Acoustic sound on bass?

[gualaguala]

Hello
I’m playing bass for my school’s musical theatre and we’re doing Guys and Dolls
The music is written for double bass but I will probably be playing on my PJ bass
Though I still want to deliver a similar tone to a db
Is there a way to get that acoustic sound with any kinds of pedal or compressor?

(PS: I’m a poor student I don’t have a lot of budget for gears)

 

[David Morison]

Bridge pickup off, a little bit of foam tucked under the strings right back by the bridge as a slight damper, play over the end of the fretboard.
Depending on the amp, you may want to play with the tone controls a little - the stuff in the first line will reduce the highs quite a bit so you might not need to do much there unless the amp has a baked in "scooped" tone - don't be afraid to cut each tone control, one at a time, as you play to see what works for you. You might also benefit from boosting some mids - again, that's going to depend a lot on the specific voicing that the designer of each amp sets them up with.
Good Luck!

 

[MegaSwing]

Don’t turn up the volume on the amp too loud, and try to optimize the natural resonance of your speaker cabinet. Keep in mind that upright basses don’t get really loud on their own. Resonance is where their heart and soul are.

 

[Pirate Captain]

Short answer: No

Slightly less short answer: It's a student production, relax

Other option: Get an Ashbory or Kala U-Bass

 

[JamesGrant]

I found a rolled up sock wedged under the bridge to be a good alternative to foam - foam is a bit deadening but a tightly rolled cotton sock is more effective without having to press too tightly on the strings

 

[evanrunyon]

In my experience of hearing tons of various bass guitarists’ attempts to sound like they’re playing a double bass, my advice is to not try too hard. Roll off the tone knob, maybe use a mute, but mostly just sit back in the mix and try not to draw too much attention to yourself. Try to be more felt than heard—become one with the kick drum.

 

[Hans on Bass]

P-Bass pickup, flatwound strings, eventually a thin foam mute at the bridge and the amp not too loud.

 

[DanAdams]

It's a student production, relax

Were you a student? Did things matter to you then?
This comment reminds me why I hated adults when I was in school.

I'm 50 now, but having played in the pit band for Fiddler on the Roof in high school was, and still is important to me.
I'm proud of how hard I worked on it. It was a formative experience in my growth as bassist.

I think the first response was good regarding tone. Try to practice with just the drummer if you can.
And don't forget to have fun. That might sound dumb, but I forgot to too often.

 

[michael_t]

Hello
I’m playing bass for my school’s musical theatre and we’re doing Guys and Dolls
The music is written for double bass but I will probably be playing on my PJ bass
Though I still want to deliver a similar tone to a db
Is there a way to get that acoustic sound with any kinds of pedal or compressor?

(PS: I’m a poor student I don’t have a lot of budget for gears)

This is more about the setup on bass, including string selection, and technique than "amps and cabs". I've just asked the moderator to move it to a more appropriate place for you.

 

[Bass Motifs]

Bridge pickup off, a little bit of foam tucked under the strings right back by the bridge as a slight damper, play over the end of the fretboard.

This.

Maybe roll off the tone slightly. Should get get you towards that DB sound, as far as that's possible on electric bass. Have fun!

 

[burgerdj]

Cheapest: Foam at the bridge, roll to front pick-up, cut treble, boost low mids. Keep gain on amp low.

Cheap: Same as above, plus tapewound or flat wound strings

 

[bucephylus]

Technique, Technique, Technique

 

[Polfuste]

Bridge pickup off, a little bit of foam tucked under the strings right back by the bridge as a slight damper, play over the end of the fretboard.
Depending on the amp, you may want to play with the tone controls a little - the stuff in the first line will reduce the highs quite a bit so you might not need to do much there unless the amp has a baked in "scooped" tone - don't be afraid to cut each tone control, one at a time, as you play to see what works for you. You might also benefit from boosting some mids - again, that's going to depend a lot on the specific voicing that the designer of each amp sets them up with.
Good Luck!

Exactly that + play more with the left side of your fingers than with the pulp only.

