JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Bass and Drum Forum HOW DO I GET A GOOD TONE???

I HAVE RECENTLY BOUGHT AN AMPEG SVT410HE CABINET

AND AN AMPEG B1R HEAD.

I AM LOOKING FOR A REALLY GOOD TONE, ALONG THE LINES

OF PLAYERS LIKE BRYAN FROM THE BOUNCING SOULS OR #2

FROM ANTI FLAG. I JUST LOVE THEIR TONE. I HAVE PLAYED

WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT SETTINGS ON THE HEAD

(IT HAS A BASS/TREBLE/MID CONTROL) AND EVEN THE

HORN CONTROL ON THE BACK OF THE CAB TO NO

AVAIL!!!

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA ON HOW I CAN GET A

BADASS TONE AND SOUND FROM THE EXPENSIVE

EQUIPMENT I AM USING???

OH I SPOSE I SHOULD TELL YOU I AM RUNNING AN

"OLP MUSICMAN STINGRAY" COPY THROUGH MY AMPEG

RIG.

ANY HELP WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

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why can i not get get a good tone??

Choppa Of TLK

To begin with, there's no way anyone can tell you how to get good tone without being able to listen to you. Some of that tone depends on your playing styls. Other tone depends on the room, bass frequencies are around 15 feet apart, often the tone you hear near the amp is not the tone the audience hears. Not to mention volume, which affects tone greatly. And, of course, different amps and basses just plain sound different.

Many pros use preamps between the bass and the amp, also many use compressors.

A couple of quick things to try, try reducing the very low bass sounds. I used to have an old P-bass that I ran through a 200 watt cabinet and kept the bass knob almost down to zero. It boomed. Another thing to try, keep the bass and treble at 12 O'clock and cut the mids. If you have a parametric control on the mids, try cutting around 1K, also if the bass is parametric, try a boost around 200.

But remember, these are only starting points.

The best advice would be to ask around at the music store or clubs as to who the local bass stars are or if there's a "tone guru" they can recommend. Then that person, probably for a few bucks or a good lunch, can listen and help you set it.

All the Best,
Mike



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You have to practice improvisation. -Art Tatum

Mike Dunbar Music

put them in the chop shop.

I just want to suggest trying other speaker cabinets to see how they might affect the tone of your setup.
I was amazed how much the tone of my old Fender Bassman 50 improved when I replaced the speakers with new Jensen P-15s. It's a much deeper, more woody sound. And there seems to be the same deeper tone even when I swap the Fender head for my Acoustic 150b head, which is not a tube amp.

Why don't you start by looking at the gear the players you are trying to emulate use.

But most importantly TONE is too subjective to be pinned down. It's as much how you play as it is what you play. Have a buddy play through your rig. He won't sound anything like you because his playing style is different than yours and his tone will differ because of it.

Wow you have REALLY nice gear...
I would kill for a stingray...
But then again I find the tone (much of it) is in the right hand fingers for fingerstyle.
The Stingray has a very specific "sound" though - unmistakable.
If you want a more woody sound a Ricky would do or an FP.
Lots of good ideas on the other posts here esp to do with similar rigs (if you use a pick) and the EQ comments are a great start too.
Interesting too that (as said above) if the players you mention are mic'ed or DI'd in the studio.
Maybe find the producer and flick em an email.

In addition be careful about how loud you run the Ampeg - if you are louder that the guitar amp, drums and PA your band will sound dreadful...we've all seen it/heard it.

I found a hilarious forum on Tony Levin's sound...everybody was an "authority" on what he used - until he posted and stated he plugged into desk via DI only.
Outboard compressors etc used as well in mixing but no amp....

On a side note - A mate of mine recorded an award winning "country" act and used their "tube/valve" amps to keep em happy - but also took a DI from their gtrs.
After they left he studio he replaced their "tube/valve" sounds with a speaker/tube simulation unit. No one could tell except him...he wanted a better more crisp sound than what they pulled thru the tube amps...go figure...horses for courses he says.
These guys are also old hands "seasoned session players".
We see these die hard "purists" break their backs for tube sounds - sad.
I have a nice old tube rig at home - it gather dust unfortunately - the other rig - half tube half solid state beast I have is so versatile and light in comparison.

Got a bit off track ...oops...


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"I'll see you on the other side - 'cause no-one gets out alive..."
SideShowAnnie.com

(Eliot)

Nice to hear from you, Eliot.

Funny story about Tony Lavin. At my old studio I used to plug directly into the ADAT machine, not even through the board, and it sounded fine. At home now I go through an EMU mic pre. With my upright, I mic it through an ART tube pre. If I use my P bass knock off, I'll go through the ART to bring it up a bit and give headroom, but I don't add compression until the mix. At a strange studio, I might want a limiter or compressor added so I don't slam the track, but usually I'll go with whatever the engineer likes.

I also agree, a lot of tone is in the fingers.

All the Best,
Mike

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You have to practice improvisation. -Art Tatum

Mike Dunbar Music

Thanks Mike!

How are you doin? You are a bass player?
I always envisioned you as the slick gtr man...on well the internet huh!?

It is great to be back.
I popped into the MP3 forum the other day and mentioned I was in "building studio land/mode" so the writing has unfortunately taken a back seat. (will hopefully be nearly complete early next year)
And when we lost our 3rd bass player in a year (each of them play in more bands at one time than I have fingers!) I found myself back to the drawing board.
So I wear a couple of hats and was happy to pass the "lead gtr" duties to a young man of 18yrs who has stuck with us and is quite gifted on the gtr.
So I am morphing into a bass man...and loving it. Different head space I am finding - I can't be "sloppy" with the groove (ahead or behind) - I never REALLY listened to the kick drum patterns before....:0
So it is great to be back at JPF - with a new profile (my old one corrupted somehow according to the powers that be)

I tell you I am dreaming right hand fingering - index, middle, ring, middle........and find a really nice tone about an inch up toward the bridge from second pickup...I never knew that but it seems to have a different "shape" in tone...maybe just more low mids,...but I like it.

Cheers


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"I'll see you on the other side - 'cause no-one gets out alive..."
SideShowAnnie.com

(Eliot)

[This message has been edited by SideShow (edited 11-01-2006).]

Glad you've switched to bass. Lead players are a dime a dozen but a good bass player is hard to find.

I was a guitar player, but switched to bass over twenty years ago. The best tip I ever got about playing with a drummer came from Mac Elsensohn, drummer for John Hartford and the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. Mac told me to listen to the hi hat and cymbals in general to catch the groove...by the time the kick hits it's too late.

TTYL,
Mike

OK!
Awesome tip - thanks Mike!!!

I am soo looking forward to our next band rehearsal - hats and cymbals.....will keep you posted on how I progress.

There's gold in some of these forums.....

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"I'll see you on the other side - 'cause no-one gets out alive..."
SideShowAnnie.com

(Eliot)