Bass Tone

[Hinto]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a nice Squier bass, a P Special Edition, with a P/J configuration. Sounded pretty good in the store, can't remember what amp I was using.

Now I have it at home, and I'm not so sure any more. I'm plugging it directly into a Yamaha Stagepass 500 PA, so directly into the mixer. The mixer only has High/Low controls for tone shaping. The bass itself has 2 volumes, one for each pickup, and an overall tone control.

I think I have two options.

First, I could go back to the store, mess around and get an amp. If I go this route, I would prefer something small, probably a small combo. This is mostly for home use and messing around, so don't need major wattage, but a DI out would be nice to plug into the PA.

Otherwise, I'm wondering if I could just get a preamp, or effects pedal of some sort to put in between my bass and PA, something that would allow some tone shaping.

Understanding how hard it is to describe tone, I'm looking for a clean, punchy sound.

Any string recommendations would also be appreciated. The bass was strung with Fender strings, they kinda suck, don't feel good at all. I was thinking of D'Addario EXL165's.

Thanks!

 

[chuck3]

A couple of suggestions. An EBS Valvedrive pre-amp will give you a power boost and plenty of growly tone. For a cleaner tone, a Genz Benz 3.0-10 Shuttle makes a great pre-amp out of the DI and you will have the cab as your monitor.

 

[Gearhead43]

That portable PA is gonna suck for bass - and wasn't desgned for it. You need a bass amp. There are tons of cheap, decent little practice amps if that's all you need.

 

[90k]

At the very least... an art tube MP, they are cheap enough and very versatile.. Going directly into a mixer is not recommended as previously stated.

 

[FromTheBassMent]

I've played with my bass signal DI'd into many a PA, and the only time it ever sounds good at all is if the system has a subwoofer. Most PAs, even using mains with 15" speakers, cannot handle bass guitar frequencies, at least not without the bass burying everything else that needs to be heard through the mains (like, um, vocals).

A bass needs to run through a bass amp. Get a little Markbass combo or such, and you'll actually be able to hear what your new bass is supposed to sound like.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Out of curiosity, how would you describe the tone you're getting?
Honestly, it should be common sense that you need a bass amp for your bass, but it should be remembered that a P bass sounds like crap by itself, yet it shines in a band mix.

 

[rptrsn2]

as far as the strings i don't know what fender strings you have or how old they are but i,ve tried alot of different ones on my p and found the fender 7250 nickles are my fav, give them a try.

 

[seanm]

I would recommend just using the PA for a week before making a decision. When I first started using a small mixer for practice, I didn't really like the tone. But after a while I got used to the tone.

One problem though, you are going to hear all your mistakes

 

[rbonner]

Go buy a tech21 VT and call it a day. Instant cheap SVT.

BOB

 

[David Jayne]

..., but it should be remembered that a P bass sounds like crap by itself, yet it shines in a band mix.

Disagree. We've all heard this, over and over again, but it's not true. My P basses sound great, ALL the time, band or no. Subjective.

 

[David Jayne]

Go buy a tech21 VT and call it a day. Instant cheap SVT.

BOB

Disagree again. I have one, and I consider it 'meh.' I admit I may be in the minority on this.
Just get a decent amp and call it a day.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Disagree. We've all hear this, over and over again, but it's not true. My P basses sound great, ALL the time, band or no. Subjective.

Fair enough, though dare i say that perhaps your ear is atuned to that particular sound, and you subconsciously listen for it, thereby giving you an edge up when looking for new basses?

 

[David Jayne]

Fair enough, though dare i say that perhaps your ear is atuned to that particular sound, and you subconsciously listen for it, thereby giving you an edge up when looking for new basses?

Maybe, but where's the problem with that? Anyway I also like Jazz basses, MM's, Hofner's, Jack Cassidy's, etc. However I DON'T like P/J's. Subjective.

 

[EricF]

Disagree. We've all heard this, over and over again, but it's not true. My P basses sound great, ALL the time, band or no. Subjective.

This ^

A pure P bass tone - all by itself - is a wonderful thing.

 

[zachoff]

The only preamp I've ever really loved was the Peavey Max Bass Preamp. Blendable tube/ss channels and it doesn't totally suck the tone from your bass. That said, I'm not a fan of preamps. You'll do a lot better with a real amp and cab or combo. I played the new Peavey Tour TNT a while back through a Squier CV P and it was pretty damn fun and sounded pretty good. It's fairly light too. Not a bad setup at all.

 

[pnut166]

Maybe an active bass with more tone shaping onboard ? +1 to everybody else, though - if you want any bass to sound the way it`s truly meant to, get a bass amp. Lots of great sounding, small combos out there for cheap!

 

[Munjibunga]

That portable PA is gonna suck for bass - and wasn't desgned for it. You need a bass amp. There are tons of cheap, decent little practice amps if that's all you need.

You got that right. You can't judge a bass by the way it sounds through a cheesy PA.

 

[suraj]

Sansamp BDDI

 

[Floyd Eye]

Active bass, SansAmp RBI, small tube combo.

The tone you liked in the store did not come from that P bass.

 

[Hinto]

Thanks everyone for your input. I decided on the Marshall MB30. It wasn't what I thought I would get, I was looking for something smaller, with more power. I went into the store thinking I'd get the Line6 110. But the Marshall sounded better and louder, and was $100 cheaper, if a bit bigger. But, sounds MUCH better than my PA, and lots of tone shaping options, which is nice.

So, not the best I'm sure, but given the price, was the best value and had plenty of volume for my purposes.

Cheers!