How do I make my bass sound like this?

[b4nny]

right. no way they're rounds. they're not totally dead flats, but they're flats that have been played in.

I think they're clearly roundwound strings. Listen to the slide thing at the very end of the first clip, you can hear the shimmering finger squeak sound which is impossible on flatwounds. They're roundwound but they're not terribly bright.

 

[JimmyM]

I think they're clearly roundwound strings. Listen to the slide thing at the very end of the first clip, you can hear the shimmering finger squeak sound which is impossible on flatwounds.

i don't know about that. roto flats aren't especially smooth and could work up a good squeak. it's possible you may be right, though the attack doesn't sound like what i'm used to out of dead rounds. anyway, the guy got what he wanted so it's moot now

 

[Eli J]

The squeak is a good point, but the Rotos are not completely flat, and I can make them squeak a bit. And I have not found any way to make the pick attack sound like that on any kind of rounds. It's possible that they are something else similar to Rotos that are in the territory between standard flats and rounds, but the sound of the pick attack I'm getting with the Rotos is amazingly close, even without any compression or involved EQ. I would still be curious to know the exact setup in the clip, but I don't think it would make me change anything at this point because I love the sound I'm getting from these strings.

 

[bottomend!]

Picked roundwounds through a pre amp with a load of compression. Not a P-bass with a hundred miles of these clips either...

 

[Eli J]

Interesting that there are so many opinions. Maybe there is more than one way to get a sound similar to this. The only things that haven't been challenged yet are that this 1. is a bass, 2. picked, 3. compressed, and 4. played through a B-15.

I honestly have a tough time recognizing basses just from the sound. It makes me feel better that no one can agree whether or not this is a P-bass.