Did you try heavier gauge strings? Ticker strings will give a little deeper tone, but if you really don't want to change gauge then ignore the suggestion.
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Did you try heavier gauge strings? Ticker strings will give a little deeper tone, but if you really don't want to change gauge then ignore the suggestion.
Before you change anything have someone play your bass and stand 20 or so feet away to listen. You may be surprised at how different it sounds. Make sure someone else is playing the bass. I did this years ago totally by accident, with a bass I had similar complaints about and the bass actually sounded great..... Also, short scale basses fantastic! 45-105 gauge strings will help.
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which drew the reply:
It is a myth (that just. won't. die.) that bass frequencies need room to bloom. That they don't fully develop until some distance away from the speaker. Myth. Pure myth. Yes, your rig may sound different "out there" than it does right next to it but it is NOT because lows need space to develop.
To OP: It is good that you're trying to figure out the root cause of your issue rather than just changing a bunch of stuff hoping it helps. You've tried different strings so we'll assume it isn't the strings. You've tried different basses including full scale instruments and that didn't do it so it isn't your basses. You've tried EQ settings on the amp so it is pretty darn safe to assume a preamp (moving EQ from the amp to the instrument) isn't going to solve it. By process of elimination, you're down to the amp / speaker / room.
Different amps have different built-in EQ curves which give them their sound. Perhaps Fender is more your liking than GK? Rooms absolutely affect what we hear. Try going outside and seeing how things sound. Be ready for far less lows though. Not much we can do about rooms, however.
That brings me to what I suspect is the deficiency in your system. Speakers. Musical Instrument speakers are notoriously bad at reproducing truly low frequencies. They are build to be efficient (loud) not deep. Even bass cabinets suffer from this limitation.
For many years I had a tone in my head that no bass cabinet would produce. I wanted rich, full, warm lows! Not mids, not highs, but lows - just like I heard on the records playing through my home stereo system. It has taken me year so to realize that sound is great in the hi-fi but not for live music and to realize that the mids are where the note definition lives.
I've said it before and I'll probably have to say it again:
An E0 is going to have the same frequency no matter what instrument you play as long as it is in tune.
before you do ANYTHING, set your pickups to 3MM height. Or at least check the height. It makes a big difference in some. Too close and it will "warble" though.
There are pickups that really respond to the lower fundamentals that most wont, but they'll cost near as much as the basses you own, e.g., a J5 set is like $250. I have AERO TYPE I in my higher end Lakland, and they do bring in the low fundamentals more than Lakland, Nordy or anything I've heard. Recording engineer said the same thing, so my "rattling the china at home" test was validated.
Yet I wont recommend them to you. ( most folks wont consider putting pups in that cost almost as much as the instrument anyway) They are too uncolored and ought be used ONLY if you like the natural acoustic sound of the instrument, as they'll bring it out. Many other pickups color the sound or are mid fat. In fact, cheap mass produced overwounds like SD 1/4 lbs are probably the right ticket. I had them ina Squier Vintage, and they boom deep, although as articulate as a mud pie ( to my uber sensitive ears) .
But check a few things before you spend any dough. Heights first.
There are pickups that really respond to the lower fundamentals that most wont, but they'll cost near as much as the basses you own, e.g., a J5 set is like $250. I have AERO TYPE I in my higher end Lakland, and they do bring in the low fundamentals more than Lakland, Nordy or anything I've heard. Recording engineer said the same thing, so my "rattling the china at home" test was validated.
Yet I wont recommend them to you. ( most folks wont consider putting pups in that cost almost as much as the instrument anyway) They are too uncolored and ought be used ONLY if you like the natural acoustic sound of the instrument, as they'll bring it out. Many other pickups color the sound or are mid fat. In fact, cheap mass produced overwounds like SD 1/4 lbs are probably the right ticket. I had them ina Squier Vintage, and they boom deep, although as articulate as a mud pie ( to my uber sensitive ears) .
But check a few things before you spend any dough. Heights first.
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Yesterday I spent quite awhile moving amp around different locations downstairs, in and out of rooms and also proximity from where I was playing.
The basement is fairly big with open areas much bigger than the room I play in.
Interesting.
I could get notes in the upper register to change tone quite a bit ( all basses) simply by moving the amp (2x12) and it's firing direction (after moving it to the larger area)
The upper register notes also changed somewhat by me simply standing much farther away and in front of the amp.
( I sometimes get one note that is "tubby":- C or D on the E string when playing in the usual room). But that disappears when I move the amp to different locations.
I also get more noticeable "bottom end" playing in the bigger area and me standing way in front of the amp.
So location and directionality are indeed a factor as some have mentioned.
I also had to keep changing amp and bass EQ settings..as what worked in one spot was horrid in another..
The basement is fairly big with open areas much bigger than the room I play in.
Interesting.
I could get notes in the upper register to change tone quite a bit ( all basses) simply by moving the amp (2x12) and it's firing direction (after moving it to the larger area)
The upper register notes also changed somewhat by me simply standing much farther away and in front of the amp.
( I sometimes get one note that is "tubby":- C or D on the E string when playing in the usual room). But that disappears when I move the amp to different locations.
I also get more noticeable "bottom end" playing in the bigger area and me standing way in front of the amp.
So location and directionality are indeed a factor as some have mentioned.
I also had to keep changing amp and bass EQ settings..as what worked in one spot was horrid in another..
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