Basses that are naturally thicker in tone?

[Tommygunn]

My first bass is what I can only describe as thick in tone. It has crazy sustain, it has a lot of clank, its really bright (and it has nickle rounds from 2007 on it), its really loud acoustically, and it has amazing lows (acoustically and plugged it). By lows I mean like this song, but even thicker and deeper than that. I'm under the impression that its from how it was made. Its plywood, with a 2lbs bridge, and maple/maple neck. What makes my bass like this? Do you have a bass like this?

 

[plangentmusic]

That's not what most people would call a DEEP tone. It's actually clear and clanky.

Sounds like an Ibanez .

 

[EagleMoon]

That's not what most people would call a DEEP tone. It's actually clear and clanky.

Sounds like an Ibanez .

+1 on the clear and clanky. To me, low thick tone is like a pipe organ pedal. Round and vibrating that will shake your pants off.

 

[Rob Martinez]

That is NOT a thick tone. That is a bass with round wound strings with a lot of treble and mids.

My Hofner Icon bass with LaBella Beatle flatwounds, now THAT is thick and deep!

 

[bassteban]

didn't listen to the clip, but my def of *thick* is Ken Smith

 

[Kwesi]

Pretty much every bass I've played with the "turbo" pickup configuration (Ken Smith, Spector, Modulus Quantum Turbo, Surine, etc) all have a really thick tone.

 

[bassslater19876]

If you mean Nirvana, Krist like thick, (which I can understand, fairly thick genre) look at some Stoner Metal bassists gear. Electric Wizard is thicker than molasses, so is Sleep, Bongripper, etc etc. Most of those bassists IME use 4 string P's with massive heaps of fuzz, overdrive, distortion, tubes and 15 or up speakers.

 

[Chrisk-K]

That's neither thick or deep. A typical bass strung with rounds and played with a pick sounds like that. My Spector has a thick tone and my USA P has a truly deep tone.

 

[Tommygunn]

If you mean Nirvana, Krist like thick, (which I can understand, fairly thick genre) look at some Stoner Metal bassists gear. Electric Wizard is thicker than molasses, so is Sleep, Bongripper, etc etc. Most of those bassists IME use 4 string P's with massive heaps of fuzz, overdrive, distortion, tubes and 15 or up speakers.

Well I'm saying thats what my bass sounds like without effects. Its bright like that clip, but IMO in that song the lows are really bassy. Thick is like the only way I can describe it.

 

[Ric5]

Deep sounding bass

Try a t-bird or an EB3

 

[Tommygunn]

No I'm wondering what makes mine sound like this, not what other thick bass I can get.

 

[5string5fingers]

a hot pickup?

 

[Dave W]

How about you just tell us what bass you have. It would probably be a lot easier...

 

[bassslater19876]

>Squier VM tele bass, mike dirnt pbass, mark hoppus jazz.
>Squier VM tele bass, mike dirnt pbass,
>Both p basses

While, to answer why it sounds like that is a combination of where you play it, how you play it, the tone wood, what amp you run it though, head, cab, the sun shining, if your wife's mad at you, how good your doing at work. Everything goes into it. Do you not like the tone and want something different?

 

[elgecko]

Well I'm saying thats what my bass sounds like without effects. Its bright like that clip, but IMO in that song the lows are really bassy. Thick is like the only way I can describe it.

If you describe that as "thick" and "bassy", I'd say you're a wee bit confused as to what those terms actually mean to most people.

 

[DerHoggz]

If you describe that as "thick" and "bassy", I'd say you're a wee bit confused as to what those terms actually mean to most people.

If anything, that is high-mid/trebly with a pick.

 

[tsunami1052]

Plywood?

 

[bassslater19876]

If anything, that is high-mid/trebly with a pick.

+1
That's where I got confused, that tone isn't what I'd reference thick to at all. I think he means its just a thick song.

 

[VincentGrim]

While I will mirror what people have said about it being a very trebly/high-mid focused tone, it does seem to have a biiiiiiiit more bass going on for it than the tones of say, blink 182 for example, and other bassist who go that route tone-wise. My only suggestion would be to either crank your treble/high-mids, leave your low-mids alone and boost the bass a bit, or roll off your tone knob a bit. : /

 

[Tommygunn]

Thats not quite what it sounds like. Thats the best example I can find though. Its a lot bassier. Its a Pbass body made of plywood with a maple maple neck. The pickup is a JJhumbucker but even played unplugged, its really thick sounding.