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Basses with that "Hi-Fi" sound

#44
BigOldHarry said:
See, I don't get that at all: A EBMM of any sort has great "Growl" to my ear, not a pristine "hi fi" sound...
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See...subjective. My 1978 Ray don't growl...it snaps and bites. The only EBMM I owned was the 20th Anni Ray. No growls there.

When StingRays first came out, it and Alembics were the epitome of Hi Fi. Again, my opinion.
 
#46
MarTONEbass said:
I really love the smooth, hi-fi sound of my Modulus basses. Need a jazzer? Find a used Mod. Genesis, like soapbars (can sound more hi-hi IMO), get a Q5 or Q6. Modulus is a can't miss for the hi-fi sound. I love the Bartolini pickups, the EMGs are also a favorite of some, but some think they sound too harsh and brittle (TOO hi-fi maybe?).
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+1

No way I'd call my Modulus with Barts "sterile". Definitely Hi-Fi, though not as hi-fi as my Conklin 7. Barts are usually sort of mellow but with the carbon neck it all balances out really nice IMHO. I've used EMG's in the past and also found them too harsh and brittle. Or what I called "too bright".

In fact most of my 6s (Ken Smith, Alembic etc.) have at minimum a "modern" sound and a hi-fi sound can at least be dialed in. Which is why I jumped on the SX 6 stringer Jazz bass clones. Fitted with flats they so far seem to hold some decent promise for 6 strings WITHOUT the Hi-fi sound to go with it. Which I currently am finding interesting.
 
#52
Spector Euro or Greater
Zon
Sadowsky
MTD

I'd agree that, in general, most active basses with decent pickups and electronics can sound hi-fi. Musicman basses easiy fall within this category, they're just a bit grindier ;) . Marcus Miller epitomises hi-fi with a modified Fender.

Sadowsky has been my favorite "hi-fi" bass .
 
#54
i feel like anything active is hi-fi. thats the point of having EQ in the preamp, right? most of them expand the range of the bass. then its up to your amp to produce it. tweeters to make sure all your finger squeaks and hiss come through, and giant cabs that go allll the way to 20 hz. cutting your mids will make it appear that your highs and lows are even more expanded. soon it will be so hi-fi that it wont be there!

make sure you get a SUPER clean amp with 2 mid controls. that way you have no growl and have supreme control over your mid cutting. glockenklang anyone?

give me a p-bass and a beat to **** tube amp any day. mid-fi for life.
 
#55
LaklandBass said:
I suppose another way to describe it is to say an almost "stuffy nose" sound to the mids. Now that Ive been thinking about it pretty much every bass Ive gotten this tone with has had Bart soapbars.
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If thats what you mean, so any bass with the bridge pickup really close to the bridge (or also the neck pickup closer to the bridge) will have that tone.

To my mind come Smiths, Sadowsky Modern 24, Peavey Cirrus, to certain extent also Roscoe, MTD.
F-Basses have pickups close to standard 60's JB position.

The bridge pickup position is what you should be after to get that modern nasally burpy sound.
 
#56
Several fit your budget, although they differ from each other:

Zon, MTD (used), Fbass (used), Modulus, Sadowsky Modern, Ken Smith (used), Peavey Cirrus, Spector, Warwick Streamer. All of them can be considered hi fi sounding.
 
#57
The HI FI term is obviously a bit nebulous. The way I define it for myself, regarding basses and bass amplification is:

1) Extremely wide frequency response... from the deepest lows (within reason) to the upper treble

2) Not mid scooped per se, but a very clean mid response, with a minimum of midrange distortion... hence, no grind up top, no growl down low.

3) Very fast attack and even volume/tone response up and down the neck or with a rig, up and down the frequency response of the rig.

By that definition, the king of the hill (or put another way, the bass I hate the most:D) is the Modulus Quantum bass with active EMG soapbar pickups. That bass IMO and IME is the definition of 'hi fi' as used in the bass world for those that like the above profile, and the definition of 'sterile, lifeless and no character' for those who don't:p
 
#59
Chasarms said:
When I think hi-fi, I think really tight, quick low end and a clean sparkle top. A touch of "scoop" but not the absence of mids.
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Pretty much matches my description: tight bottom, tamed hi-mids (1-4kHz), slightly boosted lo-mids (100-400Hz), present top end.
I'd think just about any bass could approach this sound with a good 4-band parametric EQ module, or even a graphic.
 
#60
wideload said:
Alembic to me has always been highest of fi. Used prices aren't much more than other new basses, and you will be amazed at Alembic's customer care, even for used users!
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+1
Alembic is the top of the line in hifi. You can pick up a used Alembic Essence 5 string for about $1500. Best craftsmanship in the industry means you can buy sight unseen and not worry about build or soud quality. Of course you'll want to try one first to see if its the sound and feel you're after. In my mind the only thing that comes close is a Pedulla but its a little darker and a shade less hifi than Alembic. Ritter may also be an option if you want to spend big bucks.
If you want to consider a cheaper route give the John East preamp a try in your favorite bass, its very hifi sounding as well and will only run you about $300. Good luck.
 

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