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Properly EQing your amp and bass.

T

The1bassist06

Mar 24, 2007
282
33
Three Oaks, Michigan
#1
Hi there friends, I have been playing bass for 7 years now and consider myself a pretty solid bass player with my playing and music theory. As emberassing as this is I never learned to properly EQ my bass amp and don't really understand how to. I normally just turn the knobs and fiddle with them till I get a tone I like.

So my question is could someone explain how to properly EQ my bass amp?
 
#4
That's pretty much it. Fiddle with knobs til' you're happy. Just remember to EQ your bass for the whole stage, not just you playing alone. Also, I find it is way more useful to not have a PEQ or if you have one, leave it flat, but that's probably just me.
 
#7
Scooping is basically dropping them. It may sound cool alone, but with guitars and drums and all that you will want to push the mids, especially low mids, up some. You have to listen to the kick drum and stay out of the way of it too.
 
#11
Oh man, there was a thread somewhere here that had awesome descriptions of eq ranges.
Stuff like, 60hz-120hs is boom.
It helped me a lot when I was learning about eq.

I did a quick search but couldn't find it. I don't even remember what to search for.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
 
#12
Well, my advice is to start flat. (It would help to know what bass and amp we are talking about here.) I play passive Fender basses mainly so "flat" is wide open on the tone control. And all my EQ knobs are set to "zero". Now, zero on your amp and zero on my amp could be different. Forget what the numbers on the dials say. Look up what "flat" is for your amp. It could be Bass at 2, Mids at 0 and Treble at 2 (just for instance). Once I get everything flat, I simply play a little. If I need a little more low-mids (and like Floyd said that's what will generally get you really thick but still cutting through in most rooms) I simply boost them a little. If I am too boomy, I cut the lows a bit. (You get the point.)

But also as Floyd and B-string said what you hear on stage may have nothing to do with the way it sounds out front. So be prepared to give a little on "your tone". The ultimate goal is for you to hear what you are playing so you can keep time, and for the audience to hear the tone that best sits in the mix. Sometimes they are the same tone, and sometimes not so much.
 
#14
Yeah icecycle, that was a good thread. I have no idea how to find it, not sure what forum it was in- it may not have been in the amps forum. The guy at Barefaced Cabinets also had a similar description on his site for a while, which allowed him to discuss his cabinets, how to use them, and how to avoid common EQ'ing mistakes.
 
#17
Hey, the advice about just working with your controls and then adjusting for the whole room that has already been given is good.

If you want more insight into EQ points and frequencies for bass, check the Amp stickies for some very good permanent posts about common EQ points and tips/tricks for getting a good bass sound in your band mix.

Also, greetings to you in Three Oaks, my Dad lives over in Lakeside and I have spent years of my life in the area.

good luck
 
#18
two fingers said:
Well, my advice is to start flat. (It would help to know what bass and amp we are talking about here.) I play passive Fender basses mainly so "flat" is wide open on the tone control. And all my EQ knobs are set to "zero". Now, zero on your amp and zero on my amp could be different. Forget what the numbers on the dials say. Look up what "flat" is for your amp. It could be Bass at 2, Mids at 0 and Treble at 2 (just for instance). Once I get everything flat, I simply play a little. If I need a little more low-mids (and like Floyd said that's what will generally get you really thick but still cutting through in most rooms) I simply boost them a little. If I am too boomy, I cut the lows a bit. (You get the point.)

But also as Floyd and B-string said what you hear on stage may have nothing to do with the way it sounds out front. So be prepared to give a little on "your tone". The ultimate goal is for you to hear what you are playing so you can keep time, and for the audience to hear the tone that best sits in the mix. Sometimes they are the same tone, and sometimes not so much.
Click to expand...

I have a Warwick $$ and a GK MB210.
 
#20
Linnin said:
Nobody wants to listen to what I know, so I am in a read only mode. It never ceases to amaze me how little people know about tone. You youngsters need to go on your own tonequest. Pay no attention to the old Fenderman at the bar.
Click to expand...

You're right, no one wants to listen to what you know. On your way now.

The1bassist06 said:
Hi there friends, I have been playing bass for 7 years now and consider myself a pretty solid bass player with my playing and music theory. As emberassing as this is I never learned to properly EQ my bass amp and don't really understand how to. I normally just turn the knobs and fiddle with them till I get a tone I like.

So my question is could someone explain how to properly EQ my bass amp?
Click to expand...

You're doing it right, man. Keep your knobs flat (centred) and turn them individually until you find a tone that sticks. If you're playing live, consider increasing your mids a bit in order to maintain presence. However, don't dismiss the bass and treble controls either. A little bit of bass and mids will go a long way to giving you a nice tone.
 

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