It's a passive bass, right? What pickup blend are you using? If you put both pickups at full, does that change the tone much? What is the tone knob set up (there is no flat, it's somewhere between 0-100%)
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Bass sounds thin (especially slap)
- Thread starter Jeverool
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It's a passive bass, right? What pickup blend are you using? If you put both pickups at full, does that change the tone much? What is the tone knob set up (there is no flat, it's somewhere between 0-100%)
It's definitely, the amp. And probably more specifically the speaker that sounds like it's designed to be loud but not deep (lot's of baked in midrange). But I can still hear the underlying, deep throbbing bass quality in the strings that isn't being properly amplified for your needs. I find that tone charming for blues and old school tones. I think your bass is good. A graphic eq or a sansamp d.i. (which is a good d.i. to keep around for future gigs) may help you get a few more flavors that you may like out of that amp.
Yes the BB234 is a passive bass, I set the bridge and neck pickup at full. I also set the tone knob on the bass on 100% mostly. Well it changes the tone considerably when I turn the bridge/neck pickup knob and also the tone knob.
Oh yeah and it buzzes so much when I turn the gain and volume up (on the amp). It's because I haven't shielded it and I've been planning to.
The Rumble LT25 got 30 presets and many of them buzzes more than other. The "Slap Bass" preset on 8th doesn't really change the tone from the clean tone on the 1st preset.
Geezer EMGs are good pickups but in this case they may add too much midrange on top of OP's already mid heavy tone. If your goal is to keep the amp and work with it, then maybe check out Rumble threads to see if there is a consensus on a deeper speaker upgrade for it. It's not crazy to invest a little bit in a practice amp if you plan to use it a lot over a long period of time. Maybe take your amp and bass to a music store and test it with a graphic eq. While you're there you can play through other amps and listen for a tone you like, then see if you can duplicate it with the graphic eq on your amp.
How is that recorded? (E.g., phone sitting in front of the amp? (Where exactly?)).
If you have a portable recorder or audio interface with the necessary inputs, you could record the bass directly (or from the amp's headphone output).
Probably the amp but the best way to tell is to record the same stuff again direct (if possible) and see how different it sounds. If amp mic'ed and direct signal produce an equally weak tone, it could be something with the bass. Just trying to think of different ways to trouble shoot.
Apparently, we coordinated our posts through telepathy.
OP, I just noticed your amp has 50 digital preset tones. Check them all out as I expect they surely have some deep, scooped presets in there that could work for you.
I was thinking about strings as well.. Before I'd try a lot of other things, I'd put a fresh set of strings on it.. esp for slapping that tends to make quite a difference.
Regards
Mark
Could it be the amp? Yes, but to suggest that it is "definitely" the amp is a bit presumptuous. Regardless, you should be able to eliminate the amp/speaker possibility easily enough by visiting an instrument shop (assuming there is one in your area) and playing your bass through some other amps/speakers. I have to say though, the problem might just be your bass. Some basses simply aren't fat sounding. You can take ten basses in any given model, with all of the same components, and one of those ten might just not stack up in the "fatness" department. You can change amps, EQ to your hearts content and change strings till the cows come home and your bass will still sound thin. Just to be clear, I'm not saying that there isn't a fix for your bass, but there very well might not be. And, honestly, do you want to have to fight your instrument to get the desired tone out of it? If you have to resort to specific amps, extreme EQ or specific strings to get a sound that's remotely close to what you want then perhaps moving on to a different bass is the better option.
It's weird because the Yamaha BB234's slap tone is quite fat from the reviews on Youtube, but maybe it got something to do with the amp. Maybe because I use an 8 inch amp so the sound are not that fat. But I don't have that crisp either, it's just so trebly and bright. Maybe after I shielded it, it will cut off some of the high end so I will get more of a low end.
I don't think the shielding is the issue. It's more likely to be the amp. But, like I said before, sometimes it's just the individual bass - even if the model is known for producing a fat sound. I've experienced this phenomenon on several occasions - and it tends to be most obvious to me when switching from fingers to slap. But the first step, in my opinion, would be to test the bass through some other amps.
