Best Bass Sound You've Ever Had / Heard?

[mcgraham]

The best bass sound I ever heard as a newbie player was a clip of the Stu Hamm Urge II bass on the Fender website - stuck in my mind for years.

Then 5 or 6 years later I heard a guy in a rehearsal playing a Bongo through a Mesa M2000 and Schroeder 1210 that made me go - wow! That has been the benchmark for years in my head of the sort of tone I'm after.

Then on Saturday just gone I absolutely nailed the best tone I've ever had or heard. It was my Wood&tronics fretted Klimt, now with Thomastik flatwounds, through a Wampler Ego compressor into my Summit DI and Berg IP (just the one cab). It was the most stupendous clean, fat, smooth and detailed sound I've ever had or heard. Ludicrously fun to play when it sounds that good. So glad I made the switch to flatwounds on this bass.


What's the best bass sound you've ever had and/or heard since you started playing?

[stoker]

Best sound I ever heard was Jack Bruces sound on Cream's live version of 'Crossroads'. A definite inspiration on me.

[Guest MoJo]

The first minute of this video

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7C5VOOmAxQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7C5VOOmAxQ[/url]

[steve-bbb]

not seen/heard live by me ... this (ed.not in this line-up at this time anyway but did see him knebworth 79 with his white P)

[media]http://youtu.be/Rhf5_tqxatc[/media]

seen live by me ... pat badger extreme wembley arena 1992 ish i think

Edited June 8, 2013 by steve-bbb

[RhysP]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1370680959' post='2104251']
not seen/heard live by me ... this

[media]http://youtu.be/Rhf5_tqxatc[/media]
[/quote]
Aah, the truly excellent Kasim Sulton.

[wombatboter]

Gary Tibbs on his Wal Bass... doesn't get much better than this imo

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OfRZ63gLgI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OfRZ63gLgI[/url]

[Highfox]

Must of been posted a million times, but this one does it for me.. keep chasing it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmmD53vMyJU

[4000]

Might be a bit controversial given the current state of affairs, but this would be a contender for me, as would Glenn Hughes on Made In Europe, amongst many others, including Stu Zender on the early Jamiroquai albums. My favourite example of his would be Didjital Vibrations; love that sound. The best live sound I've ever heard was Stanley Clarke.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_5h0SKUSM[/media]

The best bass sound I've ever had was with my '72 4001 through my early Trace AH150 11 band and Mk1 Trace 4x10 (pre-red stripe and port).

[geoffbyrne]

I've just bought the best of Chris Rea from Tesco for £5 and I have to say the bass tone on the 1st CD is incredible. No credits on the blurb.

G.

Edited June 8, 2013 by geoffbyrne

[chris_b]

How can you choose?

Nathan East
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tUlvTelQf8[/media]

Reggie McBride
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mFd_i1j2Sc[/media]

[Roger2611]

I always loved Bruce Foxton's live sound when he was with Stiff Little Fingers, a pure classic set up of Precision into an Ampeg SVT and the Ampeg 8x10 cab and plenty of technique as well.

My best sound was similar to Foxton's (in weight if nothing else!) a 1970 Precision into a Trace Elliot Twin Valve head powering a Mesa Boogie 1516 just a wonderful full punchy sound and I wish I could recreate that sound nowdays but without the unmanageable weight.

The closest I seem to be able to get nowdays is with my Precision Lyte and when I kick in my Tech 21 Bass VT pedal, my sound just seems to come to life

[miles'tone]

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1370685833' post='2104326']
Must of been posted a million times, but this one does it for me.. keep chasing it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmmD53vMyJU
[/quote]

Yep, that'll do for me.

[Lozz196]

Bruce Foxton of The Jam, on Eton Rifles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy3RtGRxQGE

Or JJ Burnell of The Stranglers, on Hanging Around:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si2kis6lWRg

[BetaFunk]

I saw Chris Minh Doky live in the 1990s and was really impressed with his sound so it's a good excuse to post this............

http://youtu.be/23RVhpj9Qs4

[sykilz]

First 2 Alice In Chains albums the bass is just "lovely" to me,absolute filth to some I would guess,but that`s good.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nco_kh8xJDs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nco_kh8xJDs[/url]

[miles'tone]

Ozric Tentacles Zia on live Underslunky always did it for me.

Sunscape:
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WiHs_1zH10&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WiHs_1zH10&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/url]

[BetaFunk]

Bought this the week it was released and the first minute left a lasting impression on me.

http://youtu.be/IvmeEyVd5w8

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='wombatboter' timestamp='1370682214' post='2104269']
Gary Tibbs on his Wal Bass... doesn't get much better than this imo

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OfRZ63gLgI[/media]
[/quote]

Had to go to the main page to check if it was a parody.

[BigRedX]

There is no "best bass sound" Firstly it is entirely subjective, and secondly it exists only with the context of each individual song/arrangement/production.

[xilddx]

Best sound/s I've ever had are the ones I have now.

Best sound I ever heard was Chris Squire's on Siberian Khatru on the Yessongs live album.

[Lynottfan]

Timmy C, first RATM album and Bernard Edwards Chic live, Phil Lynott Black rose are sounds 101 for me.

[D.I. Joe]

This [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG4cV3iQcag"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG4cV3iQcag[/url]

[Dingus]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1370680959' post='2104251']
not seen/heard live by me ... this (ed.not in this line-up at this time anyway but did see him knebworth 79 with his white P)

[media]http://youtu.be/Rhf5_tqxatc[/media]

seen live by me ... pat badger extreme wembley arena 1992 ish i think
[/quote]

I always loved Kasim Sultan's playing and tone on L by Steve Hillage . A superb and underrated player . It's a shame he ended up in Meatloaf .

[Hobbayne]

Another vote for Bruce Foxton. Especially the Setting Sons and Sound Affects albums.
Which gives me the opportunity to post this rarely seen clip of Private Hell live.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF9XbtPo-e8

Edited June 8, 2013 by Hobbayne

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1370689932' post='2104392']
There is no "best bass sound" Firstly it is entirely subjective, and secondly it exists only with the context of each individual song/arrangement/production.
[/quote]
Yes but the title of this thread is [size=4]Best Bass Sound You've Ever Had / Heard?[/size]