NoMeansNo sound

Mr.Hat · #1 09-18-2010, 06:57 AM

How do I get my bass to sound like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gtK_4gyf0M

Think Rob is using a Marshall silver jubilee top and a 4x10 guitar cab.
Any tips on pedals that give you a similar sound ?

Wud · #2 09-18-2010, 07:28 AM

A VT Bass or CatalinaBread SFT should get you close, even though they are sold as Ampeg emulators.
A Pork Loin would also do I'd imagine.

bigchiefbc · #3 09-18-2010, 09:46 AM

If you're looking for a Marshall tone, I'd recommend the ZVex Box of Rock, the older black Marshall Guv'nor, or the Tech 21 British pedal from their character series. They might lose a bit of low-end, but listening to that clip, he doesn't have a lot of low-end going anyways, so you should be good to go.

vegas532 · #4 09-18-2010, 10:48 AM

The Sansamp GT-2 is also great for copping that type of tone.

Queg · #5 09-18-2010, 10:58 AM

Thinking about seeing them tonight, if so I'll check out what he's using these days.

UncleFluffy · #6 09-18-2010, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Queg

Thinking about seeing them tonight, if so I'll check out what he's using these days.

Bottom of the Hill show? I'm probably there, depending on if/how my wife's flu clears up.

jefwho · #7 09-18-2010, 11:05 AM

i believe his cab is a 4/12.

handofseven · #8 09-18-2010, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jefwho

i believe his cab is a 4/12.

+1 and to the Marshall head and P Bass. Always a P. Rob is a beast, in more than just the bass playin'... Don't miss the show if you can help it, I've seen NoMeansNo many many times in the last 25 years and they always kill it!

moose23 · #9 09-19-2010, 07:34 AM

Yep just P-Bass into Marshall head with of treble and not much bass.

faceinbass · #10 09-19-2010, 10:38 AM

Black Marshall Guv'nor gets you close.

Our guitarist has one and I LOVE it on bass.
He won't sell it to me. I tried.

P-oddz · #11 09-19-2010, 10:53 AM

For Marshall tone also you could take a look at the Zvex Distortron. The Zvex Box of Rock was recommended earlier - the Distortron is the Box of Rock with more bass control, to let you keep some of your bottom end.

faceinbass · #12 09-19-2010, 11:47 AM

Also, a vintage Traynor as an amp can get you his sound through 4x12's.
Very Marshall-esque and he used one when I saw them in the late 90's

pulse · #13 09-22-2010, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-oddz

For Marshall tone also you could take a look at the Zvex Distortron. The Zvex Box of Rock was recommended earlier - the Distortron is the Box of Rock with more bass control, to let you keep some of your bottom end.

Hi, I am not sure the distortron offers more bass than the BOR, on zvex site it says the switch allows you to choose the full box of rock bass amount or two lower settings (meaning with less bass) to stop the low frequencies overloading the amp.

But it seems at least the Distortron can do what the Box of Rock can do best (and maybe the high gain is awesome too for all I know) which is good over drive

I rarely use the boost switch on the BOR btw.

For me it is the closest I got to the NO MEANS NO sound, can really rip with the right bass going through it (yr bass is also important in getting that sound of course)

Pandafist · #14 09-22-2010, 10:21 PM

One of my most favorite bands EVAAAAAAAAR!

Voss451 · #15 09-24-2010, 04:34 PM

I think he uses a Marshall Valvestate head. I used to have one and it sounded identical to Rob's sound. However, what the others have said is true,you do lose a lot of the low end you'd normally get with a bass amp.

So it's a bit of a trade-off, great growl & zing on the upper strings or pantleg-flapping low end.

sanfordandsonny · #16 09-26-2010, 07:37 PM

+1 on the gt2
But CRUCIAL to the deal is that pbass if it hasn't already been made clear. I seriously couldn't ger into a Pbass for years because EVERYTHING I played sounded like nomeansno riffs. There was a TBr kind enough to type out an old bass player interview.

NOMEANSNO article from bass player magazine

wright plays stock fender precision basses. " i like the new ones with the cheap mexican pickups. those pickups are the greatest- they're so hot they're microphonic. the trouble is i sweat so much on my bass that i kill it within a year, and i have to get all the guts replaced because they're completely corroded. i work my bass pretty hard but that's what a hammer is for." he drives a marshall 4x12 guitar cabinet with a 300 watt marshall 3530 solid state head, which includes one tube " to soften the waves". the amp is not common. "everyone else has trace elliots and gallien kruegers; they're great; but that's not my sound. i'm not looking for fat , clean lows.i'm looking for mid range growl- basically a lemmy tone." rob uses a pick on .045 - .105 rotosound strings. his only outboard effect is an eq pedal he sometimes steps on to cut all the highs, turning his sound into "a complete dub bass."

sanfordandsonny · #17 09-27-2010, 12:16 AM

Just found this:

http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48884

Funny you should mention this, as I bought a 3530 a little while back in an attempt to recreate Rob's bass tone. I spoke to him at a NoMeansNo gig once, after reading about something he said in an interview in a bass mag that was repeated on t'internet, and he did say the 3530 has a "tiny tube" in it which was what helped with that crunchy tone. Just like you have suggested with the tube in the pre-amp, and yet I've taken the cover off of mine and see no sign of any such tube (and nowhere to hide one). I contacted Marshall about this amp and they have no info on it (useful). Promised to get back to me but never have. Rob said he doesn't use any effects and just plugs directly in, and I believe this as I do the same and if I crank it enough, the crunch is definitely there, but this seems strange coming from a solid state amp. Any ideas?

sanfordandsonny · #18 09-27-2010, 12:32 AM

I just looked up some info on that series of Marshall IBS Silver Jubilee amps remembering I had owned one for a bit around 1999-2000 the above article led me to check the schematic at http://www.drtube.com/ the preamps from that series didn't have a tube.
Why am I posting and replying to myself again?
1. The baby just woke me up (again)
2. The fact that the pre is solid state should encourage you that the overdrive that you are hearing could be achieved with a pedal.

moose23 · #19 09-27-2010, 03:17 AM

Cheers for posting and replying to yourself. Think I may breadboard up the clipping section of the 3530 and see what I get.

sanfordandsonny · #20 09-27-2010, 07:06 AM

Dear Mr Hat,
All this posting and I/we forgot to ask what gear are you already using?
Of course everyone would rather help you with settings than telling you to buy this or that. Sometimes it's just a matter of moving around the knobs you already have. That being said the reason why I think the gt2 might be helpful is that there are several different flavors and variations to help you dial in your desired tone and then branch off into other discoveries. Side note I was considering a nomeansno tattoo for my first appointment tommorrow but I decided a cow mask on my leg forever is probably a no go.