Cranking The Bass Knob

[Downunderwonder]

Alright. I have a gig this saturday at a dive bar. Gonna crank that bass knob and see what happens.

Aguilar TH500 into a Berg CN212.

Thanks for enabling me Jimmy!

How did it go?

 

[ktedrow]

Great for me on stage, but when I went out to the audience to listen (I have wireless) I felt that the volume didn’t carry very well.

On the plus side, I got some complaints from the drummer that I was too loud.

I think I’ll go back to my normal bass setting for future gigs.

Thanks for asking.

 

[King Kolon]

I am going to admit something that may get me raked over the coals...I love cranking the bass knob! Didn't always...took me a long time to warm up to the idea. But now I'll turn the bass up all the way if I need to. Gotta be judicious about it sometimes...don't want to overcrank the lows in a dark sounding room with a lot of natural reverb or anything dumb like that. And mids are still important if you want some note definition as well. But over the past years, I've gotten less shy about warming up the room real good, and I think it's working out great, and I don't get why so many people on here tell bass players not to do it. The lows are what people mostly hear out of your bass in a mix. Might as well let them have it.

There. I said it. I do something considered wrong by conventional TB wisdom, and I do so unapologetically. Take that.

Well how Dare You do that. I performed last Evening and l had my Amp's Bass Knob at the 2:00'o'clock possition. We're Sinners l guess. My SWR Goliad Jr. Cab.sounded Great. Single 15" Faitel Spkr. & Tweeter. GenzBenz-Shuttle Shuttle 90 into the Cab. 600watts-8 ohm load. American Deluxe Fender Jazz-Seymore Duncan Classic-Stay Pick-up, Passive of Course. GHS-Boomer strs. Best Sound l have Ever had, except my Five Str. Fender Jazz.into SWR-18".

 

[Ded Bonz]

I am going to admit something that may get me raked over the coals...I love cranking the bass knob! Didn't always...took me a long time to warm up to the idea. But now I'll turn the bass up all the way if I need to. Gotta be judicious about it sometimes...don't want to overcrank the lows in a dark sounding room with a lot of natural reverb or anything dumb like that. And mids are still important if you want some note definition as well. But over the past years, I've gotten less shy about warming up the room real good, and I think it's working out great, and I don't get why so many people on here tell bass players not to do it. The lows are what people mostly hear out of your bass in a mix. Might as well let them have it.

There. I said it. I do something considered wrong by conventional TB wisdom, and I do so unapologetically. Take that.

I like playing dirty, I say crank it up. (mine goes to 11)

 

[LoTone]

Found that image on the Net. I find this so funny that I have adopted it as my avatar.

 

[7615]

Over the years I have turned up the mids and turned down the lows. I might increase lows if the piece requires big fat - slow tempo - notes but if there is an speed in the part - too much bass annihilates the ability to hear articulation as all the notes blend into one another.

 

[BadExample]

GenzBenz-Shuttle Shuttle 90 into the Cab.

I'm pretty sure you have an HPF in that amp. That helps. I crank my SL600 as high as 3 o'clock, also HPF'd. That's in a small room, no mix, just me making noise.

Some speakers could die from too much LF boost. HPF helps there. Then again, those who do crank it up some probably already know if their cabs can take it.

Turn it up.

 

[King Kolon]

I am going to admit something that may get me raked over the coals...I love cranking the bass knob! Didn't always...took me a long time to warm up to the idea. But now I'll turn the bass up all the way if I need to. Gotta be judicious about it sometimes...don't want to overcrank the lows in a dark sounding room with a lot of natural reverb or anything dumb like that. And mids are still important if you want some note definition as well. But over the past years, I've gotten less shy about warming up the room real good, and I think it's working out great, and I don't get why so many people on here tell bass players not to do it. The lows are what people mostly hear out of your bass in a mix. Might as well let them have it.

There. I said it. I do something considered wrong by conventional TB wisdom, and I do so unapologetically. Take that.

Well, l play with boosted Treble only, l leave the mids, and the lows flat, at 12:00 O'clock High.

 

[JimmyM]

Well, l play with boosted Treble only, l leave the mids, and the lows flat, at 12:00 O'clock High.

If it works for you and your band, have fun, bro!

