Best Bass Tone I've ever Heard

[Jim Carr]

fEARful?

Headphones, even driven by a cheap ss amp, can sound remarkably good. Quite likely they provided more 'fundamental' energy and a tighter overall sound. If that's the tone you really like, then it may be time for a new cab.

Probably hearing fairly clean reproduction of your bass output for the first time, low signal level and headphones mean you can do that.

You might actually have a good sounding bass and technique. Headphones can let you hear it. Look for a transparent amp. You may have to go FOH to get the most transparency.

 

[JxBass]

Not sure which 1w Fender amp is in the OP, but for a time I practiced with a Fender Bassman 25 through headphones and enjoyed the heck out of it.

 

[amusicalperson]

Hey guys, just wanted to share, this is the practice amp in my original description.

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[SirMjac28]

I just ran my bass through my studio monitors and no pedals and it sounded beautiful even better than my amp setup.

 

[experimental bassist]

A Fender tone stack compared to an Ampeg will typically have a built in scoop (smiley face eq).

You may indeed be hearing some of that smiley "bedroom eq" that does sound good solo'd

Look up FMV versus Baxandall tone stack for the gory details if anyone's interested.

Otherwise could just be the full DI through headphones thing that does sound good, that's why recording engineers have been doing it for so long!

It's cool to find good tone in unexpected places and to be reminded it's not always in the most expensive places either.

 

[Blankandson]

Bass player in a large mega-church in TX uses a $75 Fender bass combo beneath his chair in the orchestra. His in-ears are just for vocals and drums. Fender is miked and he shakes the 3,000 seat room. No EFX or pedals - just his bass and the tiny Fender. Sometimes it's not what you have - it's what you do with what you have.

 

[SolarMan]

That thing???

Too Funny!

 

[Bigskybassguy]

I'm notoriously wrong about everything I say...

but to me the tone that any bass instrumentation rig creates involves two parts; the noise, and the gentle thump feel of sound pressure waves. Nothing from earphones alone has ever been a boner for me.

(Except for maybe using in-ears on stage.)

 

[amusicalperson]

That thing???

Too Funny!

Yep, that little thing!

 

[Sav'nBass]

Probably hearing fairly clean reproduction of your bass output for the first time, low signal level and headphones mean you can do that.

This is what I was thinking as well. Which actually makes me wonder if the bezt way to really try out a new bass is to do so with flat EQ and headphones.

 

[nysbob]

You can't really compare a sound you hear through headphones sealed against your ear and what an amp can produce through the atmosphere. They are two different things.

 

[Mikhail1]

That is so true. Back in the late 70's, the band I was in decided to do a live recording of one of our shows. We were friends with a guy who worked for a live sound company that handled many pro acts. He actually used a Y cable to record my bass, kind of an early DI. Afterwards while listening to the tape, I couldn't believe the sound of the bass, just pure bliss and didn't believe it was really me! I asked him what amp could I get that would reproduce that sound. His answer... You can't. Then he explained all the factors that go into live sound versus recorded sound. But I did learn a lot from this guy about how to set up for different types of venues and that there is no one method that works for everything.