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Marcus Miller's tone....secret revealed?

#41
pickles said:
DR round core strings, perfect frets, and super low action are a bigger part of it than the maple. 70s J pickup spacing is key. Ash/maple next, ideally old. Onboard Preamp helps but not totally required. Then anybody with good technique should be able to get in the ballpark.
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The maple fretboard is just as important as the fresh steel rounds and the 70s spacing -- the preamp is unnecessary, IMO.
 
#43
MM J-Retro preamp about $300, barts J-pickups about $150 a set, 70s Fender Jazz around $2500, MM's tone, hit or miss, finding your own tone priceless! MM's tone works with his band, and the bands that he works with, because when someone hires him that's what they want MM. Will his tone work with your band, will it be too thin or too much, will your band want that tone all the time, because you are going to have to play around with things to dial it back in and out. I am not putting anyone down, and I understand how a young player would want to copy a major star, but I would think a seasoned player would want his or her own sound!
 
#44
woody357 said:
MM J-Retro preamp about $300, barts J-pickups about $150 a set, 70s Fender Jazz around $2500, MM's tone, hit or miss, finding your own tone priceless! MM's tone works with his band, and the bands that he works with, because when someone hires him that's what they want MM. Will his tone work with your band, will it be too thin or too much, will your band want that tone all the time, because you are going to have to play around with things to dial it back in and out. I am not putting anyone down, and I understand how a young player would want to copy a major star, but I would think a seasoned player would want his or her own sound!
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I'ma seasoned player and I want whatever's appropriate for the music I'm playing. If it means I steal a tone from someone else, I'll do it. Won't sound like them by the time I get done with it anyway ;)
 
#48
JimmyM said:
I'ma seasoned player and I want whatever's appropriate for the music I'm playing. If it means I steal a tone from someone else, I'll do it. Won't sound like them by the time I get done with it anyway ;)
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Mr.M if it wont sound like them when you are done with it then it's not their sound it's yours. I am not knocking trying to get the tone you want , but I do find it funny that people spend a lot of money trying to get someone elses sound, and a lot of the time they still don't get it! If you or anyone else wants MM's tone, go for it We all try for a tone we heard somewhere else, I did it when I brought my Bongo, but for me it was about the bass, and not someone elses tone.
 
#49
woody357 said:
Mr.M if it wont sound like them when you are done with it then it's not their sound it's yours. I am not knocking trying to get the tone you want , but I do find it funny that people spend a lot of money trying to get someone elses sound, and a lot of the time they still don't get it! If you or anyone else wants MM's tone, go for it We all try for a tone we heard somewhere else, I did it when I brought my Bongo, but for me it was about the bass, and not someone elses tone.
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OK, you got me on a technicality ;) But let me make this clear...I never spend money trying to chase someone else's tone, and I never recommend it, except, of course, Ampeg amps.

:hiding:
 
#51
Mr.M, I understand what you mean about get the right tone for what you are playing. My band plays "Don't stop Beleaving" and I have to roll back the bass (almost off), and add mids to get something close to the sound of the bass player on that song, because my tone really doesn't work for that song!
 
#52
The tone of Marcus Millers is not hard to achieve, in fact that is fairly easy. The sound that Marcus Miller produces (the player, not the bass is a different story)

Jazz bass single with single coils is the starting point.
To me, his sound is defined by a crystal clear, hi-fi snap in the treble and round, tight low end. This is not the sound of a stock passive J bass.

Marcus uses an onboard pre amp in his bass, originally it was a Bartolini, he may in fact use something else now. I have been able to reproduce this sound with a Aquilar OP3, very f-ing close, ridiculously close to Marcus' recorded sound. My bass has a rosewood FB and still has"that" sound>

Marcus' great lines, funkified slap and deep harmonic sense are in no way achievable by simply adding an on board pre amp. For that, you need to study the bass.
 
#53
woody357 said:
MM J-Retro preamp about $300, barts J-pickups about $150 a set, 70s Fender Jazz around $2500, MM's tone, hit or miss, finding your own tone priceless! MM's tone works with his band, and the bands that he works with, because when someone hires him that's what they want MM. Will his tone work with your band, will it be too thin or too much, will your band want that tone all the time, because you are going to have to play around with things to dial it back in and out. I am not putting anyone down, and I understand how a young player would want to copy a major star, but I would think a seasoned player would want his or her own sound!
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Agreed. Now with that being said, can that "Marcus Tone" work in a R&B-Funk-70's dance group???:confused:
 
#57
brad houser said:
just about any mid 70's jazz bass with a heavy body and a maple board w/ decently fresh roundwounds will tend to have a Marcus-y sound. at least in my experience. I've played a few of them.
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Bingo. IME you don't need DRs (I like and use them), you don't need an onboard preamp. I have a bone stock 78 Jazz that nails it easily. Get a similar bass with similar body composition, pickup placement and roundwounds.

Also IME the player can have a big effect on tone. For example some people can get a brighter sound from a bass than others... without making any changes other than a handoff. And vice versa.

I can make my 78 Jazz not sound like a stereotypical 70's Ash/Maple Jazz... or I can let it do what it does. Either is easy once you know how.
 
#58
Do I have to? How about just the headline? That's pretty funny already :)
I am guilty of chasing the Marcus tone too but some of the posts here are taking it to a whole other level.
If someone gave me a Ferrari and put me on the Nuerburgring racetrack I would still be driving like me and not even close to Michael Schumacher if you know what I mean.
What I'm saying is, it's cool to have a sound in your head that you are trying to get but once you have that sound, you still need to be able to play your ass off or it doesn't mean anything.
 

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