The "real thing".

[ogreboy88]

So far,

Fender j tuned bead => mxr bass distortion => malekko b:assmaster => tech 21 VT bass character => fender rumble

Is my preferred way to grind my face off when the wife n kids aren't around. But I'm just getting started.

 

[kesslari]

Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0 through a MAS Flex 210 at a gig that was loud enough and big enough to open it up a bit. Oh, can't forget the Zon fretless on the front end.
The fingerstyle funk stuff just POPPED! Totally immediate, with lows that you could feel coupled with tone for days...

 

[HolmeBass]

I’m geeked on my FEARful 15/6 with a number of different amps, but particularly my ShuttleMax 9.2.

But lately what’s really been making me happy is playing dub and reggae lines through that rig running through my IE Xero Dlx in static lowpass filter mode with a fair amount of resonance using the 4-pole setting. It’s positively subterranean and has definitely put my Meatbox permanently out of business.

 

[spiritbass]

Reeves Custom 225 pushing two Bodai 110's makes all my basses (and me) sound and feel good.

 

[SactoBass]

But, man, there is a feeling you get when you strike a note and there's that sound that tons of pedals and hybrid amps are trying to get to..... but it's actually right there. It makes me want to play. It makes me want to drag the thing to the bar. It makes me want to hold my hand up in front of the fan blowing out of the front and feel the heat. It makes me want to peek behind it and bask the orange glow. It makes me want to hear the drummer click the sticks four times and stand about 8" in front of it so that when I hit the first note it hugs my lower spine with furry goodness.

In an awkward way, I'm simply trying to say that having the real thing... MY real thing... is fun too. It sounds great. It feels great. It has a certain "cool factor".

It makes me grin.

And, after all, isn't that what all this is about, anyway?

So, what's your "real thing"?

What tone strikes at your heart and soul when YOU play it?

What rig gets you there?

Amps with power tubes and iron transformers at the brink of saturation! There's *NOTHING* like the real deal!

 

[Blues Bass 2]

I love my PF800 and self built 212 cab but my favorite tone was and still is the SVT .

The first time I tried one it just changed how I thought a bass should sound . That was in 1971 through a pair of JBL D-140s . The feel was just so different from the Fenders , Sunns and the Bruce amp I had used . Like I could conquer the world with that rig , just so powerful and just present . I got one in 1974 and used it through the 70's . Nothing like it that I know .

 

[4SG]

So, what's your "real thing"?...What tone strikes at your heart and soul when YOU play it?...I want to get your description of your favorite tones YOU have achieved. Yourself. Your rig (or a borrowed rig, provided backline, something your tried out at a store, etc.). But YOUR playing is paramount.

What rig gets you there?

2F: Does a world class drummer count as a "rig"? That's what gets my playing where I want it to be, no matter what I'm playing through.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

G&L SB-1 through the B-15.
woks every time with the RE-20

 

[Bob_Ross]

View attachment 3134841

No matter what I have plugged it into... a couple twists of the knobs and......

True story: I may have to stop using my Damnation Audio MBD-1 with one band...because every time I step on it the drummer stops playing, stands up, and yells "Holy crap, what is that thing?!?!?"

Every time!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Are there pedals, modern combos, digital samplers, rack preamps, etc. that sound GREAT?

You bet. I own several.

However, for the first time in a long time, I am back to passive basses and an Ampeg SVT-CL. Most of them are P bass derivatives.

Yesterday, I got to spend some time with those basses and that rig (with a 6-10 cab).

There are two kinds of "grit" you can get to with the head.

1) Jack the gain to "just-before-breakup" to get that 12ax/at/au grit.
2) Jack the master to 8 or so and ease up on the gain until your power tubes get to "just-before-breakup".

Both are amazing.

Yes, I will continue to take out my pedals, my hybrid Mesa Walkabout rig (that sounds fantastic by the way), sometimes run direct, etc.

