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Nice Tone With a Pick????

jlerner

jlerner

Sep 12, 2009
32
0
Arlington, VA
#1
Hi,

Most bassists who play with a pick do so because they want a very hard sound. I play with a pick because I have a hand dystonia (neurological condition), which prevents me from using my fingers.

I'm looking for advice on how to get a beautiful tone, with a pick. Currently I am using a couple types of felt picks. I've used rubber wedgies, but I want the clear articulation of the felt. But it doesn't sound pretty!!

I sometimes use a compressor, to take the edge off. I almost always use round wound, because I want a big clear sound. But I want it to be beautiful too.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Joe
 
#2
"Beautiful" and "not pretty" don't tell us what it sounds like now and what you want it to sound like.
If you describe what you have now and what you want in terms of attack/sustain/decay or frequency bands that are emphasized/lacking it would help.
What kind of music you're playing would help too. Are you playing live, recording, small group, large group, etc.
 
#3
lz4005 said:
"Beautiful" and "not pretty" don't tell us what it sounds like now and what you want it to sound like.
If you describe what you have now and what you want in terms of attack/sustain/decay or frequency bands that are emphasized/lacking it would help.
What kind of music you're playing would help too. Are you playing live, recording, small group, large group, etc.
Click to expand...
lz4005 said:
"Beautiful" and "not pretty" don't tell us what it sounds like now and what you want it to sound like.
If you describe what you have now and what you want in terms of attack/sustain/decay or frequency bands that are emphasized/lacking it would help.
What kind of music you're playing would help too. Are you playing live, recording, small group, large group, etc.
Click to expand...
Well, right now it's a little harsh and metallic. I want it to be rounder, and with more "nuance".

I mostly play small group live jazz and Latin.

Thanks!

Joe
 
#6
You looking for a pick tone like Steve Swallow? He's the only pick player who comes to mind whose sound I would describe as beautiful.

I really dig Cody Wright's pick playing on Fourchestra stuff. But don't think that's the pick sound you're after.
 
#8
I've played a P bass through a Polytone. The Polytone is a very harsh sounding, unforgiving amp for passive electric bass.

Either get a different amp or a good outboard EQ to dial out the problematic frequencies.
 
#13
try using a light gauge pick , I understand you have problems with your hand , but even try using your thumb , if you can hold a pick you might be able to improvise with your thumb. just a idea , just keep playing and never say die . there are heaps of bassist out there who only ever use a pick . just play around with you tone control and if you pick the strings closer to the neck the tone will also become softer/warmer . I started out playing with a pick as I was a guitarist "before I saw the light" but I soon developed a finger style, I now almost always play with my fingers, unless its some tune I need heaps of attack on .
 
#14
Take $25 and buy every pick you can find over .8.
I have a box full of picks that all sound different.

My favorite are Gravity, I use Razer mini 1.5 for a hard rock sound and their Classic standard Original Tip polished for a sweet tone that I use for blues.
http://gravitypicks.com/

Carol Kaye picks are great too. She recorded all her music using them.
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use flats and try a foam mute on the bridge
 
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#15
What you're going for sounds exactly like what I've been working towards for some years now.

I use TI flats because while they are smooth and quiet they still have more definition and clarity than a typical flat wound string. smeet is quite right pointing out they're very low tension but I'd say that more than having to play them "gently" you get the best results playing them carefully. If you're going for a beautiful rich tone you're going to be moving towards kind of touch this with any string and the low tension actually plays heavily in your favor as you can play with much less velocity and achieve a great deal of subtlety and nuance. They cost what they do because of the complex construction which to my ears translates directly to the complexity of tone they can achieve. Tone aside the cost is offset by how long they last to the point they're significantly less expensive over five years than say a DR round wound that you'd typically change at least two or three times a year.

Very heavy blunt picks give me the warmest most smooth sound.....and man I've tried EVERYTHING. For a long time I used a Dunlop Jazztones 207 and lately I also kinda like the Dunlop large blunt triangle Americana. The last few years my #1 go to has been a Blue Chip TPR 50. To my ear this pick towers above all else in terms of both tone and feel. At $35 a pop it had better! I'd strongly urge you to play a wide variety of picks very deliberately though. Do this and several things happen: You find why certain things work or don't work for you, as your technique evolves you're already familiar with a pick you've tried that may now work better for you than it did initially and you develop the ability to get a good sound with any pick. For me this last seemed like an indication I'd developed a certain fundamental understanding of how picks worked that had eluded me most of my life.

I came to the pick late and when I got down to really learning it the three people I borrowed from heavily are Steve Swallow, Carol Kaye and Bobby Vega. Also Jack Casady even though he's a finger player for the subtlety of his touch and how he adjusts his tone by changing where he plays. If you listen to these players, watch their youtubes and read what Carol has written you'll be the better for it.

A great compressor in the studio like a UA 1176 or a Chandler TG1 has a sound that can slot you into a mix extremely well but that's never translated playing a stompbox comp through my amp. There's a time and a place compression can be almost essential but for what you're going for I think you want to hear and develop control over every nuance your hands create and compression however beautifully works in a mix will take some of that quite literally out of your hands. Just to be clear I'm not saying don't use compression I'm saying try not practising with it and see hear what you think.

Hope this helps.
 
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#16
Thanks a lot everybody some good stuff here. Coincidentally, a guitarist left a Dunlop 207 here, so I tried it on the bass, and really liked it. With some finesse, it really sounded better and prettier than the felt picks I've been using. Somewhat counterintuitive, since felt is soft. So I'm enthused about trying some of these other ideas.

Thanks again!

Joe
 
#17
Similar to you OP, i have an issue with my plucking hand. After some experimentation, I found a hard pick with a beveled edge would accomplish what I needed - deep lows, a smoothe release, the ability to chime with technique, push palm muted overdriven chugs, and a thick mellow tone with no click but still containing definition. I tried several types of picks but fell in love with Dunlop's 1.5mm Gator Grip picks (green).
 

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