So, like, what is 'vintage tone' REALLY?

[NeonVomit]

Everyone talks about how great 'vintage tone' is, but what is it?

To me it makes me think of what you get with dead strings and highs rolled off. Thumpy round tone, which I can achieve with basically any bass and any amp.

What do you think makes 'vintage tone'?

 

[bholder]

'54 Fender Precision through an Ampeg B15N - my learning rig, back in the day.

 

[Hammerfield]

Fender Bass + Flats + valves

 

[B String]

'54 Fender Precision through an Ampeg B15N - my learning rig, back in the day.

My first rig was a 60' P bass into an early B15N, with a JBL D140. Spoiled me forever. Still have the P, wish I still had the amp.

 

[droo46]

My Fender Rumble 500 has a vintage button. So, that, I guess.

 

[Franchy]

How about vintage Greg Lake, Chris Squire, Geddy Lee tone?

 

[klejst]

Well "vintage" gear wise usually is classified as something that is at least 20-25+ years old no? So a bass or rig over that age could "sound the vintage" ...Now how good it sounds can be another thing

 

[099451057947]

My swamp ash Warwick sounds very hi-fi compared to any of the passive basses with ash bodies I’ve owned. I think passive is really the key to a vintage tone. You’re relying entirely on the integrity of the pickups and pots instead of the post processing. Kinda like using a V8 instead of smaller engine with a turbo. Both can have the same output, but one gets there differently. Better example, I use an Alembic tube preamp on my Warwick to get it to sound like my newly acquired vintage P bass. I guess, to me, a good vintage tone is one that requires the least amount of fiddling with knobs to dial in a setting that cuts through. It just works, but it also depends on the band and the set list you’re playing with.

 

[RickBlair]

Back in the mid-60's we used to turn the tone knob off on the bass and the bass knob all the way up on the amp. I used to play either with my thumb or a felt pick.

I have evolved over the years but sometimes I still reach for the knobs.

Rick B.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

I’m in the camp of Ampeg tubes...maybe an Ampeg cab (B15/Pf15/50), P Bass with La Bella flats.

I also think a tube guitar combo with a Jazz bass (or P) and a mid heavy focus with a pick qualifies. I have a Marshall tube combo for this specific purpose, and it sounds incredible, if you utilize it well.

Edit: Oh, and you have to have the cloth wiring.

 

[7dollarbologna]

I think of James Jamerson.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

I think of James Jamerson.

Yeah, there it is.

 

[AGCurry]

I think of James Jamerson.

Hmm. If we're talking about studio bassists, I'm more likely to think of Carol Kaye and Joe Osborne. Jamerson was a bit of an outlier (not to take anything away from him!).

But context matters here. Which "era?" And are we talking about recordings or live music? What's the genre?

Example, even in rock music: John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, and Jack Casady were contemporaries with very different sounds.

As someone who heard live music in the second half of the 1960s, I heard/saw big changes in bass amps as well as a move to standardize on Fender basses... from a Fender Bassman through the little 2-12" cabinet to much more powerful and capable solid-state amps. Lots of people playing non-Fender basses in the early-and-mid-60s, fewer as the years rolled on.

 

[Lownote38]

Old. It sounds old...

 

[Jefenator]

Passive tone knob for thud, power tubes distorting for sizzle.

 

[Scott Lynch]

‘Vintage’ tone, to me, is something generally more mid-range forward with attenuated highs over 4 kHz or so, and also with less low bass. It’s a tone profile (or range of profiles, really) that organically resulted from the sound reproduction limitations of popular speaker cab designs of the 60s and 70s like the B-15, SVT Fridge, etc. Many of these cabs have a characteristic ‘bump’ somewhere in the lower midrange that can help the bass sit well in certain mixes. Tube amps are often used for this application, sometimes pushed into overdrive.

To contrast, ‘modern’ tone resulted from advancements in frequency reproduction capabilities in newer cab designs that use ports and tweeters to extend the lows and highs. Many of these cabs have a pronounced ‘scoop’ in the upper midrange/low treble and a glassy sounding top end, giving them a different kind of sonic signature. Solid state amps are often used for this application, and are run clean, sometimes with compression.

 

[silky smoove]

Vintage is more bandwidth limited than modern which has more extension up top and down low. Fittingly what’s called “modern” is more commonly found in pop music from 20-30 years ago than what’s frequently used in actual modern music these days.

 

[Ihaveshingles]

Everyone talks about how great 'vintage tone' is, but what is it?

To me it makes me think of what you get with dead strings and highs rolled off. Thumpy round tone, which I can achieve with basically any bass and any amp.

What do you think makes 'vintage tone'?

View attachment 4222880

Yup, pretty much nailed it....that’s what I think of too when I hear someone say “vintage tone”

 

[sethlow3]

Paul McCartney could be considered “vintage” also.
Similar setup (flats, mute) other than the bass and technique being different.

 

[Stewie]

A little butter or mayonnaise on the strings oughtta do it.