That is a good solution if that is your primary tone preference on the J. Works great, +1
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help fatten my tone
- Thread starter old dr dave
- Start date
That is a good solution if that is your primary tone preference on the J. Works great, +1
this isnt about j vs p. i cant stand it when TBers totally derail the OP. the "horn off" comment is a great start, but dont assume the OP cant control his tone using HIS OWN amp. assuming the OP is dumb dont fly w/ me anyway.
I hesitate to even interact with you given your history on this site, but the 12 cab he owns does not have a tweeter (that is what the NT means), and some versions of the Powerhouse 15 are one way cabs also. So, we need more information. Also, a tweeter up or down has no impact at all on the performance of the woofer, so that is most likely not valid solution, even if he does have a single tweeter in the Powerhouse.... which we do not know
There is no reason that bass can't sound fantastic through that rig. The tone stack of the TH500 is complex, and many TBers have had a bit of trouble dialing it in at the start, since the manual is pretty sparse.
It is ALWAYS good to make sure the OP is aware of some of the quirks of certain pieces of gear prior to recommending dollars being spent.
The various discussions about favoring the neck pickup on J for more lower midrange output might actually be a helpful suggestion.
That all being said, please don't blow up this thread.
Listen to another good Bass player playing through you gear.....
That is also a good suggestion... removing technique issues from the equation if knob turning doesn't get you there.
I hesitate to even interact with you given your history on this site, but the 12 cab he owns does not have a tweeter (that is what the NT means), and some versions of the Powerhouse 15 are one way cabs also. So, we need more information. Also, a tweeter up or down has no impact at all on the performance of the woofer, so that is most likely not valid solution, even if he does have a single tweeter in the Powerhouse.... which we do not know
There is no reason that bass can't sound fantastic through that rig. The tone stack of the TH500 is complex, and many TBers have had a bit of trouble dialing it in at the start, since the manual is pretty sparse.
It is ALWAYS good to make sure the OP is aware of some of the quirks of certain pieces of gear prior to recommending dollars being spent.
The various discussions about favoring the neck pickup on J for more lower midrange output might actually be a helpful suggestion.
That all being said, please don't blow up this thread.
Come on KJ,
The history you refer to is that of one of the more entertaining TB'ers that I have ever come across.
And thick skin and a killer sense of humor.
His history is great in my book.
I have been hand-building effects for almost 15 years, and when ppl ask for "fat", it usually means they want MORE, so i suggest a pedal designed just for extra "fat". ime, nobody wants to be told how to operate their amp. its like a back seat driver.
(PS I never asked for 35+ pages on my threads so, whatever. I wont blow this thread up. offering my experience and opinion like y'all)
I was leaning more to the "I can't really hear my tone like everyone else does with my hands playing my Bass" point of view, for me, when I play my Bass I feel it differently, not really a "technique issue"... sometimes, in my Band" with the keys loud (that's pretty relative... sigh) I can't hear my amp all that well 'cause I'm too close... but when I'm playing, anytime, the sound is overwhelmed by the fact that [I'm Playing], hands on. My stuff ALWAYS sounds different when someone else is playing it and I'm in a listening position.....
That is one way to look at it. Again, no harm/no foul. +1. That being said, let's try to solve the OP's issue and eliminate some stuff (without a lot of assumptions) prior to getting goofy and/or having him buy a pedal
The TH500 is one of the most inherently 'fat' amps on the market.
Well, here's the thing. I have looked up his gear. All I am telling you is that many bass players with a great deal of experience would be able to get a "fat" "full" "rich" "thick" "thunderous" "boomy" "thuddy" huge tone from that setup. Our point is that he shouldn't have to buy ANYTHING NEW to get a fat tone. So, we were trying to help him use WHAT HE HAS to attain his goals. I don't think any of the posts from this angle hinted in any way that the OP is stupid.
Lighten up sugar boobies.
to OP:
Rig-- what are the ohms on your mixed cab setup --- if they are both 8 OK.. BUT if the Aggie is a 4 ohm cab not only are you in danger of smoking your amp, WAY more wattage is getting unloaded into the lower impedance cab.
http://speakerimpedance.co.uk/
Total Impedance = 2.6666666666667 Ω (UH OH!!
)
Speaker A Power (4Ω = 333.33333333333 Watts
Speaker B Power (8Ω = 166.66666666667 Watts
when you say "top end" do you mean the hi freq component of the notes being played on a given string, or do you mean that the (d,g) strings sound "weak and thin"......
if you mean the latter (D/G strings) a WEE bit of compression goes a LOOONG ways...
ALSO note that your setup (too low,(playing too hard and choking off the note) not enough relief (string vibration being turned into fret buzz) pickup height (too far= Weak signal--- too close and magnetic field choking the string- try lowering the bass string side...).. playing too close to the bridge...
Also Fat does NOT mean "crank the Bass Knob"
Try a flat EQ and dial back the treb/high mids first as a rule of thumb Boosting frequencies leads to a "hyped" artificial sound.... (No Scooped mids-- LOW mids=Phat)
Bedroom tone SELDOM equates to Live tone... Start flat and SUBTRACT high end while playing at volume...
DO NOT be afraid of rolling off that tone knob on the bass----
What else do you have in your signal chain? Try straight into the amp. Wireless? cheap ones share a lot of components and characteristics of Radio Shack Walkie Talkies.
Rig-- what are the ohms on your mixed cab setup --- if they are both 8 OK.. BUT if the Aggie is a 4 ohm cab not only are you in danger of smoking your amp, WAY more wattage is getting unloaded into the lower impedance cab.
http://speakerimpedance.co.uk/
Total Impedance = 2.6666666666667 Ω (UH OH!!
)Speaker A Power (4Ω
= 333.33333333333 WattsSpeaker B Power (8Ω
= 166.66666666667 Wattswhen you say "top end" do you mean the hi freq component of the notes being played on a given string, or do you mean that the (d,g) strings sound "weak and thin"......
if you mean the latter (D/G strings) a WEE bit of compression goes a LOOONG ways...
ALSO note that your setup (too low,(playing too hard and choking off the note) not enough relief (string vibration being turned into fret buzz) pickup height (too far= Weak signal--- too close and magnetic field choking the string- try lowering the bass string side...).. playing too close to the bridge...
Also Fat does NOT mean "crank the Bass Knob"
Try a flat EQ and dial back the treb/high mids first as a rule of thumb Boosting frequencies leads to a "hyped" artificial sound.... (No Scooped mids-- LOW mids=Phat)
Bedroom tone SELDOM equates to Live tone... Start flat and SUBTRACT high end while playing at volume...
DO NOT be afraid of rolling off that tone knob on the bass----
What else do you have in your signal chain? Try straight into the amp. Wireless? cheap ones share a lot of components and characteristics of Radio Shack Walkie Talkies.
Still need some clarity from the OP. Just about everyone is ASSUMING the OP is wanting fatter low end but he says "but the topend sounds thin to me" which could mean most of what has been suggested would make the problem worse.
Carry on.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,041
- 45,884
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Thanks to all respondents you have many valid suggestions. I think I just need to experiment more and you've provided quite a lot for me to work with. Thanks again.
