Best kit for an 'acoustic/unplugged' set?

[Low End Bee]

Help!
I'm going to have to do a few of these next year and I need advice.
The guitarist is sorted with his acoustic. The drummer has got one of those box thngs with the snare in it that sounds great.
We had a stab at it at rehearsal last night and it all sounded pretty good apart from the bass. The Precision with super zingy steels through a TC Classic wasn't working. I EQ'd the top end off which helped but it was still too dominating unless I backed off the volume so much you could hardly hear me.
I'm guessing flats. Maybe a different bass and amp too. Is fretless the thing to do? Short scale for some thump?
I'm not going down the upright bass road and I don't want a huge acoustic bass either.
Any suggestions? This is right out of my comfort zone but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

[Clarky]

Acoustic basses are generally a bit rubbish amplified unless you get a high-end one with a sophisticated preamp (my Takamine is the dogs but cost me a pretty penny). I would have thought some flats on your Precision would be an acceptable low-cost approach, along with careful EQing (mainly cut highs). Fretless would add a bit of buzz/mwah type action but I don't see that as Jetsonic stylee.

[Old Horse Murphy]

I played a fair few acoustic sets with a Fretless P Bass strung with Flats/Nylon covered strings Ad. It gives a very warm almost acoustic sound that fits in very well without being too far out of my comfort zone (IE using an acoustic or Upright bass).

Edited December 7, 2012 by Old Horse Murphy

[charic]

Roll back the treble on the precision, roll back the treble and low-mid and tubetone on the classic would probably be my starting point

[Low End Bee]

Thanks guys. I shall stick some flats on the back up Precision and give that a spin before I break out the credit card.

I did exactly what you said Charic and it helped. Just not enough.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1354876622' post='1891442']
Help!
I'm going to have to do a few of these next year and I need advice.
The guitarist is sorted with his acoustic. The drummer has got one of those box thngs with the snare in it that sounds great.
We had a stab at it at rehearsal last night and it all sounded pretty good apart from the bass. The Precision with super zingy steels through a TC Classic wasn't working. I EQ'd the top end off which helped but it was still too dominating unless I backed off the volume so much you could hardly hear me.
I'm guessing flats. Maybe a different bass and amp too. Is fretless the thing to do? Short scale for some thump?
I'm not going down the upright bass road and I don't want a huge acoustic bass either.
Any suggestions? This is right out of my comfort zone but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
[/quote]

ohh...don't get me started...

If I had a gig that made the outlay worthwhile... I would go straight out and buy this Overwater 5st Fretless I tried in BassGear.

F****** amazing bass. Not my thing aesthetically, but the playability and sound were the DB's....
I would get into being a fretless god if I had that at home to use...

I advise you don't go down there to try it...

[Clarky]

Good point OHM, black nylon flats sound most acoustic-y to my ears, more so than regular flats. Rotosound TruBass for example (listen to Come Together by Beatles and you'll get the low/mid warm sound these produce)

[Clarky]

Re amp, I am sure if you only have a few gigs, Jack or i could lend you something appropriate (eg, he has my old Phil Jones Briefcase combo) rather than you spend moolah. However if you wanted to do so, you just need something relatively uncoloured and un-gnarly. There's some very cheap gear on BC that would fit the bill (eg, Deaver has a GK 200MB combo for just over £200 with gigbag, which used to be mainstay of travelling DB players)

Edited December 7, 2012 by Clarky

[charic]

What cab were you using? If it's the RS210 etc it's probably worth dialing back the tweeter too

[neepheid]

Foam rubber wedged under the strings at the bridge?

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1354878985' post='1891473']
What cab were you using? If it's the RS210 etc it's probably worth dialing back the tweeter too
[/quote]

Just my RS112. I never have the tweeter on at all on my cabs.

[Cygnus x-1]

I play in a similar type of band, I use a CV precision with Status flats, through either an Ashdown 15w combo or a Roland cb100 combo depending on size and volume needed, I'm happy with the sound.HTH.

[Low End Bee]

I guess playing with a plectrum isn't helping either. But I'll have to work around that.

[Buzzy]

Put a set of flats on a P bass and wedge a lump of foam/sponge under the strings at the bridge. That always works for me sound wise. I don't use a pick and if the songs are not too fast i use my thumb. Used this for a few unplugged things and usually had good comments on the sound.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1354876622' post='1891442']
....I'm going to have to do a few of these next year and I need advice....
[/quote]

I just use my regular bass with the acoustic duo.

I adjust the volume and tone, usually add a little more bass and use 1 112 cab.

I looked at using an electric acoustic but it gave very little over my electric bass, so I've gone back to using my Lull.

[Low End Bee]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Flats and foam looks a good option. I'll resist the full on nylon tapewounds as I will still need the spare Precision to be a back up for the full on noisy gigs too.
We seem to play the songs even faster than normal in this format. No way my very average playing with fingers technique could have kept up.
I might tap up Happy Jack or Clarky for amp hire.

[apa]

nylon wound would be one answer but you will have to cut your nut to suit the bigger gauge 60 - 130 (ish). Do you realy want to do that? Do you??

A

[JTUK]

Since you are too tight to go and check out that bass, I'd think about a foam pick, or palm muting and playing with the thumb

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1354883508' post='1891563']
Thanks for the advice everyone. Flats and foam looks a good option.
[/quote]

With the pick you should get a good Carole Kaye sort of sound. If you want more of a softer attack you could always try a felt pick.

[Clarky]

Ad, PM me your address and I'll stick an old set of black nylons in the post to you and a rubber pick. I have never had to re-cut the nut of my Precisions or Jazzes, swapping to/from black nylons, so you could change your strings in 5 minutes, ie, you could easily swap back from these to back-up steel roundwounds for noisy gigs in no time at all

[Happy Jack]

Only just got to this thread, Ad. Borrowing the Briefcase is an easy option, as would be trying that short-scale Antoria you were laughing at last week.

If you want an even more vintage sound, there's always my three remaining Hofners ...

[Low End Bee]

Due to a splendid chap offering a long term loan arrangement I seem to have a spare room full of Ampeg Baby Bass.
First impressions are that playing it is a doddle. I stopped looking at the side markers after about 10 minutes.
Playing it well and getting it to fit in my little car will be another matter.
Who'd have thought.