getting solo sound & volume on a Precision

[Paul New]

My Ampeg Venture head preamp can boost the signal with a footswitch. I think some other heads are similar. That’s an expensive somution unless you’re looking for a new head.

 

[JazznFunk]

Open up the tone when you solo for more clarity, and ask everyone else to quiet down.

 

[climber]

Side question: Why did this Custom Shop need a PLEK job? That seems odd to me.....?

I bet that Bass Bone could be perfect to help jump out of the mix. I play bass in a jamband & often I use a Phase 90 (speed around 10 o'clock) to jump out of the mix.... I also use plenty of fuzz & dirt, but a lil EQ pedal could also do the job just as well.

it was used, about 10 years old. frets didn't look all that worn, but no matter what I did I couldn't get it to play the way I wanted. above the octave it fretted out. no matter what I did with the truss rod I couldn't make it play right. so I took it down to TJ Thompson in Maynard MA (a 3 hour ride form here) and he took care of it. it plays great now. he did my FauxDera Yin/Yang about 4 years ago and that's a great bass now. you can hear it on my YT channel. TJ is a true master!

I will try the BassBone with my 80's TC Chorus. that will likely do the job. thnX...

 

[DWBass]

Open up the tone when you solo for more clarity, and ask everyone else to quiet down.

This. Again, I'm not a fan of turning UP. Changing tone during a solo is different. Adding a chorus or other effects is cool. Played with a guitar player who, during a solo, would turn up to ear bleeding levels and I just didn't understand it. He could clearly be heard without the need to turn up.

 

[darwin-bass]

Call me odd, but I don't think bass solos sound good when the level is boosted. It creates a distracting discontinuity in the song's mix. This isn't lead electric guitar. The solos are not the peak of energy for the song. The band should get quieter to highlight the bass.

If you do use boost, I'd try to use as little as you can. I'd probably pick a low cost transparent boost pedal (TC Spark Mini, perhaps).

 

[Federighi]

Few ways to go about this. Playing with a lighter touch will create a dynamic between light and heavy. If you feel you need more volume, set your levels during sound neck so that there's available headroom if you need to turn vol/tone up (your bandmates should be very aware of this fact and also be sensitive to the moment). And if you think a pedal will be an easier method, volume or boost would be my advice to experiment with.

 

[Greg Novick]

If you like the sound of your bass with the settings a certain way I wouldn't necessarily change it in order to solo.
Here is how I look at it and you can take it for what it's worth..... or not. I won't be offended.
I think every bass wants something from you as a player - not the other way around.
I could definitely expand on that but to get to the point of your question what I would do is:
1. Make sure the action is high enough to give the most dynamic range.
2. Set the amp volume to where you would want it to be for the loudest part of your set including solos. Any adjustments downward can come from adjusting your touch or attenuating the volume of your bass if needed.
3. Play what the bass and the moment wants. Soloing on a P bass with flats is going to be different from say a six string with round wounds for example. Enjoy it!
4. Try to play with cats who are dynamic and in the moment. Sometimes you don't get to have that. Sometimes the room is working against you - sometimes the soundman. In that case it's not you or the bass.

 

[JazznFunk]

This. Again, I'm not a fan of turning UP. Changing tone during a solo is different. Adding a chorus or other effects is cool. Played with a guitar player who, during a solo, would turn up to ear bleeding levels and I just didn't understand it. He could clearly be heard without the need to turn up.

Yep. Even on my multi-pickup, active basses, I won't change my volume in any drastic fashion for a solo. What I might do is pan back to the bridge a little more and/or dial in a touch of treble to give more presence overall. I expect everyone else to come down for a solo, just as the rest of us would drop down dynamically at the start of someone else's solo to build/support.

 

[Jazzdogg]

I can't tell for certain, but it appears it was used - in that case, necks do move (especially the first few years), and of course, there might be wear if it was played a bunch. It would be criminal if a decent bass wasn't played a bunch, right?

