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What causes piano like tone?

invalidprotocol

invalidprotocol

Supporting Member
Dec 11, 2008
1,589
1,047
DFW
#1
I've just spent the last hour looking through the posts and couldn't find anything specific other than people looking for a string for that "piano like tone".

I'm now on my third set of DR Sunbeams on my Schecter Diamond P and for whatever reason, on this set I'm getting a distinct grand piano tone from the E string. I used to have a Peavey Grind Bass BXP that had this tone on every string, particularly if I used D'addario XL's. I hated the tone so much I got rid of that bass. For whatever reason I just don't like that sound. If I wanted piano tone I'd just play the drums! ;)

So now for the question, what factors actually play into generating this tone? Surely it isn't just the string itself because I've never heard this from my Fender Jazz. I would assume the stiffness of the string (hex vs. round core), string through method (body vs. bridge), bridge design/mass and the nut material might all play into it but I don't understand why or to what extent. It isn't my pickups because it's there plugged or unplugged.

Your thoughts?
 
#4
Funk Fingers

funkfingers_sm.jpg
 
#6
Piano strings, due to their stiffness, are actually very inharmonic, the harmonics are out of tune with the fundamental. Not something to aspire to. However the term 'piano tone' when applied to bass strings I think refers to something else. D'Addario especially talk proudly of 'piano tone' from their Prosteels.
 
#7
The main factors are to use medium to heavy gauge stainless
steel strings. If you're the kind of player that likes that tone then
you'll be changing strings often.

I'm also a finger player. I don't actually pluck the string but take more
of a hard glancing swipe at it. The emphasizes that tone too. If
done right you can get a harder brighter attack than a lot of pick
players.
 
#10
Well, I suppose you could use a midi bass and just trigger piano samples...
Would create piano like tone to satisfy most but only with good PA support.

For a short time in Hamburg the Beatles had Paul fill in the bass role by stringing his guitar with piano strings but I've no idea how it sounded other than that it was meant to sound like bass...
 
#11
Seriously guys, we know what he means.

"piano like" in this situation is a sound with rich harmonic content.
A bright tone. He'd need a good clear amp too.

After all, he didn't ask how to make a bass sound exactly like a piano.
 
#17
invalidprotocol said:
So now for the question, what factors actually play into generating this tone? Surely it isn't just the string itself because I've never heard this from my Fender Jazz. I would assume the stiffness of the string (hex vs. round core), string through method (body vs. bridge), bridge design/mass and the nut material might all play into it but I don't understand why or to what extent. It isn't my pickups because it's there plugged or unplugged.

Your thoughts?
Click to expand...

Of all the factors you've mentioned, the string anchoring method (at the bridge vs. string through the body) has the least to do with it. As in, "not at all".

In my experience, the type of strings used (stainless steels more than nickel-wrapped), plus the relative freshness of the strings, has by far the greatest impact on "the piano ring string thing". A highly-resonant instrument (i.e. built to efficiently conduct vibrations), plus wide-range pickups that effectively capture the high frequencies (including the ultra-high harmonics) also contribute to generating this tone.

I think you need to experiment more with various makes & models of strings, plus play with your amp EQ settings - and perhaps even adjust your playing technique a bit. That should cure the excessive brightness and sustain... :hmm:

MM
 
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#18
Piano tone can be had just fine with 45-102 and 45-105 strings. Its a matter of good roundwound strings with right pups and eq. Use of a pick helps also. Fingers really cant do the piano hammer thing to well imo. Useing either more rounded side of the pick rather then the single pointy end is best imo. Haveing a preamp with treble freq right around 6KHz is very useful. Cause if you have the required full bodied voice pups to go with the right strings, then that 6kHZ range can help you dial in that paino like brilliance etc. For strings I think those that let you do easy bell tone harmonics all over the fretboard are best. Rotosound swing bass are great choice imo. Though some might like the daddario prosteels for its version. Kinda like how some prefer one brand of piano or piano strings over another. Lol.

Darker voiced pups and those with fuller sound rather then trebly nature do pianoish better to me.

Darker toned body woods also help unless your wanting a more trebly type piano voice.

Scaler playing, where you play up and down the string rather then across the 4 strings. Also helps get that more keyboard like sound where prev note is cut off as new note starts. And it has you playing the instrument more like a 4 keyboard one where each string is a keyboard and the frets the keys. A lot of piano music is with most notes haveing no sustain, its a plink plink sound. Not as much fun as a monophonic synth of course. But....

Best piano is played thru overdrive or full bodied distortion, and with the squeals of demons scraping the strings now and then. Along with occassional flanger, chorus or echo. If a dragon should also come along and pick up said piano and shake it about causeing string vibration reverbarations, all the better. Followed by tapping the strings with hard claws to play dragon piano lullaby as the demons fall asleep.

He doesnt want piano tone? Egads, didnt read it well enough. LMAO.
 
#19
raymondl3 said:
I've heard the term before, but I've been playing bass for 15 years and I've never heard a "piano like tone" coming from a bass. What does that mean?
Click to expand...

It means diferent thing to different people, but for me it's this (specialy lower note drones around 1:00 and 2:00). Guy in the clip is using not-so-fresh of daddario EXL nickels. I have same strings on my J, and I get sortof near that ringy piano-like quality especially on E, but there is something very special about those vivid upfront mids of a Rickenbaker.
 

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