Help re: bass sound (1 Viewer)

[benni]

Dont know if this is the correct place for posting as its not home recording but more a general techie question -

My bass has a slightly more trebley quailty than i'd like.. I'm looking to make it warmer but I still wanna keep a strong and definite sound - and not muddy. I just bought a new pedal with a built in DI and compression n what not and I'm hoping this might help things - is there anything else I can do or anyone can suggest?

(sorry if the ans is obvious or anything but i'm not exactly an expert on the techier side of things!)

Thanx

 

[hanley]

have you used your bass on different amps?
what kind of bass is it?

 

[benni]

I have yea - and while there is obvious differences in quality the better the amp etc - in general the sound is just that little more trebley and harsh than id like.

Its a Fender p/tele cross - I'm adding a second pick up this week....

 

[RED(tape)MENACE]

Hm. That's a toughie without hearing the offending 4-stringer. What's this new pedal of yours?
It'd be best to start at the source ie - the bass.
How does rolling off a little of the tone knob sound? Flat-wound or round-wound strings? Flat-wounds are a more mellow sound - I use them on my Jaguar to take the edge off that twangy bastard, but they make my Jazzmaster sound way too wooly. Might be worth a try.
If you use a plec, maybe use a softer one, or try more fingers? You can make a huge difference in tone with what your right hand is doing.

Further down the line, I'd look at the amp next before getting into compression or any of that shit. If you're using a lot of different amps all the time, then best to spend at least a bit of time finding out what works for you on the amp you use most. Chances are the ballpark eq/gain settings you use on that are going to be a good starting point when you meet a new amp, as such.
Also, if this over-twang is mostly from what you're hearing at gigs.. remember : chances are you're hearing back the DI signal, which is a harsh realm of nasty, fizzy treble. Beware!

 

[RED(tape)MENACE]

Oh, also, heavier guage strings will have more low end. And volume, incidentally. I really would try flat wounds if I were you.

 

[benni]

Ah RED(tape)MENACE to the rescue once again!!

Ok - I cant play flat wounds - they piss me off something else, and playing with a lighter plec - not really my thing either!! Both dont feel right to me and I prefer a harder playing style.

What you were saying about hearing it at gigs - yea a lot of the time it is at gigs that I notice it more - but in general the bass is a bit too treble-y.

I have tried out a few amps - and sorting out the eq/gain does help sometimes to lessen the harshness.. in general I get the best sound off an AMPEG... but then so do most people!! And while I'm waiting to save up the 1400-ish euro for one I was hoping to lessen the problem at the mo!

I use fairly heavy gauge strings - but what I notice is that the sound from the low E is great.... but the rest of the stings (when being played) pale in comparison... which makes some stuff seems lost when being played if you get me.

New Pedal = MXR 80

 

[benni]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to RED(tape)MENACE again.

Thanx!
​

 

[Pantone247]

what type of music??

lowering the volume on your bass can help get a mellower sound, something about it lowering the impedence *shrug* seems to work on my piece o' shit P-Bass copy...

 

[egg_]

Don't change your strings. New strings always sound clanky to me, I never change em unless one breaks. Also lately I've been playing with treble rolled off all the way (and boosting it a little on the amp)

 

[snap-apple]

I think you should check the action on the ADG strings to make sure they're not too distant in terms of height from the pickup - this may be why the thicker E string sounds better as it is closer to the pickup - I found something similar myself before, lowered the action of the strings and much less tinny sound. Of course if you do lower the action you'll need to check the intonation which can be a bit of a pain to get just right.

 

[benni]

I think you should check the action on the ADG strings to make sure they're not too distant in terms of height from the pickup - this may be why the thicker E string sounds better as it is closer to the pickup - I found something similar myself before, lowered the action of the strings and much less tinny sound. Of course if you do lower the action you'll need to check the intonation which can be a bit of a pain to get just right.

actually - this may work.... I've heard this before. And there was a bit of messing around with the intonation a while ago. I'll get on it straight away! .|..|

 

[kings lead hat]

bit of a cheat but an easy way out...

maybe compress it 4:1 slow attack long release for an evener sound ....

 

[kings lead hat]

oh and eq after compression

 

[Pantone247]

oh and eq after compression

why is that now?

 

[kings lead hat]

you dont want to eq (well esp w bass) and esp if the bass is "e" heavy into the compressor as it will dominate the compression. eq after the compresser kiks in for a more even compression and then eq

 

[kraster]

Those telecaster basses and most precisions reside more in the Midrange than the bottom end. That's not to say that they don't have any bottom end. You get the bottom end and a lot of clankety clank.

As Red Tape said it's nigh on impossible to make a call on this without hearing it first.

Be careful of lowering the action on a guitar with two pole pickups. If you lower it to much then the pickup will influence the vibration of the string too much and you will lose sustain and tuning can be a problem. There is an ideal position action-wise. Look at the Fender website.

Also, as mentioned earlier play with the heaviest strings you can bear. The tone is much better IMHO. Light guage strings always sound erm...light. Kind of scooped in the Low Mids.

If the E string is louder than the rest it would appear that the Bass hasn't been setup properly. Again the Fender website should contain all the requisite info. And if you want to really scare people save your money and don't buy an ampeg buy a mesa boogie 400T. It's a monster.

IMHO ampeg haven't made a good amp in years. It all went a bit Pino Paladino in the Bass Amp department for a while there and they're yet to Beat the original Mark 1 SVT.

 

[aoboa]

Those telecaster basses and most precisions reside more in the Midrange than the bottom end. That's not to say that they don't have any bottom end. You get the bottom end and a lot of clankety clank.

What he said.

 

[benni]

.... and the most effective way of minimising the clankety clank..?

Heavier strings do seem to be making a bit o the difference... and the new pedal hopefully...

 

[kings lead hat]

suck it out w/ the eq pedal

 

[RED(tape)MENACE]

Pity you can't buy a LPF pedal or something.
Did you try rolling off that auld tone knob?
Did you scope out the bass' setup / pickup height?