It's blues band. Bass isn't supposed to "cut through the mix".
What's the Best amp for blues metal.
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Advice on light rig with good mids and highs
- Thread starter Wrc8166
- Start date
What's the Best amp for blues metal.
Amp EQ (and bass pickup) settings are your first priority (have you tried favoring the bridge pickup and then bringing in the neck pickup to fill in the lows?), then strings, then additional gear. But since you asked, the MXR M81 EQ pedal is very good. It's transparent, doesn't get muddy when boosting the lows, has sweepable mids, and doesn't get brittle when boosting the highs. (And it's a good DI, too.)
I've never had any problem getting good highs and mids ( or lows ) with Markbass cabs and amps. But I've used Stingrays and a G&L L2000 with them and those basses have rather immediate, native access to plenty of highs and mids from the instruments themselves.
PS. after reading all the other comments I think the suggestion about trying roundwounds on your bass is a very good one. It's at least the cheapest thing to try concerning buying something to remedy the problem.
PS. after reading all the other comments I think the suggestion about trying roundwounds on your bass is a very good one. It's at least the cheapest thing to try concerning buying something to remedy the problem.
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Guitarists and drummers are out to lunch, of the three-martini variety. Experiment with a 'smiley face' EQ setting. Much satisfaction is in there. In truth, I find that most bass players over-emphasize the absolute bottom frequencies, which IMO only adds mud and volume to the overall mix, not musicality. The only person I adjust my volume for is a qualified sound man. And even then, just once per show. From most players a request for more volume is really a request for more mids. EVERYBODY has an opinion. Follow the money.
Use your EQ more.
Mark Bass should easily get you more mids & highs.
Oh, and one more thing, tell your guitards to turn DOWN!
Mark Bass should easily get you more mids & highs.
Oh, and one more thing, tell your guitards to turn DOWN!
you have me there, it can be a challenge. one would hope that eventually everyone would concern themselves more with the sound balance than feeding their own ego, but...............
in about 1970 our guit had an SG, a Bosstone, and an LPB1 into a twin with shot in the butt Jensen's.
in about 1970 our guit had an SG, a Bosstone, and an LPB1 into a twin with shot in the butt Jensen's.
First of all: you can’t have good highs and high-mids with flatwround strings on your bass. Put steel roundwround on it.
Secondly: What Markbass head do you have? Is your 102 cab 8 Ohms or 4 Ohms?
You only have 300 watts of power at 8 Ohms with a LMIII or a Big Bang. That’s not enough to compete 2 guitar players using twins (if it’s the case) with 2X10. If your 104 cab is 8 Ohms, you can pair it with the 102 to get 500 watts of power. Make shure the tweeter is on. That will be loud!
My Markbass rig: Big Bang, 104HF 4 Ohms bass cabinet.
EQ: 4 knobs set flat at noon, VLE and VPF completely turned off.
Bridge Pickup 100%, neck 100%, tone 100% on my Jazz bass.
It’s loud with good mids!
I play classic rock and blues (Stevie Ray, Kenny Wayne) with 2 guitar players using twins, Marshall and fender, and my rig can compete them very well. I can get some grit from my bass (not from the amp) when I play hard over the neck pickup.I also use tech 21 VT pedal for tube vibe and distortion. For smoother tone, I use the VLE at 10 o’clock and the VPF at 9.
Hope that will help you.
Secondly: What Markbass head do you have? Is your 102 cab 8 Ohms or 4 Ohms?
You only have 300 watts of power at 8 Ohms with a LMIII or a Big Bang. That’s not enough to compete 2 guitar players using twins (if it’s the case) with 2X10. If your 104 cab is 8 Ohms, you can pair it with the 102 to get 500 watts of power. Make shure the tweeter is on. That will be loud!
My Markbass rig: Big Bang, 104HF 4 Ohms bass cabinet.
EQ: 4 knobs set flat at noon, VLE and VPF completely turned off.
Bridge Pickup 100%, neck 100%, tone 100% on my Jazz bass.
It’s loud with good mids!
I play classic rock and blues (Stevie Ray, Kenny Wayne) with 2 guitar players using twins, Marshall and fender, and my rig can compete them very well. I can get some grit from my bass (not from the amp) when I play hard over the neck pickup.I also use tech 21 VT pedal for tube vibe and distortion. For smoother tone, I use the VLE at 10 o’clock and the VPF at 9.
Hope that will help you.
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I absolutely agree with you. I’ve been in the scoop mids for so many years. My Markbass rig brings me to a new philosophy.
Markus Miller is back in the mids to.
This is my gig rig. Both Traveler cabs 2x10 &1x15. No lack of any power in any range. For smaller gigs/coffee house/acoustic settings I just use the 2x10.
PS what makes you think the guitarists know the first thing about bass EQ?
Element Zero’s tone tips are spot on. The tone settings you’re using sound like a real basket case. Not a good tone setting, IMHO. Start with the four tone settings on noon and tweak from there. The setting in EZ’s post are not far off mine and that is plenty punchy.
Also, moving to rounds or half wounds will help a lot!
Also, moving to rounds or half wounds will help a lot!
Not much to add to what's been said already -- you should be able to make things work with your current rig -- but I do see one problem with running the two cabs. MB heads are 4 Ohms minimum, correct? Is your 410 8 Ohms or 4 Ohms? The 210? Unless both are 8 Ohms, you won't be able to run them together with the MB head. If they are both 8 Ohms, the 410 and 210 will be unbalanced, with the 210 getting more power than it should. In that situation, you'd be better off trading the 410 for another 210 and stacking vertically.
