To perfect it, stack that 15 with a 4x10
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Bass sounds thin (especially slap)
- Thread starter Jeverool
- Start date
To perfect it, stack that 15 with a 4x10
Rumble 25s are like that, they’re very tube like sounding amps, however the e an a string tend to be weaker sounding on that speaker and weirdly enough the d and g string are very dark sounding on that speaker
the rumble 50s however actually do have decent bottom end! The d and g are also very mellow sounding on the rumble 50, that preamp on the rumble amps mellows out the high notes considerably, which I enjoy.
the rumble 50s however actually do have decent bottom end! The d and g are also very mellow sounding on the rumble 50, that preamp on the rumble amps mellows out the high notes considerably, which I enjoy.
If it is the "scooped" slap you are looking for, I would test the lows. I am sure your rig can deliver the highs, though if your want the slap/pluck "clack", your string action needs to be low enough to hit the frets when you slap or pluck.
For the lows, how much of a low-end "thump" can you get? Like others above, I suspect the problem is the lows.
I learned on 200W with 2 15" speakers. Plenty of "thump" was easy. Try boosting the bass, and cutting the treble (or tone on your bass). See how much boomy low-end you can get. Rest the side of your plucking hands on top of the bridge (like a foam mute), pluck some low notes with your thumb and see how well your rig "thumps" (old Motown sound).
You may find your amp makes a "farting" sound, or just can't give you much "boominess" or "thump".
In the interim, some headphones might be the cheapest route if your amp is weak in with the lows. I use an older version of these: https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Techni...r_1_2?keywords=ath+m50x&qid=1650932421&sr=8-2
If you get headphones, I suggest asking around on TalkBass: many headphones cannot handle bass well.
BTW, I had a 25W Fender Bassman amp with 8" speaker about 12 years ago. Drove me nuts, because it could not handle the lows/thump. It did not "fart" like most small amps back then did, but the lows sounded kind of "windy", with a low (10Hz?) oscillation of some sort. The bass frequencies just were not there. I never figured-out if the oscillation (very subtle) was the ported cabinet design, or if there just wasn't enough power.
I also had a 100W Bassman, with 15" speaker. It could "thump". My current 100W with 12" (Acoustic) does the scooped slap just fine, and can get "boomy", but I miss having a 15" speaker for the "thump".
For the lows, how much of a low-end "thump" can you get? Like others above, I suspect the problem is the lows.
I learned on 200W with 2 15" speakers. Plenty of "thump" was easy. Try boosting the bass, and cutting the treble (or tone on your bass). See how much boomy low-end you can get. Rest the side of your plucking hands on top of the bridge (like a foam mute), pluck some low notes with your thumb and see how well your rig "thumps" (old Motown sound).
You may find your amp makes a "farting" sound, or just can't give you much "boominess" or "thump".
In the interim, some headphones might be the cheapest route if your amp is weak in with the lows. I use an older version of these: https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Techni...r_1_2?keywords=ath+m50x&qid=1650932421&sr=8-2
If you get headphones, I suggest asking around on TalkBass: many headphones cannot handle bass well.
BTW, I had a 25W Fender Bassman amp with 8" speaker about 12 years ago. Drove me nuts, because it could not handle the lows/thump. It did not "fart" like most small amps back then did, but the lows sounded kind of "windy", with a low (10Hz?) oscillation of some sort. The bass frequencies just were not there. I never figured-out if the oscillation (very subtle) was the ported cabinet design, or if there just wasn't enough power.
I also had a 100W Bassman, with 15" speaker. It could "thump". My current 100W with 12" (Acoustic) does the scooped slap just fine, and can get "boomy", but I miss having a 15" speaker for the "thump".
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Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
From the very short audio clips, it sounds like you're smacking the strings pretty hard with your thumb. How hard you strike, with what surface (tip, boney part at the joint, or the indented fleshy part on the side) and where you make contact (IE over a pickup vs. over the top of your fretboard) all make a difference.
Can you tell or show us where you are hitting the string? Sure, a big amp with a ton of speaker area will help, but you can dial in perfectly fine slap tone through a pair of headphones, so it's not just about speaker mass.
Also, if you listen to a lot of top-tier slap players they are doing a lot of left-hand muting, which makes each note come through punchier than if you let it ring too long, choke it off early (with either hand) or bash it down into nearby frets.
Can you tell or show us where you are hitting the string? Sure, a big amp with a ton of speaker area will help, but you can dial in perfectly fine slap tone through a pair of headphones, so it's not just about speaker mass.
