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Help greenday bass amp settings

#21
Mushroo has an EXCELLENT post. Please read it three times, maybe four times. He is right on the dot.

Secondly, there is no such thing as "Green Day Settings" for a bass amp/bass guitar/gear in general. Your playing techniques, pedals, basses and so on are all different and one person's awesome tone is garbage to another.

Lastly, save your money and use the bass you have. Save up for a MUCH louder and nicer amp/speaker. Don't be afraid to buy used as most of us here would attest this is the best way to get more for your money. If you are unsure of what to buy, post findings from craigslist on this forum and we will help you choose the best/most usable item for you.
 
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#24
Like others have said, You will never be able to replicate his sound. You could grab his bass and plug into his rig and still not sound like him. You can get close, but never exact.

A good P-Bass, played with a pick, and a decent clean amp will go a long way in getting that vibe. That's been the basis of that "vintage punk" sound for a while.
 
#26
Mike has said that he used a PJ bass to record dookie. My PJ played with a pick gets his tone in spades.

My advice would be to save up, find a Fender you like that has Precision and Jazz pickups. And then get a decent amp like a Rumble 200 or 500.
 
#27
Timmyjb89 said:
Ok so a standard spuire p bass and a 30 watt fender bass amp will do the trick for me? Can you please specify (if you can) what setting on the amp i should have the knobs on? Bass,trebel etc....thanks guys.
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Use roundwound strings...doesn't matter what kind...whatever brand you prefer.

Mike Dirnt uses a Super Bassman head and cab rig which have much more power than your 30 watt.

The Squier P you have will do fine. You will need a different amp if you can afford it. 100W should do it...or even a 40 or 75W amp can do the job.

Bass: 7
Low Mid: 8
High Mid: 7
Treble: 6

Dirnt's tone is a lot of grit and clarity. I can hear his bass amidst all the heavy guitar and drums. You want the bass to be there, but you also want the mids to be able to make the bass heard a lot better. You don't need that much treble otherwise you'll sound like a weird version of John Entwistle.

Oh and a heavy duty pick. You need that pick sound to get started on that Dirnt tone.
 
#28
Timmyjb89 said:
Ohh wait theyre strings right?
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Stainless steel strings that die quickly. You won't like them unless you're willing to change strings every two weeks.

Timmyjb89 said:
Ok so a fender super bassman! Got it :) will all the knobs and switches etc be the same on all wattages on this model fender amp? Thankyou.
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Yes. Good luck buying the Super Bassman unless you're filthy rich, though. The closest you can get without being in eternal debt is probably a Rumble 40 or 100.

I have the Rumble 40 and it gets pretty darn close to MD's sound for me.
 
#30
Timmyjb89 said:
Ok will do :)
I just Googled rumble bass heads and there is no numbers on the knobs...that may get confusing for me haha.
Should i just have all the knobs at 12 o'clock? And push the vintage button?
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The vintage button will give you a slight boost in the low end, but don't rely on it too much.

As for the knobs, you will feel a slight bump when you center the knobs. That's the "12 o' clock" position, or flat position.

Move them to the right, that's obviously increase. Move to the left, it's decrease. If it is any help, my settings are:

Bass: 2 o'clock
Low Mid: Halfway between 2 o'clock- 3 o'clock
High Mid: 12
Treble: 11

This is on a Rumble 40. I can emulate his tone pretty well.

My bass is also a Fender Precision Bass with DR Lo-Rider nickel roundwound strings and a vintage reissue '63 pickup.
 
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#32
As already mentioned, stainless steel round wound strings will get you most of the way there on a P bass or a Jazz bass (with neck pickup solo'ed); with the tone knob all the way up (bright). Use a pick and medium-heavy right hand attack to get some added brightness coming off your frets. You shouldn't have any issues getting that tone with a Fender Rumble combo by bumping up the mids and treble a little bit.

Edit: Looks like he uses these: "All of Dirnt’s basses, as well as his ’69 P-Bass (“Stella”) and ’71 P-Bass (“the Weapon”), are strung with Fender Super 7250 roundwounds gauged .045–.105." - Holy Trinity: Mike Dirnt and Green Day

You may consider nickel-coated stainless steel round wound strings as a close alternative. They will stay brighter longer than uncoated steel strings, which is an important part of Mike's tone. Otherwise, you will need to replace your strings often to retain that sound.
 
