Bored. What tone are you? Twangy? Thumpy?

[Ric5]

I actually want to be able to do all of those tones with my bass and amp and effects ... I play with picks fingers, palm mute, use active electronics, and use distortion so I can get a real variety of tones.

 

[lorenk]

i use stainless rounds but i will close the tone knob on my p, and not use any of the j (its a p/j) and use my fingers up by the neck pocket with a solid state combo (whoohoo being poor!). gets decently thumpy but also nice and twangy.

 

[B-string]

Noob here to TB. SS rounds, play smooth mellow thump, to growl, to scooped and sharp. Play to many styles, always tweaking for the piece being played.

 

[envika]

P-bass, GHS flats, solid state amps (although when I can afford one, I'm getting a tube amp) tone sometimes rolled off all the way. My tone is not quite creamy, more "milky" to my ears. I still prefer new strings to old dirty strings, though.

When I want brightness, I switch to my epi thunderbird with GHS infinity steels. I particularly like the percussive, almost Ric-like high G.

 

[Stumbo]

flatwounds, scooped mids, i get a nice low end thump, with some good high end definiton

+1

 

[Ampeg SVT]

SS strings (i dont personally use them anymore 'cause I kill them fast) and aggressive fingerstyle.

and SS strings and a pick with an overdriven Tube amp.

 

[Mitchthebassplayer]

old passive P-basses with DR sunbeams (nickel rounds with a round core) and all tube Trace V6 through 2 tweeter-less 1x12s....fat and warm but extremely articulate with a little growl when desired....can also make the sunbeams sound like flats if I want so I'm covered for anything!

 

[zagralin_arf]

Steve Harris clarity with some grunt and some grind!

 

[B-string]

Noobs.....forgot SS GK, V4-B still glaring at me in the corner, but she gets to play a couple of times a year.

 

[newbold]

Push + Definition + texture.

 

[KromaatiKlauun]

I use flats, with a TS-9 into a Hi-Fi amp, is a weird sound.....FITS ME!!

 

[professor_bills]

Thumpin away....Flats .. no pick .. Cant afford a tube amp or probably would do that too.
Hell I'm still waitin for my old Peavy to get out of the shop so I cna try my Rickosound.

 

[Spaldo]

Jazz Bass, rear pickup, dead rounds, no treble

PUNCH out those mids

 

[Bassoholick]

whatever pays the rent*.

for my own mutant stuff i use my custom fretless with Ernie ball 50flats (very percussive and thumpy) with my left hand.

for my other hand(s?) the thumb with DR hexcore rounds (sounds like a trombone with frets tapping but like a proper studio bass when playing like a proper bass player).


*
but i will not pick up a pick for less then 600$

 

[TrevorNorton]

i use very dirty grungy flatwounds. i rub butter, oil, and carmex for the greasyness. sounds gross but it kills the strings for great thump.

 

[neuromancer]

A combination of 2-3 of the above sounds: roudwounds and fingers with nails grown out a la Geddy Lee: the end result is a fingered sound with a pick-like attack on top. Blend in some OD/dist (favoring the clean sound) and EQ to taste. Guitar players will hate you, yet the end-result is extremely effective ime.

 

[Gegatso]

Kind of a bright nickelwound tone, fingerstyle, boosted mids with a touch of dirt.

 

[ehque]

The sound of stainless steel on graphite. You can't get that anywhere else.