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Im officially a "No" tweeter guy

#81
Mike Arnopol said:
My point is--if your at a relatively flat setting the tweeter should bring detail all the way up without being noticeable. That's why our amps have treble controls. If you start with a good sounding tweeter---it's still going to be good sounding if it's boosted. Or cut. But a tweeter that is harsh sounding as part of a relatively flat curve--it's going to sound NASTY if it's boosted.

I want to use a tweeter that would sound great in a PA top. If you used the tweeters in most bass cabs in a PA box---it would be unlistenable.
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I "liked" this.

If anybody wants to know whether or not the tweeter/filter scheme in their bass cab is worth a damn, run a horn section through it, especially sax.

You'll know real quick. :)
 
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#83
I my bass playing bud would never think of playing without one. He always sounds great. After years of trying them, I would never use one under any circumstances. I sound pretty damn good myself.

To each their own.
 
#90
High Camp said:
That's the way I like it too: a bit of tweeter will do it.
This because I believe one has to exaggerate the mids & highs somewhat to have the perfect Basssound in the mix.
(a bit of sparkle that's not in your face, but enhances your tone. I hope I'm getting my point across...)
The further sound-adjustments I do with my fingers.
For those non-tweeterees, I respect their opinion and taste.
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While I'm cool with anyone playing what they like, I think this is yet another example of what I call "the cult of the old and crappy" insisting that if you don't play a beat-up old fender with old flat-wound strings through a toneless tube amp (or even a "vintage" solid state amp) then you aren't a "real bassist". It's just so lame.
 
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#91
jazzsoul said:
It just depends on what Sound you are looking for. Playing my Sadowsky NYC with rounds I turn the tweeter all the way on for a modern punchy and funky sound. Playing my P-bass with flats I turn the tweeter of and I got a perfect vintage blues sound.
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This is a really good perspective. Some of you want the modern sound and some of you want the classic sound. Let me take this opportunity to pigeonhole all of us.

P, flats, ampeg = no tweeter.

2 pickup boutique, rounds, modern amp = tweeter
 
#93
I love the sound of bass drivers with some treble + mids pumped into them, that's where the magic is for me. Never got tweeter thing but it's pretty much dependent on the genre. Add those tweeter frequencies to a rock band with loud drummer and guitarist, you have a recipe for horrible, if they get loud enough to be heard.
 
#95
SanDiegoHarry said:
While I'm cool with anyone playing what they like, I think this is yet another example of what I call "the cult of the old and crappy" insisting that if you don't play a beat-up old fender with old flat-wound strings through a toneless tube amp (or even a "vintage" solid state amp) then you aren't a "real bassist". It's just so lame.
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Doesn't sound like you're cool with people playing what they like to me.
 
#96
Lately I've been spending time on www.parts-express.com looking for midrange drivers and X overs to replace the tweeters in my Bass cabs.
It seems to me that mid drivers project more useful tonal information for the Bass, like pitch recognition, then a tweeter, which seems to be like a bad drug hangover from the slap happy days of the 70s and 80s....


just sayin'....
 
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#97
For a long time my sig line here on TB was "Bass should be more about woofin'...less about tweetin'." I still feel that way and reserve the right to use that line again at any time. ;)

Edit: There. Added it back in (for now). Truth be told, I have a cab with a tweeter. Also have one with no tweeter. Can get the sound I need out of either one.

M. M.
 
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#98
JimmyM said:
Doesn't sound like you're cool with people playing what they like to me.
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Just because I think that what I do is better doesn't mean that I can't accept other folk's choices - if playing through a lo-fi setup makes a player happy, why would I really care? I just refuse to embrace this silly idea that "all that is old is great". It just isn't.
 
#99
Suit yourself. I use "old and crappy" solid state amps because they sound great to me. I use a new solid state amp that's similar because it sounds great to me. The new one has a tweeter, which I like a whole lot for the upright. I generally turn it off when playing BG through it, although sometimes I like the tweeter with the Ric. And, I only change strings on the upright, never the BGs. Why? Because I don't want bright, twangy sounds coming out of them, and that's what I get with my fingers and roundwounds or excessively new flatwounds.

Don't listen to me play, though. You wouldn't like it.
 
#100
SanDiegoHarry said:
Just because I think that what I do is better doesn't mean that I can't accept other folk's choices - if playing through a lo-fi setup makes a player happy, why would I really care? I just refuse to embrace this silly idea that "all that is old is great". It just isn't.
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And I refuse to embrace the even sillier idea that my tube amps are toneless and lo-fi, so there :p
 
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