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I think I found the tone in my head

#3
To answer your question, no where near what I want with my current amp.

I know how to get it though, I have been able to get it only on specific amps (hybrids and tube heads).

Edit: Well apparently Stu Brooks has the bass tone in my head and thats all thanks to the AG500 he has.
Guess who wants a AG500? The tone on Bay vs Leonard is so awesome, pure jazz grind.
 
#4
I've found that the sound in my head is directly proportional to the sound required by the application - in other words, there's lots of sounds in my head and I go for gear that helps me get the one that sounds right (in my head) for the song.

That said, I do have loose preferences for 'clean growl' (pickups with tight and present mids), lots of twang (upper mids) when not playing fingerstyle, minimal low/low mid 'mud' and tight, punchy, clean lows and subs.

With a little tweaking I can get pretty close to what I hear in my head on most good amp/bass combination (pickups dependent, and of course allowing for each amp/cab's individual character and EQ controls). A valve or two in the preamp for some 'feel' completes the perfect tone package, but that said I've found some very nice tones lurking within the odd solid state head too, and they tend to be less 'coloured' and easier to dial in at times.

My $0.02 :D
 
#6
gjsven said:
I've found that the sound in my head is directly proportional to the sound required by the application - in other words, there's lots of sounds in my head and I go for gear that helps me get the one that sounds right (in my head) for the song.
Click to expand...

agree.gif

Like gjsven said earlier, I have a good idea what will sound good (to me) in each of my bands.
I play in a 3 piece hard rock trio in which I use a '73 Fender Precision into a Marshall VBA400 (400 watt all tube head) which drives an Ampeg SVT810. Tone heaven for that band.
In my other band (Stoner Rock/Metal) I use a Sandberg California PM5 (5 string active bass with a reverse P style pickup and a MM style pickup) through a Gallien Krueger 1001RB, a GK 410 and a GK 212. I use the biamp ability of the GK stuff to give me some bite from the horn in the 410 but I run the 212 with no horn.

I'm very pleased with both the sounds in my head.....for now! :smug:
 
#7
I sound the way I did in the sixties. What's happened is the gear has improved and is less in my way. It doesn't make any hurdles to a new technique or accent that may occur to me mid song. Now the gear's bottom line is my sound. It does that naturally. Now the possibilities are unlimited. This means I can play stuff I've never played before and the gear does it flawlessly. You have to keep "your sound" as an intention or declaration for a sustained period of time to see it come to fruition. Then you will attract the right gear. We buy some gear because we think it should sound like we want it to because of it's specs or configuration. It often doesn't. Like I need 15s for the bottom and 10s for the top. Well in reality those 10s may give you more bottom and the 15s more top.
 
#8
chadds said:
I sound the way I did in the sixties. What's happened is the gear has improved and is less in my way. It doesn't make any hurdles to a new technique or accent that may occur to me mid song. Now the gear's bottom line is my sound. It does that naturally. Now the possibilities are unlimited. This means I can play stuff I've never played before and the gear does it flawlessly. You have to keep "your sound" as an intention or declaration for a sustained period of time to see it come to fruition. Then you will attract the right gear. We buy some gear because we think it should sound like we want it to because of it's specs or configuration. It often doesn't. Like I need 15s for the bottom and 10s for the top. Well in reality those 10s may give you more bottom and the 15s more top.
Click to expand...

+1 all the way. This is a great time for bass, and it's just within the last couple of years that I've achieved a live tone with my instruments that is relatively close to a 'plug into a mixing board in a studio' type tone. The fact that this can be achieved in a small and very lightweight rig is pretty amazing.

And, there's still a lot of stuff out there that has a lot of inherent voicing if that's your thing also!
 

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