Also, if you listen to a lot of top-tier slap players they are doing a lot of left-hand muting, which makes each note come through punchier than if you let it ring too long, choke it off early (with either hand) or bash it down into nearby frets.
Hit a music store and try some bigger amps, some different basses. If the thin sound remains, it’s your technique.
Your amp is a tiny practise amp. It won't give you the big, fat tone of a more expensive amp. Great sounding bass amps and cabs are very expensive.
Your recorded tone also suffers from having too much of the room sound. You get too much string noise coming from the bass itself, rather than the tone from the amp.
If you go direct into an audio interface you will get a MUCH better tone, either through the built in instrument/Hi-Z input on an audio interface or through a dedicated DI box. A DI box will usually give a much better tone than the instrument inputs on an interface. DI boxes can be found in all price ranges and you get what you pay for. Radial Pro48 is an great value DI box and a good choice for a passive bass.
You can also connect the headphone output of your amp directly to an interface or a DI-box (will need the proper cable of course) but the headphone output isn't really meant for recording so it might be noisy. I haven't tried that particular Rumble model so I can't really say for sure how it will sound for recording but I'm sure it will be a LOT better than what you're currently doing.
If you want to mic the amp you should at least close mic the speaker. You will get the best result if you use a mic that is suitable for bass (which usually mean expensive). In a pinch you could use some kind of handheld vocal mic (if you've already got one) but it's not really designed to pick up the lower frequencies of a bass guitar. You might also want to keep some distance from the amp/mic when recording, to avoid getting too much string noise into the mic. But even with a good mic and better mic positioning you will still get a rather thin sound by mic'ing that small amp. It's really just meant for practise, not recording or playing with a band.
Your Yamaha bass is a very nice bass that punches well above it's weight. Somewhere down the road you MIGHT want to replace the ceramic pickup with a good quality alnico pickup for slighty warmer tone but with your current amp it won't make much difference.
Strings, sure, they can make a huge difference to the tone but in this particular case you could waste your money on all the strings in the world and it won't get you what you want. Your problem is the amp/cab. It's simply too small for the tone you're looking for. It's a great little practise amp but it will never give you the bigger, fatter tone of more expensive amps. At least not in the room, the headphone output MIGHT give a decent tone for recording (or through good quality headphones for practising).
If you want a better recorded tone: Go direct.
If you want a bigger, fatter tone in the room: Get a better amp/cab.
If you want a better tone for practising, try good quality headphones.
Your recorded tone also suffers from having too much of the room sound. You get too much string noise coming from the bass itself, rather than the tone from the amp.
If you go direct into an audio interface you will get a MUCH better tone, either through the built in instrument/Hi-Z input on an audio interface or through a dedicated DI box. A DI box will usually give a much better tone than the instrument inputs on an interface. DI boxes can be found in all price ranges and you get what you pay for. Radial Pro48 is an great value DI box and a good choice for a passive bass.
You can also connect the headphone output of your amp directly to an interface or a DI-box (will need the proper cable of course) but the headphone output isn't really meant for recording so it might be noisy. I haven't tried that particular Rumble model so I can't really say for sure how it will sound for recording but I'm sure it will be a LOT better than what you're currently doing.
If you want to mic the amp you should at least close mic the speaker. You will get the best result if you use a mic that is suitable for bass (which usually mean expensive). In a pinch you could use some kind of handheld vocal mic (if you've already got one) but it's not really designed to pick up the lower frequencies of a bass guitar. You might also want to keep some distance from the amp/mic when recording, to avoid getting too much string noise into the mic. But even with a good mic and better mic positioning you will still get a rather thin sound by mic'ing that small amp. It's really just meant for practise, not recording or playing with a band.
Your Yamaha bass is a very nice bass that punches well above it's weight. Somewhere down the road you MIGHT want to replace the ceramic pickup with a good quality alnico pickup for slighty warmer tone but with your current amp it won't make much difference.
Strings, sure, they can make a huge difference to the tone but in this particular case you could waste your money on all the strings in the world and it won't get you what you want. Your problem is the amp/cab. It's simply too small for the tone you're looking for. It's a great little practise amp but it will never give you the bigger, fatter tone of more expensive amps. At least not in the room, the headphone output MIGHT give a decent tone for recording (or through good quality headphones for practising).
If you want a better recorded tone: Go direct.
If you want a bigger, fatter tone in the room: Get a better amp/cab.
If you want a better tone for practising, try good quality headphones.
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I don't think a small practice amp is ever going to sound like a YouTube demo. Neither will that practice amp recorded with a smartphone mic.....
The only way to properly tell is to record direct and compare. Then you'll know what the bass really sounds like. Remember too that YouTube vids are very compressed.
