Lou Barlow bass tone

[Bassray_82]

I went to see Dinosaur Jr. in Glasgow last week and looking for a bit of advice on how to get his live bass tone.

Don’t really have any worthwhile video from the gig but he was playing a music man, into an Ampeg SVT and had a pretty sweet driven tone.

Thinking it’s nothing too complicated- probably a Bass Big Muff and a compressor as well as amp settings.

Any suggestions are really welcome.

Here’s a clip from their Manchester show for reference

 

[Ritter667]

He explain it himself here, starting at 30:26 :


Basically overdriven Marshall JCM800, clean solid state Peavey, and an SVT overdriven with an Xotic BB Bass Preamp.

Too clean and well defined to be a Big Muff, Big Muff is J's deal.

 

[Bassray_82]

He explain it himself here, starting at 30:26 :


Basically overdriven Marshall JCM800, clean solid state Peavey, and an SVT overdriven with an Xotic BB Bass Preamp.

Too clean and well defined to be a Big Muff, Big Muff is J's deal.

Thanks so much for this, its appreciated

 

[Ritter667]

Thanks so much for this, its appreciated

You're welcome!

Dinosaur Jr. was like my big late teens heroes, and I still like them a lot, and they have written some of my favorite songs to this day, as has Lou and Sebadoh, and Lou being amongst my bass heroes too to this day, not to speak of J. being one of my guitar heroes, I honestly think he is one of the very best rock guitarists ever.

I didn't notice this before, but just actually watched the rig rundown interview again, and from what I can gather Lou actually plays the Marshall though a 412 guitar cab.

If I was you I would probably get something like the Joyo British Sound, that is an analog emulation of a Marshall amp, that both works as preamp and drive, put it in one of the effect loops of a Boss LS-2, or similar effect loops pedal/mixer, then use the other empty effects loop as clean blend, and see how that works out.

 

[Michael Rowland]

A HUGE part of Lou's tone is how he attacks the bass. He tends to play very aggressively.

Lou rules. I've stolen SO many ideas from him.

 

[FretRiff]

Around the time as that video Barlow did a solo interview with Reverb. A lot of duplicate info.



Very entertaining bass teacher channel where he listens to hard and punk songs for the first time and reacts and tries (usually successfully) to play along. Here he's watching a KEXP in-studio performance of 'The Lung'.