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Where do I look for that dark, deep tone?

#101
I would recommend something like a P bass with flatwounds. You honestly can't beat that. Depending on what type of styles you would be playing, maybe even something like a semi hollow/hollow body would be cool. Maybe a Hofner or a Fender Starcaster or even an Epiphone Allen Woody. I really like flatwounds but if you are looking for something more of an upright tone, maybe even tape wounds would be a good option.
 
#102
Mason Nagy said:
I would recommend something like a P bass with flatwounds. You honestly can't beat that. Depending on what type of styles you would be playing, maybe even something like a semi hollow/hollow body would be cool. Maybe a Hofner or a Fender Starcaster or even an Epiphone Allen Woody. I really like flatwounds but if you are looking for something more of an upright tone, maybe even tape wounds would be a good option.
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Also, really depending on your technique could give you that desired tone. Palm muting with a pick, foam under the strings at the bridge or maybe even using the fatty side part of your thumb. Best of luck.
 
#105
DigitalMan said:
Or we could all read and discover that the OP has in fact already bought a P bass so we can move on to the next logical phase of the conversation....
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AMEN..


now, this is of-course an acoustic electric bass though.. maybe that's what you were looking for.. ha.

now can your P-bass get this tone? dark and deep.. aye...

(set the quality to highest in youtube and turn up your speakers..)

 
#108
Phe said:
OP: Just curious, but what amp are you using? Those lower notes need some power behind them, so be sure to have enough of it. I don't mean 1000W amps, just a good amp and a sensitive enough cab for it (or combo that has enough power and sensitive enough speaker).
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I'm using the smallest Orange Crush. I realise a serious amp is needed to support heavy bass tones, but as I am searching for an amp-independent sound (against some of the advice here), I make sure to test any configuration on a serious amp.

Speaking of amp-independent sound, how often do you guys change strings?
 
#115
kodiakblair said:
It's a kinda a moot point suggesting the OP gets another bass or trys some others out. As far as I can tell GC don't have any stores in Israel in fact I could only find 1 guitar store in Tel Aviv,heck even different strings could be a problem.
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As far as guitar shops go, we have three big "networks" that each import different brands with little to no overlap between them, so if someone is looking for a particular brand, they know which store to go. This is kind of crappy, but hey, at least I don't have to order guitars online.

Except my U-Bass. Nobody's even heard of that here.

And speaking of strings, I only order online. The shops here carry like one kind of string box each, + the nanoweb something something that looks too science-fictiony for me.

Small update: I tried to put the flats from my cort on the P-Bass, and discovered I cut them too short so only the E could be exchanged (which is the most important string in my opinion). After doing that I started feeling the limitation of my amp - but the harmonics are completely different, so I think I'm on the right track.

Also, if we touch ergonomics for a second, my previous bass was built like a P but the shape of its body that touches the bottom of my right hand was too sharp and high for me - this is basically why I got the Cort A4. In this American Standard Precision, they made a rounded corner which is very comfortable, and since this was the last Fender Precision the shop had, I guess I'm pretty lucky.

Other than the fact it cost me $1200...
 
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#116
Fairly often small amps (or more like the speakers) have difficulties producing the fundamental, so you get a psychoacoustic representation of the note, based on the harmonics. It also happens if you dig in too hard or play too fast; the string doesn't have the time to vibrate enough to produce the fundamental (i.e., the true note you are playing). Low notes have long wavelengths, so they need time.
Try soft touch, playing near the neck (or on the neck), try to play with the pad of your fingers or with your thumb. Turn the amp loud. And if you are using the smiley face EQ: stop that. It gets you nowhere. You'll probably have enough lows without cranking them on the amp.
 
#118
Now that you have the bass, let's focus on the amp, and the speakers. You MUST have sufficient power to get a deep and powerful tone. There is just no way around it. I think a 500 watt amp and a good 1x12 will do the job for most people. This doesn't have to be super expensive. But you will NEVER get the tone you are looking for (in a live band situation) with an underpowered amp, no matter what bass or strings you use. It takes power to amplify bass freqs, our lower notes can be 25 or 30 feet long per sine wave. If you want those fundamentals to come through, you need power and a good speaker (or two)
 
#119
Phe said:
Fairly often small amps (or more like the speakers) have difficulties producing the fundamental, so you get a psychoacoustic representation of the note, based on the harmonics. It also happens if you dig in too hard or play too fast; the string doesn't have the time to vibrate enough to produce the fundamental (i.e., the true note you are playing). Low notes have long wavelengths, so they need time.
Try soft touch, playing near the neck (or on the neck), try to play with the pad of your fingers or with your thumb. Turn the amp loud. And if you are using the smiley face EQ: stop that. It gets you nowhere. You'll probably have enough lows without cranking them on the amp.
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More likely the amp and/or can are not powerful or capable enough of handling transients.

Nothing to do with long wavelengths or time.
 

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