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How can I get That Deep, Smooth tone?

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danbass007

Jun 11, 2007
38
0
#1
Hey everybody,
MY main bass is a Geddy Lee jazz strung with DR marcus miller light strings. I love the low action/playablility and great rock tone. I am also playing in some groups that require a nice smoothe deeper tone than the tone I get with my jazz. Even with the tone rolled back and using the neck pickup it doest give me that girth that I need. This might be because of a few things.
1- The action is to low (i even raised it allittle to get rid of buzz but I dont want to raise it much more cause it plays so nice:bassist:)
2- the strings are to light/bright I realy like the way these strings feel and I get a great rock/funk/slap tone from them.. does anyone have experience with these strings?
3- Are maple frettboards brighter?
4-My amp, an old GK 400rb with GK 1x15 and yorkville 2x10. I boosted the lows and cut the highs and scooped the mids a little and get a great rock tone but again it lacks the massive lows that I like. BTW the amp seems to sound deep and great with most other basses.

So Does anyone have any suggestions? Don't get me wrong, I love the bass but maybe I need to get another bass for those other gigs. I was thinking about getting a P-bass and putting flats on it....

Sorry for the long post but any help is appreciatted

Rock on!:bassist::bassist::bassist::bassist:
 
#3
The paths to Deep, Smooth tone are many and can vary greatly...

That said, a stock Geddy with Marcus Miller strings is a recipe for brightness... If you truly like your setup as it is, there are still things that you can do to get closer to the desired tone without switching too much...

My Geddy got great lows with two changes: D'Addario Chromes and swapping the BAII for a stock bridge... Assuming you don't want to go that route, try both pickups full on, with the tone rolled down... Put a small piece of foam, (or a rolled up cloth), under the strings at the bridge to mute slightly... Be careful... Too much foam will not only deaden your strings, but can muff your intonation slightly. Fortunately, that's all corrected by removing the foam :D

Palm muting and plucking with your thumb does wonders for adding girth to your tone also... Lastly, as mentioned, look to your EQ.

I agree, the Geddy's a great bass! It can definitely do deep and smooth. I will have another at some point in the future... And if all else fails, get a P and put some flats on it!! :cool:

-robert
 
#6
You should be able to get what you want with what you have with maybe just a couple of changes.

First I would suggest adjusting your attack by moving your plucking fingers closer to, or right over the neck pickup. Moving them even closer to the neck will get a deeper sound

Changing strings may make a difference. Nickle wound strings have less bite and are a bit mellower sounding. Although John Paul Jones, I believe has the sound you are probably looking for and he used Rotosounds SS. I also believe a thicker gauge will help.

Here's something if you are looking for an excuse to by a new bass. ;) The difference between your bass and what JPJ used. The 1970's series jazz like your Gl jazz is where the bridge pickup is placed. JPJ had a bass made in the 60's and the bridge pickup was placed further from the bridge making it more mellow sounding. You could run out and get a Fender 62RI or maybe a Lakland J.O. :D

Oh yeah, these basses also had different wood combinations that help make it mellow sounding. The GL jazz is an ash body and a maple fretboard (bright) and JPJ was Alder body with a rosewood fretboard. (mellow)

All these changes are subtle made one by one, but do make a difference IMO.

Last thing. A jazz bass with active electronics will help get you there no matter what wood combination, strings, or pickup placement. Of course an ash/maple jazz will always sound brighter, with more punch than an alder/rosewood, but good active electronics makes it easier to cross over from one sound to the next. You can actually boost the lows where passive electronic can only "cut" the highs and keep the lows full open.
 
#7
hm.. definately switch to some nickel wounds (like Carvin strings, they're cheap, are light, and sound full)

I think the biggest thing you could do is cut back the high mids. I'm pretty sure that your GK has a high mid knob. Cut it waaay down, boost the low mids, don't kill the treble completely, or you'll just have mud.


I've got the same problem on my Carvin, it's a really bright, clear bass.

I was able to get that smooth tone when I played through an amp with a high-mid control.
 
#8
First I would suggest adjusting your attack by moving plucking fingers closer to, or right over the neck pickup. Moving them even closer to the neck will get a deeper sound
Click to expand...
+1. Before you spend any money, try the obvious. Its amazing how much you can vary your tone with your fingers.

In the Movie "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," they said Jamerson only used his index ("the hook") finger to play the bass. Showed a brief video clip of that.

I tried to play like that with my band next time we did a Motown tune. Amazing. I sounded very much like Jamerson's sound. And I was even using a Jazz bass instead of a P!
 
#9
danbass007 said:
So Does anyone have any suggestions? Don't get me wrong, I love the bass but maybe I need to get another bass for those other gigs. I was thinking about getting a P-bass and putting flats on it...
Click to expand...

Your instrument and your rig are an almost perfect recipe for bright and punchy - the Geddy Lee Jazz, the light-gauge steel strings, the GK rig, etc. etc.

Sounds like you've got an ideal rock set-up. So why mess with a good thing? If you can swing it, go ahead and pick up another bass. A Precision is one good option. There are many others that are at least as good.

You might want to look for or build a bass made with walnut and/or mahogany. Both can generate those nice deep, smooth tones. You might also find a neck-through better for this than a bolt-on. You choice of pickups could figure into it too. Some hi-fi humbuckers, such as Bartolinis, could be a good choice. And I second the suggestion re: active electronics, with the inclusion of an onboard preamp.

I've got a couple of four-string Carvins. The fretted has a maple neck-through and walnut body sides; the fretless has a walnut neck-through and walnut body sides. Each has an ebony board, and a pair of Carvin's J-99 single-coil pickups.

I spec'd out both of these to be bright, clear and punchy. What amazed me once I took delivery, is just how deep, smooth and hi-fi they each sound - something I never anticipated, but a delightful bonus... :cool:

MM
 
#11
Chunk-O-Funk said:
Changing strings may make a difference. Nickle wound strings have less bite and are a bit mellower sounding. Although John Paul Jones, I believe has the sound you are probably looking for and he used Rotosounds SS. I also believe a thicker gauge will help.

Here's something if you are looking for an excuse to by a new bass. ;) The difference between your bass and what JPJ used. The 1970's series jazz like your Gl jazz is where the bridge pickup is placed. JPJ had a bass made in the 60's and the bridge pickup was placed further from the bridge making it more mellow sounding. You could run out and get a Fender 62RI or maybe a Lakland J.O. :D

Oh yeah, these basses also had different wood combinations that help make it mellow sounding. The GL jazz is an ash body and a maple fretboard (bright) and JPJ was Alder body with a rosewood fretboard. (mellow)
Click to expand...

I think that JPJ actually used flats on his Jazz and rounds on his Alembics ... I might be wrong though. +1 to everything else
 
#13
Here's another vote for Chromes, and movement of the right hand. I am sometimes plucking at the 12th fret to get really round and fat! I use bridge only for fast, and both for slow. Then I fine tune the tone with my right hand placement.
 
#20
Recipe:

1- Precision Bass

1- Ampeg B15N

4- Flatwound Strings

Combine and play thoroughly. Reduce tone control at higher altitudes. :smug:

Seriously though, your GL model is nothing more than a J-Bass with a BadAss II. Switch to flats, turn down the tone a bit with both pickups on, and you are 90% there. Trim some "hair" of with the amp's EQ and your set.

Now, you just need to know what flats to buy. :rolleyes:
 

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