Help! Not getting much MWAH out a Yamaha BB5000AF

[Michael-F]

Help! After searching for several months I finally found and bought a Yamaha BB5000AF online from Sam Ash. I was SO excited. I had never played one but heard many recordings of a BB5000AF and absolutely loved the sound.

I did not know before buying it (and the Sam Ash store probably did not know either) that the previous owner replaced the Yamaha preamp with an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp. I would have preferred the original Yamaha preamp but I own and love other Aguilar equipment.

i don’t know if it’s the Aguilar preamp, the flat round strings, my tone settings on the Aguilar preamp - or something else I am doing wrong - but it doesn’t have that beautiful fretless growl and mwah sound I have heard in recordings.

If I do a glissando up or down to a note on the D or G string it sounds like a fretless but not if I simply hit a whole note (without a gliss). I’ve heard that fretless mwah on countless BB5000AF recordings of simple whole notes - so what I am doing wrong?

I’m thinking about returning it to the store if I can’t figure it out so any thoughts or suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[HaphAsSard]

the flat round strings

Which flatwounds exactly?* I don't know about other variables you're considering as culprits, but using flats (especially of the more traditional, dark-sounding type) alone - possibly combined with an overly high action - is bound to have a tremendous impact on the amount of mwah.



* [If the strings were installed by the previous owner, or at the store, in order to zero in on make and model we're gonna need to know

- colour of the ball-ends and, if they're not silver or bronze, exact colour code from bass to treble string

- colour of silks at the bridge, if there

- colour of silks at the headstock, again if at all present

- do silks at the headstocks start at the same distance from the nut, or are they staggered?
(by all means take pictures of the two areas if you don't feel like typing all the above)

(optional but useful: )
- if you can measure the low E from ball-end to start of headstock silk - or taper, if there's no silk there - it would be cool

- if you have a caliper handy, please go ahead and measure the gauges.]

 

[GretschWretch]

Also check neck relief. Too much bow is not the friend of mwah.

 

[ctmullins]

• Nut slots cut low; close to the fingerboard
• Neck very close to flat
• Bridge saddles adjusted low
• Roundwound or compression-wound strings
• Experiment with plucking closer to the bridge

 

[wavemaker]

Also "fret" the strings with the fleshy pads of your fingers, not the bony part of your digits.

(I’m not a native speaker, which just might shine through in this instance.)

 

[michael_t]

i don’t know if it’s the Aguilar preamp, the flat round strings, my tone settings on the Aguilar preamp - or something else I am doing wrong - but it doesn’t have that beautiful fretless growl and mwah sound I have heard in recordings...

You probably need roundwound strings for MWAH. Something like DR Sunbeams (Nickel-plated steel roundwound on a round core), which are popular among fretless players.

 

[Danny O Danny]

+1 on what's already been said, but for max mwah I would add:
*Try GHS Pressurewounds, light gauge (L7200, 40-96) - they won't tear up the fretboard like rounds potentially might, but they do a much better job than flats. Roundwounds (I like DR Sunbeams or TI Jazz Rounds) will give you max mwah but are harder on fretboards (especially rosewood).
*I prefer ebony or coated fretboards for getting max mwah. I don't know what the Yamaha has. But, on the other hand, Pino got good mwah out of a rosewood fretboard on his fretless Stingray (he also used Rotosound roundwounds and had to replace the fretboard periodically).
*Get the action as low and neck as flat as you can get it.
*Use the bridge pickup only.
*Crank up the midrange.
*Experiment with position of plucking hand. Usually holding it over the top of the fretboard (where it meets the body), or possibly as far back as over the (turned off) neck pickups will maximize the mwah. Play over the bridge pickup when you want the staccato Jaco sound (but less mwah).
*Pluck the strings softly with a rolling motion using the pad of the finger, rather than a striking motion.
*With the left hand, use plenty of sideways vibrato (like a cellist, not vertically like a guitarist).

That's what works for me.

Mark Egan exemplifies these techniques:



The late great bass teacher Jim Stirrett explains a bit about it:


Another good explanation:

 

[Stylee Mousse]

If I do a glissando up or down to a note on the D or G string it sounds like a fretless but not if I simply hit a whole note (without a gliss).

Tons of good advice re setup and technique here. I’ll add that you should be able to play a fretless without it mwahhing all over town if you chose to. I definitely practice that too.

 

[michael_t]

Try GHS Pressurewounds, light gauge (L7200, 40-96) - they won't tear up the fretboard like rounds potentially might, but they do a much better job than flats...

 

[sawzalot]

Put on some new rounds and make sure the action is comfortable, and you should start hearing some mwah.

 

[Ggaa]

DR Fatbeams sound great on my Ibby fretless. IME round cores mwah a little easier than hex.

 

[micguy]

There are scads of people that will teach you the secret of the precise technique needed to get mwah out of a bass. I took another round - my fretless has round wound strings and an ebonol fingerboard. I don't think there's a technique you can use and NOT get mwah with my fretless. It oozes mwah - no special technique required. People on here that say they can get a fretted sound out of a fretless instrument don't play a fretless like mine.

The bass we're talking about has a wood board (I presume, not sure about that), and flat wounds. That's a great recipe if you don't like mwah. If you do, though, you need a hard board (ebonol, ebonite, or epoxy coated) and rounds.

 

[poochiecheeks]

I second the suggestions of nut height, straight neck, and using the pads of your fingers especially right at the edge of the fingerboard

 

[Thumpin6string]

On my fretless, I use rounds, my nut is cut down to the finger board, little to no relief and action as low as possible. I also pluck on the finger board. Mwah for days.

 

[Roland GR 88]

If you’re the adventurous type try a set of LaBella white copper tapes. I have them on a cheap MTD fretless and mwah is all you get.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

My bass has ebanol/rounds but I play hard so the action is low/moderate. It will mwah on demand. Or not

Funny enough I see a lot of similarity between my plucking/fingering to the way Tony Franklin plays (but not as good!)

 

[arbiterusa]

No flats. No pressurewounds. Do what Jaco (and I) did and get you some Rotosounds on that bass. It will howl like a wolf.

Don’t worry about the fingerboard either. It will do fine.

 

[2thAche]

Nothing to do with the preamp and everything to do with the neck and fingerboard. If a good setup doesn't help, TBH just look for another bass. IMO fretless more than fretted some basses have the sound, some don't. Find one that has it.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Help! After searching for several months I finally found and bought a Yamaha BB5000AF online from Sam Ash. I was SO excited. I had never played one but heard many recordings of a BB5000AF and absolutely loved the sound.

I did not know before buying it (and the Sam Ash store probably did not know either) that the previous owner replaced the Yamaha preamp with an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp. I would have preferred the original Yamaha preamp but I own and love other Aguilar equipment.

i don’t know if it’s the Aguilar preamp, the flat round strings, my tone settings on the Aguilar preamp - or something else I am doing wrong - but it doesn’t have that beautiful fretless growl and mwah sound I have heard in recordings.

If I do a glissando up or down to a note on the D or G string it sounds like a fretless but not if I simply hit a whole note (without a gliss). I’ve heard that fretless mwah on countless BB5000AF recordings of simple whole notes - so what I am doing wrong?

I’m thinking about returning it to the store if I can’t figure it out so any thoughts or suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thanks!!

Before returning, crank the bridge pickup, Treble flat, add some mids, and pick closer to the bridge. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

 

[Lava]

Get a set of roundwounds