Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Who's sound were you aiming for?!
- Thread starter ilansgroove
- Start date
Yes, but how did you find yours? Did you just try a bunch of random stuff and picked what sounded good? And if it's unique, what makes it unique? Not asking to be a dick, but if you have your own sonund I'd like to hear about it.
I've always been influenced by dirty tones: from "The Big 3" (Squire, Entwistle, Lee) to Industrial music, there always been a heap of dirt. My "Cinderella Perfect 10" bass sound would be equal parts Paul Barker, GC Green, and JJ Burnell, but there are so many more!
Never seems to end up where I might expect. I doubt I would have started playing Stick in 1985 if it weren't for the cool sounds Levin made with one, though I ended up doing mostly non-bass parts with it.
Similarly, I probably wouldn't have taken an SB14 (Sterling copy) in a recent trade to check out the MM thing if it weren't for his long time use of them. Again, though, I'm playing the MM with flats and not doing the whole brash, zingy thing with it at the moment. (Actually, I may want another Sterling, because the roundwound thing is great, too.)
Otto
Similarly, I probably wouldn't have taken an SB14 (Sterling copy) in a recent trade to check out the MM thing if it weren't for his long time use of them. Again, though, I'm playing the MM with flats and not doing the whole brash, zingy thing with it at the moment. (Actually, I may want another Sterling, because the roundwound thing is great, too.)
Otto
i hope this will be an interesting thread ....
I was wondering , which songs or bassists were your influences for your sound research, and how you achieve them or better yet , they got you somewhere unexpected and you found a different sound that you had to keep!?
My first search was the John Wetton overdrive sound on the album Red by King Crimson ....
I think the closest I ever got was with my B3K into B7K , but I'm still wondering if the VMT will be a more propriet pedal to get that sound ....
I remember searching a lot to get the "Sir psycho sexy" by the RHCP , and eventually having the You're Doom into the wonderlove is the best sound I ever found to play these kind of grooves, although it's not the closest one to Flea's sound .... By the way, I also love to add to this sound an octaver in parallel .... Damn that's sweet ...
Go ahead people , share your influences and search results
There's been several over the years
Back when I got my swr750 and Goliath sr cab I was really into 311. I know Transistor isn't their most popular album but I was really into that one. I also listen to their greatest hits on a regular basis. I tried and never found a streamer I liked but I did own 2 thumb basses and two corvettes.
I currently use a sans amp and Id say that mainly came from Cory Lowry. Cory is probably the best known bass player with local roots here in Fayetteville, NC. He went to high school a mile or two from my house. We opened for Dark new Day when they came to town and also we played a smaller stage and saw them at Bayfest where they played the big Pepsi stage that year. I've also seen him with eye empire and stuck mojo. He's not overly flashy but his tone is always great no matter if he's playing stingrays spectors deans or whatever cabs and amps you see on the stage. I don't think I've ever seen him play without a sans amp. I've seen a lot of my favorite bass players use sans amps when my band got the opportunity to open for them. Phil from Taproot is another that comes to mind right away.
My choice of ampeg cabs wasnt about anyone else. Id stayed away from ampeg until we did a showcase down in Atlanta where an 810e was provided. I liked it and bought one within a month or two.
As far as my sound getting dirty and dirtier Id say A lot of that is influenced by Tool, RATM and also some modern metal bands. I'm not really into fuzz as it reminds me more of Muse and a different vibe, which is cool I like that type of sound but it doesn't fit my band. I particularly liked the tones Justin Chancellor got on Lateralus and by that time I was also getting bored with always having a clean bass tone. I'm more into that overdrive/distortion along with a clean tone type of vibe and as far as dirty tones. Dug from Kings X has also had some cool dirty tones over the years. I remember hearing a local band cover dogman. That was my first peak into the world of Kings X but hearing it with Dugs tone was so much better.
Entwistle, Billy Gould, and Empire/Promised Land-era Eddie Jackson.
I don't go for all-out distortion, but I like a midrangey, high-endy sound with a good bit of overdrive. Blending a non-effected DI signal with the overdriven sound is what I go for.
