What's the signal chain for your core tone?

[SimonEdward]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1503247288' post='3356672']

So, are you a simple plug and play kind of player or do you go through a multitude of effects, pre-amps and processors to get 'your tone'?
[/quote]

I'll play. My core tone is, fairly straight forward: -

Bass > TE Valve preamp > [FX loop send] BOSS OC-2 with -1 and/or -2 at 9 o'clock > TC Nova Dynamics > [FX loop return] > Beyer DT-100 headphones;

OR Bass > Eden WT-550 (set flat) or TE GP11 AH250 with pre shape > various pedals/effects in FX loop > TE 1048...

[CamdenRob]

Bass - Amp (set flat)

In fact 9 times out of 10 I DI straight from the bass and don't even bother with the amp.

[ern500evo]

Yamaha Attitude Ltd 2, pedaltrain board containing a Korg Pitchblack tuner, EBS Billy Sheehan drive pedal (purple one), Ashdown James Lomenzo Hyperdrive and an Arachnid audio channel switching pedal, into GK MB Fusion and Barefaced Big Twin 2. If using the Yamaha, I'll use the EBS pedal, if I switch to my Bongo then I'll use the Lomenzo instead

[51m0n]

Roscoe Century Standard 5 with elixir long scale strings.

100% neck pickup most of the time slight bass boost and tiny mid cut on the bass.

Into Markbass sa 450, tone controls are slight bass boost again, low mid swept to the sweet spot for cutting a bit of mud, high mid just boosted a touch in the sweet spot for a touch of growl.

Through the focusrite compounder with gentle always on compression about 1.5 to 1 ratio, threshold set to get absolute max of 3dB of compression on the peaks on the open E when I really dig in. Bass expansion on just a touch so the low B doesn't get robbed of fundamental byou the compression. Limiter set to catch the biggest peaks on the low B just. You really can't hear it woring except in the mix where it just makes it a tad easy to remain present in the mix without overpowering anyone.

Then an assortment of funky flavours on the board but they aren't always on so they're not really core tone....

[Lozz196]

P-bass, Rotosound Steel Rounds, Sansamp Para Driver into whatever amp/cab set-up I`m using on the gig.

[TrevorR]

For me it was just bass (usually a Wal or more strictly, two) to a Lehle 3@1 switcher, then a Boss or TC tuner them an amp. Originally that was a TE Series 6 200w 1215 combo (my first proper amp trade up) then for the last 10 years a MarkBass LMII and one or two cabs depending on venue. Amp pretty much set flat. That was my core tone. Loved it.

When I started doing a lot more DI/in-ear stuff I got a Tech 21 VTDI (having used a chum's rack Sansamp a bit). The VTDI is set for a fairly basic, low gain B-15 sound as an always-on preamp, just to give a bit more "live" flavour to the bass. My new but not all that different core tone.

Any other effects are just that, effects to add different flavours here or there.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1503340020' post='3357415']
Bass - Amp (set flat)
[/quote]

How do you know it's set flat?

[Dad3353]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1503403351' post='3357901']
How do you know it's set flat?
[/quote]

Does it matter, as long as it sounds as required..?

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1503403973' post='3357911']
Does it matter, as long as it sounds as required..?
[/quote]

No of course not. But it always amuses me whenever musicians say that their amp is set flat. What it normally means is that they like the "baked-in" sound of that piece of gear when the tone controls are set to 12 o'clock for active circuits and maximum for passive tone tone stacks. Every piece of gear colours your sound in some way or another.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1503404497' post='3357917']...Every piece of gear colours your sound in some way or another.
[/quote]

...which is why most folks just accept the expression for what it is: just a trite 'I don't actively dial a sound in'. Most of us know it's not hifi (and probably wouldn't like it if it was..!).

[TCsBass]

American Professional Precision/Elite Dimension straight into TC Electronic Combo 750 (2x10) and RS112 cab. No messing. One lead, no pedals. Works for all pro jobs and recordings. Who needs all that messing about?

[chris_b]

So far I've never owned a pedal or played in a band or style of music that required one.

My tone is me~bass~amp~cab.

[rOB]

Core tone is-
Schecter c4, no bass or treble boost or cut, slightly blended towards neck pickup.

GK mb500 - frowny face eq with highish gain, either di'd or into whatever cabs are available.

[Cuzzie]

Bass:
Sandberg MarloweDK (favourite)
Sandberg VS4
MIM Jazz with Nordy Fat stacks and a J East Marcus Miller pre amp (newly acquired so just learning)

Pedals in order and various combinations kicked on depending on the sound I want:
Hartke VXL
Polytune
MXR Bass Chorus Deluxe
Cali76G compressor
Two Notes LeBass

Amp and Cab:
PJB bass Cub
Barefaced Supertwin
Darkglass M900 but popped this on eBay as I have a new mystery amp incoming........

[naxos10]

My set up:

Bass-->Boss TU3->DHA VT1-Std-Bass-->Ashdown Retroglide or Markbasss Blackline-->Barefaced Two10

[gazhowe]

Still a work in progress, but currently:

Bass > Darkglass Vintage Microtubes > MoMark (slight lo-mid boost on EQ) > Bergantino AE410.

