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Need to REALLY accentuate my harmonics ....

David Sutkin

David Sutkin

“Bass Upfront” Founder
Commercial User
Apr 20, 2017
2,636
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Brooklyn, NY
#1
Maybe someone can help me with the following ....

When I play with my main band, I normally use either a Rick 4003 or 4004 or a Fender P bass or J bass .... primarily played with a heavy Dunlop pick

When the band is jamming, I like to throw in some harmonic licks but they don't cut through as loudly as I'd like them to ... When I solo the bridge pup and play right over it they come out more pronounced but still not as cutting as I'd like.

When I use an "active" bass, it's easier to get the harmonics to pop, but for this project I'd like to keep using either a Rick or a Fender (all of mine passive)

I'm wondering if there are any pedals that I can utilize that will boost harmonic notes when turned on? ... I do find that when I use an MXR Phase 90 it helps but not enough.

Maybe a volume pedal or an EQ pedal with the treble section boosted for those sections of the songs?

I do own an Eventide H9 Max with a TON of really cool effects and there may be some presets in there I can tweak for getting those harmonics to really POP ... I haven't experimented too much with that peddle in a live band setting yet.

Any other pedal suggestions for maximizing the volume of harmonics in a full band mix? I'd like to figure this out before next week's band practice.

Thanks
 
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#2
David Sutkin said:
Maybe someone can help me with the following ....

When I play with my main band, I normally use either a Rick 4003 or 4004 or a Fender P bass or J bass .... primarily played with a heavy Dunlop pick

When the band is jamming, I like to throw in some harmonic licks but they don't cut through as loudly as I'd like them to ... When I solo the bridge pup and play right over it they come out more pronounced but still not as cutting as I'd like.

When I use an "active" bass, it's easier to get the harmonics to pop, but for this project I'd like to keep using either a Rick or a Fender (all of mine passive)

I'm wondering if there are any pedals that I can utilize that will boost harmonic notes when turned on? ... I do find that when I use an MXR Phase 90 it helps but not enough.

Maybe a volume pedal or an EQ pedal with the treble section boosted for those sections of the songs?

I do own an Eventide H9 Max with a TON of really cool effects and there may be some presets in there I can tweak for getting those harmonics to really POP ... I haven't experimented too much with that peddle in a live band setting yet.

Any other pedal suggestions for maximizing the volume of harmonics in a full band mix? I'd like to figure this out before next week's band practice.

Thanks
Click to expand...


Seems like there's probably a few things that you could do...a decent compressor with some make-up gain (I know that the Cali76CB skews to a brighter tone anyway)... and/or I'd definitely consider adding an EQ pedal...something programmable (maybe Source audio) or even just a lil' mini graphic EQ?


(edit)...I'd also think about your string choice. Newer strings that are brighter that you can roll off when you don't want the brightness but can still give you harmonics when you do? I like brighter strings anyway and prefer to roll back highs and ride the treble control for what I want to hear.
 
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#3
David Sutkin said:
When I play with my main band, I normally use either a Rick 4003 or 4004 or a Fender P bass or J bass ....
Click to expand...

The J-bass should be your best bet because the bridge pickup is closest to the bridge. If your Fender P is actually a PJ then it should also work.

Don't get me wrong, the suggestions above are also valid. Just sayin' that for harmonics, pickup placement matters a heckuva lot. I'm sure it's a big reason why Jaco didn't play a P-bass (I think he owned a P but he obviously didn't use it much).

I'm not a Ric expert, but the pickups on the 4001 are farther from the bridge than a J-bass.
 
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#5
Harmonics are all about the mids. The bridge pickup suggestions are good. You also might want to try a multi band compressor with a solid mid focus. My go to is the tc electronics Spectracomp with Janek Gwizdala's "Chordal Compressor" toneprint. New strings help so does a cab with a tweeter. You might want to try some type of distortion and chorus as they really bring out the over tones. If you can find an Ashdown LoMenzo Hyperdrive it's a solid blendable distortion that puts the fuzz on the midrange but leaves the highs and lows clean.

I hope this helps.

C/S,
Rev J
 
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#9
bassbrad said:
When I need to get my Fretless or harmonics to pop I pull out my $8 wonder pedal a Behringer BLE100. It's a copy of the Boss Bass Limiter Enhancer pedal. It what it wuz made fer.
Click to expand...

Interesting. And for 20 bucks shipped, I just ordered one to mess around with, with my fretless. I've been pondering putting together a board for it.
 
#11
Spidey2112 said:
How old are the strings?
Click to expand...

They're pretty much always fresh. Never more than a month old.

I am going to borrow a friend's Keeley compressor and try that, along with an EQ pedal with mids and treble boosted for the harmonic runs ... I already use distortion with a tech21 DP3X and a Darkglass B7K .... I am also going to see what settings I can tweak in my H9 to help.

I may buy a Cali76 bass compressor too.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions, thank you!
 
#16
David Sutkin said:
Maybe someone can help me with the following ....

When I play with my main band, I normally use either a Rick 4003 or 4004 or a Fender P bass or J bass .... primarily played with a heavy Dunlop pick

When the band is jamming, I like to throw in some harmonic licks but they don't cut through as loudly as I'd like them to ... When I solo the bridge pup and play right over it they come out more pronounced but still not as cutting as I'd like.

When I use an "active" bass, it's easier to get the harmonics to pop, but for this project I'd like to keep using either a Rick or a Fender (all of mine passive)

I'm wondering if there are any pedals that I can utilize that will boost harmonic notes when turned on? ... I do find that when I use an MXR Phase 90 it helps but not enough.

Maybe a volume pedal or an EQ pedal with the treble section boosted for those sections of the songs?

I do own an Eventide H9 Max with a TON of really cool effects and there may be some presets in there I can tweak for getting those harmonics to really POP ... I haven't experimented too much with that peddle in a live band setting yet.

Any other pedal suggestions for maximizing the volume of harmonics in a full band mix? I'd like to figure this out before next week's band practice.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Part of the problem is the pickup location on the Rickenbacker 4003- the pickups sit right near/on harmonic nodes (the neck pickup sits near where the 24th fret would be and the bridge I believe where the 36th would be- two octave locations) so depending on your pickup blend and which harmonic you are hitting the actual fundamental of the harmonic is cut out to a strong degree. One of the odd Rickenbacker quirks! The early 4001 with the 1/2” neck pickup spacing helped mitigate this, hence the Yes songs with lots of cool popping harmonic notes
 
#20
Surprised no one suggested a boost. If you want to be able to boost your tone at certain points, why not get a boost? It is made for your specific application.

I hear great things about the tc electronic spark and spark mini for clean boosts. I picked up a v1 southampton 5th gear for a dirty boost and use it for precisely what you describe. When I need a bit more oomph I kick it on. It also takes any kind of grit to the next level and accentuates harmonics.
 
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