I'm posting too many threads. I'm sorry.
But this needs to be heard.
But this needs to be heard.
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Really great P bass tone
- Thread starter Raman
- Start date
As always, the tone is 100% in the hands, and he could be playing a plate of fish & chips instead of a Precision bass and it would still sound exactly like this.
Nevertheless -- any idea what his setup is? Strings, amp, etc.?
Nevertheless -- any idea what his setup is? Strings, amp, etc.?
To me that is a very particular distinctive tone, that is without a shadow of a doubt the tone of flatwounds with the high frequencies boosted and maybe a scoop in the low mids to accentuate the lows, I would bet my last penny the strings are Labella flats, I used to use them and got a very similar kind of tone
Haha, its from the Scott's bass lessons YouTube channel, the while channel is a sales pitch
I'm sorry that it was. I admit that I had stopped the video before the end and didn't realize it was a commercial.
It is still a brilliant performance and a great P bass tone. But I would have had more qualms about posting it on TB if I'd fully realized it was an ad. Sorry for the shortsightedness.
No need to apologize. I think they do that on purpose…. What's funny it that the course isn't really about tone but about preparing for studio sessions.
SBL is a business. On their paid membership website there's a hours-long course (more of an interview really) with Sean Hurley on being a studio bassist. This song is a part of the course (there are two more iirc). They've uploaded the full song to their YouTube channel, which by definition is a marketing tool for SBL, and only mentioned the product after the song. That's hardly aggressive advertising.
Well, he's plugged in to a Boss pedal that goes into a Noble PRE/DI and there's an Aguilar amp and speakers that appears to be plugged in and lit up. No telling what processing, if any, is going on in the DAW. I agree that the strings are probably La Bella flats and he's plucking near the neck.
Lots of info available on Mr Hurley's sound. LaBella 760FL + Noble pre + usually ampeg B15 ... Here he goes through his whole studio setup.
If you like Sean’s bass lines in this video, here’s a video transcription I made. It taught me a lot.
Copping Sean’s tone is a tall order, though IMO it’s all about (in order): his touch (light, near neck pu, and very consistent), strings (Lb flatwounds), and a good tube preamp. Note length and timing (ahead or behind kick and snare) also change tone perception IMO.
My tone in the video phases in and out a bit with the SBL track, so take it with a grain of salt, but use the transcription for your own fun.
Copping Sean’s tone is a tall order, though IMO it’s all about (in order): his touch (light, near neck pu, and very consistent), strings (Lb flatwounds), and a good tube preamp. Note length and timing (ahead or behind kick and snare) also change tone perception IMO.
My tone in the video phases in and out a bit with the SBL track, so take it with a grain of salt, but use the transcription for your own fun.
Part of it is the string mute.
Sean Hurley Fender CS P-Bass / String Mute Q | TalkBass.com
If you want to head in that direction, try a piece of foam under the strings down by the bridge. Similar tone can be had with:
FretWraps String Muters (3-Pack) – Gruv Gear | Krane
Which is what I do when I want an easy on-easy-off little deal I can jam in my pocket and keep in my gig bag.
Sean Hurley Fender CS P-Bass / String Mute Q | TalkBass.com
If you want to head in that direction, try a piece of foam under the strings down by the bridge. Similar tone can be had with:
FretWraps String Muters (3-Pack) – Gruv Gear | Krane
Which is what I do when I want an easy on-easy-off little deal I can jam in my pocket and keep in my gig bag.
This is pretty much The Tone in My Head. 
I've gotten there via P-bass, very-old LaBella 760FL strings, tone knob full-on, a fairly light touch, and a 70s Ampeg.
It sounds like his low notes have a little compression to get that fatness, and I wonder if that comes from the tubes in his Noble preamp. I also can't tell if he's using the foam-mute in this track that's part of his signature model.
Hell of a tasteful player.
Edit: Nice transcription and execution, @whitelines ! Thank you for sharing that.
I've gotten there via P-bass, very-old LaBella 760FL strings, tone knob full-on, a fairly light touch, and a 70s Ampeg.
It sounds like his low notes have a little compression to get that fatness, and I wonder if that comes from the tubes in his Noble preamp. I also can't tell if he's using the foam-mute in this track that's part of his signature model.
Hell of a tasteful player.
Edit: Nice transcription and execution, @whitelines ! Thank you for sharing that.
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Another aspect to this tone, especially the opening notes, is the fact that he's fretting the line up around the 10th fret. With flats on a P, the tone gets more thick and wooly the higher up the neck you go, with less sustain which gives more of a wooly thump. Something to consider if the line allows for it.
