Setting up a bass... how do you get clank?

[Tommygunn]

I want my dirnt to be clanky. But everytime I try to do it all I get is buzz.

Best example is Steve Harris, you wouldn't call it buzz cause it's not, but he has a clank to his sound.

 

[CBgaragebassist]

He's got extremely low action and uses flats to eliminate the buzz. What he's left with is clank. I think having a hard attack will help too.

 

[Tommygunn]

Sweet! I need flats then!

 

[tom once dead]

Just get your neck almost completely straight and lower the brdige saddles. Boost some treble and you should get there.

 

[Darkstrike]

Low action and technique.

Low action and bad technique will lead to buzz, though.

 

[samdan61]

I'm getting the Steve Harris sound using flats with low action and I have my fingers over the P pickup on my precision which is set fairly close to the strings. Sound really comes through, sometimes too much but one can always back off your attack when you don't need that much Harris sound.

 

[Tommygunn]

Man... I have bad technique!

 

[ilnickyJ]

I got pretty close to his sound with a 7 band eq...

100 = -15
200 = +8/9
400 = +3/4
800 = -15
1.6k = 0
3.2k = +4/5
6.4k = +5/6

Im trying to transfer it over to a 15 band unit so i can put it in a rack but im struggeling a bit

 

[rojo412]

Flats go a long way for less PING and more CLANK.
Technique is also very necessary.

 

[precision punk]

I have rotosound swing 66 strings on my Fender P and I get a whole lot of clank. I play aggressive if I want the clank and softly to smooth things out. Its all in the technique Tommygunn. My neck is pretty straight and action low but not fret buzz low.

 

[puddin tame]

it's just technique, the lower the action the less attack you have to use. I don't know what my neck is at and my action isn't that flow but I can certainly crank the clank when need be. flats, rounds, whatever

 

[IronLung1986]

I have rotosound swing 66 strings on my Fender P and I get a whole lot of clank. I play aggressive if I want the clank and softly to smooth things out. Its all in the technique Tommygunn. My neck is pretty straight and action low but not fret buzz low.

+1 for roto 66's. technique is big but you need the right tools for the job, and those are THE clank strings.

 

[darkstorm]

Give it a set of Rotosound swing 66. The king of clank and other wonderfull bass tone char's. Yes low action with just a little bit of fret buzz is needed as is right body woods which can be whatever with a maple top as the ideal. Some basses just dont do the real low action with minimal fretbuzz well. Only fix then is replace bass and again use Rotosound swing 66 strings. Btw a small boost in the 6khz range with the rest of treble left pretty much flat can also help. Crunchy rather then smooth voiced pups are also required for proper clank goodness imo. DR neons are the only other string Ive tried that can do clank right and overall tone right in all catagories. They dont have quite as much clank to them but do replace that small shortcoming with an extra articulate lower bass end that somehow makes it just as good but slightly diff.

For bestest best clank a rickenbacker with rotosound swing 66 strings.

 

[Meddle]

If you got the Dirnt for punk reasons then maybe pressurewound/groundwound strings might be better than all out flats. I have a flats bass I love but I would not use it for the clank.

I'm actually too poor to afford two basses at the moment so I just swap out the strings on one between grounds and roundwounds. Usually its the other strings I want on. I have it with rounds at the moment and the clank only showed up with the action really low, and I found a pick was best for getting consistent clank (a technique issue).

With the groundwounds I found the clank reminded me a lot of Jack Casady's tone, with a percussive bump on every note.

 

[okcrum]

I have rotosound swing 66 strings on my Fender P and I get a whole lot of clank. I play aggressive if I want the clank and softly to smooth things out. Its all in the technique Tommygunn. My neck is pretty straight and action low but not fret buzz low.

Clankiest strings on the planet, right there.

 

[OPBASSMAN1994]

It's all action and fingers. Lower your strings to where they are almost touching the first couple of frets at the top of the neck, but not quite doing it. Play with a nice, fluid, but harsh attack, and you should get that clank. Unless you've got a jazz, and set it like mine (not using effects, though, like I use), then you get that Geddy-ish spike-punch sound that you hear on Snakes and Arrows Live. A Badass II helps too, but the Drint already has that.

 

[OPBASSMAN1994]

unfortunately, I need to find an allen wrench to get the action back to that point, and can't find one anywhere!

 

[P-oddz]

For the Rotosound pushers here - how does the clankiness rival that of, let's say a set of D'addario Chromes?

Because I find my Precision to have a nice amount of clank with the Chromes, a pick, and a slightly lower action.

 

[odin70]

Straight neck

 

[okcrum]

For the Rotosound pushers here - how does the clankiness rival that of, let's say a set of D'addario Chromes?

Because I find my Precision to have a nice amount of clank with the Chromes, a pick, and a slightly lower action.

They are right up there with Chromes. I thought they were a little less bright at the very top end than Chromes. I think frets have gotten harder metal since the 70s, because I don't see people complaining about the Rotos eating frets like they used to. The only complaint I ever had about Roto 66s was their lifetime. It always seemed they wore out a little faster than the other major makers' strings.

I think using pick style and low setup also are essential to maximize clank.