Help me get that bubbly tone!

[PotsdamBass8]

This is a video I made with my PJ Mustang a couple years ago, mostly the J pickup. I do this the bridge pickup makes a big difference once you’re already playing with the right technique. FYI these were labella LTFs so rounds would’ve had more bite.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yLMNQp7ZUgxqbmgC7

I don’t have that bass anymore, but my short scale Maruszczyk jazz 5 has no problem bringing the burp.

 

[andare]

Tone is almost all in the gear.
You need a Jazz bass and you need to pluck above the bridge pickup. In the Jaco video you can hear the tone change when he switches plucking positions.

Joe has the most standard Jazz bass tone. Let's call it the Jazz burpy and nasal tone.
His playing is what sets him apart.
Both pickups on, tone up, old rounds and play above the bridge pickup. His Jazz is an MIM with Seymour Duncans and a Badass bridge. I doubt those make a difference.
Of course later he switched to his Music Mans with flats and his tone changed completely and now with the Joe Dart II with rounds (probably) he sounds like a Jazz again because it's a Jazz bass.

Jaco to me sounds like he only had the bridge pickup on. Same tone but thinner.

 

[nanbanpapa]

• Long scale bass
• Bridge pickup
• Roundwound stainless steel strings
• The tone knob rolled off (or almost entirely)
  
• If you want to play with EQ, bump the mids, especially around 350-500 Hz. The rest adjust to taste.

 

[DeepHz]

The answer is in the Jaco video. Jazz bass.... and watch his right hand as he alternates between neck and bridge pick up. Amazing. Personally, I think you're driving the wrong car in this race. As stated earlier, the mustang may try to come close but.......

 

[Mikey F]

3:44 in. Bridge pick up, ghost notes, and fingerstyle near the bridge.

 

[Ekulati]

I need to better understand what you mean by "bubbly tone." I'm kinda scratching my head trying to figure out what Joe Dart and Jaco Pastorius have in common....

I'm guessing what most of us here call "burp" instead.

OP you can get close by, yes bridge pickup 80-100%, roll off all highs, and pick HARD with fingers close to the bridge. It helps if you have big strong thick fingers. Which I don't.

 

[Al Rivera]

I think it mostly technique, your trying to sound like some of best bass players,and I don't think you can buy the tone. These guys have phenomenal control of each note through mute and plucking techniques.
Try a jazz bass and lots of practice.

 

[andare]

I think it mostly technique, your trying to sound like some of best bass players,and I don't think you can buy the tone. These guys have phenomenal control of each note through mute and plucking techniques.
Try a jazz bass and lots of practice.

We're discussing tone, not the playing or the technique. No technique can make a Mustang sound like a Jazz.
The playing and technique can be reproduced on any bass.

 

[jimmydean]

Maybe Zoom can add it in their next bass pedal ........God , I so wish they would . In the mean time , try that " snappy " pluck technique all the hipsters are going for these days .........sorry , I really don't know .

 

[Scott Lynch]

How are you defining low mids vs high mids? There is a lot of nuance in these frequency ranges depending on what your desired goals are. If thinking broadly in those terms isn't helping, try to get more specific, like thinking in Hz.

If you have a semi-parametric mid control, try boosting at different 200 Hz intervals from 200 Hz up to 2 kHz, or at least as far as you can go, to get an idea of what they sound like. I suspect that boosting somewhere in the vicinity of 800 Hz will get you closer to what you're looking for.

 

[Ewo]

+1 to the comments, above, that you need a bass with a bridge pickup.

As for the compressor, try the reverse of what you said you were using. Set the attack slow and the release fast.

 

[Pacman]

Guys, chill with the bubble pictures. OP was trying to describe tone, let's not clog this up with useless fluff.

 

[mambo4]

If you have a semi-parametric mid control, try boosting at different 200 Hz intervals from 200 Hz up to 2 kHz, or at least as far as you can go, to get an idea of what they sound like.

This is the best way to identify scientifically what frequencies will deliver your desired tone.
If you don't have the hardware, You could use a free DAW like audacity to drop a notch filter on a recording of your bass, sweep the frequency center from 200hz-1K. I'd agree that the burp fart comes from around 500-100 hz

 

[Thumpin6string]

Yeah, close. Here’s is Jaco playing The Chicken. This is almost exactly the sound I’m trying to duplicate. FWIW, I have round wounds. Any chance, given I have only the Mustang split pickup?

I don't get what is bubbly about that tone. To me, it is what a bridge pickup sounds like. So, if you don't have a bridge pickup, you probably won't get very close IMHO.

 

[darwin-bass]

Tone is almost all in the gear.

Thank you for saying this! It is a refreshing balance against the usual "tone is in the fingers" message so prevalent on TB. I say the funk/groove/color is in the fingers but basic tone is from the gear. I mean, Leo even put a knob for it on his basses.

OP - You can't with your current bass. As said you need a pickup in the bridge position, preferably single coil.

 

[primusfan1989]

Any chance, given I have only the Mustang split pickup?

Not really, the tone you seek is the bridge pickup on a jazz bass, without a bridge pickup on the bass your are playing you will struggle to get your instrument to sound like Jaco/Dart

 

[6-3-2]

Thank you for saying this! It is a refreshing balance against the usual "tone is in the fingers" message so prevalent on TB. I say the funk/groove/color is in the fingers but basic tone is from the gear. I mean, Leo even put a knob for it on his basses.

I noticed in the TB polls that something like 55% of people here tend towards more traditional tones/playing (see the effects poll). That leaves a massive 45% that leans towards more modern sounds and playing. There's things to learn from both sides, but I just stick to less traditional side of TB and get inspired.

All that said, gear IS essential. A Warwick Dolphin isn't gonna sound like a P with flats and a Hofner isn't gonna be a slap machine. And that's fine. Different painters use different brushes too.

 

[Altitude]

Yeah, close. Here’s is Jaco playing The Chicken. This is almost exactly the sound I’m trying to duplicate. FWIW, I have round wounds. Any chance, given I have only the Mustang split pickup?

Jaco got that sound using a Jazz bass, using the back pickup and plucking above it, roundwound strings, tone rolled off about 40%, and by being Jaco.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I’ve read a lot of posts/comments here and else where how to get that bubbly tone (think Joe Dart, Jaco). I’ve seen everything from compression, to boosting low mids, to use a bridge pickup with 50-80% neck blended in, to use flatwounds, to it’s all in the technique, to even using a mute. Everyone seems to have their own thoughts on this one.

I can get any tone I want out of my rig, except THIS ONE! I typically go for a deep thump Jamerson tone, but certain songs I feel like this would fit better. Given my gear below, any suggestions? I’ve already boosted low mids, rolled off the high mids a bit. Bass is cut a tad and treble is flat. I’ve tried plucking from the bridge to the neck. I’ve also tried tone from full on to full off. My compressor is setup for a quick attack (2ms) and a slow release. What’s the “secret sauce” I’m missing here? I’m feeling it’s a bridge pickup? I’m looking at picking up an American Performer Mustang soon. Is that going to solve my problem?

Bridge pickup only, pluck toward the bridge as well. Don't scoop the EQ. Cut tone knob to taste. That's pretty much it.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

This is one of the (rare) occasions where a gear change might actually be necessary.

Jazz bass with plenty of bridge pickup and a severe mid bump has usually gotten me here, the plucking towards the bridge as well. Might want to just mirror what Jaco had? Squier made (makes?) a VM fretless jazz that looks similar to his. IIRC Jaco used rounds, but pairing that with the EQ bump and bridge plucking should get you there or close enough.

I struggle to think of a better excuse to buy a new bass