Want bass to sound funkier

[funky_numba]

Hi all,

I've only been playing bass for a few months now. I use a second hand Wesley bass I use but it's been a great help for learning.

I've been watching a lot of bass covers on youtube.. mainly funk/ jazz based music. I love that type of sound but what's driving me nuts is that I cannot reproduce that bright funky tone on my own bass.. even with the new swing strings I bought. Don't get me wrong.. they are A LOT better than the ones I got with the bass but the tone seems a bit 'muddy' compared to the ones on the youtube vids . I currently have Rotosound 40 60 80 100 roundwound Swing Strings.

Apart from buying a new bass.. I would just like to know how I can alter the sound. I've put the tone up full, but no joy. Do I need different strings.. Elixir, Ernie Ball Super Slinkys, blah blah. What about Jazz pickups? Will that alter the sound by much.

Any help is much appreciated!!

Paul.

[Mr. Foxen]

Amp and cab, what is it. You might need a tweeter.

[goblin]

Check the set up on it as well, when I got my Tokai it was pretty dead when it came to slap, and I was worried I'd have to spend alsorts getting it up to the mark. Put a set of 35 - 95 strings on which helped, dropped the action a bit, but the magic came when I set the intonation so it was spot on. It now slaps faster than my active Warwick which is saying something!

[funky_numba]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1043226' date='Dec 1 2010, 01:25 AM']Amp and cab, what is it. You might need a tweeter.[/quote]

I normally play thru my pc soundcard however, I have a second hand TEC20B Starfire bass practice amp which I bought with the bass. It has a few pots .. 1 low, 2 mids and 1 high (i think) but they seem to make little if any difference to the sound. I wonder if the bass amp is gubbed!!! My bass still sounds 'muddy' through that amp.

What's your setup?

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='funky_numba' post='1043231' date='Dec 1 2010, 01:40 AM']I normally play thru my pc soundcard however, I have a second hand TEC20B Starfire bass practice amp which I bought with the bass. It has a few pots .. 1 low, 2 mids and 1 high (i think) but they seem to make little if any difference to the sound. I wonder if the bass amp is gubbed!!! My bass still sounds 'muddy' through that amp.

What's your setup?[/quote]

My setup isn't for slap. My Aguilar does have a tweeter I keep turned off, so it probably could, but most of my 'highs' come from a guitar rig I run in addition. Appropriate setup may make a lot of difference.

[funky_numba]

[quote name='goblin' post='1043229' date='Dec 1 2010, 01:39 AM']Check the set up on it as well, when I got my Tokai it was pretty dead when it came to slap, and I was worried I'd have to spend alsorts getting it up to the mark. Put a set of 35 - 95 strings on which helped, dropped the action a bit, but the magic came when I set the intonation so it was spot on. It now slaps faster than my active Warwick which is saying something![/quote]

I have the same problem. Funny enough, with my string setup of 40-100, the E-string on 100 guage sounds muffled when compared to the other strings.

How would I set the intonation? I have raised and lowered the bridge. Moved the saddles back and forth but that didn't work. What strings do you use?

[funky_numba]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1043235' date='Dec 1 2010, 01:45 AM']My setup isn't for slap. My Aguilar does have a tweeter I keep turned off, so it probably could, but most of my 'highs' come from a guitar rig I run in addition. Appropriate setup may make a lot of difference.[/quote]

What do you mean by setup, Mr Foxen?

[funky_numba]

[quote name='goblin' post='1043229' date='Dec 1 2010, 01:39 AM']Check the set up on it as well, when I got my Tokai it was pretty dead when it came to slap, and I was worried I'd have to spend alsorts getting it up to the mark. Put a set of 35 - 95 strings on which helped, dropped the action a bit, but the magic came when I set the intonation so it was spot on. It now slaps faster than my active Warwick which is saying something![/quote]

What kinda pickup have you got on you bass?

[funky_numba]

[quote name='goblin' post='1043229' date='Dec 1 2010, 01:39 AM']Check the set up on it as well, when I got my Tokai it was pretty dead when it came to slap, and I was worried I'd have to spend alsorts getting it up to the mark. Put a set of 35 - 95 strings on which helped, dropped the action a bit, but the magic came when I set the intonation so it was spot on. It now slaps faster than my active Warwick which is saying something![/quote]

What make of strings did you get? Roto's Roundwound Jazz....?

