Three Band EQ vs Four Band EQ (and what about pedals?)

#41
I use EQ to subtract and add, ie notch out a mid honk from a honky cab, or to add back what's scooped out from a J or PJ, having both a 4 band and a sweep for the centers on the low mid & high mid, and you can have both of the above. So many useful sounds are possible notching an otherwise smooth or even pretty flat overall EQ. A 3 band gives you less option for a notch you just have to settle for scoop.

On the other hand, so many classic amps accomplish tone that's hard for you to not find something usable with 'only' 3. And the B15 is only 2 band, luckily you'll never hear that amp on a recording though.
 
#42
ClinicianBass said:
Acoustics are the only brand I regularly find it in.
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My Model 220 is the only Acoustic amp I've ever used, and it only has one Mid control - although it does have a five-band graphic EQ with sliders in addition to the Treble, Midrange, and Bass knobs.

When I finally got a more modern amp last year, almost every one I tried had four-band EQ that included low and high mid knobs, including the Mesa D-800 I ended up with, but also the Aguilar AG700, Fender Rumble, and models from MarkBass and Darkglass.

So if you want four-band EQ on an amp it's not that hard to find, but it's really a matter of personal preference as to what works best.
 
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#43
I play an a couple Ibanez basses with active 3 band EQ. I own these two amps:

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I love them both. I like mid, low mid, and low. They're simple but very effective controls on in just about any room you play. Then, the 3 band EQ on the Ibanez is great for fine tuning. I keep everything pretty flat to begin with, then gently add to the low mid and low if needed.

Ampeg has a neat 5 switch control to alter the sound of their larger amps, very effective.

I recommend 4 band EQ.
 
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#46
srayb said:
I really like my Genz Benz Shuttle’s mid parametric EQ. It helps to find that midrange region that either needs cutting (often) or boosting (sometimes). I’ve never found an amp has magically picked the exact right mid frequency for every situation (bass, cabinet, room, etc.) which is why I love having the ability to zero in on the frequency I want to affect. Just my opinion/experience.
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Yes! The mids control on Shuttle is great...
 
#49
With EQ less is more. ... It's the reason EQ's went from plus to plus and minus. ... I used to add EQ, (Ashly para, MXR 10, Sadow & Augi pre's, etc) now, I listen to my instrument in the room I'm playing in and try to remove the freq. I don't want or need. ... A good sounding instrument, through a good sounding amp, doesn't need much EQ. ... I can be like a cat chasing its tail. ... The cleanest signal is plugging into the in on the effects loop, it by-passes the EQ and goes straight to the power amp, or it should. ... At the moment I'm enjoying plugging into a Radial Bassbone first ch. notch-filter into the effects loop of my Augi, works great for my upright and el basses.
 
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#50
2-band EQ. The electric bass has a tremendous amount of natural mids. I find that simple bumps in high and low smooths things out nicely without creating a rat's nest of push and pull through the full range.
 
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#51
agedhorse said:
It really depends.
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I said this enough times at work that, at one point someone called me "Mr Depends".

Anyway, I agree. If you make me an amp or pedalboard rig, and it had the right baked in tone, I wouldn't need any EQ in theory - the eq I use tends to stay put, so if you built it into an amp, I could go without knobs to change it. In practice, what works for me is a rig that has a couple parametric mid sections - I need to be able to pull down some 250 Hz (cut out some thickness/mud), and push 1.6 kHz (snarl!). Most mid controls (even the ones where there is a low mid and high mid control) aren't centered on the frequencies I need; hence parametric mids are where i go to get my basic tone.
 
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#52
A PJ is a complicated instrument, tone wise ( I have one), and you'll have to find what works, whether you run the bridge wide open or run it with just a hint of the bridge pickup, it really depends on the song, style, room acoustics, etc., and what sound the pickups produces ( nice & polite, growley, thick & phat, etc. ) and string selection, so choose carefully.
As to amp Eq, my thoughts are, one is to match the tone in my head, when playing live, and to dial in that tone in a room, many times I wish I had parametric mid controls, and then there are times Bass Mid & Treble, work just fine, also you have to consider the voicing of the amp, as it will have an impact on your overall tone, one thing Ill add, if your playing live, have a HPF at your disposal, there are times where you can't fix tone with EQ, due to room acoustics, and other issues, beyond your control
 
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#54
To me, it's more about the whole design of the setup, rather than a 3 or 4 band eq option being the solution.

