Defining bass tones from origins to present

[Scorchin]

[i]If you don't want to read the introduction and get straight to it, find the question below (in bold)[/i]

I've always thought that I've got a fairly broad range of music types to get my inspiration from, however I don't feel confident setting up my bass tone to fit differing styles of music. Being a beginner student, I don't have a lot to work with in comparison to some of the gear w**res on the forum due to cash issues. However, I'm asking you, the BassChat faithful, to help me alter settings on a simple setup to produce these styles.

[b]Using just a Simple Bass (Squire P-Bass?), a MAX of 1 pedal and a low-end bass amp, how would you emulate bass tones through the ages?[/b]

Any input is greatly appreciated. I'm up for anything to help me figure out my ideal bass tone!

P.S. Started as a result of reading Beedsters recent [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14725"]thread[/url].

[acidbass]

Turn the treble way down for the beginning....

...and as you move through the decades, gradually turn it up!

[Hit&Run]

Learn to play with a pick/plectrum as well. It's cheap and will broaden your tonal palette.

[Happy Jack]

You'll find that near impossible without two basses - one strung with flatwounds (1952 - 65) and the other with roundwounds (1965 - date).

You'll never get near the sound of Macca on a Hofner violin bass or Jamerson's P-bass without flatwounds.

[alexclaber]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='151496' date='Mar 5 2008, 08:01 AM']You'll find that near impossible without two basses - one strung with flatwounds (1952 - 65) and the other with roundwounds (1965 - date).

You'll never get near the sound of Macca on a Hofner violin bass or Jamerson's P-bass without flatwounds.[/quote]

I disagree, you can do amazing things with palm muting and thumb plucking. Another good trick is to use a five and drop down a string and up five frets for more boom and wooliness.

Just spend ages experimenting with different plucking, fretting and muting techniques and you'll build up a huge library of sounds which can all come from one instrument without any knob twiddling. Listening is the key!

Alex

[GreeneKing]

[quote]Hofner violin bass or Jamerson's P-bass[/quote]

Cough! You forgot the Ric!

[chris_b]

[quote name='Scorchin' post='151481' date='Mar 5 2008, 02:12 AM']....using just a Simple Bass (Squire P-Bass?), a MAX of 1 pedal and a low-end bass amp, how would you emulate bass tones through the ages....[/quote]
I wouldn't! I'd forget the pedal, get a precision and an amp then concentrate on sounding like you.

[SJA]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='151498' date='Mar 5 2008, 08:06 AM']I disagree, you can do amazing things with palm muting[/quote]

+1

Edited March 5, 2008 by SJA

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Someone's bound to say "the tone is in the fingers" so it might as well be me.

[nick]

All the above are excellent suggestions.

Fingers & pick in various places i.e. by bridge, midway over pick-up, or up by the neck.
Fretting higher up the neck on lower strings, for a thicker sound. Playing across strings for more of a twang. Even chords.
Experiment, & listen to as many different genres as possible.

Pedalwise; a Sansamp or cheaper Behringer clone can help spice up an average amp.

[SJA]

ps. my choice of one pedal would be chorus, for the 80's bass sound- New Order/Cure/Cult/Siouxsie/and pseudo-fretless sound.

[cheddatom]

Heh, my choice of one pedal would be a B2.1U - Then you can make every tone, save them, and switch between them!

As far as how to get different specific "classic" tones, i'm not much use 'cos I wouldn't really know what kind of sounds you're reffering to sorry.

[charic]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='151656' date='Mar 5 2008, 12:54 PM']Someone's bound to say "the tone is in the fingers" so it might as well be me.[/quote]

Ive always had a problem with that quote, you cant be telling me the style of finger playing can make a squier sound like a warwick or a musicman like a rick. You get the picture

Rant over, bad evening

[chris_b]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='151656' date='Mar 5 2008, 12:54 PM'].... "the tone is in the fingers"....[/quote]
The point of this is to say that you can sound bad on any bass or you can sound good on any bass. The difference is in you not the instrument. So, like all "old wives tales" this is broadly true.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='151498' date='Mar 5 2008, 08:06 AM']I disagree, you can do amazing things with palm muting and thumb plucking. Another good trick is to use a five and drop down a string and up five frets for more boom and wooliness.

Just spend ages experimenting with different plucking, fretting and muting techniques and you'll build up a huge library of sounds which can all come from one instrument without any knob twiddling. Listening is the key!

Alex[/quote]
+2

Excellent advice!

[Scorchin]

Definitely some great advice here, cheers guys! In terms of muting, I'm yet to work with plucking string, have done some basic slap/pop but mainly use fingerstyle. Are there any particular muting techniques for fingerstyle that you guys could recommend?

[alexclaber]

[quote name='Scorchin' post='152146' date='Mar 6 2008, 02:24 AM']Definitely some great advice here, cheers guys! In terms of muting, I'm yet to work with plucking string, have done some basic slap/pop but mainly use fingerstyle. Are there any particular muting techniques for fingerstyle that you guys could recommend?[/quote]

Fret a note with your index finger, then try to get as many different tones as possible from that note. Vary your attack point along the string, between bridge and neck, pluck with your fingers, thumb, fingernails (experiment with using the tip, flat or side of the digit, or two digits together), and then try resting your right hand palm or your spare left hand fingers on the string to add muting control. Once you've work through all the different sounds you can make, work on adding variation to those sounds by being able to play them very quietly, very loudly and everything in between. I guess I have about five vague signature sounds that I reference - Geezer's clank and dirt, Jaco's growly burp, Jamerson's muffled yet clear boom, Larry Graham's thick fatness and Family Man's soft round depth.

Regarding the difference in tone between different models of bass, if you have a decent instrument with two pickups and good technique I believe you can cover so much tonal ground that few will be able to tell from a recording if you're playing a Rick, Musicman or whatever, and none will care.

Alex

[The Funk]

Listen hard to your favourite bass players or songs/bands with bass sounds you like and just try to copy them, then adjust to taste.

There's no point getting 100 different sounds out of your rig if you don't like any of them.

[Doc B]

You could also try and get of 'thump' using a bit of foam rubber under the strings near the bridge in the style of John Deacon.

[lonestar]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='151498' date='Mar 5 2008, 08:06 AM']I disagree, you can do amazing things with palm muting and thumb plucking. Another good trick is to use a five and drop down a string and up five frets for more boom and wooliness.

Just spend ages experimenting with different plucking, fretting and muting techniques and you'll build up a huge library of sounds which can all come from one instrument without any knob twiddling. Listening is the key!

Alex[/quote]

Absolutely. it's all in the fingers. Try different hand positions between bridge and neck and the way you attack the strings with your finger tips or a pick. experiment with the tone settings on your amp and on the bass as mentioned in an earlier reply. You'll be amazed at the range of sounds that you can get with a simple rig.