Getting some grrrrrrrind from a Mustang with flats?

[markxander]

Possible?

My go-to bass (and the only one I bring to rehearsals) for my current indie rock/occasionally new wave-ish band is a Mustang. I have the Nordstrand NM-4 in it (which is awesome) and I keep it set up with flats (just switched the GHS Precision flats from Chromes). As you could imagine, it sounds fat as hell.

I know this is as difficult a starting point as it gets, but sometimes I really want a grindy high output jazz bridge pickup overdrive kind of sound. Aggressive high mids I guess? I know the obvious answer is to get a bass with a bridge pickup, which I'm considering, but I want to just try out another overdrive with more control over the top end first to see if it gets me close enough.

I love my bass, I'm just having a hard time getting close to this sound--99% of the time, I want it to sound exactly like it does now, I'd just like to add one more option. Right now I'm using a Pork Loin for low gain stuff, which sounds great, but it can be a little dull-sounding with the flats. I use an Acoustic B600H head and an Ampeg SVT 810-AV cab, but for rehearsals I'm using a Fender Rumble 1x15 combo that's already at the studio.

 

[AmpedSilence]

May I recommend the Tronographic Rusty Box? really great pedal that does an excellent job of producing nice gritty tones and prominent mid range growl! I also use a Pork Loin and these two pedals together are great, you get the best of both ends of the tonal spectrum!

 

[markxander]

Definitely have my eye out fr one of those. My brother had one for a little while and sold it, wish I had grabbed it from him.

Any other mustang owners out there getting some nice grindy attack fuzzy overdrive?

 

[walterw]

i think of "grind" as not being about bridge pickups so much as strings and signal chain. (my P-bass is all kinds of grindy).

as that 'stang is naturally fat and "rubbery" sounding, you may wanna try going back to rounds, or at least a compromise string like half-rounds or groundwounds. you can always roll the tone knob down to get back in flatwound territory, but there's no "roundwounds" knob to turn up.

 

[ccpbass]

Do you mostly play finger style? If so try using a pick. A pick will give your flats more attack in the upper mids which will help breath new life into your OD pedals/ preamp.

 

[AmpedSilence]

Do you mostly play finger style? If so try using a pick. A pick will give your flats more attack in the upper mids which will help breath new life into your OD pedals/ preamp.

^ this, and try paying it closer to the bridge

 

[markxander]

75% of the time I'm playing with a pick and have had some success picking closer to the bridge--but I don't want to do it all the time, because I occasionally get some soreness from playing there and try not to mess around with that stuff

I think I'm going to go pick up a set of round wounds tomorrow and see if that helps--I'm also going to open up my Pork Loin and see if I have any room to bump up the presence and filter trim pots for some more bite

 

[ttasselm]

I have a Mustang with flats, as well.

A basic Tubescreamer with a pick usually does the trick for me when I want some grind. I find that it accents the upper mids quite nicely and gets fairly close to that nasally jazz bridge tone. As someone mentioned, picking closer to the bridge helps a lot.