Precision tone

[Johntheson]

Where do you flatwound players of P basses, have your tone setting? How much do you have it rolled off, if any? I've got my first P bass( a new avri 62 ) and I'm using Labella DTB flats, and I'm rolling the tone back almost 80% to try to get the tone I'm looking for, and I can't seem to find it. I'm a 6 string player of 49 years who had to switch to bass 2 years ago due to arthritis, and I'm still a rookie at taming my bass tones. I've been playing a Ric 4003 and a 60's classic jazz up until I got the P 2 months ago.
John Sr.

 

[uOpt]

Well turning the pot down to 20% of it's setting doesn't mean much if it's a linear pot, and it also depends on what capacitor is in the circuit.

 

[basspraiser]

what kind of tone are you looking for????

sounds like youa re looking for the "thump"?

If so, maybe you need to add a bit of foam under eh strings at the bridge..

if not, what tone are you looking for?

You will never get a RIC sound out of a P....no matter how hard you try...they have a very unique sound....all their own. If the neck felt better (to me) I would still own one...love the tone...not crazy about the neck feel.

 

[Ron G]

Try using some foam under the strings at the bridge. In the video he has the bridge cover on and the foam is on top of the strings.

 

[Johntheson]

Thanks guys. Not looking for anything but P tones from this bass. I already have the foam under the strings, and you're right about the "thump" tone; that is what I'm after. It's strange though; my recorded tone is very close to what I desire, but my live tone, is not. I love Jamerson's tone, and would be ecstatic with that. I know you guys have been playing for quite some time, so I thought I'd get some suggestions. I'll never have the need for a super loud volume amp, so I play through a 65 Showman, and I also have one of the cheaper Acoustic 200H and 1x15 cab. I had absolutely no idea how great the bass was until I started to play it seriously.

 

[nashman]

I roll off 20%. Are your strings relatively new? Maybe they need to settle in a bit.

 

[MarthaSamira]

You should use your ears instead of looking for a magic number.

Every room is different.

 

[bolophonic]

Let those strings cool down for a year or so.

 

[pjleo]

I barely have the tone on at all....and rarely change strings.
2005 p bass ernie ball flatwounds
73 p bass thomastik low tension flatwound
best of luck

 

[neo 7]

I keep mine all the way down. I recently started to turn the highs on my head to noon, whereas before I kept them at 9 o'clock.

I'm using D'ardaddio halfrounds.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

You probably have a .047 cap. Try a .033 or .022. You will have more mids left when you roll it off.

 

[Turxile]

I use Chromes, with a foam mute.

A big part of getting that sound is a high action IMHO. I keep one of my basses with quite high action, about 1.5 times the Fender factory set up. It allows for the strings to move freely, and forces you to play in a certain way, which influences the sound a lot.

I found when playing live I actually don't roll off the tone at all. I sometimes even turn up the highs on the amp, depends. Things change in a mix with volume, also even with different rooms.

 

[bootsox]

volume at 90% and tone at 50%

 

[brandau]

I use Chromes, with a foam mute.

A big part of getting that sound is a high action IMHO. I keep one of my basses with quite high action, about 1.5 times the Fender factory set up. It allows for the strings to move freely, and forces you to play in a certain way, which influences the sound a lot.

I found when playing live I actually don't roll off the tone at all. I sometimes even turn up the highs on the amp, depends. Things change in a mix with volume, also even with different rooms.

Same

 

[vin*tone]

Where on the string do you play? Playing near the neck will give a fuller tone.

 

[pbasswil]

Where on the string do you play? Playing near the neck will give a fuller tone.

Yeah, that really helps, for an old-school sound.

 

[Bongolation]

Also learn to work with your amp.

What you hear and what the audience hears are different anyway.

 

[PJRL]

I have a 2000 AV 62 P, great Bass and I love the way it plays and feels. I also was having a similar issue trying to find that old classic P tone that I have heard on recordings for the past 40 years. I tried all of the little tricks listed above and it still just wasn't quite there for me. Just for the heck of it I put a Duncan SPB-1 in it and all the sudden it it was there. The differice between the AV 62 Pickup and the SPB-1 is subtle but it just has the that little something that brings it all together, for me it did anyway. My reference amp is an Ampeg 1969 SB-12 that sounds fantastic and very old school.

 

[monkeyfinger]

Pickup height can be a factor too. The closer the pickup is to the stings, the more overtones are present. Conversely, the lower the pickups, the more fundamental you hear. In your case you want to lower the pickups.

 

[gmarcus]

You said you like your recorded tone. Is this in a band recording or solo? Bass is really effected by masking in a band situation. More so than guitar. That old school sound in the recordings is pretty ugly and mid present when solo'd. Try turning the bass down and the mids up on your amp. Also push the gain up if you have it to get some over drive in the tone. If that doesn't work run your signal through a Tech21 VT bass pedal before your amp. There is magic in that box and it is voiced to sound like an Ampeg amp. Good luck my friend!