I'm never known to let others speak for me but what these guys said may as well be me speaking .
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Who else just really loves a clean tone?
- Thread starter angrychair
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I'm never known to let others speak for me but what these guys said may as well be me speaking .
"Flat" and "Clean" are two very different things, neither requires the other.
Playing for 35+ yrs... tried one or two pedals... found them to be nuisance to carry around, set-up, etc. Mostly played in Rock, Prog Rock - never 'missed' not having them! Me - bass - cable - amp works fine! 
... just keep my volume @ 75% - go to 100% when I need a boost 
... just keep my volume @ 75% - go to 100% when I need a boost 
I'm in the clean camp most of the time. My favorite tone is an EMG equipped Modulus Quantum into a big fat tube amp. That piano kind of ringing clarity mixed with the warmth of an all tube amp haunts my dreams. No, my rig is not anywhere near that sound now, mostly due to funds and not wanting to lug around a big head. Running a passive Jazz into a Markbass with occasional Sansamp action when needed.
I also play guit@r -don't judge me! 
and so I am pretty used to having effect pedals and processors around.
But every time I take a pedal out with me to a rehearsal, be it a phaser, octaver, chorus, auto wah etc, I ALWAYS end up switching it on for two seconds and then off for the rest of the evening.
I have therefore concluded that a clean, without distortion but with tonnes of headroom sound is all I'll ever need and all I'll ever use -I wish my guit@r pedal boards could be so simple!
Peace,
Rob.
and so I am pretty used to having effect pedals and processors around.But every time I take a pedal out with me to a rehearsal, be it a phaser, octaver, chorus, auto wah etc, I ALWAYS end up switching it on for two seconds and then off for the rest of the evening.
I have therefore concluded that a clean, without distortion but with tonnes of headroom sound is all I'll ever need and all I'll ever use -I wish my guit@r pedal boards could be so simple!
Peace,
Rob.
Honestly, one of the best bass tones I've ever had personally (or should I say, the one I liked the best) was when I was borrowing an old Peavey PA Head. The sound was SO CLEAN and uncolored. It was what I imagine when people say a "pure" signal.
I always hungered after a really clean sounding amp, because none of the amps I grew up with (as much as I love the sound of overdriven old tube amps like the Ampeg B15N) were really capable of clean at any sort of volume. The coloration can always be added later via a pedal or preamp, but can't be removed once it's there.
As my coffee is black, my bass run directly my gk amp. Eq close to flat (between 11 am to 1 pm following the knob) and boost knob at 9 am. Clean !
I love my clean tones. That's what I use for 90% of my jams/gigs.
That said... I also like some fuzz, dirt, od, distortion (really want an MXR bass distortion) and a bunch of other tones available through effects. The future will bring a time when I can use them in performance situations.
Until then, I will continue to love the clean tones at my disposal.
That said... I also like some fuzz, dirt, od, distortion (really want an MXR bass distortion) and a bunch of other tones available through effects. The future will bring a time when I can use them in performance situations.
Until then, I will continue to love the clean tones at my disposal.
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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I mostly play clean, unless dirt is needed for the application (gigged for 15 years with a duo--- acoustic guitar and 6 string bass)---- sometimes "unplugged", sometimes with MIDI tracks. I did the distorted "guitar solos" on my bass.
Just picked up a Tone Hammer and I think the over drive sound it puts out has inspired me--- been playing some of the classic rock licks that I've known for yeas with a bit of overdrive--- I like it.
Just picked up a Tone Hammer and I think the over drive sound it puts out has inspired me--- been playing some of the classic rock licks that I've known for yeas with a bit of overdrive--- I like it.
My understanding is that those amps have a pretty baked in tone, might actually be why you like them flat!
About the only bass I play with my amp set "completely flat" is my Spector 5-string. But I do that because it's an active bass, and I don't like to cascade tone settings. For everything else, I'll start with what I think of as my "road sound" setting and tweak it for the room I'm in. After that I'll make any fine adjustments needed with either the controls on my bass or by varying my playing technique. In most cases my EQ is more a "set & forget" thing than anything else. Once I've dialed it in on the amp and the axe, it's all in my hands for the rest of the show.
Of course "flat" is a relative term since I prefer a tube amp, and there's no such thing as anything close to a "flat" signal (in an audio engineering sense) coming out of any of those amps. Even if you have all your EQ controls zeroed.
Which is why each amp has its own 'signature sound' depending on the make, model, age, and configuration. They're as much a musical instrument as your bass. So much so that it's been said, with some justification, that your bass instrument is really the combination of your bass and your amp. A Fender bass through a Fender amp is a very different creature than that same Fender bass through a different amp. Same goes for every other bass and amp out there I would think.
Of course "flat" is a relative term since I prefer a tube amp, and there's no such thing as anything close to a "flat" signal (in an audio engineering sense) coming out of any of those amps. Even if you have all your EQ controls zeroed.
Which is why each amp has its own 'signature sound' depending on the make, model, age, and configuration. They're as much a musical instrument as your bass. So much so that it's been said, with some justification, that your bass instrument is really the combination of your bass and your amp. A Fender bass through a Fender amp is a very different creature than that same Fender bass through a different amp. Same goes for every other bass and amp out there I would think.
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I used to be a strictly overdriven J-bass player who switched to clean tone for a few select songs during a gig. About three months ago we had a gig where there was a clean tone song second on the set-list, and for some odd reason (was it the room, my ears maturing, the alignment of the planets?) the tone was just buttery smooth like I had never heard before. I played the rest of the set clean, and I've been loving that same buttery tone ever since.
I like effects and a clean tone. I find myself playing these days with mostly a clean tone and a bit of delay and maybe a light overdrive if I'm not using my MTD. But I love all bass tones. 
Except Ring Modded bass. That stuff sounds like butt to me.
Except Ring Modded bass. That stuff sounds like butt to me.
Mostly clean. Sometimes, I like to add twang and some spring reverb for a more spaghetti flavour, a throwback to the mid-60s.
One thing I do like is the slight browning one gets when the low end distorts ever so slightly, giving a bit of a pillow fuzz effect. You lose some percussiveness in the deal, but who says your bass can't be clean AND lead?
One thing I do like is the slight browning one gets when the low end distorts ever so slightly, giving a bit of a pillow fuzz effect. You lose some percussiveness in the deal, but who says your bass can't be clean AND lead?
My setups are as follows:
Clean- HA3500 into a 4.5XL.
Some warmth and thickness- Ampen PF-800 into the 4.5XL
Clean- HA3500 into a 4.5XL.
Some warmth and thickness- Ampen PF-800 into the 4.5XL
