|  | 
01-29-2008, 06:28 AM
| | | | What pickups to get Sting (Police) tone ?
Sign in to disble this ad
Been listening to a lot of police recently and am trying to achieve a tone similar to Stings tone in Roxanne, that kind of clunky but solid precision tone he has in that song.
I have an Aria P Bass and know that I will have to change pickups to get the same kind of tone , any suggestions what pickups will nail that tone |
01-29-2008, 10:03 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: H2O-ville, Ohio | | | I think he said he used his '62 Jazz on that album. I'm a Police nut as well and as you listen to the albums, besides his obvious upright Z bass sound, its hard to distinctly pick out what bass was used where. I know he used his Z combined with a Steinberger on Synchronicity, a sunburst Precision and the Z on Ghost in the Machine (judging from studio photos and videos), and maybe his Ibanez fretless on Regatta De Blanc. No matter what bass he used, his lines just perfectly complimented the songs! |
01-29-2008, 10:07 AM
|  | Smile more, ok?
Staff Reviewer; Bass Gear Magazine Moderator | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: Columbia MO | | | For that particular tone, you're gonna need a single coil equipped precision bass like the 51 reissue, or sting reissue, with some moderately used rounds, tone rolled back to about 40%.
Play behind the pickup instead of in front of it, and dig on in.
She'll bark for you like that.
That's not a split p tone...
__________________
F/S:Epi UL410S2 |
01-29-2008, 10:10 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Boston | | | I get a pretty spot on tone out of a Squier fretless jazz for Roxanne. Vol all the way up on both pups, tone all the way down, playing right on top of the neck pup with flats installed.
Last edited by debassr : 01-29-2008 at 10:33 PM.
|
01-29-2008, 10:22 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ontario | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Chef  For that particular tone, you're gonna need a single coil equipped precision bass like the 51 reissue, or sting reissue, with some moderately used rounds, tone rolled back to about 40%.
Play behind the pickup instead of in front of it, and dig on in.
She'll bark for you like that.
That's not a split p tone... | I'm not trying to emulate Sting's tone and I don't even play any Police songs but this almost exactly my set-up and approach. I don't usually roll back the tone control.
I play more lightly in front of the pickup when I want the fatter, thicker , warmer tone. I love the sound and feel of my '51!
__________________ dvh  "Never lose the groove in order to find a note" - V. Wooten |
01-29-2008, 12:37 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Europe | | | I nail the Sting tone with my soapbar Ibanez Musician (using the neck pickup)
__________________
Life not understood (apprehended) is life not truly lived.
First you need to feel what you want to be, and then you need to be what you want to feel
|
01-29-2008, 01:51 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Los Angeles | | | I always thought that might be flats on that album. Like on Regatta de Blanc, that sounds like a classic "digging into flats with a pick" sound. Love it. Didn't he use Roto flats back then? |
01-29-2008, 07:37 PM
| | Registered User
Owner/designer; SGD Lutherie | | Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Montclair, NJ, USA | | Quote:
Originally Posted by fullrangebass I nail the Sting tone with my soapbar Ibanez Musician (using the neck pickup) | He did use one of those for a while, I think it was a fretless. He had an 8-string too version also.
I also remember him using a fretless P bass on those early songs. |
01-29-2008, 10:22 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Greensboro, NC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Chef For that particular tone, you're gonna need a single coil equipped precision bass like the 51 reissue, or sting reissue, with some moderately used rounds, tone rolled back to about 40%.
Play behind the pickup instead of in front of it, and dig on in.
She'll bark for you like that.
That's not a split p tone... | +1, though I'll go up on the tone to the 60%-80% range.
Love my '51 re-issue.
__________________ Grace and Peace, Rob- Ampeg Club#73,
- Christian Bassist #58
- Blk 'n' Maple #41, Fender Fretless #5,
- Fender Precisions #42, Fender CIJ #44
|
01-30-2008, 05:42 AM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Chef For that particular tone, you're gonna need a single coil equipped precision bass like the 51 reissue, or sting reissue, with some moderately used rounds, tone rolled back to about 40%.
Play behind the pickup instead of in front of it, and dig on in.
She'll bark for you like that.
That's not a split p tone... | Ive got a P with a split pickup do you think a vintage p/up like a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 will get the tone? |
01-30-2008, 06:21 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: UK | | Quote:
Originally Posted by walruswaspaul Ive got a P with a split pickup do you think a vintage p/up like a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 will get the tone? | I would go with a set of flats first and take it from there. Rotosound flats are quite bright for flats and will give you than click and thud when using a pick. |
01-30-2008, 06:37 AM
| | | | I am not a big Police fan so humour me ;)
The “in concert’ pics of Sting in the 80s always seemed to show him playing a fretless bass but on record it sounded like a fretted bass. (This is a huge generalization, I’m not overly familiar with their material.)
Effect wise, I think of the Sting bass sound as having a compressor and a chorus. (Again, I’m generalizing) | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | |
