Would a Yamaha PB-1 come close to this tone?

[rolopolo]

Been trying various amps ranging from expensive to even trying the DI on small practice amps. Have even tried mic'ing amps with even swapping out which type of mic I'm using. Have tried a P bass, jazz bass and a PJ bass. And still can't really nail this tone on the head. The closest I got to a perfect mix ready tone was using the DI on this super cheap Vox Pathfinder Bass practice. But it's still lacking something.

I just recently discovered the Yamaha PB-1 preamp and decided to give it a try. I was going to first try out by using it DI into an interface and or into an Avalon AD2022. Just recently purchased it and am waiting for it to come in. Was wondering if anyone who owns one would know if the Yamaha would be able to come close to achieving this tone? And if not, any recommendations to getting closer to getting it would be very appreciated.

Here's the bass tone for reference:

Another reference:

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Recorded bass tones are:

The player (how they play)
The bass (also strings, string's age, setup
Recording chain (di, amp(s), mics, mixer, signal routing, compression, other fx, recording media)
Mix chain
Mastering process
Final media
What and where you listen to the music containing the bass

You can get close to many recorded sounds but even the bass player in the song can't likely recreate that tone exactly

Try it with your own studio recordings ! We used to call it "tape ear" where you own playing doesn't sound as good as your record!

 

[WayneP]

What @Stylee Mousse said. In addition, bass is typically run direct into the recording console, so expecting an outboard stage preamp to be the key to the sound seems improbable.

IMO, the place to start would be to find out what bass the bassist was using, maybe on a fan-based forum.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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[Stylee Mousse]

BTW - it sounds like a bass through a DI into a mixer channel with some compression on. Pretty normal sound, nicely played.

 

[Redbrangus]

The PB-1 is pretty much a neutral-sounding preamp, with very little coloration of its own. To that extent, it's very much like a DI running straight into a mic preamp on a recording console. IMO, it might well do what you want if you solve for the other influencing factors like bass, strings, and touch.