Trebebly Sound

[tangodown87]

ive been playin for bout two years now, i now play in a punky band so i like to have a trebely sound, i have a fender mexican jazz bass and a laney stack .i use a pick to get added deep treble sound. when i put new strings on for a few days i can get a wicked sound but then its dead hard to get anice trebely sound
im usin d'addarios at the moment, maybe this is the problem , any suggestions?

 

[Matt Till]

Nothing beats the sound of new strings. Whenever I listen to an album and I think, "Wow that bassist has fantastic tone, I wonder how he does it?" Usually the answer is new strings. I could go on, but... well, I won't.

You are not going to get the new string sound constantly, no chance. BUT you can "renew" your strings by boiling them in hot water.

Other than that, fiddle with your eq and pick near the bridge.

 

[Adam Barkley]

I use light gauge D'daddario XL's and they normally stay fresh and zingy for a couple of weeks of heavy playing. A set will last me a month and a half to two months before I begin to notice extreme deadness.

Maybe try fingerstyle to make them last longer?

 

[Matt Till]

Actually, it is to my understanding that picking makes it last longer. Strings get dull because of finger residue/grease. Gross.

 

[Adam Barkley]

Whoops.

Maybe his fingers perspire so much, that it drips down the pick on to the string

 

[noetical1]

i find that Rotosound strings kepp twangin' the longest...

good luck,
dp

 

[Matt Till]

Whoops.

Maybe his fingers perspire so much, that it drips down the pick on to the string

I bought my Yamaha RXB260 new about 4 years ago, and there is a spot between the wood and pickups that I can't get into to clean. So that means 4 year old dead skin is in there. Grosser.

 

[Adam Barkley]

Haha, thats pretty funny. Though couldn't you just take out the pickup and then clean?

 

[tangodown87]

would it be better to use a lighter gauge such as .95s? im usin .100s at the mo should i try .95s?
thanks for your help

 

[Trevorus]

a bit thinner string will generally have a bit more snap. You might try that.

 

[Matt Till]

Haha, thats pretty funny. Though couldn't you just take out the pickup and then clean?

I'm a laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy man.

 

[Adam Barkley]

Well then, look forward to having a larger accumulation of skin flakes.

 

[Chronosx65x]

I bought my Yamaha RXB260 new about 4 years ago, and there is a spot between the wood and pickups that I can't get into to clean. So that means 4 year old dead skin is in there. Grosser.

roflmao

 

[jim primate]

for a bright trebely sound go with stainless steel strings. i use dr sunbeams. hella bright for a month at least. i think it's sunbeams i use...the roundcore stainless steel one. maybe highbeams. dammit.

 

[purplegecko97]

Those are HiBeams...I used them too and absolutely dig them.

For anybody thats interested the SunBeams are Nickel-plated round cores. Never used them though.

At the risk of getting this thread moved, has anybody tried the FatBeams? I've heard they're a hell of a string as well. Just wondering how they compare to the HiBeams.

 

[PasdaBeer]

cut the mids out of your EQ

scooping your mids makes your high sound more pronouced.
If you have a presence control, crank it up, and use the contour controls freely : P

For Strings, i use D'addario Prism, "Ultra Bright Bass strings" and actually, i dont like them till after i played them for a week or two to dull them out a lil : ) GHS fast Fret helps a bit to keep the brightness also.

 

[George Looney]

You could replace the capacitor on the tone pot with one off lower value. (less treble cut)
For a more dramatic effect you could even bypass the tone pot.

 

[slinkp]

a bit thinner string will generally have a bit more snap. You might try that.

Depends what kind of treble you're looking for. A thinner string will have a more twangy, boingy sound. A thicker string will have a harder, more piano-like attack and a more metallic sustain.

Stainless steel strings usually keep the bright tone a bit longer than nickel. But I stopped using 'em because new strings are cheaper than new frets

Another cleaning trick, quicker and easier than boiling: Alcohol. Rubbing alcohol will do in a pinch. Denatured alcohol (from teh hardware store) is better. But do NOT get any alcohol on the fretboard or elsewhere on the bass. I loosen the strings, hold them away from the bass and wipe with a cotton ball. When I'm feeling anal I cover the fretboard with a paper towel. You get best results if you do this right after a gig, but I always forget :-(