Do I need an equipment change?

[Rip Van Dan]

Started playing some RnB stuff, like from the 60's and 70's. I'm just not pleased with the sound I'm getting, and think maybe I should look in another direction. Here's what I have
Carvin SB5000
Peavey Minimega
Fearful 12/6/1 and sub
I'm not really looking to change cabs, but feel like a different amp or bass might help.
I should also say I'm a serious hobbyist, so wouldn't be interested in boutique stuff...more toward accessible off the shelf brands.
Feel free to tell me tone is in the fingers so it shouldn't matter! Save me some trouble and money
Thanks yall

If you really want that sound, you will probably have to change your cabs to at least a 212 cab. Better yet, get a 215 cab for all the golden, rich, old-school, wooliness of the 60's and 70's. I used a '66 Fender Bassman with a large 212 cabinet that I bought in 1966 when I started touring with a nightclub group in the early 70's and switched to a Standel with a 215 ported cabinet when the Fender couldn't keep up with the guitar and keys.

And yes, if you want that sound, you will need to either have a Fender Jazz or P-bass to get it. If you plan on using a pick, the Jazz is a better choice and instantly recognizable (anything Carol Kaye played on). [***NOTE - I screwed up on this. She primarily used a P-bass. I presumed she was using a Jazz because it sounded exactly like my 1965 Jazz bass did with a pick - regardless, she was using a P-Bass...dang!] In the 60's, the amps and cabs were primarily Fender and Sunn, both using 215 cabs. Acoustic amps really took over the concert scene in the early 70's with their folded horn 18" powered cabs. Big speakers were the norm then.

 

[jmbjandfam]

If you want to try a 5 string P, see if you can grab one of the Squier Vintage Modified Precision 5's before they are all gone...

I've owned (and sold) 3 of the Fender American Standard P V's and now have a Squier P 5 which I like every bit as much if not more than the others (which were great).....

 

[pbass6811]

I'd make sure the horn is off in the 12/6/1 and plug up any ports. I'm pretty sure cats in that era were using mainly sealed cabs...

And the foam mute.

 

[madbass6]

Started playing some RnB stuff, like from the 60's and 70's. I'm just not pleased with the sound I'm getting, and think maybe I should look in another direction. Here's what I have
Carvin SB5000
Peavey Minimega
Fearful 12/6/1 and sub
I'm not really looking to change cabs, but feel like a different amp or bass might help.
I should also say I'm a serious hobbyist, so wouldn't be interested in boutique stuff...more toward accessible off the shelf brands.
Feel free to tell me tone is in the fingers so it shouldn't matter! Save me some trouble and money
Thanks yall

markbass 210 combo!

 

[Treebeard]

You know I never considered fender amps...maybe I should. Since i read those cabs take power, I've always looked at 8-1k amps. I've been thinking of getting a P, but I need a 5 string. Wish I could play one.
I'm gonna research some fender amps

I love my fender 500w combo.

 

[And I]

definitely turn the tweeter off. i wouldn't block the ports but i would turn the bass knob down. flats might be nice. i haven't played through the peavey minimega, but i assume you have the bright switch off, and whatever the Kosmos thing is, that's off too?

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Started playing some RnB stuff, like from the 60's and 70's. I'm just not pleased with the sound I'm getting, and think maybe I should look in another direction. Here's what I have
Carvin SB5000
Peavey Minimega
Fearful 12/6/1 and sub
I'm not really looking to change cabs, but feel like a different amp or bass might help.
I should also say I'm a serious hobbyist, so wouldn't be interested in boutique stuff...more toward accessible off the shelf brands.
Feel free to tell me tone is in the fingers so it shouldn't matter! Save me some trouble and money
Thanks yall

How about strings?
Tone may start in the fingers, but the strings translate it to the pickups.

 

[40Hz]

You have a really nice rig and bass. But it's all what I'd call a "modern" or "full range" or "hifi" sounding gear. It's all clean and precise sounding.

The '60s and early '70s R&B vibe was old tube amps (usually cranked because the wattages were nowhere where they are today) going into ported or sealed 15 cabs. And many times those speakers were actually guitar speakers no matter what they were called by their manufacturers. You didn't start getting real "designed for electric bass" speakers (such as we take for granted today) until the very late '70s and early '80s.

Basses used were almost always PBs and JBs strung with flats. Onboard electronics were virtually unknown.

Amps had a volume, plus a treble, and bass or simple tone knob for the most part. And PAs just handled vocals. Instruments were exclusively handled by what we call a backline today. There was no "sound reinforcement" or FOH in any meaningful sense of the word anywhere except the largest venues.

So you're basically talking the sound of fairly primitive equipment with so-so specs, often pushed to the limit of their operating tolerances combined with simple passive instruments.

The reason it sounded so good was that the old R&B players used their ears, good musical taste, and playing technique to wring the best possible sound out of what they had to work with. Which would be considered junk by most bass players today.

I don't know what you'd need to do to get yourself into a similar musical frame. But the point I wanted to make is that it's not so much the equipment as it's the player when it comes to getting that sound. So I'd maybe try a set of flats, change your EQ to get a little closer to the sound of an old clunker tube amp, and stop trying to play so clean. Concentrate more on tone and groove and feel and see what happens.

Luck!

 

[flojob]

Great points y'all!
I have that tweet turned all the way down, and some of the highs backed off usually.
I think "too precise" is exact and accurate, and also the thoughts about that cab.
I broke down and ordered a P bass...which means I'll be selling this sb5000.
I move a lot, so 1 bass has to cover it due to room constraints, and it's another reason I want to keep that cab.
I thought of picking up a mesa head, but Sweetwater is out of them, and I haven't seen one local. Maybe a pedal is the easiest option then...the power section on that Minimega is great, just not the voice (that I can find, anyway).
But I'll start with a P bass, and see how much difference that makes. I had to go with a new am pro though...

 

[two fingers]

Been thinking that too. I had a 75 p that I hated the neck on, so I'm a little gun shy about the p neck. The new ones have the neck as 63 C, and I can't find exactly what that means. Folks say that the profile is thicker. Can't find a 5 string P pro to try locally.

Try buying a used Fender P 5 here. Almost all of my great comes from the TB community....including a 5 string P bass. You can save some money and deal with great humans.

 

[flojob]

Try buying a used Fender P 5 here. Almost all of my great comes from the TB community....including a 5 string P bass. You can save some money and deal with great humans.

Agreed, but I couldn't find one for the right price. I'm leery of the new neck shape on the 1 I ordered...Ive never played a '63 anything, so not sure what '63 C feels like haha another reason to order one from a place with a good return policy.

 

[Kro]

You could just get a pedal for those sounds. Maybe something like a Tech21 Blonde.

My tonal goals are a bit different than yours, but as another user of a "hi-fi" amp and cab setup, a pre-amp pedal of your choosing seems to be the logical place to look IMO.