another ‘not cutting through’ thread

[Battlebass2015]

I have the classic not cutting through the guitar query. My cheap-o gear has also had a hard life and I would like a new bass at a minimum (so that’s question two).

Currently: Sterling Sub (DGCF) > B3K > Warwick 300w combo (I hate lugging gear)

I guess 1x15” doesn’t punch like a cab set up, but I’m not competing with a large guitar amp. Generally speaking the low root notes are coming through, but the higher register passing notes and fills are getting buried - when solo, bass volumes were relatively even between strings.

I looked at the guitar set up which has bass and mids turned up, with no treble on the amp, but heaps of treble on distortion pedal. The guitar tone actually sounds great (even if hogging all the frequencies haha), so I’d like to work with it rather than change it. When I bumped the mids up on my amp it was a bit better than scooping, but still getting lost in the guitar.

So...
Question one, any suggestion on amp settings that might help (other than cranking the volume)? Should I possibly be looking at some other tools to add to the chain?

Also, New Bass! Giving consideration to the above, what style of bass should I be looking at? I’ve read P basses are great at cutting through a mix, Initially I was considering TBM600, LB100 or SB-2 (although the no tone knob weirds me a bit)... however, is a P the wrong bass in my scenario? Do I need something brighter in tone maybe?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

 

[Stumbo]

I have the classic not cutting through the guitar query. My cheap-o gear has also had a hard life and I would like a new bass at a minimum (so that’s question two).

Currently: Sterling Sub (DGCF) > B3K > Warwick 300w combo (I hate lugging gear)

I guess 1x15” doesn’t punch like a cab set up, but I’m not competing with a large guitar amp. Generally speaking the low root notes are coming through, but the higher register passing notes and fills are getting buried - when solo, bass volumes were relatively even between strings.

I looked at the guitar set up which has bass and mids turned up, with no treble on the amp, but heaps of treble on distortion pedal. The guitar tone actually sounds great (even if hogging all the frequencies haha), so I’d like to work with it rather than change it. When I bumped the mids up on my amp it was a bit better than scooping, but still getting lost in the guitar.

So...
Question one, any suggestion on amp settings that might help (other than cranking the volume)? Should I possibly be looking at some other tools to add to the chain?

Also, New Bass! Giving consideration to the above, what style of bass should I be looking at? I’ve read P basses are great at cutting through a mix, Initially I was considering TBM600, LB100 or SB-2 (although the no tone knob weirds me a bit)... however, is a P the wrong bass in my scenario? Do I need something brighter in tone maybe?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

Before you spend your hard-earned cash, Turn the bass down on the guitar, like to about two. Tell him you're the bass player.

Along with getting your rig up on a stand, add a HPF (like the Broughton always-on) to your signal chain to cut the mud(add clarity), deal with bad venue acoustics, protect the speaker and free your lower mids. See the link in my sig for more info.

Does your combo have an extension speaker jack? Think about adding another 1x15 so you can get the full 300w.

See how that goes at your next rehearsal/gig.

The guitar player has to leave a spot in the mix for you. Otherwise, why have a bass player?

 

[Battlebass2015]

Thanks for your advice, I’ll check out the HPF. Yeah, I can add an extra speaker, would a 2x10 add more punch than a 15?

Will have a play around with guitar frequencies, in the past we’ve had good balance, but of late not so much.

Edit: as a side note, my current bass is pretty beat up, so I would still like to upgrade.

 

[Stumbo]

Edit: as a side note, my current bass is pretty beat up, so I would still like to upgrade.

Pics?

A naturally relic'd bass would be fine with a pro setup and possibly replacing a few parts, even the pickups.

 

[Battlebass2015]

Cosmetically rusty... but more so beat up as is in loose knobs, preamp sits loosely in the cavity etc. It’s done a good job over the last couple years though.