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='funky_numba' post='1043238' date='Dec 1 2010, 01:50 AM']What do you mean by setup, Mr Foxen?[/quote]

I managed to mean both my rig, and the setup of the bass. Loads of online tutorials for doing it, and download AP tuner, it is dead good for doing that.

[endorka]

You will find much talk of the pros and cons of instruments/amps/strings/pickups all over the Internet, but always remember - "the funk is in the fingers". In other words, if your basic technique is not producing the sound you are after, then it will be difficult to compensate for this with gadgets and technology.

How does the bass sound unamplified? Many people advocate plucking near the bridge of the instrument, rather than closer to the neck, to achieve the bright funky sound you desire. Have you tried this?

Jennifer

[funky_numba]

[quote name='endorka' post='1043243' date='Dec 1 2010, 02:02 AM']You will find much talk of the pros and cons of instruments/amps/strings/pickups all over the Internet, but always remember - "the funk is in the fingers". In other words, if your basic technique is not producing the sound you are after, then it will be difficult to compensate for this with gadgets and technology.

How does the bass sound unamplified? Many people advocate plucking near the bridge of the instrument, rather than closer to the neck, to achieve the bright funky sound you desire. Have you tried this?

Jennifer[/quote]

The unamplified sound is fine but not super great. That's why I thought I would need better bass strings to have a better tone to begin with and let my amp do the rest.

Re the funk is in the fingers. I've watched the youtube vids and they are not doing anything different from me re plucking. Yes, I get a slightly better sound by plucking nearer the bridge but that just a workaround. Shouldn't I be able to get the sound by plucking between the bridge and the neck pickups?

[bubinga5]

sorry but you dont need lighter strings a or a tweeter... and its nothing to do with you technique.. please..

a few questions bro

does the bass have any treble response at all.

what amp are you using

how old is the bass

is the bass passive/active...im guessing its passive knowing westfields..

is it a jazz

ive come across a couple of basses with lack of treble responce and its been because of the pickups being old and maybe getting dirt etsin them... it happens......im not saying this is your bass Paul but it may be... IF this is the case and the bass IS passive the pups are not expensive to get a fairly good set...

Edited December 1, 2010 by bubinga5

[funky_numba]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1043246' date='Dec 1 2010, 02:23 AM']sorry but you dont need lighter strings a or a tweeter...

a few questions.

does the bass have any treble response at all Paul.

what amp are you using

how old is the bass

is the bass passive/active...im guessing its passive knowing westfields..

is it a jazz

ive come across a couple of basses with lack of treble responce and its been because of the pickups....im not saying this is your bass Paul but it may be... IF this is the case and the bass IS passive the pups are not expensive to get a fairly good set...[/quote]

Hi bubinga5,

I think the bass is passive. The bass is about 5 years old. The amp is a Starfire TEC20B practice amp. The treble pot on the bass makes very little difference.

I thought that the pups are just basic ones. That's why I thought I should upgrade them but I don't know what to as there are so many choices. I have two sinlge coil ones at the mo. No idea what make. Should I get a couple of neck and bridge Jazz pups? If so.. what make?

[endorka]

The Rotosound strings you have should be no barrier to getting the tone you describe.

[quote name='funky_numba' post='1043244' date='Dec 1 2010, 02:18 AM']Re the funk is in the fingers. I've watched the youtube vids and they are not doing anything different from me re plucking. Yes, I get a slightly better sound by plucking nearer the bridge but that just a workaround. Shouldn't I be able to get the sound by plucking between the bridge and the neck pickups?[/quote]

Hmm... I'm not sure I would describe the plucking approach that was a major component of the sound of such luminaries as Jaco Pastorious to be "just a workaround". Where you pluck on the string has a major effect on the tone produced; closer to the bridge gives a brighter tone, closer to the neck gives a fatter tone.

There are many other factors to consider in addition to this that will affect tone, however. While you may appear to be copying what these musicians are doing on Youtube, there could be other things that are not immediately apparent. For example, even the amount of callous on the fingertips can change tone.

It can be an interesting thought experiment to consider: what would one of these musicians sound like playing your bass?

You have a strong sense of the sound you would like to produce, this is good. Over the next few months I would advise spending a lot of time making small adjustment to your technique to attempt to find this sound. It will be obvious when you are getting nearer to the ideal.

There is another thing: Have you tried playing with the neck pickup completely off, the bridge pickup completely on, and the tone as trebly as you can get?