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#33
Are you good at playing bass? Not trying to sound mean at all. You just sound new to it. If you're new to it then you might have difficulty with the technique side of sounding like Mike Dirnt. His equipment is only half the battle. His picking technique and the settings on his bass itself probably make up 90% of his tone. I say watch videos of his hands working and bump the tone up on a P bass with bright round wounds. No need to get too technical with equipment. As some have stated, the problem with EQ settings is that they can sound very different with different basses, speakers, amps, and even rooms. Listen with your ears, not your eyes.
 
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#34
To my ears his EQ is set pretty flat only with a slight upper mids boost, and a light overdrive for a bit of high end grit. The pick attack has a lot to do with his sound as well. It's not hard to cop a tone very similar to his, replicating his style is a different story.
 
#35
Timmyjb89 said:
Hi guys,im new to this.
Im trying to get the same bass tone as mike dirnt from greenday.
I dont own any gear at the moment but i did have a mike dirnt signature squire p bass and some cheap low end bass amp...i did attempt the settings with this equipment but the amp was only 15 watt so i didnt have a whole lot to work with.i was told the correct settings were bass full,presence full,tone and trebel full and the same deal with the knobs on the bass.....it sounded quite horrible...it was all tone and no bass.
Anyway i am looking to purchase near gear..im tossing up between anither p bass or a jazz? And maybe a 30 watt fender bass amp.
Will i be able to get a if not exact tone but very similar with this size amp? If so what should i have the settings at? I want that bassy,staticy and springy sound that mike dirnt has...is this possible? Cheers guys :)
Click to expand...

Omg, okay imma try to help you out. I understand the appeal of trying to sound like your idol, for me it was geddy lee, les claypool and timmy commerford, but i have found over the years that it is often better to get gear that can emulate the tone of your idol and give you diversity to also find your tone. A dirnt p will be a start, but since it has no tone control that is limiting. I suggest getting a g&l tribute sb-2. Now, when it comes to amp heads quality is better than anything else. 15 watts, 30 watts and so forth are completely a waste of money unless you are playing alone in your bedroom. Get an Ampeg SVT ll (non-pro), Fender Super Bassman300T or a tech21 dUg1000 head add a Bergantino CN212 cabinet and get another matching cab later if you want to or if you feel that you need it. Never max everything, set your amp flat and then adjust slightly from there. Roundwound strings played with a pick is going to get you close, but no matter what you are never going to sound like your idol, you are going to sound like you (and if you practice enough maybe someone will try to sound like you)! Anyway, save up, buy good gear and play lots. Have fun! Cheers.
 
#37
kosmicwizard said:
Omg, okay imma try to help you out. I understand the appeal of trying to sound like your idol, for me it was geddy lee, les claypool and timmy commerford, but i have found over the years that it is often better to get gear that can emulate the tone of your idol and give you diversity to also find your tone. A dirnt p will be a start, but since it has no tone control that is limiting. I suggest getting a g&l tribute sb-2. Now, when it comes to amp heads quality is better than anything else. 15 watts, 30 watts and so forth are completely a waste of money unless you are playing alone in your bedroom. Get an Ampeg SVT ll (non-pro), Fender Super Bassman300T or a tech21 dUg1000 head add a Bergantino CN212 cabinet and get another matching cab later if you want to or if you feel that you need it. Never max everything, set your amp flat and then adjust slightly from there. Roundwound strings played with a pick is going to get you close, but no matter what you are never going to sound like your idol, you are going to sound like you (and if you practice enough maybe someone will try to sound like you)! Anyway, save up, buy good gear and play lots. Have fun! Cheers.
Click to expand...

Okay first of all the bolded parts:

Not sure if you're referring to the Mark Hoppus Bass but the Mike Dirnt bass does have the standard Precision Bass controls. It has a volume and tone knob.

Secondly, he said he plays at home so a super head and cab won't be a good usage of his money unless he plans to join a band. Even then, I think the amps you suggested are overkill for a beginner.
 
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#40
P bass (or a Jazz if that's your fave) & a Rumble V3 40w or if you can swing it, a 100w
Unless you're gigging big venues in the next year or so forget the Super Bassman or SVTII
The Rumble 40 or 100 have great sounds and are light n easy to shift about.
If you're thinking of playing with other ppl - perhaps a drummer even - within a year or so. .. try and get the Rumble V3 100 or better still- the Rumble V3 200.
One thing I'm eternally grateful for was my ol' man buying me a good sized amp when I was starting out (not that there was much choice back then) as that amp, altho heavy and big, lasted me for 10 years and lotsa gigs.
All the suggestions re "o'clock" settings are handy too.
Practice practice and enjoy!
 
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