Setting up Tone

[kulit17]

Just curious on what exact steps (and why) veteran bass players have on setting up there tone..... From amp, bass, pedals, etc.

I remember reading somewhere to start everything flat and adjust amp first, then at bass and lastly adjust effects.

Anyhu, just hoping for some insightful input.

[walterw]

step one: spend a lifetime playing and acquiring gear

step 2: learn to make whatever you're playing on sound good

(it's not like i'm remotely "there" or anything, it's just that the pros seem to always sound good even playing through somebody else's junk equipment. there's no "exact steps", it's something else that comes with doing it over time, and a big part of it is ultimately in how you physically play the thing.)

[slaphappychappy]

Just play with **** til u like the sound

[ga_edwards]

The starting with everything neutral or 'flat' is quite good advice - you'll hear the actual, unaffected tone and should know what to do with it to correct it if it's wrong. However, I would go a step further and say don't buy an amp/cab unless it sound right, or close to correct with all the dials set to neutral. If you have to crank the eq to get a good sound, you're not going to have much wriggle room to adjust for different environments. If it sound great flat, you don't have to tweak it much to get a good sound everywhere.

I tip I picked up years ago regarding effects is set to what you think sounds cool, then back it off by about half. This is more 'mixable' effects such as modulation, reverb (esp reverb!) and delays. They might sound great in isolation in your practice room, but start playing in a band with the same saturated settings and it'll turn to mush and you won't hear the effect clearly. Back off a little and the mix will clear up, and you'll hear more!