Double Bass Double Bass Sound Description

[Rick Tackett]

I'm not new to bass playing. I learned on a Kalamazoo and a Danelectro in the 60s, but I've played upright for only a couple of years. I'm not a sophisticated sound engineer although I can run a decent board. Here's my question: In rock or rockabilly recordings, or even live sound of an upright bass in any setting I can hear a deep, hollow echo, or resonance (thump?) like a large kettle drum. I can't seem to be able to come up with a word for it. My problem is that I don't hear it in my own live playing or recordings of me. I currently have a fairly inexpensive, no-name bass. I have the same K&K pickup wedged in the bridge as many other players (no slap pickup), and I use a Gallien Krueger 700 410+115 stack or a 500 112 compact (no preamp), with absolutely no effects gear and fairly expensive Helicore, medium tension, orchestral, stranded-steel-core strings. It also has a Realist pickup with the copper pad sitting under one side of the bridge leg that I don't much like. It's more anemic than the K&K and I never use it, but it don't seem to affect the sound just because it's there. I don't know what to call this sound effect, so I have a hard time explaining it. Is it common to use an effects pedal to create such a sound, or is there some elusive, mysterious amp setting that I need to try? Or is it just my cheap Chinese bass? Thanks for the help.

 

[turf3]

Well, I am no expert but I would sugget the first thing to do, is to get the sound you're looking for on the unamplified bass, then amplify it. If the sound you're looking for doesn't exist without amplification, it's going to be hard to amplify what isn't there.

 

[Lee Moses]

Very few bassists seek to create the ideal double bass sound via amplification. You just hope the amplification doesn't ruin your sound.

Your issue is likely strings, bass, or technique. See if you can get together with a more experienced bassist and see if he can produce the sound you're looking for, then see if he can produce it on your bass, then see if you can produce it on his. Via process of elimination, you ought to be able to identify the problem area pretty quickly.

 

[AGCurry]

In rock or rockabilly recordings, or even live sound of an upright bass in any setting I can hear a deep, hollow echo, or resonance (thump?) like a large kettle drum.... fairly expensive Helicore, medium tension, orchestral, stranded-steel-core strings.

I suspect that "thump" is indeed the word you seek. Thump is what generally differentiates the double bass from other types of basses (bass guitar and tuba). A percussive aspect.

Percussive sounds are by nature created by hitting or plucking. The double bass requires a substantial physical effort. If you are plucking the strings with a bass-guitar technique, you will not get thump. Although different strings - and to a lesser extent, a different bass - may make a difference, I suspect that your right hand holds the key to unlocking the thump. Thousands of hours of playing may make it appear that the bassist is not working hard, but he is actually applying a goodly amount of force.

But don't hurt yourself.

 

[Pat Harris]

If you're referencing early rock or rockabilly, the physical approach and setup to and of the instrument matters.

Acoustically, you'll want to get some synthetic gut strings and raise the string height. There are a ton of YouTube videos that explain upright slapping better than I can type it out. You want to get the "boom" and the "click" of the instrument. You'll want a very defined start and end to each note with very little sustain.

For amplification, go small to start before busting out the big stack. To my ears, the rockabilly sound really doesn't have much midrange content in it, so cut some mids on the amp/preamp, if needed. Do NOT boost anything to start-- that's a good way to get feedback happening.

The specific technique that I think you're after is really the starting place, though. Getting it to happen acoustically is primary, and then reproducing it through amplification is secondary. Amplifying acoustic instruments involves far more than putting a pickup on the instrument and turning on an amplifier, and is an art/technique unto itself, IMO.

 

[John Le Guyader]

Well...I'll bite...After over 40 yrs of being an electric bass player, a couple of years ago I began and continue my transition to upright. I'm lucky enough financially to have a laminate and carved upright, both different animals sonically and mechanically. I have lots of preamp/amp/speaker options. I'm also lucky enough to play in an acoustic duo, initially on fretless, and now on upright. I know the basics of upkeep for my uprights and basic knowledge on strings. I know only a little in my short couple yrs. on upright. If you haven't had any upright lessons please do yourself a favor and take some lessons from an experienced bassist. Playing arco is hard! Hook up with a local upright player or two and have a gear get together to talk and try gear. Hearing oneself on stage playing electric bass has always been a challenge, I cant imagine the ability to hear and play amped in a rock band with upright yet. Playing upright amplified I'm always cutting frequencies for EQ, never boost., and playing with an amplified acoustic guitarist I don't need much amplification. I use a 1x10 as a cab. Looking to get a 1x8. Maybe there is a nugget in this for you.

Oh, and practice, often, something I don't do enough by a long shot...

 

[Who da Ville]

(thump?) like a large kettle drum...My problem is that I don't hear it in my own live playing or recordings of me.

I can only speak of my own experience. When I first started playing my old Romanian flatback (cheap D'Addario steel strings), it almost seemed like the only sound that came for the E and A strings was a thump. To my ear, the thump overpowered the actual note I was trying to play. This was with no lessons, and maybe 2- 3 years of playing bass guitar.

At the time I was often scouring the TalkBass archives looking for tips and pointers. (Bass lessons aren't available near my home.) All I found was discussions of how to get 'more thump' not less.

After a few years of practice and play, the thump is still there, but now it's behind the note, instead of in front of it. After a few months I changed to Spirocore strings, so that may have had an impact too.

So my experience is the opposite of yours. This makes me suspect that, for whatever reason, my bass is inherently more 'thumpier' than yours.

FWIW...

PS. You can probably find a new, bottom-of-the-line Shen for around $1500. I played one of these as a practice bass for a while, & it had plenty of thump (Corelli strings if I remember correctly). If divided into proper-size parts, your Chinese POS probably would make pretty good kindling.