Check EQ for sure and change strings if necessary (my main bass has rounds, but I've been able to get across fine with flats, too -- rounds will give you more mids and highs, but not all flats are the same -- TIs and GHS Precision have more mids than some)
Are you happy with the guitarists' sound, btw? Two way street, though we rarely treat it as such. Not saying anyone needs to get meddlesome or pissy -- and maybe they're offering you valid feedback -- but the sounds need to work together.
EQ. Strings. Trade the 410 for a 210, pocket some change, stack vertically. (If you like how the 410 works on its own, you don't need to get rid of it -- you can keep one big and one small cab, maybe tilt them back on a wedge -- but, since you can't use the two cabs simultaneously, it makes sense to me.)
If that doesn't get you where you want to go, then we can talk about everybody's favorite rigs.
Good luck!
Check EQ for sure and change strings if necessary (my main bass has rounds, but I've been able to get across fine with flats, too -- rounds will give you more mids and highs, but not all flats are the same -- TIs and GHS Precision have more mids than some)
Are you happy with the guitarists' sound, btw? Two way street, though we rarely treat it as such. Not saying anyone needs to get meddlesome or pissy -- and maybe they're offering you valid feedback -- but the sounds need to work together.
EQ. Strings. Trade the 410 for a 210, pocket some change, stack vertically. (If you like how the 410 works on its own, you don't need to get rid of it -- you can keep one big and one small cab, maybe tilt them back on a wedge -- but, since you can't use the two cabs simultaneously, it makes sense to me.)
If that doesn't get you where you want to go, then we can talk about everybody's favorite rigs.
Good luck!
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Earlier someone said turn down the VLE all the way left. A little goes a long way. All it does is cut highs to make the head sound less hifi. If that's not enough, switch to rounds. Done.
You said you have a markbass head. Make sure the VLE and VPF are turned off, which is fully rotated counter clockwise (about 6 on a clock). I see some people set them both to "noon" thinking that is off, but that's half way to full and a total tone suck for mids.
And if that doesn't fix it, add a second cab of the same size, and stack them vertical!
And if that doesn't fix it, add a second cab of the same size, and stack them vertical!
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The OP might have a few problems (who hasn't!) but I wouldn't take a solution thought up by a guitarist without questioning it! Anyway, if these guys are saying they can't hear your mids and highs it could mean they are the problem, trampling all over those frequencies. You still have to fix it though. I'd stay away from highs. . . which you are with flats on your bass. I use flats on my P bass and have no problems being heard so I'd say your strings are good.
If I had to I could drown out my guitarists and the main weapon I'd use would be low mids. Keep away from deep bass and push the mids and especially the low mids.
I used to run a US Lakland and with my Markbass amp the best sound I found was all the tone controls at noon and both filters off. I play a lot of Blues and Soul. 500 watts is a good starting point so I'd say your amp is powerful enough but your cab is only half way to what you need.
Which cab do you have? Is it the MB Traveller 210? IMO whatever you've got you need a second 210, if staying with Markbass, add the Standard 102HF. Don't know what your budget is but a quality 212 would also see you straight, but definitely start with trying out a second, and better, 210.
2 cabs will add a lot of volume, tone, clarity and authority to your sound. A night and day improvement.
If I had to I could drown out my guitarists and the main weapon I'd use would be low mids. Keep away from deep bass and push the mids and especially the low mids.
I used to run a US Lakland and with my Markbass amp the best sound I found was all the tone controls at noon and both filters off. I play a lot of Blues and Soul. 500 watts is a good starting point so I'd say your amp is powerful enough but your cab is only half way to what you need.
Which cab do you have? Is it the MB Traveller 210? IMO whatever you've got you need a second 210, if staying with Markbass, add the Standard 102HF. Don't know what your budget is but a quality 212 would also see you straight, but definitely start with trying out a second, and better, 210.
2 cabs will add a lot of volume, tone, clarity and authority to your sound. A night and day improvement.
Have you tried playing with a straight flat EQ? One thing for sure, the Fender basses I’ve owned and played over the years are extremely bright and punchy when the volume is turned up all the way.
As for the amp EQ, if there is an equivalent to a loudness button, meant to be used in low volume applications when you aren’t moving a lot of air, which scoops the low mids for effect, turn it off, adjust the bass knobby the amp to flat, and boost you mids around 250hz, and run your bass volume and tone wide open. I would be shocked if that doesn’t solve your problem.
One other thing that may help is to make sure you input (gain) is hot enough. For bass, it should be the hottest signal you can make without distortion, then adjust your master volume.
Lots of people who doesn't play flats it seems that recommend to change to rounds or halfrounds, or maybe just people who have tried one or two sets of flatwounds and therefore now where it's at.
I could see the appeal but yeah, easily adjusted EQ on the Markbass would solve the problem. As already pointed out, turn off both the filters and set it flat, then see if you need to cut some bass or cut some other frequencies. The flat setting should be plenty bright and middy, and if not, turn down the bass and treble a bit or up with the two mids a bit.
Some years ago I played like this, flat but wit hi-mids on a markbass boosted just a little for some basses, and the lo-mids boosted a bit more with my jazz bass.
These amps are very middy/bright IMO so you shouldn't have a problem!
I could see the appeal but yeah, easily adjusted EQ on the Markbass would solve the problem. As already pointed out, turn off both the filters and set it flat, then see if you need to cut some bass or cut some other frequencies. The flat setting should be plenty bright and middy, and if not, turn down the bass and treble a bit or up with the two mids a bit.
Some years ago I played like this, flat but wit hi-mids on a markbass boosted just a little for some basses, and the lo-mids boosted a bit more with my jazz bass.
These amps are very middy/bright IMO so you shouldn't have a problem!