When I go for tons of distortion, I do the dUg Pinnick thing, where there's a highly compressed low end, and a dynamic but very dirty high end.
I don't go for all-out distortion, but I like a midrangey, high-endy sound with a good bit of overdrive. Blending a non-effected DI signal with the overdriven sound is what I go for.
When I go for tons of distortion, I do the dUg Pinnick thing, where there's a highly compressed low end, and a dynamic but very dirty high end.
My favorite tones are Chris Squire's on Yes's Drama album and Geddy Lee's on Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. I have never achieved either exactly, but I've gotten reasonably close.
a few RHCP tunes, Psycho sexy was one and Coffee Shop and I really liked the tone of Billy Gould from FNM
Well I figure that I initally just listened to McCartney and just enjoyed his licks and I wasn't impressed with his tone but I was too young to appreciate the band mix. Then I got into JPJ for further awesome licks and tone. Became a jazz bass wanna be. Then my world gets rocked by Mr.Chris Squire
Long story short, been working on an agressive tone ever since. Currently using honey burst p bass with EMG Geezers with tech21 sansamp. Couldn't be happier. Markbass 121P with matching cab keeps it real
Long story short, been working on an agressive tone ever since. Currently using honey burst p bass with EMG Geezers with tech21 sansamp. Couldn't be happier. Markbass 121P with matching cab keeps it real
Started out trying to nail the Squire/Lee overdriven sound with a Ric and cranked tube amp but have been drifting more towards the chunky low end/clanky high end Geezer Butler/Steve Harris kind of tone on my P through a Genz-Benz Stremliner and the amazing Fuzzrocious Darkest Driving (the only OD pedal I have ever had that I am certain I will never part with).
Hard question man.
When I started playing, you know, almost 20 years ago, I wanted to sound like Flea. I soon discovered that I couldn't because of lack of talent. Lol
I played a lot of covers from U2 to Ozzy to Silverchair and everywhere in between.
I got on a Tool kick and wanted to sound like Chancellor. Then I wanted to sound like Opeth, Amon Amarth, Six Feet Under, Type O Negative, Helmet...etc.
I finally decided to find my own tone. It's a gritty tone. I like it and would call it my sound. Lots of overdrive, but not always dirty, just gritty.
The rest I use for fun.
ok it's all for fun. Haha
When I started playing, you know, almost 20 years ago, I wanted to sound like Flea. I soon discovered that I couldn't because of lack of talent. Lol
I played a lot of covers from U2 to Ozzy to Silverchair and everywhere in between.
I got on a Tool kick and wanted to sound like Chancellor. Then I wanted to sound like Opeth, Amon Amarth, Six Feet Under, Type O Negative, Helmet...etc.
I finally decided to find my own tone. It's a gritty tone. I like it and would call it my sound. Lots of overdrive, but not always dirty, just gritty.
The rest I use for fun.
ok it's all for fun. Haha
Oh man these are huge ones for me too.
As far as bassists/bands that actually made me go out and buy a bass? Rage against the machine/Timmy C and the Chili Peppers/Flea. Tool has always been at the top too but JC heavily influenced me a little more later down the road and still to this day. Love his tone and use of effects and his choice of notes/playing style. I get a lot from john Entwistle and guys like JJ and JPJ all the way to Bob Weston and the Jesus Lizard. I'm def more in the aggressive/dirty bass tones though. It suites my band much more.
Hard question man.
When I started playing, you know, almost 20 years ago, I wanted to sound like Flea. I soon discovered that I couldn't because of lack of talent. Lol
I played a lot of covers from U2 to Ozzy to Silverchair and everywhere in between.
I got on a Tool kick and wanted to sound like Chancellor. Then I wanted to sound like Opeth, Amon Amarth, Six Feet Under, Type O Negative, Helmet...etc.
I finally decided to find my own tone. It's a gritty tone. I like it and would call it my sound. Lots of overdrive, but not always dirty, just gritty.
The rest I use for fun.
That's where I got to too. My exp mirrors yours. Once I got heavy into effects, I wanted a board like JCs. But after maybe 3 or 4 months I realized I wasn't JC. So I found my own tones. Heavily influenced by what I get off of.
