How to go about eqing in my situation?

Flipper43 · #1 06-26-2010, 09:51 PM

Hi, I play in a three piece band, and my guitarist uses a 4x12 cabinet with some Fender head. He uses a B: assmaster fuzz pedal, so his tone is pretty scooped and bassy. I don't have a problem with this at all, as this is how we want it to sound, but I don't know what kind of bass tone would fit in there the best. I play a Fender Precision Bass, and I want to use a distorted or overdriven tone. I don't think I want it to be too metallic-y or treble-y, because my guitarist rolls his treble back a bit. I don't think I want a really bassy distortion/ overdrive either, because it will make us sound too muddy. Will I be able to use a lot of mids without drowning out the guitar if I turn my treble down? I have no clue as to what would be best. I was thinking about maybe the tech 21 oxford pedal and an 8x10 cabinet would do the trick, but I'm not sure. Oh, and we play in drop B if that makes a difference in anything.

M0ses · #2 06-26-2010, 09:53 PM

I don't know if it's possible for a bass tone to "fit in" with a scooped, bassy, distorted guitar. You're just gonna get buried.

JimmyM · #3 06-26-2010, 10:12 PM

mids between 500 and 800 hz are your friend. might sound a little boxy to you by itself, but in this situation, they're your best bet to be heard. also, try to get him to lighten up on the low end. he does himself or the band no favors with that much low end to where you're worried about not being heard. playing in a band is all about slotting frequencies and compromise to arrive at the best possible solution for everyone, and he has to give a little, too, or your sound wil suck the big one.

Flipper43 · #4 06-26-2010, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

mids between 500 and 800 hz are your friend. might sound a little boxy to you by itself, but in this situation, they're your best bet to be heard. also, try to get him to lighten up on the low end. he does himself or the band no favors with that much low end to where you're worried about not being heard. playing in a band is all about slotting frequencies and compromise to arrive at the best possible solution for everyone, and he has to give a little, too, or your sound wil suck the big one.

Alright man, thanks. I'll ask him about easing up on the lows a bit. I don't think he needs THAT much, considering he uses only his neck pickup when he plays. Also, how could I emphasize that midrange that you mentioned? A graphic equalizer?

JimmyM · #5 06-26-2010, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flipper43

Alright man, thanks. I'll ask him about easing up on the lows a bit. I don't think he needs THAT much, considering he uses only his neck pickup when he plays. Also, how could I emphasize that midrange that you mentioned? A graphic equalizer?

if your amp doesn't have a mid control voiced in that general range, yep.

Johnny Crab · #6 06-26-2010, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Playing in a band is all about slotting frequencies and compromise to arrive at the best possible solution for everyone, and he has to give a little, too, or your sound will suck the big one.

EXACTLY THIS ^^^^^^^^^^!

Just in case you experience "being buried" and no one cares or seems to notice, work out an EQ setting that alone sounds like a full-bodied and screaming Rickenbacker(yes, that is correct). Pull that setting up if buried.
There is one patch in that took me a while to get tweaked in a Line 6 BassPODXTLive that is saved for such occasions. With that patch selected, anything can be cut through.

It is much better to have cooperation in a band rather than volume or frequency battles.

lowregister · #7 06-27-2010, 06:27 AM

In my experiences with EQ'ing things, is that I find a tone I like and then I bring the volume levels of each boosted or cut tone back to a more subtle level.

Example: "Oh, I like my bass with an 8db boost at 800Hz" I would then drop it down to first 5db, and maybe then 3db.

Eq'in to me is so relative to with what you're doing with your group. If you all work together the subtleties will all come out by themselves. This really is just an echo from what the other members just mentioned.