But, man, there is a feeling you get when you strike a note and there's that sound that tons of pedals and hybrid amps are trying to get to..... but it's actually right there. It makes me want to play. It makes me want to drag the thing to the bar. It makes me want to hold my hand up in front of the fan blowing out of the front and feel the heat. It makes me want to peek behind it and bask the orange glow. It makes me want to hear the drummer click the sticks four times and stand about 8" in front of it so that when I hit the first note it hugs my lower spine with furry goodness.

I realize I'm probably (accidentally) pissing some people off. I'm NOT trying to say that anything else "sucks".

In an awkward way, I'm simply trying to say that having the real thing... MY real thing... is fun too. It sounds great. It feels great. It has a certain "cool factor".

It makes me grin.

And, after all, isn't that what all this is about, anyway?

So, what's your "real thing"?

What tone strikes at your heart and soul when YOU play it?

I'm not interested in Chris Squires tone on such n such album or Jamerson's tone on this song. I want to get your description of your favorite tones YOU have achieved. Yourself. Your rig (or a borrowed rig, provided backline, something your tried out at a store, etc.). But YOUR playing is paramount.

What rig gets you there?

A lot depends on the music you are playing, but I’m pretty fond of my Eden gear. Typically, I don’t even come close to an overdriven sound, but that is not to say it isn’t warm or vibrant. I much prefer 10” speakers in a well tuned cab. Most of the time I play, it’s with FOH support so I’m not providing all of the low end for the show. What I’m more concerned with is sitting in the mix without causing issues for everybody else, and my rig does it better than anything else I’ve played with.

BTW, I had an SVT powering their V-4B bottom that had the 2-15 in a reflex enclosure back in the 70s. It’s great gear, but PAs back then were used mostly for just the vocals, so you needed something with more thump. Today, not so much.

 

[Hounddog409]

Are there pedals, modern combos, digital samplers, rack preamps, etc. that sound GREAT?

You bet. I own several.

However, for the first time in a long time, I am back to passive basses and an Ampeg SVT-CL. Most of them are P bass derivatives.

Yesterday, I got to spend some time with those basses and that rig (with a 6-10 cab).

There are two kinds of "grit" you can get to with the head.

1) Jack the gain to "just-before-breakup" to get that 12ax/at/au grit.
2) Jack the master to 8 or so and ease up on the gain until your power tubes get to "just-before-breakup".

Both are amazing.

Yes, I will continue to take out my pedals, my hybrid Mesa Walkabout rig (that sounds fantastic by the way), sometimes run direct, etc.

But, man, there is a feeling you get when you strike a note and there's that sound that tons of pedals and hybrid amps are trying to get to..... but it's actually right there. It makes me want to play. It makes me want to drag the thing to the bar. It makes me want to hold my hand up in front of the fan blowing out of the front and feel the heat. It makes me want to peek behind it and bask the orange glow. It makes me want to hear the drummer click the sticks four times and stand about 8" in front of it so that when I hit the first note it hugs my lower spine with furry goodness.

I realize I'm probably (accidentally) pissing some people off. I'm NOT trying to say that anything else "sucks".

In an awkward way, I'm simply trying to say that having the real thing... MY real thing... is fun too. It sounds great. It feels great. It has a certain "cool factor".

It makes me grin.

And, after all, isn't that what all this is about, anyway?

So, what's your "real thing"?

What tone strikes at your heart and soul when YOU play it?

I'm not interested in Chris Squires tone on such n such album or Jamerson's tone on this song. I want to get your description of your favorite tones YOU have achieved. Yourself. Your rig (or a borrowed rig, provided backline, something your tried out at a store, etc.). But YOUR playing is paramount.

What rig gets you there?

My real thing?

Mesa D800
2 Epifany 1x15 cabs
Sure wireless plugged into
RIC 4003s or
MIM Jazz with SD Quarter Pound pu's.
Depending on mood.
This is what i gig with. No effects.

