Disappearing High Notes

[Murphbass]

*I'm not sure where I should post, since the issue may be bass related, technique related or mix related, so I'm posting in multiple locations*

I'm pretty happy with my tone except for the fact that when I climb the neck, I tend to get lost in the mix. I play in a (6) piece rock band with (2) keyboard players. In general, we ALL overplay, so that may contribute to the problem. I believe our front of house guy compresses my bass at most venues. I would prefer not compressing my stage sound, but I'd consider a dedicated compressor after my amp.

I'm using (2) Lakland 55-94s- one maple fretted and one ebony fretless, both with DR LoRiders- and maple PBass strung with flats and Quarter Pounders. The PBass suffers this 'disapperaing' fate the least; the fretless is the next worse.

One thing I've contemplated is whether the sound guy is feeding the bass into the subs too much while neglecting the full spectrum of the bass. Could it be my technique? My basses?

Two of my favorite players- Mike Gordon and Phil Lesh- switched to Modulus at some point, and I can see why; every note has the same weight and clarity. You can hear them in a 75k person arena. I'm not a huge fan of the Modulus tone, however, so if anyone can suggest making my situation work, I'm all for it.

On a similar note- will Dark Star pickups produce an evenness across the fingerboard that I'm looking for?

Thanks for the input!

My amp is GK 1001RB using the preamp section only into a Crest power amp into an Eden 410XLT. I usually use the GK's DI but will use a Radial J48 or JDI if the GK is acting up.

 

[Phantasm]

Plug your bass into the line in of a mixer channel.

PFL the channel.

Play the E string. Adjust the trim until you are hitting 0 on the meter with each note.

Play the A string. Note if it is also at 0.

Play the D string and then G. I bet they are as low as -9 on the meter.

Now to fix it...

Either lower the bass side of your pickups or raise the treble side. Solo each pickup while you do this and adjust until the sound is even across the strings on each pickup.

I almost always have to lower the bass side.

 

[Murphbass]

Great response. Thanks!

 

[uglyrumor]

great answer, but if it is happening consistently on all your basses to some degree, I would EQ the higher frequencies a bit to see if you can compensate. Also check out placement of your amp in this room, if you are having the problem consistently in only this place. It could be that you are having a frequency range drop out due to reflections from the room.

 

[David1234]

I think it's possible that your theory about the sound guy's subwoofer balance is right. Or you might be EQing wrong yourself. It's well worth talking to the sound guy about it - I had this exact problem and demo'd it by walking down a scale with the sound guy listening ... and his eyes opened a little when I got down near his crossover frequency and the bass started booming. He's more careful now. Sound guys have a lot to think about and high notes on a bass isn't always top of their priority list!

Also, if you're choosing a mid scooped tone either at the bass, the amp or the desk, don't forget that when you play a high note on a bass, the lowest part of the note is mid range and is therefore scooped. This could explain why the P bass isn't cut down as badly - it might have more mids to start with. Boost mids (not treble) if you want your lost notes back!

 

[fokof]

A multiband compressor would do wonders in that case.
But they are expensive......