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Bass for Recording

G

groovetoolz

Aug 5, 2006
82
0
#1
ok guys.. what bass (not the rig, just the bass) do you use for recording...?

coz i heard some players use diffrent basses for recording and live gigs...

i know when you record it depends on what the producer wants but there is always a favorite bass so tells us..
 
#2
- depending on mood, usually 5 or 6 string active Modulus, Stingray or comfortable, exotic looking whatever for gigs
- custom passive Status, selected and modified Warwick for studio

different beasts, don't use studio basses for gigs to keep them functionally in ideal condition
basses for gigs should be lighter and comfortable for playing in first line. sonically almost any good bass is good enough for me to play gig.
in studio I'm very demanding, so here pickups, woods, dead spots and many minor things play significant role.
 
#3
GYang said:
- depending on mood, usually 5 or 6 string active Modulus, Stingray or comfortable, exotic looking whatever for gigs
- custom passive Status, selected and modified Warwick for studio

different beasts, don't use studio basses for gigs to keep them functionally in ideal condition
basses for gigs should be lighter and comfortable for playing in first line. sonically almost any good bass is good enough for me to play gig.
in studio I'm very demanding, so here pickups, woods, dead spots and many minor things play significant role.
Click to expand...

wow this is nice info!
 
#5
groovetoolz said:
ok guys.. what bass (not the rig, just the bass) do you use for recording...?

coz i heard some players use diffrent basses for recording and live gigs...

i know when you record it depends on what the producer wants but there is always a favorite bass so tells us..
Click to expand...


I use a '65 p-bass (all original inside and out), strung with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flat Wounds for most "bassic" tracks. Believe me, I have others and have tried others, but it lays to tape or digital track better than most things I've used. It all depends on YOUR concept of YOUR sound, technique and approach to different musical situations. And, then there's overdubbing ...

James Jamerson? What the hell is a p-bass?
 
#6
I've used my passive Warwick Corvette Standard and the sound came out quite perfectly. I don't own that bass anymore but it sat really well in the mix.

I know play two G&L basses. A very versatile L-2000 that is great, both on stage as in the studio is my main bass. I tend to use the bridge pickup in the studio and the neck pickup live... The bridge pickup lets me cut through the mix a little better (on cd).

I also have a LB-100 (basicly a hot P-bass) that's really awesome live but I haven't used in the studio. Yet. To be continued...
 
#8
i use a fender precision or mainly a jazz in the studio. i use a different jazz for live. i don't mind going from one jazz to another, but i don't like going from one brand to another. the feel is too different. i practice an hour or two a day on a jazz, i'm going to track with what i practice on. peace, jeff
 
#9
Stingrays, always. Since i play really heavy stuff, I need to tune into a B tuning, when recording i use to use a 4 string stingray dropped to BEAD even though i did have my 5 strings. I Like the comfort of 4 string stingrays but i need a 5 string for playing live for different songs.

I say stingrays are by far my favorit to record with but if i couldnt use a SR i would use a warwick corvette or thumb( i have access to both :D)
 
#10
I use my custom Rowan with the active Bart's for about 95% of what I record. I play live with it here and there where I have found it has a better sound than anything else I have, but it seems to be the one that is always pulled out for the recording without a second thought.

Mark
 
#13
i use my 2 wals and the gibson thunderbird for recording, especially the t-bird cuts through the mix like i would never expect, much better than other basses i got. Also the '78pbass is a good recording animal for certain stuff.
I also use them regularly for gigs.
 
#14
I just use my Kubicki. Perfect tone for me, so it sees plenty of usein the studio. And the various Active/passive modes come in very handy for me. Also, my soon-to-be fretless headless Hohner has an active/passive switch, so yay!

Mind you, I've also been known to use my Ibanez BTB405 on things that required more of a "thick" sound or a low B note. It's a nice bass in that it has a sort of "modern meets vintage" kinda tone, sounds great on almost any recording!

I remember once when me and my brother recorded a few Shadows tunes (don't laugh, we were getting paid for it!) straight into a tape machine with just two separate mics, one for my amp, one for his and the sound of the drum machine being picked up a bit by both mics. We had to go for it in a live "one take" situation in our front room, which was a good laugh. It turned out to sound surprisingly good! The tape machine was a star, it seemed to have a real "character" to it, and it really captured the sound of us playing there. My BTB sounded even thicker and thumpier on tape than it had when we recorded it, so I was doubly pleased! All my brother could complain about was how rubbish his Epi LP sounded! (he now hates LP's and is a full-time Ibanez player!)
 
#15
It depends on the track,but my main recording bass is a Jazz body of unknown origin with an older Modulus "BassStar" P sized neck. It has old active EMGs & a Badass II bridge. I bought it in a pawn shop for $500. I also use the Elrick 5 & the Carvin LB75 fretless. Recently my studio bandmates & I got a gig recording "classic tracks". You know, when you hear a classic song on a commercial, but you can tell it's not the original track. It pays real well, but they want you to sound just like the original. None of my " boutique" basses sounded like a wooden Jazz, so I went out & bought a MII Jazz bass to cut the tracks with. I haven't tried recording it yet, but it sounds great thru an amp.
 
#18
I take three basses to every session:
51 Precision reissue with LaBella 760FL flatwounds
62 Jazz reissue strung with DA XL170 rounds
This covers what most producers want and expect.
Then I take a third bass I feel might fit the project.
 

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