Fretless mwah and delayed bloom?

[darwin-bass]

I was listening to song a few days ago. I don't recall what it was but it was old school mellow pop from the 70's. Used and upright bass and the notes were blooming (delayed volume peak). I found it distracting as if the bassist was behind the beat.

Here's the question. Can you have a good fretless mwah sound without delayed bloom?

 

[TrevorG]

Personally I like that swelling sound and would rather use a compressor to control it than find a bass that doesn't do it. But that's just me.

 

[Element Zero]

Sure can. Check out pretty much any of Alain Caron's fretless work. Also, Tamas Barabas from Djabe has some of the best fretless tone I've heard on their Flow album.

 

[two fingers]

I find the notes "bloom" more the closer to the neck I pluck.

If I pluck over the bridge pickup (G&L L2000) I can still get mwah with less bloom.

 

[Gunga Din]

Try a lower action.

 

[RattleSnack]

Limited experience with fretless and DB, but I would say that scale as well as plucking position are factors. Long DB string tends to have that delayed mwah, so fretless bass guitar should fit you better in that way.

 

[Lo-E]

Good upright players anticipate the 'bloom' and time their attack accordingly. It's part of being proficient on the instrument. The same holds true for fretless, imo.

 

[ShadowGroover]

Flat fingerboard + low low action + round wound strings = glorious mwah, beautiful bloom.

Facilitating factors? Good intonation, using fleshy pad of finger in note placement, and being patient to hold the note still to allow bloom.

More? Bridge-centric quad coil pickups, enhanced mids, and slightly attenuated treble.

These are some common factors for my EBGs that bloom like spring flowers. Beautiful!

 

[micguy]

A compressor can squash the attack of a note, giving you that. Try playing without a compressor.

 

[Jogobass]

I find that the bloom really is interesting when combined with effects like autowah or synths that respond to changes in amplitude.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Seems like having mwah with a slightly delayed bloom is the whole point of fretless. It's like a natural wahwah.

 

[Dbassmon]

Mwah on a fretless is the result of a neck with very little bow... very straight and low action. You set up your bass accordingly. The mwah makes a fretless so very reminiscent of double bass, but if you want a different vibe, put a little bow in your neck and raise your action a little - mwah is gone.

 

[darwin-bass]

A compressor can squash the attack of a note, giving you that. Try playing without a compressor.

This is a good point. There is a chance what I heard was a compressor squashing the attack and then releasing. Maybe.

 

[darwin-bass]

Seems like having mwah with a slightly delayed bloom is the whole point of fretless. It's like a natural wahwah.

Well this is the root of the question. Is that delayed bloom the same as mwah? If one pronounces mwah, it sounds like delayed bloom so yes, I guess it is the same.

My fretless doesn't seem to do this much. It sounds very fretless on upper notes but lower notes sound like a bass. Especially in the mix. I'd say I'm getting the fretless tone but with with not a lot of emphasis on the time delayed shifting and growing of the note. There is some and I can get more by stopping notes lightly and plucking over the fingerboard.

 

[lowendblues]

Delayed Bloom. Never heard that term before.

That's what I love about Talkbass.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Well this is the root of the question. Is that delayed bloom the same as mwah? If one pronounces mwah, it sounds like delayed bloom so yes, I guess it is the same.

My fretless doesn't seem to do this much. It sounds very fretless on upper notes but lower notes sound like a bass. Especially in the mix. I'd say I'm getting the fretless tone but with with not a lot of emphasis on the time delayed shifting and growing of the note. There is some and I can get more by stopping notes lightly and plucking over the fingerboard.

My 5 string fretless did this with the upper notes too and not so much on the lower notes. I ended up lowering the nut so the strings just touch the edge of the fretboard, and now there is mwah from the low B on up. I've also done this on my 6 string fretless build and unplugged it sounds the same. I'll see how it sounds through the amp once I get the electronics soldered up. Low action seems to be the biggest contributor.

 

[darwin-bass]

Delayed Bloom. Never heard that term before.

That's what I love about Talkbass.

Some of us are late bloomers.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I was listening to song a few days ago. I don't recall what it was but it was old school mellow pop from the 70's. Used and upright bass and the notes were blooming (delayed volume peak). I found it distracting as if the bassist was behind the beat.

Here's the question. Can you have a good fretless mwah sound without delayed bloom?

The short answer is yes. But it highly dependent on how much bloom the music calls for, gear, and your technique.

I can't recall ever hearing a bass part with only mwah. That would either be really staccato, or really annoying LOL.

I think the best way to prevent what you are experiencing is to play with a more flat EQ. Or you can try to limit it by using compression.

 

[vvvmmm]

Oh, those blooming fretless mwahs ...

 

[JRA]

Can you have a good fretless mwah sound without delayed bloom?

i think so, although once you hear that sound it's hard to let it go, right?!

IME/IMO: a lot of that has to be setup + technique. i arrived at setups that give me some choice (amount of mwah, the nature of the bloom) depending on where and how i make/stop/pluck the note. i'd say it's an "average" setup for me --- not too low (but way low! ), straight neck (but maybe not perfectly straight), and some individual technique on any particular ax (all very similar setups, but different feels from ax to ax). i get more mwah and bloom stuff by playing with a softer touch, usually closer to, or over the fingerboard. but i'll wanna be able to dig in, too, so it's a compromise in the setup, e.g., "average."

TBH, i don't play fretless to make "mwah" sounds. it's fun sometimes (e.g., ballads, some solos), but the music i play doesn't require mwah or bloom, per se. i like to have that sound available, but i don't rely on it. i play fretless because it's the easiest bass instrument to play (for me) compared to DB, fretted EBs, tuba, and maybe even a synth. YMMV.