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"Warmest" bass?

#41

Just copy this man... 4 strings are more than enough ;)



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#43
Did not read whole thread, but want to test the notion of "warmth." Is it rolled-off treble, reducing upper harmonic content? Or is it a native depth, such that the axe, acoustically, delivers a full, deep fundamental?

My preferred test for "warmth" potential. Acoustically, put the back of the body against an ear. Pluck the E string, muting all others. how long does it take before the fundamental, at 42 Hz, fades out and the first harmonic (the octave above) predominates? And when it fades out, to what extent do the upper harmonics dominate, perhaps coloring the first harmonic? NOTE - strings and set-up can make a difference on this test, but over the years I've decided this is the best way to figure out, quickly, the "native voice" of a given axe.

And for what it's worth, I actually think of a strong fundamental as indicating "depth." Perception of "warmth" can be affected by attack, like a rosewood board compared to maple - a quick attack will not provide the warm, pillowy effect of a slow attack, while an oozing, fuzzy attack can have "warmth," but not "depth." (If you have too much of both, you probably have mud.)

For the record, my personal tonal goal is fast but fat. But also a bit more old school than the super-deep flat bass response that some modern equipment can provide...still looking to live above the bass drum pedal, even when I'm hitting the B string. Gotta say that the high-pass knob on the Mesa 800+ has been an education.
 
#53
I agree with a Peavey Grind or a step up from that a Peavey Cirrus. If your budget is decent then go all out and get a Ken Smith. With any of these basses your pickup height matters so you don't get a lot of unwanted buzz and noise. Also with any high end bass guitar that has a on board preamp, its very important to run your bass, mids, and treb flat and add just a fraction of turn to each to depending also on the volume you are playing at to get that sound you want. I need to add this as well, basses made with darker woods give you the most warm low end sounds and vis versa light woods a bright sound. Yes there is a happy medium a bass constructed out of both. The body dark wood and a maple neck example will give the best of both worlds with very little adjustments needed to be made with the preamp. That will more likely give you what your looking for. Or you can get crazy and get a bass made 5 or 7 piece woods such as purple heart and wenge then you start to get into the treble and highs domain. Hope this helps you bro !!!
 
#55
IPRAYB4IPLAY said:
I agree with a Peavey Grind or a step up from that a Peavey Cirrus. If your budget is decent then go all out and get a Ken Smith. With any of these basses your pickup height matters so you don't get a lot of unwanted buzz and noise. Also with any high end bass guitar that has a on board preamp, its very important to run your bass, mids, and treb flat and add just a fraction of turn to each to depending also on the volume you are playing at to get that sound you want. I need to add this as well, basses made with darker woods give you the most warm low end sounds and vis versa light woods a bright sound. Yes there is a happy medium a bass constructed out of both. The body dark wood and a maple neck example will give the best of both worlds with very little adjustments needed to be made with the preamp. That will more likely give you what your looking for. Or you can get crazy and get a bass made 5 or 7 piece woods such as purple heart and wenge then you start to get into the treble and highs domain. Hope this helps you bro !!!
Click to expand...
Excellent response. Very much appreciated!
 

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