With a good jazz bass especially you can get a lot of different tones with the passive setup on the bass itself (with roundwounds). For example, if you turn back both volumes somewhere halfway, and then adjust the tone knob to taste, (and turn up the powerstage of the amp accordingly) you'll get a super goe-y flatwound/dub like low end that can sit fantastic in certain styles, for example when trying to mimic Jamerson.

I'd test an amp in a store with your own bass, everything set neutral and decide if the basic tone character speaks to you. If it won't suit your fancy that way, than all the eq options in the world aren't going to give you the long term satisfaction in sound you are after, in my experience.
 
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#55
jastacey said:
...one thing Ill add, if your playing live, have a HPF at your disposal, there are times where you can't fix tone with EQ, due to room acoustics, and other issues, beyond your control
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+2

3 band active/passive PJ bass with some foam and palm muting, pick or pluck, plus an adjustable HPF does it for me. I can pretty much beat any amp/venue into submission.:thumbsup:

That being said, in the past, before all this Good stuff was known and only guitar players had pedals, I always had cabs with casters and vertically stacked speakers, mostly 2x15. Boomy stages and being able to hear myself were really never a problem. Lucky, I guess.
 
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#56
In my experience having control over the high and low mids can really help with larger rooms that are resonate. That way I'm not tweaking my treble and bass to make my mix work.

Ampeg amps have mid presets that work with the help of a boost cut. The boost is noticeable above 12 o'clock. Sometimes I'll run a flexible preamp in front of the amp or preamps in the effects chain to mix to taste.

I've been wanting to incorporate a JHS Colorbox or Walrus Defcon 4 in the second stage of my effects to get a good mix. I've found it tricky mix a good tone without simply boosting a signal. Sometimes that can have adverse results on the amp and PA.
 
#57
ClinicianBass said:
With the PJ, though it's a unique voice, with the bridge rolled off it's still a p bass though, right?
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I think so some extent that depends on the PJ. I’ve seen PJs with the P pickup placed in the exact same spot as a traditional P-bass and I’ve seen them with the P pushed up closer to the neck joint. Pickup position is supposed to be the biggest factor in the classic P-bass tone, so I would imagine that makes a pretty big difference when rolling off the J pickup.
 
#58
BurtMacklinFBI said:
I think so some extent that depends on the PJ. I’ve seen PJs with the P pickup placed in the exact same spot as a traditional P-bass and I’ve seen them with the P pushed up closer to the neck joint. Pickup position is supposed to be the biggest factor in the classic P-bass tone, so I would imagine that makes a pretty big difference when rolling off the J pickup.
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That’s been my experience based on swapping various types of pickups into the traditional pickup location on a beater P copy I have. If the E string and G string pole pieces stay in the same location as a stock split P pickup, the pickup output may go up and down but the essential voice remains intact. I even tried a Strat pickup slanted so the end polepieces stayed in the right spot. Sounded like a P bass.

Moving the whole pickup closer to the bridge after enlarging the rout sounded a lot different. I didn’t like it.
 
#59
Hi ClinicianBass :)

I am not a pedalboard guy and I play my basses passive (my 2 active basses haven' t seen a battery for years)

All eq-ing is done with my amp(s). That' s why I prefer a more detailed EQ (not just bass mid treble),

to work on the tone that comes from my fingers. :D

agedhorse said:
Disparaging a player for their own personal preference in an amp, cabinet or instrument seems to be creeping into more and more discussions on TB lately and I find this to be pretty uncool.
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Yep! :thumbsup:

Stumbo said:
3 band active/passive PJ bass with some foam and palm muting, pick or pluck, plus an adjustable HPF does it for me. I can pretty much beat any amp/venue into submission.:thumbsup:
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The HPF controlled sonic nightmare! :laugh: (you forgot to mention the dead strings :roflmao:);)

ClinicianBass said:
I just don't know if I should or if 3/4 band EQ gives enough control for the time being.
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Back on topic (just my 2 cents of course):

I don' t think that you will need a 10 band EQ to get a good P bass sound. (no matter which strings you use :D)

But I think an amp with more than just one mid frequency knob can help you in a lot of situations!

Whatever you buy, learn how to use it before you play out!

Folks want you to play the bass, not the fiddle! :D



may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass
 
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