 

[JimmyM]

P's or PJ's mostly, Ampeg tube amps, REDDI or similar tube DI...I'm a tube snob but a really bad one because I will sacrifice reality for convenience and consideration of conditions if it makes no sense to do otherwise.

And I love pedals!

 

[moogieotter]

Ibanez ATK 700 into Mesa plain 400 on top of Bag End 410 w coax. Small upper mid boost. Mesa Channel 2.

 

[saabfender]

I was playing a festival and there was an Acoustic 360 sitting on a 2x15 cab as part of the backline. Man, that thing was like the Voice Of God. I’d have one by now if they weren’t so stupidly expensive. Here’s a pic for all to enjoy.

 

[Alembicken]

Alembic Series 2 (avatar picture) into SVT CL into 810e. Just hit the open E and feel the wave...

 

[Engle]

My Real Thing: Thunderbird Vintage Pro (Eppi) into PF-50T through 2 x 210AVs.
I never feel the need for a dirt pedal.
The sound brings me joy as evidenced by the goofy grin on my face right after the set:

 

[Kevin Wolfe]

My real thing, the thing that makes me happy, makes me want to play has nothing to do with amazing tone. Almost any bass with a pickup approximately where a P pickup is, that I've set up how I like, into a decent clean amp and cab is good enough. It's the other people.

What it's all about for me is that moment when you're playing with a great drummer you have good chemistry with, and a good guitar player, all three (or four, etc) of you are listening to each other, locking in, making instantaneous adjustments so everything works effortlessly, you're playing a song that grooves, and you all hit the first note of the next section right on the money, without needing a cue, or you all hit that cool stop...wait...wait...wait..boom! back at exactly the same millisecond like you can read each other's minds. That's the real thing. For me.

"This"

 

[40Hz]

Based purely on what I own/owned and played…

For tube:

High power + big sound - SVT and the companion fridge cab. Nothing more need be said.

Low power + awesome sound - Ampeg B-15N. End of story.

For solid-state:

High power live - Acoustic 360/361 stack. One of the least forgiving but most sonically beautiful stacks ever built.

Moderate power live - Acoustic 150 head into an Acoustic 301 cab. One of the very few guitar heads that found admirers in the bass world. And for good reason.

Sad day when Acoustic Control Corporation finally closed it’s doors.

———

If buying new today I’d probably go with a Mesa D800 or D800+ into a Barefaced Big Baby.

Note: any one of these would require no outboard electronics IMO. They’re each magic in their respective ways. So bass straight in through a cable would work for me with any of these.

 

[Ekulati]

Yeah Toof, I'm in the camp, already mentioned by some, of getting my biggest joy playing bass from doing it with other musicians. Having had those nirvana tone experiences in the past, they involved lugging way more gear than this old body is willing, or needs to haul, in this modern age. So I am more than happy with a rig that gets me close, then being able to play it live onstage with others, hopefully who are better than I am.

That also ties into the overworked "amp vs. IEMs" debates here on TB. Although I see their utility in some situations, I play music first and foremost for my own enjoyment at this point, and that means not having buds in my ears. I like to hear myself and my fellow musicians. Otherwise it's just manufacturing a product. If I made my living from that, of course it would be fine. But I'm way beyond my years of supporting myself from gigging.

Finally, as for ideal bass tone, again I'm fine with getting 90% there, because at the end of the day, I love music more than I love the bass.

 

[lowphatbass]

This rig does something special for me. I honestly think a lot of the magic is in the cab, it certainly gets the most out of the 60w. My main list of players are P bass derivatives and a 24V active Dingwall and it sounds fantastic with all of them.
I’m not a crunch or fuzz guy, this probably isn’t the amp for it anyway. What this thing does well is provide a truly magnificent definition that’s just musical. When you push it that “edge” just gets better and better, it’s smooth yet substantial....like a mousse or merengue that tastes like rock and roll.