No, I'm finding your finger style "debate" interesting, haha.
I, myself, play fingerstyle sometimes. It can sound great for reggae music.
Oh- and I'm talking about the Dr. Bass's with the guy that owns the two cabs. Hopefully it goes well.
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Reggae & R&B Cab (and debate about palm muting!)
- Thread starter Flatty Banks
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No, I'm finding your finger style "debate" interesting, haha.
I, myself, play fingerstyle sometimes. It can sound great for reggae music.
Oh- and I'm talking about the Dr. Bass's with the guy that owns the two cabs. Hopefully it goes well.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
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Cool. I hope it all works out to your advantage. Its a set up that seems like it would do the trick... and portable. BTW, I really like my LMII for reggae. I tend to roll the high all the way down, the mid/high down to about 9 o'clock leave the low mid flat and then boost the lows to about 2 o'clock. From there I usually bring up the VPF just a little bit then the VLE just enough to tame the highs that the VPF adds (The VPF gives you the lows down around 40hz).
Of course, I have tone settings on my bass too, but that's besides the point.
I hope so too. If you check out my signature, you'll see I'm advertising the sale of one of my beloved basses to fund it.
Help me bump?
Oh, also; the Little Mark II can only pump out 300w's at 8-ohm.
The Dr. B's are 8-ohm. Will that mean I won't have that much power?
The Dr. B's are 8-ohm. Will that mean I won't have that much power?
- Dec 21, 2007
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I used to get a HUGE reggae sound with an original SWR Goliath 410. Better than I was getting with a 15, better than with an 18. Your mileage may vary, but do not discount the 410 option.
The Little Mark 2 puts out 500 watts into a 4 ohm load...so chaining the two 8 ohm Dr. Bass's together will give you a 4 ohm load. Good match, I think.
Does the VPF really add anything? I've always thought that the VPF was a scoop or cut centered around 380 Hz.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
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It does scoop around 380 but it actually adds low and high above the tone controls.
Since the OP doesn't mind that the topic drifted towards a palm muting debate, I will add my $.02. I have played a lot of Reggae and seen a whole lot of live shows, and the only people I have seen use palm muting on Reggae are younger/non-jamaican guys. I am aware of Robbie using some palm muting, but he is the only Jamaican bass player I am aware of who uses the technique.
I like to get a good Reggae tone on my Jazz bass by turning the bridge pickup all of the way down, and the neck pickup a little bit down, which seems to mellow out the sound and a give a softer attack. Then I turn the volume on the amp way up, and play with my right hand on the neck with a very soft touch.
I learned this by watching videos of Family Man play, and years of experimentation. I will make EQ adjustments on the amp, such as cutting out some mids, but I find the finger technique to be the most important. I have gotten lots of compliments on my tone when playing like this, especially from other bass players.
Oh, and I can't forget my secret weapon - flatwound strings. For a more modern Reggae tone roundwounds are great, but if you want an old-school roots Reggae tone I feel that flatwounds are a must.
I have heard palm muting used by a lot of the Hawaiian Reggae bands, and I just don't feel that it has an authentic Reggae tone. It seems they are trying to cover up for the fact that they are using roundwound strings and have a bright, trebbly sound. However, for newer R&B, ala D'Angelo, and feel that palm muting is a great technique.
I think as long as you pay close attention to your technique you should be able to get a good tone out of any amp that puts out a decent amount of power.
I like to get a good Reggae tone on my Jazz bass by turning the bridge pickup all of the way down, and the neck pickup a little bit down, which seems to mellow out the sound and a give a softer attack. Then I turn the volume on the amp way up, and play with my right hand on the neck with a very soft touch.
I learned this by watching videos of Family Man play, and years of experimentation. I will make EQ adjustments on the amp, such as cutting out some mids, but I find the finger technique to be the most important. I have gotten lots of compliments on my tone when playing like this, especially from other bass players.
Oh, and I can't forget my secret weapon - flatwound strings. For a more modern Reggae tone roundwounds are great, but if you want an old-school roots Reggae tone I feel that flatwounds are a must.
I have heard palm muting used by a lot of the Hawaiian Reggae bands, and I just don't feel that it has an authentic Reggae tone. It seems they are trying to cover up for the fact that they are using roundwound strings and have a bright, trebbly sound. However, for newer R&B, ala D'Angelo, and feel that palm muting is a great technique.
I think as long as you pay close attention to your technique you should be able to get a good tone out of any amp that puts out a decent amount of power.
I play a lot of reggae and R&B, as well as a lot of music that needs really thick and deep sounding bass. I'd suggest getting a pair of flats to help you on your way.
My usual reggae amp is a GK 2001 RB and an Ampeg 215SVTEN cab. Its loud, has great tone and puts out some thick bass. You can definitely get this set up used for under 1500.
Also, I used to palm mute when I played one of my jazz basses or when I played with rounds. Its much easier to stuff a mute under the strings.
My usual reggae amp is a GK 2001 RB and an Ampeg 215SVTEN cab. Its loud, has great tone and puts out some thick bass. You can definitely get this set up used for under 1500.
Also, I used to palm mute when I played one of my jazz basses or when I played with rounds. Its much easier to stuff a mute under the strings.
I know you guys are probably getting sick of me, but here:
How would that go over, with a Little Mark II instead of the Genz Benz?
How would that go over, with a Little Mark II instead of the Genz Benz?
I had that, and moved on to a 410. As mentioned at the very beginning of this thread:
It was definitely deep. But outside of a small bar or club, a pair of 112s just doesn't put out anywhere near the volume you need for those low notes. When I played with a fairly heavy hitting drummer, bringing the volume up to match just compressed the sound too much as it ran out of steam.
The 410 never seems to have that problem. In fact, I rarely ever find myself setting the master past 10 or 11 o'clock on the LMII. By comparison, I used to run the 112 stack closer to 3 o'clock, where it'd sound quite compressed.
obviously its about the bassline......what the hell does that have to do with the line being busy??? just because the groove is focused on the bass and drums does not mean the line has to be busy. yeah there are busy basslines.....but i think robbie shakespear (one of the best reggae bassplayers IMO) said it best (BP magazine)...listeners dont understand a busy bassline as well as a simple one...keep it simple....its called "groove" for a reason....space
For the past few years, I've been using two Aguilar GX112s driven by a Sansamp RBI and a Carvin poweramp. We play mostly 70's style roots, and this gives me a huge, fat sound. I also have an old Peavey 2x15 that I use for festivals and other outdoor gigs.
BTW, I agree with BurningSkies that thumb muting is not "standard" reggae technique. I've been playing reggae since 1986, and have opened for many big Jamaican bands. I have seldom if ever seen thumb muting. I'm not opposed to it: if you want to thumb mute, knock yourself out. Any technique that gets you the sound you want is fine with me, but it is not at all required or used by most players, in my experience.
BTW, I agree with BurningSkies that thumb muting is not "standard" reggae technique. I've been playing reggae since 1986, and have opened for many big Jamaican bands. I have seldom if ever seen thumb muting. I'm not opposed to it: if you want to thumb mute, knock yourself out. Any technique that gets you the sound you want is fine with me, but it is not at all required or used by most players, in my experience.
+1 you play reggae bass with your fingers or even thumb.
If you want thumpy muted notes then use left-hand muting.
Ive used Eden 4-10's, Bassman 2-10's, Bagend 15's and 18's for reggae, and now I have an old 2-15 Carvin loaded with new emenince speakers. Going back and forth from these over the years, I'd say the 15's push more air,have a more "round" sound and have a more percussive effect.
