SVT- Fender P/J flatwounds: Nothing wild and depending on the room. I start with knobs at 12, switches normal and go from there.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How do you EQ your P bass
- Thread starter tubatodd
- Start date
I try to get the tone as flat as possible, maybe a bit on the bassy/midrangy side. PV63 are still new to me but seem to need less EQ to play nice.
On the bass I usually have tone turned up full. I have 2 channels out of my DI. Both are flat EQ. I let the sound guy EQ for the room, and I EQ my amp on stage so I can hear it and not make it too boomy on stage. I play in a band with acoustic guitars, so I usually have the low mids boosted, treble and bass both cut. It varies depending on the room.
The bottom one is a very good bedroom setting. The top is what I use when gigging. It’s provide more clarity on stage. I have a PJ, and both volumes and tone controls are full open. A couple of other considerations, my cabs are very well tuned, 90% of the time I’m working with FOH support. My rig is my personal monitor, and don’t want to create a lot of low frequencies that will give our sound engineers a headache.
All my P basses have flats and the tone control disabled.
Assuming no problems with the venue I keep the amp flat (iAMP 500 with flat button on) into 2 EA wizzy cabs.
So my EQ is basically the cabs. I only use the amp EQ to correct for problems.
Assuming no problems with the venue I keep the amp flat (iAMP 500 with flat button on) into 2 EA wizzy cabs.
So my EQ is basically the cabs. I only use the amp EQ to correct for problems.
With a pick, and roundwound strings: bass tone knob wide open, boosts around 100–200hz and 1–2khz, narrow cut around 300–400hz, boom and hiss controlled as necessary on the amplifier. Punch, juice, and grit
Identical here. 100 hz. 1k, dip at like 300 just a bit. Pick and Rotos.
B-100R for AV '58 P-Bass
Bass: 7–10
Low Mid: 7–8
High Mid: 5
Treble: 0
Master volume: always on 10
Gain: as low as possible, but as high as needed
B-100R for AV '64 J-Bass
Bass: 10
Low Mid: 8–10
High Mid: 3–4
Treble: 0
Master volume: always on 10
Gain: as low as possible, but as high as needed (but always higher than the P)
Neck pickup only most of the time.
PF-800 for AV '58 P-Bass
Bass: 5–6
Mid: band 2 selected (450 Hz), 6–8
Treble: 0–2
Master volume: 5
Gain: 3-5
Never beyond 5 master and 4 gain, unless I am using my 800 W cab. The P will easily toast the 400 W speaker cab if not careful. And if I need to run my gain at 4 to get volume, I use the lower end of the listed range for bass and mid.
PF-800 for AV '64 J-Bass
Bass: 6–7
Mid: band 1 selected (220 Hz), 7–8
Treble: 0
Master: 6-7
Gain: 5–7
Neck pickup only most of the time.
The J hits the amp more softly than the P, so I can (and, in fact, need to) crank the amp a bit more.
LaBella .110–.052 flats on both. All onboard controls on 10.
Bass: 7–10
Low Mid: 7–8
High Mid: 5
Treble: 0
Master volume: always on 10
Gain: as low as possible, but as high as needed
B-100R for AV '64 J-Bass
Bass: 10
Low Mid: 8–10
High Mid: 3–4
Treble: 0
Master volume: always on 10
Gain: as low as possible, but as high as needed (but always higher than the P)
Neck pickup only most of the time.
PF-800 for AV '58 P-Bass
Bass: 5–6
Mid: band 2 selected (450 Hz), 6–8
Treble: 0–2
Master volume: 5
Gain: 3-5
Never beyond 5 master and 4 gain, unless I am using my 800 W cab. The P will easily toast the 400 W speaker cab if not careful. And if I need to run my gain at 4 to get volume, I use the lower end of the listed range for bass and mid.
PF-800 for AV '64 J-Bass
Bass: 6–7
Mid: band 1 selected (220 Hz), 7–8
Treble: 0
Master: 6-7
Gain: 5–7
Neck pickup only most of the time.
The J hits the amp more softly than the P, so I can (and, in fact, need to) crank the amp a bit more.
LaBella .110–.052 flats on both. All onboard controls on 10.
Last edited:
Depends on the amp, depends on the room, depends on the genre I'm doing. Whatever it takes to make it sound good.
Volume cranked, tone down below halfway depending on the room (if there's a FOH: tone up), frown on the graphic EQ, compressor to taste, noise gate on.
I set it with the knobs. I turn them until I like it. Hope this helps.
Yep...apply the EQ settings according to the room and need.
I use settings in my home differently than another room...its simple really imo.
I use settings in my home differently than another room...its simple really imo.
The most important thing is to understand how your gear works and how to use it to get the right balance in any given situation. What you start with as a default setting may change over time, sometimes more than once at a gig depending on conditions. Be flexible enough to adjust.
Depends on the song and the venue.
My P currently has medium gauge Chromes and a S. Duncan "SPB-4" pickup.
The tone button rolls depending on song/genre, but is most often somewhere between 25%-75% on - Rarely wide open or completely off.
Amp-wise (GK MB500):
Treb - 2 o'clock
H Mid - 12 o'clock
L Mid - 2 o'clock
Bass - 12 o'clock
Contour @ 1/4
Tends to make things a little zingy, yet massive sounding, which can be great for heavier genres.
Even with mellower stuff, a twist of the tone knob calms the highs but leaves enough room to hear the frets just a bit. And things get even beefier.
My favorite characteristic of the P is how they can just naturally sound MASSIVE, filling a room, engulfing the whole venue, almost as if you're floating in the sound itself (lol).
OR,
they can cut through the venue like a beam of concentrated sound that you can't ignore. More like the stick of a corn dog, less like the base of a statue.
Not sure I described that well, but those are the examples that come to me in the moment lol.
My P currently has medium gauge Chromes and a S. Duncan "SPB-4" pickup.
The tone button rolls depending on song/genre, but is most often somewhere between 25%-75% on - Rarely wide open or completely off.
Amp-wise (GK MB500):
Treb - 2 o'clock
H Mid - 12 o'clock
L Mid - 2 o'clock
Bass - 12 o'clock
Contour @ 1/4
Tends to make things a little zingy, yet massive sounding, which can be great for heavier genres.
Even with mellower stuff, a twist of the tone knob calms the highs but leaves enough room to hear the frets just a bit. And things get even beefier.
My favorite characteristic of the P is how they can just naturally sound MASSIVE, filling a room, engulfing the whole venue, almost as if you're floating in the sound itself (lol).
OR,
they can cut through the venue like a beam of concentrated sound that you can't ignore. More like the stick of a corn dog, less like the base of a statue.
Not sure I described that well, but those are the examples that come to me in the moment lol.
- Jul 7, 2010
- 3,383
- 2,311
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist for: Duncan Pickups; Line6, Hipshot, GHS Strings, Somnium Guitars
+8 on Bass, -2 on Mids, +8 on treble as a start. I actually have gone through a lot of pickups to actually get the tones i enjoy using. So saying that, I START with those settings and then adjust accordingly form there if using a different amp or if guitarist uses certain different guitars that effect the overall sound of the songs.
I run mine with both tone and volume controls full up / wide open, and been running it that way since I first got it in the 80's! I've often said that I could very easily do away with both controls, and simply replace them with an On/Off switch! ;-)