I build my own basses. All my necks are roasted maple for the main part. Some have rosewood fretboards; a few have roasted maple fretboards. On the ones with rosewood boards, I wait a couple years - until the thing has been through a couple of winters, to do a fret level - that way the thing is pretty stable, and one fret level should be good for a good long while. On the ones with roasted maple throughout, I do a fret level when they're new - the thing is stable out of the gate, so a good fret level should be good for a good long while there.

Of course, some folks just feel better about playing a bass once a fret level has been done, and when the word "Plek" is attached to a fret level, some folks feel even better, for whatever reason.

Do you roast your neck blanks before you shape them?

 

[micguy]

Do you roast your neck blanks before you shape them?

I don’t, but Warmoth does. The whole point of roasted wood (you do this with any heat treatment of wood) is to relieve the stresses, and then make a neck.

 

[jeffb28451]

Second the xotic EP.

 

[SmokesLL]

mxr micro amp plus set to a mid boost and a ton of gain in the fx loop!

I also throw on a mxr phase 90 for a specific solo. set to around 1. Warble warble

 

[Welshbass66]

I hate taking a solo!! However, when it's demanded I kick in either my TC Spark or my Spectracomp and dig in harder! My 2 "P" basses are 5 string Yamaha BBs, and, in reality, they are a great starting point....the additional flexibility of the PJ configuration and the fact that they actually sound nicer than any Fender P I've owned ( but I've never had a CS Pino signature).

 

[climber]

can anyone point to any good video of someone who plays a P bass and solos a bunch? I'd like to hear/see what they are doing.

 

[lowplaces]

can anyone point to any good video of someone who plays a P bass and solos a bunch? I'd like to hear/see what they are doing.

 

[climber]

that's totally great, thanks. and of course Willie is amazing. that said it's his feature so he comes out and is full-on from the beginning. I watched some Tony Franklin stuff, but it's mostly places where he's featured or it's a full on solo piece. I'll have to look around for something where the bass player is playing ensemble, and then he gets a solo.

 

[Yahboy]

in 60 years of playing bass I've never owned a Precision. since I love both Jamerson and Pino I decided to buy a Custom Shop Pino signature bass. I got a decent deal on Reverb and overall the bass is pretty nice and it really does have THAT sound. I just had the neck PLEKed and it plays great. I did 5 tracks for someone last week and both the producer and artist were really happy with how the tone sits in the mix. I've played it in the two bands I regularly play with and the guys are very complimentary.

so this is of course a passive bass. in fact it's the only passive one of 4 basses that I own! in both of the bands I play regularly with, one is mine, I take a lot of solos. normally I have my bass volume back about 1/3 from the max for normal ensemble, turn up for my solos and when I'm done I turn back down. I can't do this with the Pino because the tone changes a lot when the volume is lower! listening to several interviews with Pino about his tone he said that he turns the bass volume all the way up and the tone all the way back. setting it like that it really does sound great, but Pino doesn't do that much soloing with the P. I tried turning up the tone, but it sounds pretty crappy like that.

so I guess I'm wondering what the solution is? what do folks do who play P basses and solo a lot? is the answer to use a pedal. I own a bunch of pedals, and even a pedal board, but I gave up using it about 8 years ago. I found it to be a hassle... maybe using a compressor to boost the sound, or a volume pedal? what are your thoughts? does anyone know some players who play P bass and solo a lot?

just for context, here's a video of my band where I'm playing behind everyone, then take a solo, then step back behind the guitar solo...



thnX

Nice playing and nice bass face !!

 

[climber]

double thnX Yahboy. even after all the years I can't help looking like that. maybe that's why I never "made it"... LOL

 

[H Nighttrain]

I expect everyone else to come down for a solo, just as the rest of us would drop down dynamically at the start of someone else's solo to build/support.

I often start a solo with a light touch and/or sparse notes - that tends to get the rest of the group to naturally drop down.

 

[JazznFunk]

I often start a solo with a light touch and/or sparse notes - that tends to get the rest of the group to naturally drop down.

Dynamics are everyone's responsibility for sure. It requires listening. Sometimes people still don't get it.