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Trouble cutting through (pf 500)

southpaw723

southpaw723

Oct 20, 2013
1,101
1,330
29
Pittsburgh
#1
My current set up is an Ampeg pf 500 through two 2x10 he's. I use a jazz bass most of the time. I've been jamming with one guitarist and drummer, both pretty loud. I just can't seem to get a growly tone to cut through in the mix. It just sounds kinda boomy and dare I say muddy. I like my set up at lower volumes but when it gets loud I don't dig my tone. I have been looking at the GK mb500 and a gk 4x10. I don't know if they are a step in the right direction of my tonal desires, can anyone help?
 
#3
My eq is usually around this (disregard the -15 pad, I don't use it ):
image.jpeg
 
Last edited:
#4
southpaw723 said:
My current set up is an Ampeg pf 500 through two 2x10 he's. I use a jazz bass most of the time. I've been jamming with one guitarist and drummer, both pretty loud. I just can't seem to get a growly tone to cut through in the mix. It just sounds kinda boomy and dare I say muddy. I like my set up at lower volumes but when it gets loud I don't dig my tone. I have been looking at the GK mb500 and a gk 4x10. I don't know if they are a step in the right direction of my tonal desires, can anyone help?
Click to expand...
Have you tried cutting a bit of the lows and cranking the mids at 450 hz (No 2) or 800 hz (No 3 )?
 
#10
southpaw723 said:
Yeah I've tried adding and subtracting mids at every position.
Click to expand...

If your bass doesn't have the tone you're looking for, making it louder won't help much.

I had a 500/210 combo and never has any issues being heard regardless of the bass I was using at the time. Once you find your tone you can work with, getting the gain properly set, and using the volume knob (it really does go up all the way on this amp) should take care of much of it. And don't fear the compressor on this thing, use it to your advantage !
 
#11
My Solid State combi is a PF800 or a PF350 with a PF115HE and a PF210HE, and it can get crazy loud (with the PF800) and sound awesome IMO.
Sometimes I use a Tech21 VT Bass pedal for (even) more grind and body.
If the guitar player has a very broad sound (say, like Van Halen), then cutting through the mix can be hard.
He should cut some low mids to give you space, if that was the case.
 
#13
High Camp said:
My Solid State combi is a PF800 or a PF350 with a PF115HE and a PF210HE, and it can get crazy loud (with the PF800) and sound awesome IMO.
Sometimes I use a Tech21 VT Bass pedal for (even) more grind and body.
If the guitar player has a very broad sound (say, like Van Halen), then cutting through the mix can be hard.
He should cut some low mids to give you space, if that was the case.
Click to expand...
Yes, the guitarist has a lot of lows on his amp, I've actually talked to him about it
 
#17
If it was a regular SS amp , I would just say to crank the gain all the way up. With it being a class D I'm not sure if that will work (might send it into protect mode) but it might be worth a try. I ran a 250 watt SS amp for a few years in a couple of pretty loud bands and with the master (gain) cranked , never had a problem cutting through.
 
#18
I would add more treble. The lower frequencies muddy up a LOT quicker than the higher ones. I would recommend adding more treble. Adding mids has never helped ME cut through against a guitar. Especially since the guitarist is apparently running a good bit of lows on his end, that's why the mix is muddy. I have the same issue with one of my guitarists running too much low frequencies, but since we are a 3 piece (Gtr,Drums, & of course BASS) I just bump the treble since we have more frequency space. Also, a P bass and my V4B greatly diminishes the issue.
 

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