Basses that sound great plugged straight in

[Drop1]

Compression actually kills your high end. That's why good ones have tone/enhance knobs. If they don't, you use the attack knob to bring the attack of your note back in. Because compressors squash that when they engage. So, you set them to engage slightly after the threshold.

Compressors don't limit highs. It all depends on how you use them.
Heck I often use comps to boost highs instead of using eq. The setting are everything.

In this case, I technically used a limiter to bring the overall sound up and just kissed it with reduction which made the sound slightly brighter.

 

[Drop1]

Maybe try using only one of the pickups instead of both of them.

The bridge pickup alone might be too honky and need some bass eq to fatten it up.

I actually find the neck pickup the honky one on this bass. The bridge pup sounds more even, though like you said, a little bottom shy.
But using a single pup in this bass is not an option for me. Can't stand the sound and no amount of eq seems to get me to like either pup soloed. Not without a band anyway. I've tried and tried to use on or the other or a blend favoring one. I just wind up going right back to both on full.

 

[JRA]

here is a sound clip. dont judge my playing please. i literally just got home from work and started playing.
i still have wood flooring glue all over my fingers lol. i dont slap, but I figured it may be useful here so, i improved a little.

good job! your clip is presented well --- that ax sounds great!

IME/IMO, tone chasers wouldn't be tone chasers if they were happy with their axes, rigs, EFX, whatever, yada yada.....

What basses out there have the best record for sounding amazing straight di or just plugged into an amp without a bunch of eq? I've recorded several, but even basses of the same type can sound so different.

many, any. it depends, it's subjective, and as you've indicated: brands, models, and look-alikes = are different, individually.

a POV: if it doesn't sound usable-to-great to you, plugged straight in (to anything), why do you have it?



per the OP: i think all of my part axes sound really good -- i taught some of them, and some of them taught me. i hope you and your instruments develop a better rapport. good luck!

 

[HelpImaRock]

It's kind of a weird question. Every bass has it's own sonic signature. Same for the amp and the speaker. Controls are there to tweak the sound to your liking. Being able to dial in your sound shouldn't be a chore.

 

[Drop1]

good job! your clip is presented well --- that ax sounds great!

IME/IMO, tone chasers wouldn't be tone chasers if they were happy with their axes, rigs, EFX, whatever, yada yada.....




many, any. it depends, it's subjective, and as you've indicated: brands, models, and look-alikes = are different, individually.

a POV: if it doesn't sound usable-to-great to you, plugged straight in (to anything), why do you have it?



per the OP: i think all of my part axes sound really good -- i taught some of them, and some of them taught me. i hope you and your instruments develop a better rapport. good luck!

You're the sexond persom here that says it sounss good . To me, it sounds like a mic'd cab but the bass was plugged straight into the interface.
Maybe I'm just sick of it. I play it a ridiculous amount. Usually 10 to 12 hours a day. Maybe I'm just what I call "tone bored". Idk any more. I've got a couple of basses coming in the mail. That should give me something to compare it to more intimately. Ones a j clone the other a mm clone . I should at least learn something one way or the other with those 2.

 

[Jefenator]

After 35 years it's still often a crapshoot for me.
(But I'm always trying out different combinations.)
If I have to plug straight in to someone else's mixing console or DI, my safest choice is probably the Roscoe Century P/J 5-string. It has passive pickups, a passive tone knob and a really classy 18V active onboard preamp, which could easily by bypassed if desired. That should be compatible with a very wide range of input impedances. The Fender-inspired sound should practically mix itself – with some leeway to dial in more "thud" or "sizzle" to suit the material.
That instrument also stands out for having a consistent response across all registers. (The best electronics money can buy won't do much good if the wood isn't cooperating.)
DIs & mixer channels are going to vary considerably; having your own outboard gear (rack or pedal) could help make things more consistent. (Assuming the engineer is amenable. That's another wild card you may not have much control over – unless you're writing the checks.)