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How to get growl from my bass?

K

Kylemcgregor96

Aug 8, 2012
26
1
Glasgow
#1
I own a fender Mark hoppus P-Bass and i want some growl from my bass which i can't seem to find, i own an ashdown five fifteen mini stack 2x10" and i've tried every EQ..

Is there any pedals or strings i can buy? Maybe it's just the strings i got with the bass.

I'd love the famous p bass growl
 
#4
Agree. I have an old German Warwick and the 'growl' can be changed by just changing the strings. My current set (which has a lot of growl) has round-wounds, and the B and E are tapered. Start with the EQ flat on both the bass and the amp. Write down any settings that sound good.
 
#9
I've got a MIA Jazz Deluxe and another bass player came up to me between sets the other night just to let me know how much growl and attack the bass had. He loved it! Usually I use a Stingray, but he definitely noticed the difference with the Fender. Told me it was my perfect sound. I was happy :)

My point being a P-Bass isn't exactly made for growl, is it? It's more a sit perfect in the mix and sound great type bass.
 
#10
Kylemcgregor96 said:
I own a fender Mark hoppus P-Bass and i want some growl from my bass which i can't seem to find, i own an ashdown five fifteen mini stack 2x10" and i've tried every EQ..

Is there any pedals or strings i can buy? Maybe it's just the strings i got with the bass.

I'd love the famous p bass growl
Click to expand...

The strings you use make a huge difference. Go to the strings forum and search around. This topic is discussed a lot on that forum.
 
#18
Never thought P basses were great sources for growl.... Jazzes on the other hand.... all day baby, as long as you EQ them right.... I've got a Charvel that I rigged with Seymour Duncan Music Man's that sucker SCREAMS and will cut through ANY mix. Easiest way to put it into words is like a Jazz Bass sound on steroids (2 humbuckers essentially = 4 single coils vs 2 on a J), and to me, MM's have the best growl for most stuff and that's kinda why I put them in there.... but Jazzes have a certain tone you can't beat as well and sometimes the MM sound is a little overkill for certain things.... Your bass being a P bass it'll be a little trickier since it's not a PJ you're isolated to one spot to get all of your tone out of your instrument from... Most of the "growl" you'll hear is the bridge pickup brought into the sound in addition to the neck pickup for its treble... The bridge pickup is where you'll get most of your growl from and blending that and the neck together is key for a good growly tone... That's not saying you can't get a great sound out of what you've got, it's just trickier... Biggest thing I could tell you is keep the Volume and Tone knobs up full on the bass.

+1 to the guys who said new pickups (DiMarzio's) and it's in the Mid's.... Typically you'll want the Mid knob around 1 o' clock to start off with... if your amp has Lo and Hi Mid's you can experiment with more.... If nothing else try a Tech 21 VT Bass or Bass Driver pedal and maybe something like a BOSS GEB-7 EQ pedal while you're at it.... It's in the Mid's like the guys above me said.... Good luck bud,

aXe
 
#20
You won't get most people's definition of growl from just a P pickup, you can get plenty of bite, snarl, bark, grind, etc out of it though. Every bass is different, try playing with your right hand in different areas and see how it sounds. Having a mid-present sound is very important as well.
 

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