Tone!

[Kipp Harrington]

I wasn’t really sure what category in which to place this thread, so I decided to put it in this one.

I have been silent practicing with my Vox Amplug2 Bass unit. It really sounds great, especially when I roll up the tone on my bass. Just makes it a little bit clearer. But at the same time, has a very deep rich tone which blends nicely with the tracks I’m playing along with.

The other day, I plugged my iPhone into my Ampeg amp (BA210V2) to play along with songs. Of course, the tone is going to sound a bit different. However, I discovered that my low end through the amp is kind of muddy and low register notes do not sound clear/distinct. I tweaked my EQ and brought the “bass” knob down to 5 (don’t want to lose too much low end), mid at 7 and treble at 7. My E string notes still sound a bit indistinct. I have a Squier PJ bass and the tone/volume settings on that are pretty much balanced. Wondering if it’s the pickups (which I understand are not the best), or my settings... either on the amp or bass itself. Either way, I’m not liking the overall tone... especially the lower register notes.

Also, I’m using Boomer round wounds. I wanted to go with D’addario Chromes to soften the D and G strings a bit (not a fan of twangy high notes), but I’m afraid that will “darken” my low end even more.

Any advice/direction would be much appreciated.

 

[zachoff]

Everything contributes to tone. Where you're plucking/picking, how you're plucking/picking, and how you're fretting are more important than any strings, bass, amp, or cab. That said, I generally start with everything at 12:00 and tweak from there. Don't cut mids. Don't super boost anything, don't super cut anything. I don't notice a huge difference in strings. Used EB Power Slinkys forever, use SIT for a while, and have used Kalium/Circle K for years now. Kalium now not for tone... I just like how they feel.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Everything contributes to tone. Where you're plucking/picking, how you're plucking/picking, and how you're fretting are more important than any strings, bass, amp, or cab. That said, I generally start with everything at 12:00 and tweak from there. Don't cut mids. Don't super boost anything, don't super cut anything. I don't notice a huge difference in strings. Used EB Power Slinkys forever, use SIT for a while, and have used Kalium/Circle K for years now. Kalium now not for tone... I just like how they feel.

Thanks zachoff. I agree that how the strings are “attacked” is a huge contributor to the overall result. I’ve only been playing through a bass amp briefly (picked up the bass around January of this year) and have only had a handful of opportunities to play through it at a decent level (3 or 4). My ears may have to adjust and acclimate to how a bass sounds through an amp. It’s going to be even a bigger adjustment when I play in a “band” situation, for sure. I’ve alrady learned about having the mids and treble “up” a bit in order to cut through a mix. I played guitar for 30+ years and it took me quite a while to get the tone I was happy with. I’ll try mildly tweaking the EQ a bit and play through the amp as often as I can. Again, thanks for the tips!