Quote:
Originally Posted by jay_esplana  Hey.
I've got a J bass American deluxe, and i watch tom kennedy play and i ADORE his tone. don't really have much money to spend on a fodera signature model. i know i can just use my blend knob biased to the bridge pup but my low end becomes thinner even when i add more bass from eq. how would i achieve that nasally but still ballsy tone tom gets. fat low end but open rich mids. |
While Tommy is one who really does have it 'in his fingers', part of his current tone has to do with the unusual tight and close to the bridge pickup placement of those big Seymour Dual coils in his Fodera. I've had the pleasure of playing that bass, and while my soft touch and the fact that I'm about a million miles below Tommy's talent and ability didn't allow me to replicate that tone, the bass does have something to do with it, along with an EXTREMELY hard touch that really allows the mids to pop and growl.
With a J bass, favor the rear pickup a touch (or mostly if you have split coil pickups and don't have to worry about buzz), and favor the low mids on your amp (150-250 hz) much more than your low bass. Play with a strong touch quite close to the bridge.
If you want to really go for it, the closest bass I've heard to Tommy's Fodera is the Sadowsky Modern 5, with those big Seymours set tight together and close to the bridge just like the Kennedy Fodera model. Having the neck pickup moved back results in you being able to keep both pickups on for added low end, but still able to get that massive 'burp' and growl that Tommy achieves.
Again, Tommy can play a P bass and get that tone... so don't want to over-emphasize gear on this one
