noisedude Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Ok I've not played many bass amps so my terminology might be a bit out, hope you can understand what I mean. I've got a Laney RB9 300w head and Hartke 410tp cab. I love the sound when we're practising, great punchy sound. However, at gig volume it seems to be a bit 'edgy' and the bass end gets a little furry and boomy. I'm playing ska/funk/pop and need a really articulate sound but with plenty of bottom end. Not growly I don't think, but plenty of headroom, good dynamic response and as little tweaking of EQ as possible. I play with fingers (an Ibanez DWB-3 Doug Wimbish most of the time, with a Spector Rebop 5 on the way). What am I looking for? Compact and light is also a big issue, though that probably comes at a price premium? Oddly enough I've played a Mark Bass Jeff Berlin combo but that was before I started listening to the sound of bass, I just knew it 'sounded good'. Cheers! Nik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Whats your price range? Theres a warwick 611 on here thats going for £200 (cracking deal) but its a big beast. if you like the markbass gear its well worth looking into in a bit more depth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisedude Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 [quote name='ste_m3' post='160023' date='Mar 19 2008, 12:08 AM']Whats your price range? Theres a warwick 611 on here thats going for £200 (cracking deal) but its a big beast. if you like the markbass gear its well worth looking into in a bit more depth![/quote] I guess I'd rather wait longer for the ideal purchase than make another half-step. As I say, I liked the sound of that Mark Bass combo and it was very loud and very small ... but I guess I'd have to play one and really crank it whilst listening to the tone to know whether it was for me. Problem is, there's nothing around here shop-wise and I don't want to make a trip to a boutique shop without knowing roughly how much I'm going to have to spend to get great tone. Hence asking you lot!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willl Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 There's no easy answer for you on this one and I have no special qualification to assist but here are a few thoughts. You'll read thread after thread on here of people 'looking for that tone', chopping and changing gear to try and achieve it. The issue is that your tone is what you want to hear - just that. It may well change over time and it's influenced short term by many things - the basses and rig you use, the volume you're playing at, the venue, the track, the sound from the other instruments (where you are in the mix). You'll hear a lot of talk about cutting through, which is not just about volume but about presenting a tone which fits and which the audience can hear in the overall mix. Clearly that suggests there needs to be some give and take to find a mix which works for all of you as a band - and in the real world asking your guitarist to give up on some of the bottom end of his ego-charged super fuzz over-driven pedal chain may be tough. Equally, finding a tone which works when you are playing live is not just about repeating the sound you hear when you're practising. Try using that EQ - it's what it's there for - to find a tone which works for you. The Jeff Berlin MB is a single 15" with no high freq driver. Great for that bass clinic solo, or practise sound, but potentially not what you need when you're digging into a grungy rock track... or slapping through a funky number. I'd suggest that if you have wireless or just a long lead - walk out front and hear yourself playing within the overall band's sound - and make changes based on that, rather than focusing on boosting your practise sound. Don't hold back on aspiring to and getting the best gear you can, we're all fuelled by repeated bouts for new gear, and that's part of the fun of playing, but keep in mind what your looking for. It seems to me that a lot of the newer, and certainly higher end gear is focused on uncoloured clean sound, vs the traditional and then perfectly accepted house sound from each maufacturer. Witness the amp and cab modelling effects recreating 'That Trace Elliot Sound' 'Flip Top' etc etc. I can't imagine we'll be seeing the same effects in 20 years time recreating a MarkBass / Genz Benz / Ashdown Superfly digital amp sound. So, what I see is that means is that you can now create a decent volume with a wide variety of good new gear and use effects to get the sound you want. OK - now having rambled (disjointedly) for a while I'm not sure I've even started to answer your question - and you may have preferred a "Go and buy an XX head and cab" (and by the way I have one for sale) but I would suggest play a few different setups, with your current gear and try / borrow / steal other gear to work towards a tone you can be comfortable with but no one can tell you what that should be Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 +1 to everything Will said. :brow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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