 

[Stumbo]

Some speakers could die from too much LF boost. HPF helps there. Then again, those who do crank it up some probably already know if their cabs can take it.

You hope.

 

[7615]

You hope.

I wouldn't be so sure. At the local rental store a young guy came in looking for a bass and cabinets. He plugged it in and played some of the most distorted toneless playing I have had heard in a while. The rental jockey's were all wincing.

The player say "sounds awesome" I'll take it.

Distorted breaking up speakers that can't handle bass turned to 10 and the guy thought that was a sound.

 

[byacey]

I am going to admit something that may get me raked over the coals...I love cranking the bass knob! Didn't always...took me a long time to warm up to the idea. But now I'll turn the bass up all the way if I need to. Gotta be judicious about it sometimes...don't want to overcrank the lows in a dark sounding room with a lot of natural reverb or anything dumb like that. And mids are still important if you want some note definition as well. But over the past years, I've gotten less shy about warming up the room real good, and I think it's working out great, and I don't get why so many people on here tell bass players not to do it. The lows are what people mostly hear out of your bass in a mix. Might as well let them have it.

There. I said it. I do something considered wrong by conventional TB wisdom, and I do so unapologetically. Take that.

There's nothing wrong with lots of lows in a good room, as long as you have the required mids to go along with them. I think the problems crop up when there is lots of lows, but nothing else.

 

[JimmyM]

There's nothing wrong with lots of lows in a good room, as long as you have the required mids to go along with them. I think the problems crop up when there is lots of lows, but nothing else.

That's never a problem for me... I use Ampeg and EMG Geezer Butler pickups...LOL!

 

[JimmyM]

I wouldn't be so sure. At the local rental store a young guy came in looking for a bass and cabinets. He plugged it in and played some of the most distorted toneless playing I have had heard in a while. The rental jockey's were all wincing.

The player say "sounds awesome" I'll take it.

Distorted breaking up speakers that can't handle bass turned to 10 and the guy thought that was a sound.

To some folks it is. It's why I have a fuzz pedal on my board. Sometimes you just need to pile on the dirt.

 

[7615]

To some folks it is. It's why I have a fuzz pedal on my board. Sometimes you just need to pile on the dirt.

A speaker breaking up is not a sound. Distortion is an effect - a cab simply cacking out as it is being pushed too hard is just an ugly sound.

 

[J.Wolf]

A speaker breaking up is not a sound. Distortion is an effect - a cab simply cacking out as it is being pushed too hard is just an ugly sound.

Who knew that countless award winning studio engineers, producers and musicians could be so wrong.

 

[JimmyM]

A speaker breaking up is not a sound. Distortion is an effect - a cab simply cacking out as it is being pushed too hard is just an ugly sound.

A speaker breaking up is the same kind of distortion that you get from a tube amp's power section breaking up or a pedal. Some might prefer one over the other, but it's the same principle...overdrive the snot out of it and get fuzz. Guitarists are fond of using it more than we are for the most part, but they do use it and like it, even if it means buying new speakers more often.

 

[7615]

Who knew that countless award winning studio engineers, producers and musicians could be so wrong.

Talking live here not a produced record sound - A breaking up ugly sound requires a certain volume to create. Stand in front of that speaker live and to a person everyone in that room looked over with disapproval.

Now play that recorded noise back on low -on your play back device - ie not at the level required to create the distortion. The distortion can be heard at 1 on the stereo.

Live music and recorded studio music are not the same thing. Your comparison fails to account for how different the 2 approaches are. They are not wrong - but you said it yourself ..."studio...."

 

[J.Wolf]

correct, live is different than studio. and i didn't see you specify "live" in your post.

IME, a lot of why people like to mic their 810 with tube head is because of the pleasing breakup they get from that configuration. yes, high SPL levels are required to get that sound out of tube heads and 412 cabs for tracking metal guitars, but much of the magic of micing SVT's is exactly this. In live settings. At reasonable non ear bleeding stage volumes. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[JimmyM]

Talking live here not a produced record sound - A breaking up ugly sound requires a certain volume to create. Stand in front of that speaker live and to a person everyone in that room looked over with disapproval.

This is one reason why tiny little guitar combos with tiny power handling speakers have become more popular over the years...so you can do that live without killing people's brain function.