What type of pedal for getting that loud and equal sound

[dogwillhunt80]

Hey everyone.

I'm a bass noob so go easy on me.

I find that when I play my bass, whether it's my own small practice amp or my friend's big amp when I go there to jam, the E and A stringed notes sound big and clear but as far as notes from the D and G string, they're barely audible, most especially the G string.

I have tried to muck around with the settings on the amps and nothing really seems to do the trick.

I have heard of pedals that MAY be what I am looking for to fix this issue but I don't know which one would do it, if any.

Is this something that either an equalizer, limiter/enhancer, or compression pedal would fix? If not, what can be done?

If so, which would be best for my situation? Thanks.

I should also mention that I've tried three different basses and I'm getting the same issue on all of them.

[thomas-k]

Maybe start with checking the pickup height, and fresh strings.

[Unrepresented]

Yes. A Limiter or a compressor will do that for you, but if the output variance is that great, you may have better luck by making sure that the pickup height is balanced for a consistent output across the strings. Compression and limiting do other things to your sound you may or may not like besides simply balancing volume across the strings.

[knumbskull]

Sounds like a compressor is what you're after. However, it may be a matter of adjusting the height of your pickups... Or a more fundamental issue with the bass. What bass is it?

[dogwillhunt80]

Originally Posted by knumbskull

Sounds like a compressor is what you're after. However, it may be a matter of adjusting the height of your pickups... Or a more fundamental issue with the bass. What bass is it?

I have an acoustic/electric Epiphone El Capitan.

I also use a cheap generic bass that my friend has (i think it's by a company called Guverner or Governor or something like that). He also has basically a mongrel bass that I use which has the neck of a fender precision bass and the head is completely homemade. Pickups, not sure.

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by dogwillhunt80

What would be the difference of a limiter or compressor, in layman's terms?

http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/limiter.shtml

That's from Bongomania's very, very helpful compression database that someone else will invariably post a link to in any thread asking about compression.

[chriscrob]

If your D/G string isn't loud enough, raise the pickups on that side. If that doesn't fix it, replace the strings (if they are old.)

You really don't want to use a compressor just to get your volume equal (or at least similar) between strings.

[HunterBurgan4Me]

I'd recommend not messing with pedals before you sort out your bass and amp, nothing wrong with what you've got bass wise but it might need a bit of a setup

[mjac28]

Originally Posted by HunterBurgan4Me

I'd recommend not messing with pedals before you sort out your bass and amp, nothing wrong with what you've got bass wise but it might need a bit of a setup

+1

[spufman]

Originally Posted by dogwillhunt80

I should also mention that I've tried three different basses and I'm getting the same issue on all of them.

Now that's odd. My first thought would have been pickup height, bridge height, strings but maybe it has something to do with your hand position/attack? If someone else is playing, is the volume better balanced?

[One Drop]

Are you boosting the bass heavily at the amp! If so your E and A will sound huge and boomy and your D and G will be much quieter with no presence.

It's a common beginner's mistake to boost the bass- start with everything at noon on your amp and make small adjustments until you get a feel for the sound of your bass and how to get a good clean powerful note from it.