Bass tone, distortion, etc. HELP

Shene_o · #1 06-20-2011, 02:56 AM

So first off let me start by saying I have a peavy dyna 5 string dark gun metal grey (pics later) with active pickups and what not. now i've been playing for almost 2 years now and i'm starting to mature up on how i specifically want my tone but i'm still stuck on just turning all of my nobs up and putting my know on bridge pickup.

I want a tone that cuts through heavy guitar distortion that audible (examples:dying fetus, beneath the massacre, deathcore/deathmetal/heavy metal stuff) Do i use a distortion pedal with my amp? compression? what do i have to do to get the dirty tone is all i'm asking in general

i_got_a_mohawk · #2 06-20-2011, 03:59 AM

Cutting through is as much to do with your tone, as it is to do with your guitarists.

You need to work with your guitarist in that respect.

Try rolling the bass back a bit, turning up the mids a bit, and using treble to taste, that should help you cut through.

Compression can help.

Distortion pedals can help with a tone, but aren't often specifically good for cutting the mix (i.e. you'd need to work on what you have with your amp first).

What amp do you use?

Big_Daddy · #3 06-20-2011, 05:50 AM

If you just want distortion that can help you and nothing else, what I use is an Ibanez Tube Screamer with distortion on full, level about half way, and tone near the left, and then I also run my bass (a P/J) through a Zoom effects 'pedal' on one of the distortion settings.

The particular setting on the Zoom pedal will add a bit of grit to the sound on it's own, and the Tube Screamer sounds plain awful alone with the bass, but combined, I've found a tone similar to that of John Entwistle. Of course, John Entwistle's sound was because of John Entwistle, but it's still close.

Von Felgenhauer · #4 06-20-2011, 06:00 AM

Bad monkey with the mid mod and bass mod. Check my sig and look for bulls on parade on my youtube page. I use the modded bad monkey alot in that song.

XylemBassGuitar · #5 06-20-2011, 12:54 PM

I've gotten good results with that twin Overdrive/Distortion pedal that Boss used to make (I searched the Boss site but didn't see it listed anymore).

You can get a Chris Squire/John Paul Jones on Achilles' Last Stand type tone with that thing which, IME, helps cut through the mix. The single Boss Bass Overdrive pedal worked pretty well too. I've found that the best results come from being somewhat subtle with bass distortion/overdrive, but once you find that right setting, you can definitely be heard over a loud guitar mix.

zachoff · #6 06-20-2011, 01:03 PM

Bass distortion buries the bass tone even more. Boost mids, cut lows, use a pick, and turn up!

JP Morin · #7 06-20-2011, 01:18 PM

you could try to use 2 channels, one with a distortion or overdrive and an other clean, so you can mix and get the best of both worlds : dirty large sound, bottom and/or clarity if you want... ( that way you can use guitar distortion pedals and still have plenty of lbottom... )

TolerancEJ · #8 06-20-2011, 01:37 PM

The best distortion I've ever used, and I don't know if they make this anymore... a Marshall Shred Master pedal.

JoshuaTSP · #9 06-20-2011, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP Morin

you could try to use 2 channels, one with a distortion or overdrive and an other clean, so you can mix and get the best of both worlds : dirty large sound, bottom and/or clarity if you want... ( that way you can use guitar distortion pedals and still have plenty of lbottom... )

This is sort of what I do, since a pedal directly into the amp either cuts too much of the low end, or makes the low end muddy and indistinct.

I use a Boss Line Selector to clean blend the fuzz and dirt pedals.

I've tried two amps/two cabs, but could never get that to sound right......the extra hassle sent me back the the line selector.

My favorite dirt is a Keeley RAT in my clean blending set up, but I use various other pedals. Fulltone Bass Drive, EQD Hoof, EQD White Light, and a few others.

FunkMetalBass · #10 06-20-2011, 03:51 PM

Tell your guitarists to turn their bass knobs down a little bit. They are filling up too much of the 100-200 Hz sonic space that you need and they're just making things muddy.

For the record, I know nothing about their EQing, but I can safely presume that's what they're doing.

RickenBoogie · #11 06-20-2011, 05:04 PM

The op did not mention his amp, which is a critical piece of info- if he's trying to compete with a single spkr combo, no pedal will help.

Shene_o · #12 06-21-2011, 12:46 AM

Hey thanks you guys for giving a quick response haha too quick actually

but the bass amp i use is a fender bassman, I really don't have the space and money for half stacks and all that stuff and this bassman gets the job done with i think 200 watts; I plug into the PA system at the gigs anyways, but plugging a pedal straight to my amp will take away from the sound? i just want something that's just a little dirty rather than muddy Im guessing u just turn down the lows up the mids and treb and play with a pick for the sound that's very response to everything you do.

I'm not trying to over do with the gain I just want a little bit and a specific name of a pedal to get if buying a pedal is even worth it

Shene_o · #13 06-21-2011, 12:51 AM

fender bassman rumble to be exact

XylemBassGuitar · #14 06-22-2011, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shene_o

Hey thanks you guys for giving a quick response haha too quick actually

but the bass amp i use is a fender bassman, I really don't have the space and money for half stacks and all that stuff and this bassman gets the job done with i think 200 watts; I plug into the PA system at the gigs anyways, but plugging a pedal straight to my amp will take away from the sound? i just want something that's just a little dirty rather than muddy Im guessing u just turn down the lows up the mids and treb and play with a pick for the sound that's very response to everything you do.

I'm not trying to over do with the gain I just want a little bit and a specific name of a pedal to get if buying a pedal is even worth it

Since you plug straight into the PA, you might want to get a nice active DI box of some kind. I also generally plug straight into the PA at gigs and I used to have a hard time getting a good tone/sound in the mix. Then I got a Fishman Pro EQ for bass (basically an active DI with EQ, compressor and stuff) and I never had the problem again. The DI will help strengthen your signal to the PA so the sound guy has a lot more to work with and can help you stay in the mix.

Do you have trouble cutting through the mix even when you're playing through the Fender amp? Or only at gigs?

Shene_o · #15 06-30-2011, 08:36 PM

only at gigs

Venom of God · #16 07-01-2011, 09:04 AM

Cutting through is all in your EQ, boost your high mids and cut your lows and you should be a lot more present. If you want some OD then that's cool, but don't expect it to be a cure-all.

Something to keep in mind though.. if you're all fighting to 'cut through' the mix then you'll end up without a mix!