Jennifer

[funky_numba]

[quote name='endorka' post='1043250' date='Dec 1 2010, 02:32 AM']The Rotosound strings you have should be no barrier to getting the tone you describe.



Hmm... I'm not sure I would describe the plucking approach that was a major component of the sound of such luminaries as Jaco Pastorious to be "just a workaround". Where you pluck on the string has a major effect on the tone produced; closer to the bridge gives a brighter tone, closer to the neck gives a fatter tone.

There are many other factors to consider in addition to this that will affect tone, however. While you may appear to be copying what these musicians are doing on Youtube, there could be other things that are not immediately apparent. For example, even the amount of callous on the fingertips can change tone.

It can be an interesting thought experiment to consider: what would one of these musicians sound like playing your bass?

You have a strong sense of the sound you would like to produce, this is good. Over the next few months I would advise spending a lot of time making small adjustment to your technique to attempt to find this sound. It will be obvious when you are getting nearer to the ideal.

There is another thing: Have you tried playing with the neck pickup completely off, the bridge pickup completely on, and the tone as trebly as you can get?

Jennifer[/quote]

I play with both pups up full and the tone up full but I will try and experiment as per your instructions. Thanks for your advice, Jennifer!!!!!

[bassbloke]

The best way to make a bass sound funkier ? Play fewer notes and more dynamics. Have you ever had a lesson from a proper bass guitar tutor?

[gafbass02]

Yep I'd go with pluck back over the bridge pickup. Neck pickup backed off a third or so, fresh rotosounds bass n treble boosted a smidge, maybe mid cut a tiny smidge and it should come.

[charic]

Take your bass to a shop and try another amp. Some bass amps (especially 'starter' style ones) generally wont sound great. The fact that your E string sounds more muffled than the rest is a bit suspect too..

[chris_b]

[quote name='charic' post='1043295' date='Dec 1 2010, 08:12 AM']....Take your bass to a shop and try another amp....[/quote]
+1

What you are describing is that you have reached the limit of your "starter" gear. You've moved beyond what it can do and it's time to upgrade to better equipment.

[xgsjx]

New bass for Xmas? Ibanez get a good bright tone as well as a good dubby tone & you can spend what you want on one. I can only suggest Ibby as I've never owned anything else, so best to try a few in Guitar Guitar.

My idea of a funk sound is very different from yours & requires flatwound strings & a filter (such as a wah). Very little brightness for me.

If you're playing thru your PC, try using a VST wah or filter on it.

[derrenleepoole]

Before you go down the whole route of do I need a new amp, bass, strings etc., there is something that you can do that will help determine which route to go to help you get the sound you require.

I was always taught by my old teacher (Steve Berry of Loose Tubes) that the tone of any instrument should always be determined without an amplifier. Why? An amplifier will always do it's job, regardless of the instrument. Sure, some amps colour the sound, but understanding how your tone is before you get to the amp stage will help enormously. I NEVER try out a bass in a shop through an amp, because all you're doing is trying out the amp and not the bass!

If I were you, I'd get myself in a nice quite room, get the bass out, and simply play the help out of it acoustically. See if you can get the tone your after this way. It's worth noting that the way you play will have a huge impact on your tone as well. So finger placement, attack etc, will all play a huge part, not just the bass.

If you can get a reasonable tone acoustically, then it should be a simple case of getting an good amp to deliver that tone, but at volume. It's possible that the amp you're using is making the tone worse. If in doubt, level off all the EQ settings to flat and start with fresh ears. If you're getting a sound you like through your bass, but not your amp, you know where the problem lies.

[endorka]

Thanks Derren... I'm glad someone agrees with my earlier post :-)

Jennifer

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='endorka' post='1043429' date='Dec 1 2010, 10:06 AM']Thanks Derren... I'm glad someone agrees with my earlier post :-)

Jennifer[/quote]

Yeah, simple things make for simple solutions I think many musicians are searching for the holy grail of tone, when a great percentage of it is in your hands before you even get to the amplifier stage. That was an invaluable lesson I learned very early on, and it's one I'm very thankful for. I suspect in regards to the OP's question, a lot of the problem is probably in technique and not knowing how to push and pull the instrument and bending it to your will

[JTUK]

I don't know that bass...but some basses have no hope in hell of getting certain sounds.
But if you haven't been playing too long then you just don't have the technique yet to wring those sounds out of poor reproduction either.

But... for my style, I set the bass up to work for me and I know as soon as I pick up some basses that they aren't going to work in that mode. You can be flogging a dead horse.