this band since i have other things in my life, but what worries me about is if every single rock band wants their bass sound to be bright and trebly.
Is there any way to please my bandmates or i should i just stick with the sound that allows me to express better and move on?

[Billy Low]

Seems to me thatyou have your question answered. It appears that you wanna leave, so leave! LOL!!!! I have often been one that believes that the job of the bassist is to provide what's nessecary for the song. If the song calls for the bass to cut, then so be it! One thing that may be helpful not to view tone in regards of which artist has what signature tone, but how many tones you can develope to communicate effectively.

[RickenBoogie]

Yup, and a bass heavy tone may not work in the context of that band. Sounds almost like you're trying to hide behind them. Just crank up the lower mids, cut a little low end, and see what happens.

[billfitzmaurice]

Bands are like women: find one that likes you the way you are and doesn't want you to change a thing.

[JimmyM]

i'd say your answer depends on two things...how well you like this band, and how much money you'll lose out on if you ditch them. personally, i've never been married to any of my tones, and if a band thinks a different tone would work better, i rarely have a problem with it. when i first started i had a problem with it, but then i thought about how pointless it was to get so wrapped up in a tone that you forget what's important...making money

funny...back when i started, people wanted me to sound more like what you like and i wanted to sound more middy and bright. now i'm the exact opposite. but if they want the squire tone, i'm happy to oblige. not a deal breaker to me.

[Bassman7PM]

+1 Billy hit it on the head. Tone should change based on what a song requires not the bassist trying to morph himself into the image of his favorite bass player. I personally don't like the sound of a Rick but if a particular song called for that mid/treble tone then guess what, its my job to "serve the song" and the band not myself.

[Essen]

You don't have to go from Chi to Justin, IMO their sounds are opposites, but why not add a little mids/highs to get some definition? I've found a good compromise sounding somewhat like Martin Mendez from Opeth(think Drapery Falls); good solid bass, but enough mids and high end to let you hear what is going on.

[precision punk]

Just put a set of chromes flatwound strings on you're jazz bass!

[serruto]

Originally Posted by Billy Low

Seems to me thatyou have your question answered. It appears that you wanna leave, so leave! LOL!!!! I have often been one that believes that the job of the bassist is to provide what's nessecary for the song. If the song calls for the bass to cut, then so be it! One thing that may be helpful not to view tone in regards of which artist has what signature tone, but how many tones you can develope to communicate effectively.

Variety of tones is not always the case my friend, look how many bass players in rock have the same tone in every song of a given record the play. My tone is my signature and that tone is what allows me to express myself. I want to be a component of the song not the instrument that listeners talk about. Maybe if i've grew up listening to Jaco or Stanley I'd view bass more like and "instrument" but to me bass has been always a "frequency" I've been in love with, doesnt matter if is moog synth, a kick drum or a bass guitar.

[waynobass]

Compromise: make your tone a little brighter. But don't change it so radically that it's not you.

[mrkreuzschlitz]

blend it with a clean tone. i found my band didn't like the dirt i got from my pod xt pro, so i turned the di blend up a little.

[geezerjpj]

You have a jazz so you have variable control over each pickup....dial a little more bridge pickup and throw on some new strings like labella hard rockin steels which start out as bright as rotosounds and then mellow to a nice moderately edgy thump

[HUnt49]

Are you doing originals, or covers? If original, those songs are a collaborative creation, and your mates have some say in the final product.

if covers, the flexibility mentioned here is most important. Why can't you provide all of the above, as required by the tune?

Another thought -- maybe what they're hearing isn't what you're hearing. Are you wireless? can you go out in the room, or over on the stage, to get a sense of what they're hearing? I think Adam Clayton has a great tone - love it - but I've been learning that the big solid deep/clear scooped tone that sounds great right by the amp doesn't always project out the definition I need beyond the range of *feeling* the amp behind me. They might not have that thump, so they don't feel it present in the mix.

[HitByABlimp]

Here's what I've learned from playing in (rock) bands for years.

- First of all, rehearsal tone is not equal to recording- live- and/or solo tone. What works in a recording can be sh*t for rehearsal purposes.
- Second, a wide and deep bass sound can be fun for the bassplayer, but may sound unfocused and very distracting for the non-bassplayer.
- Third, small EQ changes go a long way. Don't start dialing extremes. Take small steps. You'll probaly end up with a good compromise you and your band both like.


My guess is your bandmates are not dissing your tone, but just want to 'include' you more into the whole picture. Take it as a compliment! Chances are a hypothetical next band will have the same issues with your tone.

[Skluurg]

Originally Posted by HUnt49

Are you doing originals, or covers? If original, those songs are a collaborative creation, and your mates have some say in the final product.

if covers, the flexibility mentioned here is most important. Why can't you provide all of the above, as required by the tune?

This. Definitely this. Not really a way around it.

[jimmyjames77]

Who says you can't have both a thick bass Freq AND a hefty amount of highs? Work it til you get both.
Oh and it took me a long time but I found out that the sound of the bass that is coming out of your stereo sometimes is TOTALLY different than the sound that was layed down during tracking. Adam Clayton has a good amount of definition alot of the time. It's just mixed to sound thicker.

[JimmyM]

the more i read this thread, the more i think you've got a tone that's overwhelming the low spectrum and creating mud. yeah, easy to say without hearing you play, but neither chi nor adam have the tone you describe as liking. it just comes off that way in the mix because other instruments are masking a lot of those freqs. adam especially uses a lot of high mids. maybe not so much treble, but definitely high mids.

anyway, you seem unwilling to change, and that's cool. but with actions come consequences, and one of those consequences is losing out on gigs with those who don't like your sound. as long as you can accept that, stick to your guns.

[HUnt49]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

the more i read this thread, the more i think you've got a tone that's overwhelming the low spectrum and creating mud. .. adam especially uses a lot of high mids. ...

This, too.

I had to address this problem with my own tone -- what I thought was a great tone solo didn't "Cut" ina mix.

And what "Cuts" in a mix doesn't always sound pleasant in a solo rehearsal space.

I've re-thought my tone, and it's been really great to realize how much more articulate my playing is with a tone that jumps off of my fingers in a live mix. FOH is happier with what they get as well.

It's about high mids and mids. Try cutting the sub freqencies, keeping your bass frequencies, using high mids for definition, and adding mids to taste.

[Essen]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

it just comes off that way in the mix because other instruments are masking a lot of those freqs.

This^

I'm often surprised when I hear seperated tracks where I thought the bass was only bass. What alot of people do wrong, is to eq their sound, set and forget, thinking it will sound just as good in a band setting. When I'm playing for myself, I leave the tone knob @ almost 0, at practice I can go to 10.

[JimmyM]

to be fair, jimmyjames said it in a manner of speaking before i did