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What bass for a pick player? (stingray like tone)

#22
I play with upstrokes for 20 years now and I never saw anyone play like that. So maybe it's not the best method, it can be very hard on the whrist near the end of a gig.

When I just started (age 13), I had a 15W amp and I had to play like this to be heard over the guitars. Never got rid of the style, because it gives a good 'drive' under the guitars.

You can check how it sounds here : Link Removed

Peter.
 
#27
Granted, I'm a lousy pick player - yet I've never heard any of my bass not sound good or cut through when used with a pick (Spector, Modulus, Fender). I've even hear P's with a pick cut through pretty well. What kind of strings are you using? :confused:
 
#29
dunce180 said:
Ok, currently I have a p bass, recently ive been looking at some different basses. I love my p bass, but I want another bass to try to get a more experimental tone so to speak. I have my eye on musicman basses at the moment. I really like their tone, but it seems a stingray with a pick doesnt have much of a punch as I expected. Can a sterling or bongo get more punch with a pick, or is there a differnt brand of basses I should be looking into? I play mainly rock, punk, metal stuff like Underoath, Emery, Senses Fail, Tool, Less than jake, stuff like that. Again, I love the stingray tone alone, but with two distorted guitars my bass seems to get lost, my band is very bass emphased, so to speak, so cutting through is a must.

Any suggestions would really be killer, thnx!
Click to expand...

I played a P-bass with a pick for many many years, and switched to a Fender Jazz about 3 years ago.. I find the Jazz has more low end and pokes through the guitars far better... our band is punk stuff but with fairly modern instrument tones... (guitarist uses an ESP KH-2 and a rack & all that)

my theory is that the P-bass tone is great provided you have space in the mix, and that a big humbucker guitar tone tends to sit exactly where the P-Bass's beautiful expressive low mids are... so if your band gives you space for a P-bass in the mix, it's wonderful, otherwise, no good

the Jazz sits below and above the guitar in the frequency range, and although unaccompanied the Jazz doesn't sound as good to my ear as a Precision, in OUR mix it kicks the P's ass for being audible, and i'd urge you to take one for a test drive in a band setting

they're cheap too

and you need to remember that all mids are not created equally! saying 'boost the mids' isn't enough, you need to boost the right sort of mids...! which sort? well, whatever mids your guitarists aren't using... :) if you're using a Jazz bass, start from 2k and work downwards
 
#31
saladin said:
Put a Dimarzio Model P in your P-bass. It will do the trick!!!!!
Click to expand...

I agree. Stock Fender pickups "sit in" the mix, but don't really cut through. But with a hotter, more full-range pickup like the G&L MFD in the SB-2 or the DiMarzio Model P, you'll cut right through. You'll also have more lows to go under the guitars.

This leads to Cowsgomoo's observation about how well P-basses work in different band mixes. My experience is similar. I love Precisions in classic and hard rock power trios, but in a really dense mix with prominent keys, lots of vocals, etc., I've found Jazz basses work a little better. Their deeper lows "slide under" everything else, but you still have those mids and highs to cut through.

I agree with everyone else that the 'Ray should cut through with proper EQ, etc. It is all about the mids. Maybe try a pedal like the Aphex Bass Xciter, which does mystical, magical things to mids for a bigger sound.

Also agree that, failing everything else, you should give G&L a try. Nothing will drive your lines through a mix like MFD humbuckers, and they sound great with a pick.
 
#32
If you don't find the solution following the advice of the other respondants (eq first by gosh) then I'll add Spector or something similar with EMG's. Cabinets with 10" neo drivers seem to have a great amount of 'punch' in them that comes through loud and clear.
 
#35
Any bass.
It depends on the player to make the bass sound good with a pick. There are so many different techniques to utilize when playing with a pick. Palm-muting, downstrokes, upstrokes, angle of attack, positioning, etc. To say that there is one bass or a certain type that sounds better or worse is silly IMO.
 
#40
Lack of punch with a P-Bass anmd Stingray?

I see a whole variety of possible problems here. I've used P-basses before, and I currently use a Stingray specifically for punk, progressive rock, thrash, and metal. If you're not getting good results, it could be a number of things:

  • Pick type and gauge - it'll take some time for you to find the right type for you. Not any pick will do. Your guitar player's .50mm flimsy pick will be the worst choice. But so could a 3.0mm stubby. Buy a variety of single picks, and try them out. Find the one with the right attack, sound, and most importantly, feel! Nothing sucks more than a pick that slows you down or feels funny.
  • String choice - What sounds great for fingerstyle may not sound so great for pickstyle. However, it's not too difficult to find a happy medium, IMO.
  • Technique - Where you attack on the strings, the angle you attack at, etc. will impact the resulting sound. Time to experiment!
  • Amp EQ - Scooping the mids? Say goodbye to your punch. You can't cut through if you have no mids, and you can't have punch without them, either.
Revisit what you're doing now, and let us know what you've tried!
 

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