How to get a throaty sound, not boomy?

[jamesf]

I heard an Ibanez at a bar band show and it sounded fantastic. Clean, throaty low end growl that cut through everything in the room. I've been looking for this sound for years, I just didn't know it. The sound is the same on their recording, so I don't think it was the MarkBass gear, but maybe; I don't know how they recorded.

I have a Japanese P bass with Fender "Original '62" passives, a Squier fretless Jazz with Aguilar passives, and an upright with a Full Circle pickup. All 3 produce a similar sound through the Traynor SB112- a nice sound, but no throaty big cat growl. If I turn it up, it gets very boomy and physically painful, but I'm in a small room with not much sound damping.

I've googled it a bunch and come up with nothing definitive except I need actives. But then I heard a passive bass with solid low end here , and lost it.

I'd really appreciate some clue here, and no answer is too basic. I'm a seasoned player and was satisfied with my sound until I heard this. I attached a pic of the bass, it isn't great but might help identify the model.

thanks,
jim

 

[marqueemoon]

I play a MIJ passive P. I use a JFET boost pushing a Barber Tone Press parallel compressor. If I need more dirt I add a Darkglass Vintage Microtubes.

It definitely helps in the growl department that I'm using a GK 400RB, but the clean boost into compressor do most of the work. I've played shows with numerous backline and borrowed amps with my bass and baby pedalboard with good results.

 

[JIO]

Boy, that's a hard one because there are so many moving parts to get that result. Generally though, it's the bass, the rig and the player; the bass has multiple things that can lead to "that tone" (strings, nut, wood, bridge, pu's set-up, active/passive), the amp (driver size and number, tube or Fet - or both, wattage, cab dimensions/specs) and of course you, and how you articulate. I'd go to a music store with as many different basses and amps as possible and spend time playing them all to see if you can produce the sound your after. You may or may not find it and that will lead you to investigate what you need.

 

[Reedt2000]

The bass looks like a SR500

Invalid Link Removed

 

[catcauphonic]

Rics

Stingrays

Many Spectors

Some amps

Plenty of pedal options too!

(Of course all those depend on what else you might have in your signal chain)

 

[Resonance129]

I'm certainly no expert, but I feel like there are a lot of factors to consider, here - Your amp and its EQ settings, the room/acoustics, how fresh your strings are, pickup arrangement and placement on the bass body, etc. I've found Actives and Passives require completely different EQ'ing technique, but either can sound amazing once dialed in.

All things considered, I'd think the amp/EQ settings and the room acoustics would be where to focus. And since those variables can range greatly, it's more a matter of you adjusting your gear to the environment you're playing in.

Don't know if that was helpful at all lol. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Gothic]

This is an SR500 and comes with bart MK1's, with the mk1 3-band preamp. At least so it was on my 506, way back when. They're not exactly know for being "wow" pickups but they can get a good sound. My guess is, if you can't get growl from a p or a J and you just get "boomy", something's happening with you EQ. I say cut the bass on your amp way down, have the mids a tad past noon and treble flat (12 o'clock). Then go from there, adjusting the bass to your liking.

Other than that, it could be a number of things that factor into this, as said above. Strings, pedals, amp, cab choice and, perhaps most importantly, that band's mix. Sometimes, the secret to a good bass sound is how the rest of the band is set up.
So yeah. I say start simple and fiddle with your EQ, but with a full band. Trying it solo will net you results that probably won't work in a full band mix the same way.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

HPF for the win!
Fishheadjoe

 

[MattZilla]

Did you soup erc ail if raj illiest ick ecks pee ail eh doh shiss ask the bar band bassist about his strings, pickups, and eq?

HPF will do a lot, but you were there and we weren't.

 

[Ric5]

Get a bass eq pedal and use that to shape the sound …

Throaty usually means you are cutting some of the lower frequencies and boosting mids or hi-mids

 

[BOOG]

Pickup brand/configuration
String choice
Amp choice
Amp settings
Cab choice
Pedals
Competing frequencies (other instruments)
So many factors...

 

[Epitaph04]

Just boost the mids.

 

[Element Zero]

Boosting a bit of Mids around 400 kHz and 800 kHz and a humbucker in the J bridge area works for me.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I'm perplexed as to how a SR500 could sound like that myself, because I have tried many of them & the old MK1 Bartolini's do not fit the description, neither do the new BH2 that they're putting in the SR500E.
I suppose it is possible with the right amp & the right blend between the bridge & neck pickup, mostly bridge.

 

[pappabass]

Easy, play something other than a p bass. Yes, I own a beautiful black on black p bass. After strings, bridge, pickups, pots, 3 different amps, it is still muddy. I have been experimenting with a sterling ray 4 I recently bought new. I restrung it with Ernie ball regular slinkys adjusted the pick up position like others have recommended,. It is starting to sound right ! It is probly the sound you are looking for.

 

[Hounddog409]

I heard an Ibanez at a bar band show and it sounded fantastic. Clean, throaty low end growl that cut through everything in the room. I've been looking for this sound for years, I just didn't know it. The sound is the same on their recording, so I don't think it was the MarkBass gear, but maybe; I don't know how they recorded.

I have a Japanese P bass with Fender "Original '62" passives, a Squier fretless Jazz with Aguilar passives, and an upright with a Full Circle pickup. All 3 produce a similar sound through the Traynor SB112- a nice sound, but no throaty big cat growl. If I turn it up, it gets very boomy and physically painful, but I'm in a small room with not much sound damping.

I've googled it a bunch and come up with nothing definitive except I need actives. But then I heard a passive bass with solid low end here , and lost it.

I'd really appreciate some clue here, and no answer is too basic. I'm a seasoned player and was satisfied with my sound until I heard this. I attached a pic of the bass, it isn't great but might help identify the model.

thanks,
jim

Walk over to your amp. Turn down bass. Turn up mids.

 

[Gothic]

Now that I think about it, if by "boomy" you mean overwhelming low-lows, I kinda had the same problem with the humbucker in my jazz. A .22 cap in series with that pickup solved it. 2 minute soldering job.

 

[lat]

Not sure about which PUs would help with growl, but my GK 1001RBII's boost knob adds a nice growl. I would say roundwounds to add extra harmonics, but again, not sure which ones would be better than another round...

EDIT: Hadn't occurred to me about cutting bass and boosting hi-mids, but that makes sense!

 

[Phalex]

Band pass filter. Low end is cool, but too much low end is muddy and confusing.

 

[rd2rk]

This post should be in Bass Humor.

OP: Here's a picture of a bass player. How do I get THAT sound?

14 people try to explain how to get (or not get) the sound in the picture.

No offense to anybody, but I want to know what the picture TASTES like........