Playing with a pick

I would definitely lower my treble alot, and it won't be so strile. I play with a pick on 1 song with SEV and I lower the treble on my bass and it helps stop it from being too bright. Also, lower the volume on your tweeter, that may help. I can tell you exactly what equipment Primer uses if you want to to get that particular sound.

 

I boost the mids up on my amp and turn the tone knob all the way up on my bass. My EQ for my amp is a frown shape.

 

When I saw Primer 55, I was close enough to see his graphic eq on his SVT-(4?), anyway, he had his two lowest bands boosted, all the mids flat, and his last two or three bands boosted. He had an Ampeg 810 cab, but I don't remember if it had a horn in it or not.

Just my 2¢

 

It probably didnt have horns in it. The black ampeg cabs dont have horns, the grey ones do. thats the secret to remembering which one is which. More specifically, the black one is called the SVT 810E and the grey one is the SVT 810AV.

 

NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The guy who wrote the above comment is a snob. Don't let anyone else's prejudices get in the way of your playing. A pick is a perfectly valid way to produce sound on the bass GUITAR. Some of the best bass lines in rock have been created with a pick. In my opinion, the key to a good pick sound is to pull back on the treble so you get a good thump under your attack. Try incorporating some right hand muting while you play with the pick (ala McCartney or Sting) and you can get a really cool tone.

Now, the above comment not withstanding, it is particularly valuable to be able to play with both your fingers (or all three) and a pick. It's great to have those options and figure out which sound is best for the songs at hand.

 

Actually, you may have seen Primer when they were using another bands gear. They have been Peavey endorsers from before their first album came out. They used a Millenium 4 and an ESP bass previously owned by the bass player from Helmet for their newest album. Also, they used a Peavey 8X10, a Peavey pre, and one of those new digital Peavey power amps, good stuff!!!

And I really am not good with a pick, but that is what is called for, so I make due!!!

 

Oh dear... I think it's called humour. Don't know if you're familiar with the concept?

And what in the world has that got to do with things? Playing with a pick is a technique, and doesn't (shouldn't!) affect the way you write music, no?

 

Atleast you got it Oysterhead.

 

of course playing with a pick is going to affect how you write music...certain techniques lend them selves to writing music in certain styles. In general, im not going to write a slapping bass line for a punk song, just as im usually not gonna play funk with a pick. Of course, there are tons of exceptions, but certains sounds/techniques lend themselves to certain styles.

 

I haven't really heard many fingerstyle bassists get a good distorted tone, Les Claypool being the exception. The pick really brings out the attack in the distortion, crispy.

For you to say a bass isn't as complex as guitar is a lack of respect for your instrument. Can you slap a guitar? No. Is tapping easier on bass? No. Does being a good bassist require a lot more knowledge of music theory than the other band members? Yes.

And you can play anything how you want. I can play Jazz with a pick. I can slap a punk line out(try slapping Sum 41 or Rancid basslines, that sounds cool), or I can tap root notes. Technique is trivial. Musicianship is key.

 

OK, how come all those guitarists out there(even virtuosos) don't slap theirs? I know Eddie van Halen did, but the technique of guitar slapping hasn't evolved into a very popular format, unlike bass slapping.

As for the music theory, I could've phrased this a little better. What I meant was that to be a competent bassist, you have to understand two parts of music: rhythm and melody/harmony. More often than not a bassist well versed in theory can bring a musically inexperienced guitarist and drummer together. The drummer knows rhythm; the guitarist knows melody. The bassist, knowing them both(it's their job after all) can meld the two into something beautiful. Being a bassist naturally lends itself to more theory work, with the understanding of harmony, i.e. note selection. Also, the very image of the bass player being 'disposable' means that sight reading earns you more gigs, or that you have to understand chord charts and improv your own basslines over the top.

 

John from the Red Hot Chili Peppers slaps his guitar. Download the song "Funky Monks" and you'll see.

 

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On "Groove Penetration" by Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists (on Intergalactic Boogie Express), there's some fine slapping on an Ovation acoustic guitar.