AFI/Bayside Tone

kidx10040 · #1 12-02-2009, 10:01 PM

Hey I'm looking to get as close to AFI/Bayside tone as possible on my mexican fender j bass. just wondering what kind of pick ups i should install on it. i play pretty aggressively with a pick. for the most part. help! i dont necessarily want to replicate their EXACT tone, but i'm aiming to find my own tone. but the bands i mentioned are the direction i'm heading towards.

and should i be using half rounds?

diechris · #2 12-02-2009, 10:11 PM

dont sweat the pickups and strings... there's a video on youtube that Hunter explains what he used in the studio... but i mean its pretty much stock jazz bass going to both an ampeg svt classic and svt-4 and then mixing the two to taste.. not really anything complicated to his tone its pretty straight forward.

ItsMichaelYeah · #3 12-02-2009, 10:13 PM

Nick from bayside plays either his American P bass or Jazz bass. and both have stock american pickups.

I would also say to go with round wound string. a bit more punchy.

jenderfazz · #4 12-02-2009, 10:28 PM

you can stick to your stock pickups, they'll do the trick. it's more about amp settings, etc. the classic hunter (afi) tone sounds a bit mid scooped (lower your mids a bit) with plenty of treble. he used a sansamp bass driver pedal on black sails and earlier, iirc. it's good for getting a bit of drive in your sound without sounding too dirty.

if your pickups are really bugging you, try seymour duncan basslines (especially quarter pounders). higher output for a more aggressive tone. joe principe of rise against uses them in his p bass, i think.

careful, though - p basses sound very different from jazz basses. if you're looking for more of a thick, classic punk tone (rise against, green day, pennywise, bad religion, early afi, etc) you might prefer a p bass. jazz basses have a modern, trebley tone (afi, rancid, dead kennedys) that works great, too. it's a matter of taste.

oh, and grab some rounds. preferable stainless steel.

kidx10040 · #5 12-02-2009, 11:39 PM

thanks guys! i'll definitely look into the quarter pounders. you're not the first to suggest them so i'll be sure to try them out. i'm also gonna get a stingray for my birthday. so i can't wait to try that out as well. :]

kidx10040 · #6 12-02-2009, 11:40 PM

oh and any specific brand as far as the strings go?

ItsMichaelYeah · #7 12-03-2009, 08:52 AM

Strings are all preference. I've used about all of them. Currently I'm using DR Marcus Miller strings. But just try a few out to see what you like.

kidx10040 · #8 12-03-2009, 11:51 AM

i mean i'm on a budget. bass strings are kind of expensive. =/ any suggestions?

Superdave · #9 12-03-2009, 12:03 PM

If you're on a budget, check out Ernie Ball Super Slinkies; otherwise DR is - in my opinion - the best out there.

ItsMichaelYeah · #10 12-03-2009, 12:11 PM

Ernie ball string are good cheap strings. But they start to sound dead quick. I think the dr strings last me about the same time 2 packs of Ernie balls would.

Exophysical · #11 12-03-2009, 12:11 PM

Every time I've seen AFI Hunter has played a Jazz bass, I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that his jazz basses are bone stock. To me it sounds like he scoops his mids and uses alot of treble, this works well in AFI because Jade's guitar sound is so thick and bassy. Might not work as well in other circomstances, new strings of any type are will only possibly get you incrementaly closer to his sound.

kidx10040 · #12 12-04-2009, 01:19 PM

alright guys i'm gonna put some quarter pounders into my jazz bass. my friend told me to just install one in there. should i do that? or put both?

jenderfazz · #13 12-04-2009, 01:27 PM

i'd swap both for sure.

kidx10040 · #14 12-05-2009, 04:22 AM

would american vintage pick ups do a good job on a jazz bass? which do you think would be better. quarter pounders? or american vintage?

animal52 · #15 12-05-2009, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidx10040

would american vintage pick ups do a good job on a jazz bass? which do you think would be better. quarter pounders? or american vintage?

Neither of those will get you much further than you already are. If you must change pickups, and it sounds like you really want to, go with the Fender reissue pickups. From what I know, Hunter plays (or played, I don't follow AFI much these days) a RI jazz much of the time. And get a sansamp (or a VT bass would probably do it. I played a Geddy Lee jazz bass thru a sansamp for a bit, and that captured the "essence" of Hunter's tone. The rest is in the hands...

Superdave · #16 12-05-2009, 05:41 PM

I don't see why you're going for the pick up swap so soon..why not try out those strings like we recommended? Save time and money if it gets that tone you're looking for.

It could also be what ever amp you're playing this thing through, both of those guys use tube amps which accounts for a lot of tone. You're on a budget, so try the strings, if that doesn't do it pickup a Sansamp Bass Driver or VT bass like those other dudes recommended, then go for a pick up change.

kidx10040 · #17 12-27-2009, 12:32 AM

switched up to the quarter pounders like 2 weeks ago and added some round wounds. sounds AMAZING!! thanks guys

**DosiYanarchy** · #18 12-29-2009, 03:40 PM

hey, I never knew that hunter used a sansamp - hunter and Flea were my primary reasons I got into bass in the first place. the sansamp BDDI makes so much sense now for the tone i always wanted. Shame the BDDI sucks me into band-mix hell - I got the VTbass and never looked back.