My bass sounds dead, all the time.

[EatS1stBassist]

Unplugged it's loud and very resonant. I might just do that or just buy an unfinished ash body. I don't know. These quarter pounders should be bright and punchy. Yet everything I throw in it sounds like a jamerson bass with flats and foam under the bridge.

Try changing your output jack! If you haven't already. Also eliminate any long wiring runs as that affects capacitance which in turn can affect the shimmer of your pickup.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

Quick question, I have a 90's P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds "dull". For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Maybe you're hitting those strings a little hard and they are bouncing on the either the nut or bridge or both that will kill it. Make sure the departure angle from nut towards posts is correct. Also how you string it on the posts. You may need a string tree that forces all strings downward. You may need higher action at the bridge by raising the saddles. Just a thought! Good luck.

 

[wraub]

IMO, part of good tone and good sound is dynamics- perhaps lighten up a bit?
Many metal/hard rock players actually play fairly lightly, and let the amp/effects do the work.


edit- example

I'm probably the most impolite players on and off stage, lol. I'm a Finger metal/hard rock player. I love to beat the snot out of my strings.

 

[franklindayala]

Quick question, I have a 90's P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds "dull". For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

I would go passive and put an underwound pickup so you can have more treble.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Quick question, I have a 90's P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds "dull". For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Great opportunity to buy a new bass!

 

[Killing Floor]

Have you tried a nicely tooled leather strap?

 

[littlebun]

Quick question, I have a 90's P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds "dull". For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Some think that the neck has the most impact wood-wise on the tone. If I swap the necks on my P and J basses it has an adverse effect on the tone of each bass. If I put my J neck on my P it sound like someone clamped the bass and sucked the tone down losing a lot of treble.. Fender Custom Shop matches necks and bodies---search the web as I once watched a video about how they do it.

 

[Frunobulax]

I have a Schecter like this.
After several attempts to solve it, I bought a secondhand preamp and pickups as cheap as I could find, just so it made a noise so I could move it on, and it sounds wicked now. 11 years of struggle ended with cheap electrics.

 

[Turnaround]

But a single P pickup only uses one coil per string, and therefore there's nothing else to be out of phase with.

Um....no. A P pickup consists of 2 coils , one for the D and G strings, one for the E and A, wired in series.

 

[Turnaround]

Best bass for DEAD tuning?

That's properly called the Drop Dead tuning. Not to be used in polite company.

 

[ctmullins]

Um....no. A P pickup consists of 2 coils , one for the D and G strings, one for the E and A, wired in series.

I believe you said the same thing I did. If I'm wrong about something, can you explain?

 

[littlebun]

Quick question, I have a 90's P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds "dull". For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Here is the video for matching bodies and necks--

 

[Turnaround]

I believe you said the same thing I did. If I'm wrong about something, can you explain?

You said "a single P pickup only uses one coil per string". It really uses one coil per 2 strings.

 

[nilorius]

Maybe it's one of those 1 thausand situations where the combination pf Your guitar woods doesn'ta agree your pickups where in the middle the word "no" is also said by Your amp. Finally You can't get it. Start with changing the instrument.

 

[littlebun]

Quick question, I have a 90's P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds "dull". For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Quote--I recall watching a fender custom shop you tube video where he matched the pitches of necks and bodies by tapping with a mallet.

The high pitched neck would go on the low pitched body & vice versa.

His claim was the guitar would sound too bright or dark if they had matching distinctive 'pitches'.

 

[RogerTheAlien]

Check your bridge, I went through the same thing on a bass when I realized the cheap chrome cast saddles weren't up to par, a set of steel saddles later and bang ! sustain and woody goodness for days

 

[Dave Kulik]

I achieved what I needed to. I took advice and wired the pickup straight to the output jack and PERFECT!!! It had the punch and treble I was missing. I soldered in a 250k volume pot and left the tone out of the circuit altogether. Problem solved. Thank you for all the help!! This thing is a beast now.

 

[somebrains]

I achieved what I needed to. I took advice and wired the pickup straight to the output jack and PERFECT!!! It had the punch and treble I was missing. I soldered in a 250k volume pot and left the tone out of the circuit altogether. Problem solved. Thank you for all the help!! This thing is a beast now.

This is why not all wenge neck basses work out, or mahogany bodied basses work. Just sticking to a formula like maple neck and an alder body is all over the place sonically.

I lucked out with a super bright flame neck on a resonant but dark and plucky cherry body.

I've also had over twangy necks on muddy mahogany bodies work well together.

I like overpowering whatever issues are there with a hot route to the jack. Simple, cheap, effective.

Kinda calls to that other thread where people are stuck on getting "perfect tone" out of their basses without considering the interaction of parts on top of construction highly varying how a bass will sound plugged in. Couple members traced signal chain from output jack to cab, also relevant.

Learning moments like these, and environmental factors dragging yourself across a state or states makes those graphite neck + sterile active guys seem less crazy and more consistency focused to me.

 

[tpaul]

I didn't read through the whole thread so apologies if someone else already suggested this, but: try loosening and then reseating the neck.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Quick question, I have a 90's P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds "dull". For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Hey Dave, try moving over to your amp and adding a little boost in your low mids at ~250Hz. Anywhere between 250Hz and 500Hz will do, I just like the 250Hz best. If you add too much boost your sound will honk at you, so back it down some if you hear that. Then play your bass with your group and record it. You should hear some nice definition and presence in your previously dull and dead P-bass.

It's a cheap fix, so give it a shot. If that doesn't work then you can continue to throw money at the problem.