Like what has already been suggested, try boosting the bass and treble a lil bit. "The Slap Tone" is usually a bit scooped, with some bass added for booty, and some treble added for the percussive cut. In your case, a little extra booty is probably more important than the treble boost.
Having your amp set to flat is a fine STARTING point for many situations, but don't be scared to use that Bass knob- You're playing a BASS, and you want BASSY tones out of it! haha
I am not claiming at all that it is necessary but I find compression to be very useful with slap. I agree with the scooping of the eq mentioned and yes…could be speaker leaving something to be desired. If you have the capability DI through headphones to test the difference.
The tone in the recordings in post #6 sounds pretty natural to me. If you don't like the tone adjust the EQ. If the amp does not go where you want, get another amp. However...amps rarely sound the same a direct bass.
The video in post #9 is how a bass going direct sounds. The frequency response is extended and very smooth. Also you don't get any degradation from the acoustics in the room, or from the limited dispersion of a bass speaker.
Some like the sound of a DI and believe it or not, some really hate it.
In order for an amp to sound more like a DI, it needs to have extended frequency response and a tone contour that suits your needs. You want to aim the cab straight at your head. This does a couple of things:
#1. Bass speakers tend to be omni-directional down low. As the frequency rises the dispersion will narrow and start shooting out in front of the cab. At relatively high frequencies a woofer will become beamy. This means the sound shoots straight out in a narrow, cone-shaped beam.
Even worse, if you have a cab with multiple drivers, you will get off-axis lobing that varies with driver spacing and frequency. This effect can also be described as comb filtering. The result is the off-axis frequency response is not the same as the on-axis frequency response.
In order to hear the full range, natural response, the speaker should be aimed at your ears.
#2. The sound of bass tend to rumble around by bouncing of walls, the floor, and ceiling. This means you can hear certain frequencies after they have taken multiple paths from the amp to your ears. This tends to smear the sound and cause masking. In a big room with a long decay time the low end tends to become a rumbly, incoherent mess. And the rumbly sound that is bouncing around tends to cover up (mask) your direct sound. In order to mitigate this, you want the shortest path possible between you ears and the amp, and you want the amp aimed at your ears otherwise you will only hear the higher frequencies after they have bounced around.
The video in post #9 is how a bass going direct sounds. The frequency response is extended and very smooth. Also you don't get any degradation from the acoustics in the room, or from the limited dispersion of a bass speaker.
Some like the sound of a DI and believe it or not, some really hate it.
In order for an amp to sound more like a DI, it needs to have extended frequency response and a tone contour that suits your needs. You want to aim the cab straight at your head. This does a couple of things:
#1. Bass speakers tend to be omni-directional down low. As the frequency rises the dispersion will narrow and start shooting out in front of the cab. At relatively high frequencies a woofer will become beamy. This means the sound shoots straight out in a narrow, cone-shaped beam.
Even worse, if you have a cab with multiple drivers, you will get off-axis lobing that varies with driver spacing and frequency. This effect can also be described as comb filtering. The result is the off-axis frequency response is not the same as the on-axis frequency response.
In order to hear the full range, natural response, the speaker should be aimed at your ears.
#2. The sound of bass tend to rumble around by bouncing of walls, the floor, and ceiling. This means you can hear certain frequencies after they have taken multiple paths from the amp to your ears. This tends to smear the sound and cause masking. In a big room with a long decay time the low end tends to become a rumbly, incoherent mess. And the rumbly sound that is bouncing around tends to cover up (mask) your direct sound. In order to mitigate this, you want the shortest path possible between you ears and the amp, and you want the amp aimed at your ears otherwise you will only hear the higher frequencies after they have bounced around.
It's possible the J pickup height is higher than the P pickup or the P pickup is too low.To me, it's very noticeable on most PJs if the J is higher or if the p is too low..I would look into adjusting pickup heights first
Be advised that adjusting a P height is usually never level but with a slight tented rooftop shape......you can Google the deets
Be advised that adjusting a P height is usually never level but with a slight tented rooftop shape......you can Google the deets
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