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Something wrong with my bass tone?
- Thread starter SiriusVI
- Start date
I got you. Skip to around 4:30 or so. You need to crimp the end of those kind of strings so the internal core doesn’t come apart
Get a new set of strings and do it the way shown and I’ll bet you’ll be just fine.
Your pick attack could also have an affect. Try playing with a harder attack, and experiment with different thicknesses of picks. The pick thickness that you use on guitar might not be ideal for getting the tone you want on bass.
I'm not hearing anything that hurts my feelings, and if the sound tech does hear something, then he/she has a set of knobs to change it, too. Don't worry too much about it. It sounds fine.
If you are looking for a brighter tone, then I recommend the DR Hi Beams. That should give you a nice bump in brightness and then you can fine tune it with EQ.
It sounds ok, but I get that it's not the sound you're after.
Part of it it's the pickups, they just may not sound the way you'd like them to (I've never been a fan of those soapbars, although I had no problem getting a bright tone), but I suspectit's got a lot more to do with the strings, like others said.
I've used those coated DR strings and I don't remember them being particularly dull, but they are less bright than other non-coated ones, so worth a try.
Part of it it's the pickups, they just may not sound the way you'd like them to (I've never been a fan of those soapbars, although I had no problem getting a bright tone), but I suspectit's got a lot more to do with the strings, like others said.
I've used those coated DR strings and I don't remember them being particularly dull, but they are less bright than other non-coated ones, so worth a try.
No, I think the coated ones the OP is talking about are standard roundwounds with a nylon coating, but not like tapewounds.
I'd take a look at this video too because it will go over the picking attack to get that sort of tone:
I think everything is fine with your bass, but the reasons could be - what are the condition of your strings, what amp and cab do you use, what are your eq settings ?
I think they are just like the black beauties, (more or less) just a different color. you gotta crimp 'em. I've never had tapewounds. Do have to crimp those as well?
This is from elsewhere on TB:
bend strings before cutting?
That's not worth any more than stuff said here or any other internet forum. Here's a better quote from the package for my DR Black Beauties:
"We flatten a small section of the core wire at a spot that should lie past the nut at the top of the fingerboard, and between the tuning machines of your instrument. This flat section provides an anchor for the wrap wire to grip the core wire. You should be able to feel this flattened area between your fingers as you touch the end of the string opposite the ball end.
Without the anchor the string is likely to unwind, go "dead" and fail to intonate properly.
If you need to cut or trim your strings between the anchor and the ball end . . . carefully and severely bend, or "crimp," your string as illustrated. The severe bend (crimp) will provide an anchor for the round core."
Note, this applies to round core strings only. I put more stock in this than anything said so far. The manufacturer is concerned enough about the outer wrap unwinding that they add an extra step to the manufacturing of the string and post a big warning inside the package.
I don't know about the DR color stings first hand, but believe they are a slightly different flavor of the black beauties, that are constructed similarly. I'm on my second set of them and have always crimped, never had a problem. Love those strings!!"We flatten a small section of the core wire at a spot that should lie past the nut at the top of the fingerboard, and between the tuning machines of your instrument. This flat section provides an anchor for the wrap wire to grip the core wire. You should be able to feel this flattened area between your fingers as you touch the end of the string opposite the ball end.
Without the anchor the string is likely to unwind, go "dead" and fail to intonate properly.
If you need to cut or trim your strings between the anchor and the ball end . . . carefully and severely bend, or "crimp," your string as illustrated. The severe bend (crimp) will provide an anchor for the round core."
Note, this applies to round core strings only. I put more stock in this than anything said so far. The manufacturer is concerned enough about the outer wrap unwinding that they add an extra step to the manufacturing of the string and post a big warning inside the package.
I think the difference is mostly in your playing technique.
In the video in the first post you can see the bass is being picked very close to the bridge, which will give a bright tone. It sounds like your sample is being picked much further away from the bridge up near the neck for a deeper, rounder tone.
Neither is better, and I will often use both in different parts of the same song to give different sections different sounds and feels.
I suggest experimenting with how you pick and where to see how the sound changes.
In the video in the first post you can see the bass is being picked very close to the bridge, which will give a bright tone. It sounds like your sample is being picked much further away from the bridge up near the neck for a deeper, rounder tone.
Neither is better, and I will often use both in different parts of the same song to give different sections different sounds and feels.
I suggest experimenting with how you pick and where to see how the sound changes.
Why did you buy that particular bass? Did you try it through an amp? Was it dull? Like others have said, there really is nothing wrong with your tone. Everybody has mentioned the factors you can change but ultimately I think you need to replace it with something you do enjoy the sound from. Life is way too short to being playing an instrument that lacks that tone you want or if it's too difficult to play.
No, that's how your specific bass sounds, with that particular type of pickup, that string selection, etc. All basses are not the same. All basses at a given price point are not the same.
In my opinion pickup type and location (distance from the bridge), number of pickups, active versus passive EQ, and playing style are the factors with the biggest influence on tone.
Using the bridge pickup and a pick are the easiest ways to naturally brighten up your bass tone. Not sure what kind of strings you're using but steels will be better than nickel for brightness. Also, maybe consider getting a dedicated bass preamp like a Sansamp so that you have full control over the sound before it even hits the DAW. The added benefit to this is that you can then use the Sansamp straight to the PA live and your live tone will be very similar to your recorded one.
Both sets of strings mentioned are coated. I would buy a set of nickel roundwound strings & see of it makes a difference. I played coated DR Black Beauty strings & felt they sounded plasticky & lifeless..
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Black beauties is exactly what I was using... I never crimped, and never had issues... Well, not true... I guess I do crimp because that's just how I always put strings: insert in hole, out the gap aaand hard turn (crimp). Ha!
Well, there you go, I had no idea.
