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Tips on getting a bass tone like this?
- Thread starter TheIndieKid
- Start date
Looks to be a fairly straightforward set-up: P-bass with rounds (the licks at 1:20-1:27 of the first viddy suggest rounds) played with a pick near the bridge. A sunn cabinet with some type of (likely) tubey goodness on top to get a bit of overdrive. I can't tell if the head is a sunn or not; the sunn heads I've seen have the controls at the bottom rather than at the top. The logo sort of looks like sunn, however.
That's an SVT, my friend, with a matching 8x10 cabinet in the second vid. In the first one, it's a Fender Bassman head with matching 4x12 (I think)
is he palm muting, do you think?
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Do you mean you can't hear the bass in the mix?
It sounded like there was a keyboard player off stage doing the bass lines and the bass player was there because people think of the 80's when they see a keyboard player.
As said previously, a lot of that sound is from the P bass with roundwounds, but so much of it is from picking style -- a lot of palm muting going on, to soften the pick, then he will come off the palm for a louder, more agressive sound. Palm muting with growly pickups and a pick is the majority of the tone. The rest can be dialed in on the amp EQ.
What would you say the EQ is like? Scooped or Boosted Mids?
I'll add this video, since the bass is easier to hear.
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My tone is very similar. I use the same picking style. I play through a GK400rb with the low and high mids boosted.
I disagree, to me this sounds a ton like he's using flats. newer flats while picking with the tone all the way up can definitely give you the sound from those licks (especially since it sounds like he's using some kind of effect over it). Plus, the rest of both the videos sound just like flats. As someone who primarily uses flats on a P bass in a rock setting, I'm pretty familiar with that sound
P-bass, SVT, Lot of compression. Pick... sound for rock bass for decades.
As of the 2014 interview, it was stated he cranks his bass head and has a bit of overdrive from a SkyChord Truck Loud Pedal going on. However, he does have a POG and a Big Muff on his pedal board, so I was never sure what he was using when (with the POG, if he even uses it at all). I was just unsure of the EQ. He also said that he boils his strings in a mixture of butter and other stuff because he feels they are too bright at start. This sentence makes me feel they are rounds, like you all say, but there is discrepancy that he could be using flats. After all, Rotosound Jazz Bass 77 flats are bright to start off with. Just ask Steve Harris...
I agree there's a lot of compression in the recordings of the songs, but he doesn't have a compressor live. Any idea?
He probably doesn't need a compressor live. Using a pick, you have much more control over an even striking volume, and it probably leaves him with more control with dynamics. I imagine he just boosts the heck on his volume.
Standard operating procedure is for the sound engineer to add compression and EQ at the sound board. I'm not familiar with this particular band but that's how it's usually done.
The best thing we can do as players is to develop a consistent tone and attack, to make our sound easy for the sound guy to mix.
I don't think it matters. Since each instrument has its own peculiarities, if I was going for this on any bass, I'd just add some mild distortion and play with a pick.
I am certain there's a compressor on that bass, probably at the live mix signal chain (house mixer) more added in post to both bass signal and mix sum.