NEWBIE QUESTION ...

[Chris470]

Been thinking about this for a long time and would like a professional opinion. I have three bass guitars - - all Ibanez -- and a 15W Acoustic amp. 2 of the basses I own have their own 3-band EQ (Bass, mid and treble). Obviously, the amp has same (low, mid and high). What is the "proper" procedure - do I turn all the knobs on my amp down and adjust EQ on my bass first, then adjusting on the amp for tweaks? Or, the other way around? Would like to hear a professional opinion.

 

[jmjbassplayer]

There's no proper procedure. I'd suggest starting with everything flat (the middle position), then try adding bass on the amp, then try adding bass on the instrument. See which one you like better. Then do the same for the other frequencies. Could be a combo, too. There's no right or wrong here.

 

[JimmyM]

There's no proper procedure. I'd suggest starting with everything flat (the middle position), then try adding bass on the amp, then try adding bass on the instrument. See which one you like better. Then do the same for the other frequencies. Could be a combo, too. There's no right or wrong here.

This. Works as well as any other method. Experimentation is the key. Also, if you have favorite bass players, see if you can emulate their tones. You may get close, you may not, but you'll learn a lot about your gear and develop your favorite tones in the process.