advice for a beginner?

thetawaves · #1 12-29-2006, 07:23 AM

Im currently playing a Gould GBW bass with what look like soapbar pickups, it uses active electronics...and i was just wondering if anyone has any advice on replacing them?

As far as i can tell, the two pickups currently installed measure 140mmx40mm and are held in place by screws in all four corners.

The reason I'm wanting to replace them is that the tone is too mellow, I like the sort of crisp attack with a deep low end sound i hear in Lamb of God's music from the bass.

And..if it isnt the pickups i need to worry about, what else can i be thinking of to get the sound i want?

Any advice would be much appreciated

62bass · #2 12-29-2006, 07:28 AM

You might try changing to different strings, adjusting the height of the pickups, cheque out your EQ settings and checking out your playing technique. All of these things can have an effect oin your sound.

You might also contact Gould and see what they recommend.

laboitenoire · #3 12-29-2006, 08:54 AM

Is it 4 or 5 string?

thetawaves · #4 12-30-2006, 02:01 AM

it's a 4 string, that's what confused me when i measured the pickups because i thought around 4 inches was more suited to 5 string basses according to some of the pickup manufacturers I've looked at :S also they're actually larger than my friend's 5 string bass pickups (yamaha of some description). Bit curious!

thetawaves · #5 12-30-2006, 02:13 AM

as for the sound I've got the EQ worked out on the larger peavey amp i use at practice (500watt beasty of sorts, the bass player in the band that owns the place lets me use it) and i found after several changes that the EQ going into a sort of scoop sounds good. with the curve steeper towards the bass end than the treble. And i use different technique depending on the song, my guitarist is a huge metal fan so alot of the time it's getting a plectrum and i found approaching the string at a slight angle so that the pick kind of scraping the top of the string tends to fit the part. but i do prefer playing fingerstyle and that can still fit in songs where the bass is more mellow.

But, I'm just after some way of enhancing that sound. I use the high guage ernie ball strings because by my ears (that's not much recommendation i know) they do really bring out a deep tone. So, as far as pickup heights go (no luck with finding a gould website, the comany doesn't appear to exist O_o) what sort of adjustments to i need to go about?

jamesblue · #6 12-30-2006, 06:44 PM

Here's a trick. You need to find the exact frequencies you need to boost or cut. Then adjust your rig.
Here's a easy way. Record a song or two at pratice, any recorder will work, but digital is good.
Then play it back on a system that has a good grapic EQ, the more eq sections the better. Then find the freqs that sound best to you and try to get your rig to sound that way.
Pick-up adjustment, and finger position, then eq.
Trial and error.