 

[Ric Vice]

This will sound weird at first, but…..just try and put yourself in the role of a Double Bassist playing shows in a pit orchesrra. Like someone said earlier
You’ll want to play at a lower volume than you usually do, since the show was written for an un amplified double bass. Your function is to provide time
tempo, and pitch reference for the singers and dancers who rehearse for months with nothing but a pianist providing the accompaniment. The challenge is to really connect with the conductor and actively listen to the performers. Just my take.

 

[turf3]

Keep in mind that what you're needing to do is EXACTLY what the Precision Bass was invented for!

So do what they did in 1951.

Flatwound strings, pluck at the end of the fingerboard, P bass pickup only, roll off the treble, put a piece of foam rubber under the strings at the bridge.

Although it doesn't sound EXACTLY like a double bass it sits in the same acoustic space and sounds good. I do this all the time.

The idea that something has to sound EXACTLY like a double bass to fill its role seems to be used in this forum as an excuse to buy more stuff. It's not accurate. And for that matter, WHICH double bass sound is it that the P Bass with flats and the treble rolled off, is supposed to be falling short of duplicating?

Nope, don't fall down that rat hole. You have A BASS. Play BASS on it, in a style that's suitable for the material. People have been playing BASS on string basses, tubas, bass saxophones, electric basses, bass trombones, the bass register of pianos, the left hands of accordions, etc., etc., etc., for centuries.

Wow, I seem to be on an EXACTLY kick this morning! Sorry about that.

 

[Jeremy Darrow]

Lots of good advice here. The simplest thing would be to lay the edge of your palm across the bridge and play with your thumb. It works for me when I need to sound upright-ish but don’t have one. A piece of foam or Nordymute would also be a good option. Experiment and trust your ears, and feedback from the MD.

 

[BassicJazzy]

A mix of those things will help, but you cannot really get the sound of an upright, they have different resonance and decay due to the huge resonator box. Most common approach is to use flats, play at bottom of neck with upper p-up on a 2 p'up bass, or use a p-bass, tone dialed off, and volume on bass dialed back. Then adjust your plucking technique until you get the results you want. Playing with thumb is going to get too much attack. I don't use foam mutes so am not going to comment on that. Palm muting may work if you are adept at it.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Tone rolled off, neck pickup only, mute under strings at bridge, pluck with thumb, turn the speaker cab / combo amp cab in the opposite direction from those who you want to hear an upright-like tone (you &/or the audience).

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Hello
I’m playing bass for my school’s musical theatre and we’re doing Guys and Dolls
The music is written for double bass but I will probably be playing on my PJ bass
Though I still want to deliver a similar tone to a db
Is there a way to get that acoustic sound with any kinds of pedal or compressor?

(PS: I’m a poor student I don’t have a lot of budget for gears)

I need to cover upright-types and vintage Motown types of sounds ALL the time, nestled into sets that have all kinds of other songs that use slap or pick or whatever. Palm muting IS FREE, and it's your friend! Use the P pickup and palm mute the heck out of the notes, using your palm to control note envelope and duration. With the right volume (IE not nearly as present as a typical electric bass type of volume), it can sound very good, particularly if you're already playing passages and material that was written with upright bass in mind anyway.

 

[monti2889]

To my ears a double bass or traditional upright is comprised of two main tonal qualities....the strings hitting the fingerboard...this gives it a clacky sound which is needed for note definition. This is more in the range of 7000hz-12000hz sometimes this can also be called a presence control or ultra hi.
The other tonal quality is the deep resonant body of the upright. To my ears a good starting point would be around 150-400hz or youre low mids range.
I would definitely cut 1.3khz as that's where string noise and pick attack frequencies reside. So taking some of that out will help in sounding more fretless.
An inexpensive pedal that can help is the mooer acoustikar. It does a great job at mimicking the string attack of an upright and an ok job at providing resonant the body tones. I would also recommend a set of flat wound strings, to avoid some finger noise and some of the overtones that give round wound strings their character. settings on your bass, I would use the p pickup almost exclusively (bringing in the bridge pickup carefully if you need added note definition),roll the tone off about 3/4 maybe more depending on the value and tapper of the pot.