Whats The Reverse Of In The Mud?

[Shoot_A_Hostage]

Lately I've been playing Jazz Ensemble at school. Its a very nice experience, but im having a major problem that no one seems to sympathize with. My low end isn't low enough.
It's really a new experience for me. My tone is almost always overpowering the band even when my guitarist is playing, and the amp is turned down waaaaay low.
SO how do i get a more bass sound? Ive tried every conventional method (i.e. turning the Bass knob up and the Treble knob down.)
Any suggestion?

 

[bassteban]

Describe your amp, bass & the room you're playing in. Might also help to know who/what you're competing with(other band members).

 

[Shoot_A_Hostage]

Bass: An old American Fender P-Bass. It was just sitting in the band room so I restrung it and replaced the pots (they are correctly put in I thought it might have been them).
No one knows the year, not even the band director.
Amp: A Peavey Mixer Head through a 15". I don't know the serial number and all that, as this is NOT my equipment.
The Room? Usually a small enclosed area that just barely fits the band member.
Im competing with a guitar, a trombone, a clarinet, a trumpet, and a drummer. Does that change anything?

 

[jtc_hunter]

You might try putting bigger diameter strings on the bass. Is it a 4 string or a 5'er? I prefer S.I.T. Silencers. They give me good thick, rich tone, without sounding dull or dead.
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The channel you are playing on the mixer head is probably not set correctly. Also, you wont get a very good sound w/o a D.I box between you and the mixer. I recommend an MXR M-80. You will be able to dial in your tone much better and get impedence matching. Bass to DI input, DI output to mixer channel. The nice thing about a good DI box is that its like a great amp that will fit in your bass case or gig bag zipper pocket.

 

[Deacon_Blues]

Put a carefully cut foam piece under the strings at the bridge, dress the bass with some flats, or preferably both. Maybe the sound you get now has too much sustain? Especially the foam piece would give you a stronger attack and faster decay that might fit the mix better. A long sustain isn't always desirable. The percussiveness of uprights is the reason why ithey're so popular in jazz, and this foam piece would give you a bit similar attack/decay curve as an upright delivers. Worth trying, at least, and it's a cheap solution. Jamerson used it too, can't be a bad idea...

 

[Lenam909]

The foam might work, tried that myself once, gives you a nice classic upright bass tone, especially with flatwounds. If it's just for the odd note or just the one song then you can try muting the strings slightly at the bridge with your hand. There are two main way's to do this;

-simply rest the outside edge of your hand on the strings as close as you need to the bridge (mess around with the distance to get the right sound). This works in exactly the same way as the foam, it just 'dampens' the strings.

-Or, you can hook your little finger around the individual string. This is a little more awkward but it lets you isolate the string you want to dampen and keeps your fingers in a more conventional position relative to the strings.