What makes a bass sound punchy?

[PunkNerve]

Me.

This.

But seriously, I get a very punchy tone out of my Jazz. Both pickups on full, tone on full. On the amp the bass and mids are set to 10 and treble around 4 (I can't tell for sure because the treble knob fell off a long time ago ) and I get a very punchy tone. If I want a more aggressive tone I roll of the neck pickup a bit/all the way.

 

[ThorLegacy]

Mids, compression, play near the bridge pup and your fingers attack...

 

[pappabass]

To me it is a few things.
1 pickup location, closer to the bridge seems to me more punchy. I personally don't like the sound that comes from the bridge pickup.
2. Active PU. My 5 string is active, I add a little (or a lot) of treble, drop the mids down & I get a nice punchy sound using the neck pickup. I will keep the lows turned up for a balanced sound. In saying that, I have a Fender P with passive EMG's that has a decent crisp sound when the tone is turned up.
3, is playing style. I am not a good pop/slapper with my thumb, I can get the exact sound by playing more 'down' with my fingers.

 

[Chad Michael]

Tens... they help

 

[ale29]

A good drummer.

This is huge.

 

[Willy-D]

I camp on techniqus and rhythm section lock down. So yeh, clearwave had a huge point. Play clean and lock with the drummer and you can sound huge and punchy

 

[FunkHead]

If you're talking about Recorded tone being Punchy, Ask Graham Mabe from Joe Jacksons band. Just listen to Look Sharp. It's my perfect idea of Punch.

 

[Nephilymbass]

After some experimenting and drawing my own conclusions I was wondering what the experienced people of TB think of the question: what makes a bass sound punchy? As in powerful and clear defined (not excluding deep) low notes and no whooly 'ooooom-y' sound.

BTW: talking about the bass, not the amplification.

Is it the type (P, J, P/J or others), active or passive, the brand of bass, the (brand / type of) strings, the (brand / type of) pickup(s), tuners, pots, caps, the setup, or whatever matters to you?

I think it's a mix of things from strings to the wood the instrument is made out of to the pots. I don't think it has much to do with pickup styles as I've been able to get a punchy sound out of basses with jj, pj, musicman style , and EMG Humbuckers. P basses with just a p pickup tend to lack "bite" to me, but they can still be "punchy".

 

[Watchootognbout]

Low mids.
Bridge pickup.
Play over the bridge pickup.

 

[phillybass101]

EQ, especially Mid setting, backing off some lows, and highs, then bringing in enough lows to get what I call a ghost push. string attack and where you strike the string. Also a very fine tuned muting ability in your left hand for how long the notes ring.

 

[bass nitro]

Right gear and good technique,as well.I did not know what is punch before i got Bergantino.

 

[4stringsjack]

I know this thread is old and gotten slow, but if the OP is still around perhaps they can post some examples of what they feel punchy tone should sound like.

 

[rigorous bass]

Aside from wood, pickups and technique, I feel how the bass is set up has a lot to do with the punchiness.....(Steve Harris- extremely low action but crisp and punchy, James Jameson-super high action boomy but still punchy). Both get a lot of punch from a p bass. Just completely opposite end of the spectrum.

 

[Pla Bass]

Aside from wood, pickups and technique, I feel how the bass is set up has a lot to do with the punchiness.....(Steve Harris- extremely low action but crisp and punchy, James Jameson-super high action boomy but still punchy). Both get a lot of punch from a p bass. Just completely opposite end of the spectrum.

In addition to "all the above", a sealed cabinet, can add to this effect. As far as preamps, I found 1 years ago that gave me that kick. It was an old Trace Elliot, single space, Valve type. I believe it was modeled after an Alembic.

 

[JGbassman]

Certain frequencies if pushed will resonate in you chest, such as 80hz push d to get that thump in you chest at rock shows. To me, a punchy sound means a tight full sound but not overly bottom or high heavy. And that is in the hunting grounds of most p basses. 250-800 hz is where I find a lot of the voicing in my bass, and where it sits the best in my mixes. To me, that's where punchy lives, but to your ears ot might be different. I also find a set of active electronics such as emg pickups on a p bass will really tighten up the sound as well. It can lack a little character in the mids I like but it really seems to focus the sound of my p basses. In comparison, the emg geezer butler passive pickups have a great midrange but lack a little of the upper end clarity and tight bottom I enjoy with the active emg set.

Strings can play into it as well as speaker/amp choices. My p bass sounds a lot different running through my Ampeg gear as compared to my GK stuff, so gear selection is a huge part of a sound as well. Out front in the pa it will be different but for the initial voicing that's where the rubber meets the road.