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What is your sound?
- Thread starter Neon Blues
- Start date
Ampeg SVT-4 Pro eq'ed flat with my Tribute L2500 or Carvin BB75. Nothing else. The basses allow me to dial in whatever sound I need from dub boom to bright modern. It's a really versatile set up, if a little heavy, especially with the fridge. But it moves air like nothing else when I want it to. *edit* strings = DR DDT 135's
do you ever try putting the Tonehammer in the BDDI’s place and using its XLR out instead? Might be interesting.
I used to put a lot of effort (and money) into figuring out what my sound was, constantly changing strings on my J and P basses and buying pedals. Too much TalkBass, YouTube and Instagram.
At some point I realized nobody really cared but me at the end of day.
So nowadays it's an active bass with both pickups set flat into an amp set flat. Both pickups each have a three-way switch. One for single coils and the two others, I'm not sure. They all sound good, so I just use whichever happens to be quieter depending on the room. If I have a hard time cutting through, I'll bump the low-mids on my bass. That's it.
At some point I realized nobody really cared but me at the end of day.
So nowadays it's an active bass with both pickups set flat into an amp set flat. Both pickups each have a three-way switch. One for single coils and the two others, I'm not sure. They all sound good, so I just use whichever happens to be quieter depending on the room. If I have a hard time cutting through, I'll bump the low-mids on my bass. That's it.
Balance between clean, full, articulate. I try lots of stuff but always end up back to basics
Orange Terror Bass 500 for me. It is very much both of the above. Right now with Jazz Basses, but that amp gives me the sound I’m looking for. Furry, not too much grit.
I’ve worked on having a signature sound since 1967 and perfected it through the 70’s until I hit the sweet spot early 80’s. Nailed it - roundwounds, bright, chingy articulate sound. A push to the upper middle, a scoop in the low miids. Clean, solid state rigs. Loved it, almost always got compliments on the sound at gigs. So 12 years ago I threw that out the window and totally started over. Now I honestly have my dream sound. Flat wounds on good basses thru low powered all tube amps using no pedals and very little to no eq. Total bass bliss-out, from dive bars to festival stages.
In both cases I have a unique thing in that I play with my nails as well as the pads of the fingers. I know that’s frowned on here, and don’t care! Can switch between finger-pluck to a pick sound on the fly, and a totally unique sound barely catching the edge of the nail on a finger pluck.
TMI, sorry, but you asked,
In both cases I have a unique thing in that I play with my nails as well as the pads of the fingers. I know that’s frowned on here, and don’t care! Can switch between finger-pluck to a pick sound on the fly, and a totally unique sound barely catching the edge of the nail on a finger pluck.
TMI, sorry, but you asked,
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My sound is best described as a color: a rich, earthy "meaty ochre". I sound that way no matter the gear or style! p)
Old school thump. But warm and carrying some serious slam. I use a bunch of things , but have settled on a Gretsch 5123B hollow body with flats. I frequently palm mute. Bergantino 112 cab , a Monique preamp into a Forte for back end power. Light weight , easy to set up.
My set sound is simple: whatever I like that night.
It's always going to be on a passive bass with dead flats, and from there I simply set up so it sounds good to me. I'm under no illusion that I'm the bass incarnation of SRV and need a fleet of pedals to get "a sound."
It's always going to be on a passive bass with dead flats, and from there I simply set up so it sounds good to me. I'm under no illusion that I'm the bass incarnation of SRV and need a fleet of pedals to get "a sound."
Fingers, DiMarzio DP122 pickups, old strings (there's even bits of fluff caught in the winding and a couple of rust spots) into an 80s solid state amp with a tiny bit of compression through either a single or twin 15" cab.
No pedals.. (after yesterdays rehearsal, I'll be selling off all my pedals, except for the tuner).
It's a fairly meaty deep tone that can become super muddy if not careful..
Think early Hunters and Collectors bass tone (Jaws of Life Album) and you'll get the picture.
No pedals.. (after yesterdays rehearsal, I'll be selling off all my pedals, except for the tuner).
It's a fairly meaty deep tone that can become super muddy if not careful..
Think early Hunters and Collectors bass tone (Jaws of Life Album) and you'll get the picture.
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To me, that's a gold standard there.
I pretty much use the same.
Gibson or P, (added variation with a AC EUT5 strung with flats) with old GHS tapes, tho this pictured bass HAD Labella White Tapes on previously.
Ampeg V4B or Fender Super Bassman tube amps.
A li'l subtle compression and a li'l distortion when using BAmp or TH500.... so, a similar tone.
I seem to be able to get bright enough AND thumpy enough with this set up
I just recently took out the audere 4 band preamp from my jazz bass and went back to the stock fender VVT (I am terrible at replacing batteries it turns out) I use a little more bridge than neck and tone at 100% running it through a MXR dynacomp into whatever else pedals. Markbass nanotubes into an Eden 410 with the tweeter disconnected. “Crunchy” is how I like to describe it lol
I play a Fender PBj with rounds and play in a Motown review band. I use DR Lo Riders strings and have a Eden rack set up and two Eden D Series 210 cabs. The Navigator preamp is set to flat with a slight boost at 165 hz. The VVT controls on the PBj are wide open. Plenty of low end without creating a lot of low end stage wash when used with FOH support.
At smaller venues Inuse a Mesa WD-800 when using one cab, and can get close to the sound of the Eden rig, minus the 50lbs of additional weight of my rack.
We're currently tracking our next record. The first 4 songs are a Guild Starfire II with LaBella LTFs played with Dunlop Ultex 2mm picks, straight into the board.
The next 5 tracks will add:
BOSS BC-1x compressor
Line 6 HX One - set for digital octave down
Two Source Audio Multiwave Bass Distortion pedals
Mesa Boogie Subway D-350 head, run gritty
Ampeg 8x10
Live I use a GK Neo 115 and sometimes add a Schroeder 112. I have also been known to use a delay pedal.
The next 5 tracks will add:
BOSS BC-1x compressor
Line 6 HX One - set for digital octave down
Two Source Audio Multiwave Bass Distortion pedals
Mesa Boogie Subway D-350 head, run gritty
Ampeg 8x10
Live I use a GK Neo 115 and sometimes add a Schroeder 112. I have also been known to use a delay pedal.