Gaz

[Barking Spiders]

I don't aim for a core tone at all but like the challenge of using the simplest set up to obtain as many different sounds as possible so this means using all right and left hand hand techniques and all combinations of tone controls on my fretteds and fretlesses. Occasionally i use a compressor and flanger/phaser.

[Cat Burrito]

I never used pedals for almost 30 years but last year added a Tech21 Samsamp VT which I love so much I leave it on all the time. I have a Boss Tuner pedal and I added a Corona Chorus pedal for a couple of slower tunes.

I'm always plugged into an Ampeg rig and the bass is probably my Gibson T-bird but I'm equally happy with my Ric 4003, a Fender or my Hofner Verythin longscale.

[Dan Dare]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1503404739' post='3357921']


...which is why most folks just accept the expression for what it is: just a trite 'I don't actively dial a sound in'. Most of us know it's not hifi (and probably wouldn't like it if it was..!).
[/quote]

I'd love to be able to get a more hi-fi sound, closer to the one I hear when I plug my bass straight into the mixer (using little or no eq) and listen on headphones. That's how I practice to avoid complaints from neighbours. Sadly, I don't have the funds to buy the kit I would need to reproduce it at realistic stage levels. Or a big enough truck to carry it.

[Rich]

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1503324046' post='3357227']
Bass -> Line 6 G55 wireless -> Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live -> Behringer MDX2600 compressor -> Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 -> EBS Neo-212 cab
[/quote]
I realise that may have missed the point re: core tone as opposed to just signal chain, so to clarify:
My core tone is the sound of the bass -- everything bypassed on the Pod, amp tone controls at 0 (note that I didn't say 'flat' ) but used to make adjustments needed for the room, compressor to smooth it out and kill peaks. I then use patches on the Pod and pickup selection for the various genres of the songs, e.g. a B15 model for Motown, SVT model for rock, etc. It works well for me and means that with careful patch programming I can switch between genres pretty much on the fly without touching any tonal controls on either the bass or the amp.

[Wiggybass]

Main rig for noisy rock 'n roll purposes is a P or J-Bass > Boss GE7-B > Boss TU-2 > Darkglass B7K Ultra > Sansamp RBI > Markbass head, all powered by a T-Rex Fuel Tank. The pedals all live on a board that goes on top of the SKB rack holding the amp and RBI.

The graphic is there to boost input for the slightly quieter J if needed, only occasionally used for EQ if everything else has failed. The Sansamp provides a good DI output so when we go into a decent PA I use the EQ on that to colour the direct feed if necessary, then use the EQ on the Markbass for my stage sound - in practice, both sets of EQ are usually dead flat, sometimes a little bass off via the RBI. The blend on the RBI is off so only the EQ and main / XLR outputs are active, I find it just adds a little brightness to the sound and allows me to trim the input level to the amp easily regardless of what's going on before it.

To be honest, everything changed for me when I got my first Darkglass pedal, a B3K - it's a bit corny but as soon as I plugged it in, that was the sound I'd been hearing in my head for years. Top end growl and presence aplenty with a clean, hefty low end, absolutely perfect for me and especially with a P-Bass. I bought the B7K Ultra simply because it has a master volume which just makes trimming levels that bit easier, especially when the gain is wound up. I have to say though that this rig sounds bloody terrible with every active bass I've tried so far, especially a Stingray.

What the Darkglass does so well is reproduce playing dynamics - as you dig in then back off it just follows you. For our more mellow tunes I back off the tone on the bass a bit and again it sounds great, you just lose some top end bark while still sounding very natural.

I don't use effects much but when I do they are all modulation-based (a flanger, phaser and envelope filter) so I rigged up a simple send and return cable for the FX loop of the Sansamp, sounds infinitely better than running them inline.

[acidbass]

Jazz Bass, both pickups up full, straight into Aguilar DB751.

The range of tones I can get without adjusting the above setup at all is incredible. Everything from smooth dubby sounds when playing over the neck, to palm muted Motown style thud.

Sometimes I solo the bridge pickup to accentuate harmonics during an intro etc, but rarely do I need to change from option 1.

[jazzyvee]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1503624469' post='3359804']
So far I've never owned a pedal or played in a band or style of music that required one.

My tone is me~bass~amp~cab.
[/quote]

+ 1
I'd say I get my core hifi tones from my analogue rack system which is an F1-x and PLX2402, but for most gigs I use my mesa boogie walkabout head which I get a great warmer sound from.

[uk_lefty]

Mine can be anything from p bass in to ashdown head and two fifteens, to jazz or fretless river or headless active in to loads of pedals that rarely ever get used, maybe for small passages in one song only (flanger, chorus, enhancer for the fretless), amp has built in drive which is v good. I used to use a hartke vxl but since upgrading my amp it's out of a job.
I often muck around with pedals and things but in my view you can't beat a nice full bass sound with occasional overdrive.

[wulf]

Bass -> Zoom B3 -> amp

... but that's an inadequate description. Bass could be a double bass, a six string fretted with rounds or a six string fretless with flats. Amp could be a Roland keyboard amp, a Markbass Nano head into an Ashdown 1x15 cab or whatever is at the venue. So, not just one core tone but a small handful. I'll generally pick one and stick with it for the night unless there are songs that need particular tweaks (and even those are generally similar patches with a different colour effect).

I think I'd be a bit more precise if I did more recording but, in live settings, most of the nuances are lost on most of the listeners.

Wulf