311 and Incubus sound

I know for one that P-Nut uses GHS Bass Boomers. I assume you're talking about the old bass player from Incubus (Alex/Dirk Lance) because Ben's sound is way different from P-Nut as he uses Lakland JO w/ flats as opposed to P-Nut (and Dirk) using a Warwick.... I don't have any pickup recommendations for you though, sorry.

If you're really after they're sound I say saving up for a Warwick is a great step in that direction.

 

If i remember correctly P-Nut puts Seymour Duncan AJB-5s, STC-3a in his SSII's.
I dont know if Dirk does that too.

 

Yes, I agree. Dirk/Alex played a Warwick Streamer Stage II, and P-Nut plays his sig. bass. Ben plays a Lakland, which has a more bright and twangy sound. Seeing that Incubus is my favorite band, and Dirk and Ben are my two favorites, I might subscribe.

Ben is also a man of effects, but Dirk didnt use too many. Not saying he didnt use them, just the variety isnt as great as Bens.

 

For Dirk, he plays a Warwick Streater Stage II fretted and fretless into a Demeter tube compressor, DBX 120 XP sub harmonic unit, Sansamp PSA-1, MXR Phase 90, Boss PH-2 and a Big Muff. Then he splits the frequencies into lows, low mids and high mids. Each signal is sent to an Eden WT-100 pre amp and an Eden WT-1000 stereo power amp. He has both the low mids and the high mids running stereo into two Eden 4x10 cabs and the lows running stereo into two Eden 1x18 cabs. He has his effected signal bypassing the pre amps and power amps and they go into a single Eden WT 80 stereo power amp going into two 2x10 stage monitors. All of the power and pre amps are controlled by a midi footswitch.

A lot to save up for me thinks.

edit: I forgot to add, all his effects are rackmounted.

 

Definitely a Warwick. That's the sound. And you're gonna have a heck of a time getting it with another bass. Those guys both had Streamer Stage II basses on all those recordings, which is the neck-through equivalent (more or less) of the Streamer LX, which can be had much cheaper in the used market. On average, when Stage IIs come up on eBay they go from between $1300 and $1700. I've seen LXs go in the range of $600-1000. The LX only has a 2-band eq, while the Stage II has a 3-band. When I had an LX5, I installed electronics from a Stage II (it's just the OEM BEC-III pre-amp) and that bass could sound a lot like their basses (even before the preamp change it sounded very close). Obviously nothing can truly substitute for the woods and neck-thru construction of the Stage II, but the LX does an adequate job for a lot less money.

P-Nut uses SWR amps and cabs, while Alex used Edens. I've had both, and both have different characteristics. But I wouldn't worry about the amp as much as the bass. That's where you get most of your tone. I've had 21 Warwicks, and they all sound like Warwicks for sure. Right now I have an FNA Jazzman Ltd 4 (basically the bass P-Nut used in the Love Song video) that gets pretty close to that 311/Incubus sound, though not quite as dead-on as a Streamer LX/Stage II. But the amp I'm currently using is a cheap Peavey DeltaBass with the eq set flat and I'm still getting that killer tone because of the bass.

Note that both of those guys also use extensive effects set-ups, with both using Big Muff pedals for their fuzz tones and both have a good bit of compression going on to keep their slapping smooth. I don't use any effects whatsoever, so my tones aren't quite as smooth as either of theirs, but with some plucking-hand discipline, you should be able to decently compensate for a lack of compression with the right playing dynamics.

With your Geddy Lee (or any jazz bass), I really don't think it's a possibility to get that tone you're looking for, unfortunately man. Some of their tone is the way the bass is played, but most of it is the sound of a Warwick. You could try a Warwick Rockbass... might be able to get that tone out of one of those, and they're extra affordable.

Hope this helps, and good luck finding the sound you're looking for man.

Jake

 

Or in short

keep dreaming

 

Sorry some of that stuff was already said, but I was typing it while you guys were posting. haha

 

Man Marsh, either youre a HUGE fan, or you found that on the internet . Nice reply!

 

more or less.

 

I'm a huge fan, and a little obsessed.

 

311 and Incubus tones using various basses that have crossed my path... two of my favorite bands..

311
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ibanezcollector&search_query=311

Incubus
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ibanezcollector&search_query=incubus&search=Search

 

Oh and I want to add that pickups aren't your answer in my opinion. I've had all sorts of Warwicks over the years with all sorts of pickups, and the pickups can change the sound of the bass a bit, but no pickup is going to make a Fender sound like a Warwick. Just like trying to get a Warwick to sound like a Fender... doubtful.

I've had 'wicks with Duncans, Barts, EMGs, and MECs, and the Duncans were no noticeable difference from the MECs. The Barts were a little smoother, but not really tone-altering. They more or less just made the tone a little less harsh. The EMGs definitely changed the tone... I had a Corvette Standard 4 with EMGs and it kind of sounded like a Jazz bass but with an odd characteristic I couldn't put my finger on. EMGs are the most tone-altering pickups I've ever used (just my experience). Again though, I don't think changing pickups is going to be anything but frustrating for you.

And yes P-Nut has a signature bass now, but for a load of records, he was using Stage IIs with twin J pickups as opposed to the MM/J combo on his signature.

 

Marsh, does this smiley depict your liking to Dirk and P-Nut? One for peeping over their walls, the other for be secretive.

 

What do you mean?

 

Warwick P-Nut Signature series V.1
It's a Streamer Jazzman with a Walnut body. His old bass was a Streamer Stage II 5-string. Dirk Lance used the same, as does the bass player from Breaking Benjamin. BHS boomer strings, and Seymour Duncan bassline pick ups were in the factory models. You can't get a warwick sound from anything but a wawick...

 

I'm not sold on the idea that the strings contribute too much to that tone. I've always used D'Addario EXL-170s and never had trouble getting the Warwick tone with a Warwick. haha

 

Warwick basses are your best bet, and didn't P-nut use SWR gear for most of the time with 311?

 

I agree that the guy's gotta get a Warwick if he wants that tone.

However, a Stage II sounds quite a bit different than a LX to my ears. It's definitely not the neck-through equivalent to a LX. There's really no substitute for the SSII. It's a unique flagship among the Warwick line IMO. A LX is brighter, with a little less going on in the mids. The SSII also has a sweeter, smoother top end. A LX sounds very much like a Corvette Proline (same woods, PU configuration, construction).

Even with that being said, just about any Warwick is going to get you much closer to that tone than a Geddy Lee.

 

I used to play Warwicks (Great Basses by the way) and my current band plays a lot of older 311 and Incubus songs and the MusicMan Stingray HH and Bongo HH can get a pretty similar sound IMHO/IME