The only way to properly tell is to record direct and compare. Then you'll know what the bass really sounds like. Remember too that YouTube vids are very compressed.
Why not bin off the practice amp altogether and use software FX and headphones which is how I primarily play at home when not playing Rocksmith, I have a little VOX Pathfinder and a couple of pedals that are covered in so much dust from lack of use they look like they’ve just been dug up out of an ancient pharaoh’s tomb.
I can bet most of these YouTube players are recording direct into their computers via software DSP’s which will make them sound much better than a mic on an amp in the home environment.
I personally use a NUX mighty plug when I’m not playing Rocksmith and I have a few presets I can shift between, but my main one is a nice full deep sound as I’m not a big fan of mid and high heavy bass tones, I want a tone you can feel in your guts.
I can bet most of these YouTube players are recording direct into their computers via software DSP’s which will make them sound much better than a mic on an amp in the home environment.
I personally use a NUX mighty plug when I’m not playing Rocksmith and I have a few presets I can shift between, but my main one is a nice full deep sound as I’m not a big fan of mid and high heavy bass tones, I want a tone you can feel in your guts.
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As a PJ try turning the J down all the way and running it as a P bass. On my Ibanez Mikro’s with the original pickups the bass was buzzy as all hell when hooked up to the laptop and turning down the Jazz helped a lot with that. I now have a full EMG GZR PJ and that is much better with regards to buzzing, it’s still there but not as bad.
Downside is that running a P only would probably mean a lot more mids, whereas in my experience PJ together gives a nice scooped sound which I believe is what you are after for slapping.
Downside is that running a P only would probably mean a lot more mids, whereas in my experience PJ together gives a nice scooped sound which I believe is what you are after for slapping.
Another thing to consider is pickup height, if they are too low then they will make the bass sound thin and wimpy.
I have all my pickups set around 3mm on the bass side and 2mm on the treble side or to use the precise measurement system I used fret the last fret and stick a pound coin which is around 3mm on the pickups and raise them until it just touches the bass side, do the same on the treble side but with a 2 pence coin around 2mm. Start there then tweak as you see fit as too high the pull on the strings will cause intonation issues and too low the bass sounds garbage there is a very sweet spot and different pickups require different heights.
My EMG GZR PJ set prefer being as high as possible as Alnico V tends to be weaker than the cheap ceramic magnets in stock pickups, as such my other Ibanez Mikro with a GZR P and stock Jazz needs the Jazz to actually be lower than the P rather than the other way around.
Your best bet would be to plug into a clean non EQ’d direct feed and have a play checking volume levels are equal across strings and no tuning issues.
I have all my pickups set around 3mm on the bass side and 2mm on the treble side or to use the precise measurement system I used fret the last fret and stick a pound coin which is around 3mm on the pickups and raise them until it just touches the bass side, do the same on the treble side but with a 2 pence coin around 2mm. Start there then tweak as you see fit as too high the pull on the strings will cause intonation issues and too low the bass sounds garbage there is a very sweet spot and different pickups require different heights.
My EMG GZR PJ set prefer being as high as possible as Alnico V tends to be weaker than the cheap ceramic magnets in stock pickups, as such my other Ibanez Mikro with a GZR P and stock Jazz needs the Jazz to actually be lower than the P rather than the other way around.
Your best bet would be to plug into a clean non EQ’d direct feed and have a play checking volume levels are equal across strings and no tuning issues.
Not sure what that bass can do tonally but its the amp, combined with your technique but primarily the former.
Tonally and volume wise, you have nowhere to go.
I'd drop the mids a tad and concentrate or work on getting a good thumb connection/response.
The sound clips just demonstrate an inconsistant thumbed note. I'd say you were hitting it too hard as well, because you need effect rather than a strong note, but if your style is to play hard, then you'll hit hard.
Get more bounce..you'll need it further down the line anyway.
Tonally and volume wise, you have nowhere to go.
I'd drop the mids a tad and concentrate or work on getting a good thumb connection/response.
The sound clips just demonstrate an inconsistant thumbed note. I'd say you were hitting it too hard as well, because you need effect rather than a strong note, but if your style is to play hard, then you'll hit hard.
Get more bounce..you'll need it further down the line anyway.
It's most likely the amp. Also, you haven't recorded any actual slapping there, just thumbing the open strings means nothing like that, because it could also be your technique (and it most likely is if you're a beginner). Otherwise, the bass sounds just fine. Record it through an interface, play using a good pair of headphones. Maybe record an actual slap line so we can hear the issue?
