Just what do you mean, "sound alot better" ? Describe what you are trying to do "tone wise". Thanks
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Making my bass sound amazing?
- Thread starter WookieeForLife
- Start date
My suggestion would be to take them in for a pro set up and new strings. For $100 you should be able to get them playing nice from a reputable set up guy. You will then have all playability issues worked out (neck,frets, intonation, action etc.) At a later time you can update the pup's if needed. Start with a good foundation first before other mods.
Dont feel bad, pickups and pots play a great role in your sound. I'm a guitarist and bassist and most of my guitars I have I've upgraded the pickups and made some type of alteration to better or further my tonal range. Most have been on already top grade instruments, Gibsons, Epiphones, etc. It dosent matter that much if your bass or guitar is inexpensive, it pretty much depends on the tone you are looking for. For that Squire there are pickups that would give you better tone but they may cost as much as your bass in general.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 10,386
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- Owner, SGD Music Products
Tone caps don't change the tone of the bass. The type of cap used might sound different with the tone control on zero, but that hasn't been my experience.
That's more of a placebo effect than anything else.
Now if it was an amplifier and the signal ran through the caps, that would be different.
First we learn how play then we learn how to get the right sound. What I'm saiding it that after all it said only you know the value of your bass. I've spend alot of money updating basses with new pickups and etc. and sometime it worked and sometime it didn't. But I try and was happy to learn sometime new... So if you think it worth it, go for it...
- Aug 21, 2008
- 10,386
- 253
- 68
- Disclosures
- Owner, SGD Music Products
That's a good point. I see far too often that people that just started playing and just got a bass, and want new pickups.
Learn to get a good tone with your fingers and bass, and then you can decided if you want something else.
Gear doesn't automatically make a good tone. Lots of good recordings were done with stock parts, and even junk!
I have had more basses (Fenders, Gibsons, Ricks, MM, - you name it, I probably had it) than I care to remember and have been playing for over 35 years. I am WAAAAAAAY past the sticker on the headstock. If it feels good and plays good, then its good. I just bought a Squire 70s retro Jazz and after 4 hours on my workbench, the sucker came out great. If you have the Duncan designed pickups, there is nothing wrong with them. BUT strings (DR MED High beams worked best for me on this one), set up and amp are very important. Probably the most important thing though, are your fingers. Really work with what you have first. If PUs are too low, you wont have as much top end. Too high and you can hurt sustain and get some really weird assed harmonics happening. Try moving where your picking hand is - lots of tonal variation just in that.
The folks that are saying your bass is junk are full of crap and are into "you have to pay a mint for it to be any good", which, if they have to feed egos with $$, then good for them - its great for the economy.
The folks that are saying your bass is junk are full of crap and are into "you have to pay a mint for it to be any good", which, if they have to feed egos with $$, then good for them - its great for the economy.
+1 there!
If you want new pups, get them. They can always be put in a new bass if you get another one! A trip to a luthier can work wonders if you are unfamiliar with performing a set up. It's sad but most guitar shops, especially the big ones, don't set up their instruments when they put them up for sale.
+1 And I would add that trying different brands/types of strings could be the least expensive and biggest change in sound.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. Finding the right set of strings can make your bass come alive. RotoSound RS66 work best with my Squier Jazz for the sound that I'm going for, but you may find something completely different works for you.
Same as many mentioned above.
1. What are you playing through?
2. Don't expect a silver bullet just by changing things. Learn to get what you need soundwise out of the bass. 95% of the time it's there already if you spend enough time searching and experimenting.
.
1. What are you playing through?
2. Don't expect a silver bullet just by changing things. Learn to get what you need soundwise out of the bass. 95% of the time it's there already if you spend enough time searching and experimenting.
.
lot of validity in suggesting an upgrade to a better tone cap. I've seen fender basses with an .022 cap across the tone control when I think most agree an .047 works better in the freqs bassists normally use. It looks like the OP replaced the stock bridges so why not take an additional step. Duncans and Barts are a good choice because you can get tailor your sound. You can get for example a bright bridge and a bassier neck pickup. You're able to mix and match so to speak. And in my toolbox I have some Hovland Musicaps. I put one in my nephews Yamaha kit bass, (the package you can buy with a bass guitar and amp for little dough) it is an .047 and it improved the sound dramatically. Right hand placement, developing a good vibrato and practice will also garner a "better" sound but I don't discount an electronics upgrade.
Let me take my comments one step further. Many years ago, I was switching from primarily using a pick to fingers. I had a real mid 70s Jazz (bought new $375 - so you know I am an old fart) and just could not get the sound out of it that I wanted. Dicked around with pickups (even did the Sheehan thing with the humbocker), bridges, the whole works. Bought a new Music Man Stingray back when Leo was building them - was one of the first production runs - Serial number was like 00376 or something like that. Great bass. Still not getting it. Was at a NAMM show and watching some hotshot kid burning up a bass at one of the booths. Man, what a sound. Then saw the same kid at another booth - completely different type of bass - still had a cookin' sound. So - I watched his right hand really closely. Ahhhhhhhhh - now I see how is really laying into it - but picking a lot closer to the bridge. I tried it. After I came back home - The Music Man sounded 1000% better as did the Jazz. Fine tuned my technique and along the way realized that strings are not a 1 size fits all - different basses like different strings. Just some stuff to think about........
