• 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 get a HUGE bass sound?

#105
bdplaid said:
Mesa D800+
Mesa 115, either 1 or two of them, or Mesa 212
Diamond Comp, Hypergravity Comp, Boss OC5, TCE Flanger.
Other various and sundry pedals.

The sounds I get from this rig are stellar, but I'm looking for huge when the guitarist drops out to take a solo. I have a few things going on, But I want to see what you guys do.
Click to expand...
You have some options here:

A) Use your OC-5. You can activate the octave up settings and play the bass line like normal.
B) Buy a distortion pedal and keep it on. That will provide you with more overtones coming from your bass. This is what I do for my bass tracks. I recommend the Aguilar Agro - my favorite distortion pedal.
C) Buy a chorus pedal if you want a cleaner sound.
D) Play power chords like Lemmy. I do this on bass thanks to Lemmy's influence.
E) Buy an 8 string bass for a natural octave up effect.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: bdplaid
#106
Rip Van Dan said:
Here, I'm running an '82 Jazz Bass (all Jazz Basses were MIA and passive in '82) into my Eden WT500/800 (800-watts bridged into 8Ω) and feeding that signal into my 8Ω, DNS-410 (handles 1400-watts rms) by DNA. Since we were playing outdoors, I normally would set my master at 9:30, but since I had to place my amp 5-feet behind the stage and a foot below it, I had set the master at 10:30, which was way too loud. Next song turned it down to 10 o'clock. That was still too loud, even with my amp sitting on the asphalt behind and a foot down from the stage. For the next song I turned it down to 9:30 to balance with the rest of the group and I played the rest of the gig with it set at 9:30 on my master.

I've pointed out in the image below where my amp was playing from:
View attachment 7028539

Here's what that sounded like from the brewpub owner's iPhone recording as he moved around: I have my master set at 10 o'clock here and it was definitely too loud.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's too loud but hey I do love the bass! That said, probably one of the best rock and roll rigs I ever owned was a Mesa Boogie Big Block paired with a Mesa Engineering 4X10. I play solely for church now and I prefer an old Montrose Eden rig. To me, they just produce the best overall sound for a bass. Plenty of fat, clear seat rattling lows and crystal clear highs that cut through any mix with ease. However, finding a good tech that knows the old rigs can be a bit trying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rip Van Dan
#108
markbass68 said:
I don't think it's too loud but hey I do love the bass! That said, probably one of the best rock and roll rigs I ever owned was a Mesa Boogie Big Block paired with a Mesa Engineering 4X10. I play solely for church now and I prefer an old Montrose Eden rig. To me, they just produce the best overall sound for a bass. Plenty of fat, clear seat rattling lows and crystal clear highs that cut through any mix with ease. However, finding a good tech that knows the old rigs can be a bit trying.
Click to expand...
I liked it too, but even with it sitting on the asphalt of the parking lot behind the stage it did pretty well bury everyone on that recording.

I'm right there with you on the Eden gear, just great sound! I'm using an Eden WT500/800 (WT500 upgraded to 800-watts bridged). That amp I'm using I bought directly from David Nordschow himself (aka: David Eden) when he left Eden to start DNA. It was the amp he had on his test bench for designing all the Eden cabs from 1999 until he left in 2009. It sounds great with both his Eden cabs and his DNA cabs.
 
#109
markbass68 said:
I don't think it's too loud but hey I do love the bass! That said, probably one of the best rock and roll rigs I ever owned was a Mesa Boogie Big Block paired with a Mesa Engineering 4X10. I play solely for church now and I prefer an old Montrose Eden rig. To me, they just produce the best overall sound for a bass. Plenty of fat, clear seat rattling lows and crystal clear highs that cut through any mix with ease. However, finding a good tech that knows the old rigs can be a bit trying.
Click to expand...
I can refer you to one in the Seattle area if that helps. They are pretty spendy, though they do really good work.
 
#110
i play fingerstyle, dime my pickups, turn treble down and volume up. i use no drive or distortion and i play either 2 strings or chords to fatten up what's happening. or an octaver can help you split into your notes (clean) and even lower notes.
 
#111
Tube preamp on the verge of breakup -> subtle polyphonic 1 octave up blended with "clean" signal -> faux bi-amping setup, using a Boss LS-2 or similar, blending parallel "clean" signal with a guitar amp-in-a-box pedal, set to deliver a medium overdrive -> subtle reverb ->

->>

Either:

-> Bass preamp with cab sim -> HPF -> tube preamp/DI on the verge of breakup -> solid state poweramp -> FRFR PA speaker with 15" woofer + 1.7" tweeter, with great low end response, and crossover around 2kHz or so

Or

-> tube preamp on the verge of breakup -> HPF -> solid state amp -> 1 or 2 X15" cab

Or

-> HPF -> Tube amp -> 1 or 2 X15" cab


That is how I do it.


Also boost bass then cut the lower end of the curve with a HPF.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: bdplaid
#113
This

IMG_0162.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: bdplaid
#115
bdplaid said:
Mesa D800+
Mesa 115, either 1 or two of them, or Mesa 212
Diamond Comp, Hypergravity Comp, Boss OC5, TCE Flanger.
Other various and sundry pedals.

The sounds I get from this rig are stellar, but I'm looking for huge when the guitarist drops out to take a solo. I have a few things going on, But I want to see what you guys do.
Click to expand...
Not plugging it, but my OE DCX can liven and broaden your sound and has a variable drive control. Great match to my Mesa D-350.

Its controls are really well tapered. It will color, but the more saturated the input, the less color I hear. I have it late in the chain set to cut since it's great at absorbing gain.

Speaking of saturation, for up front saturation I use a boost (Broughton SBM) into a couple of transformers. Not 100% set on the SBM itself, but it's a nice counterpart to the DCX.
 
#117
Wood and Wire said:
Interesting...


I'm completely at odds with everyone else here :

Other than some overdrive / distortion, I don't think a huge bass sound has anything at all to do with the equipment you use.

I think it's entirely about the notes you play - the number of notes played, the way you play them, their attack, their duration, and most importantly their contextual relationship to the rest of the music.

Huge sound comes from use of space, use of sustain, simplicity over complexity, controlled aggression, contrast, groove, mastery of envelope, and a good set of ears.
Click to expand...
Some of it's what and how. Cobalt flats do sound 'bigger' than most strings, though. Some compression and some overdrive help. And good frequency choice on EQ. You don't want to be cutting through with some thin, nasal sound to be almost solo in the mix all of a sudden...

Depending on context, playing further up the neck and kicking in an octave pedal may also work.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back