Is this normal

[fleabag]

Just been listening to some Steely Dan on YT and came across famous YT basser Marlow,  twanging along  on jazzy style bass

Now that thick  tone , which i like a lot, is not the tone i associate with a jazz bass,  so is it his amp, or post recording EQ that's got that creamy tone ?

 

 

[ZilchWoolham]

Sounds like a rather normal J tone to me. Both pickups turned up,  maybe a bit of tone roll-of, depending on the strings. Probably DI'd in some way or another. 

[fleabag]

Good explanation, and as i've never owned a proper J bass,  that could be the answer.  its just that  listening to J basses over the years, i've never really heard them

get that tone. I should get out more, but i just had the feeling that his recording EQ was more respeonsible for the  syrupy tone

[musicbassman]

Half from the Jazz, and half from effects used judiciously and discreetly, I would say

Always like listening to this guy, he's a master of fluency and precision.

[ZilchWoolham]

Part of it is down to the mix, too. If you listen at the very end, you can hear some of the high frequencies which are lost when he's playing along to the track. Honestly, I don't think it's very effected at all. It's also worth keeping in mind that the video is 240p and that the audio is quite compressed, which might actually add to the thickness of it. I've found that, ironically, worse audio quality can sometimes benefit bass! This is all from my subjective standpoint, of course, and has to do with the fact that I'm not terribly infatuated with hi-fi bass tones with very detailed top end. 

A while ago I had my headphones plugged in directly to my PC, as opposed to my usual interface. Some room ambience effect was enabled in the audio drivers, and it made everything sound terrible, EXCEPT for isolated, DI bass tracks, which sounded thick and filthy. Then I plugged my headphones back into my interface, and all of a sudden I could hear... everything. Blecch! 

[CameronJ]

I’m firmly in the “it’s mostly/all the bass itself” camp. Tone rolled off a bit.

[fleabag]

It didn't even cross my mind that he might be using effects, but as stated,  chances are he wasn't.

None the less, some good answers here that i didnt think of

I must say though, that tone is very  creamy humbuckery sound with little top end sizzle.  Not my idea of single coils. We live and learn

Edited April 22, 2018 by fleabag

[discreet]

It's all in the fingers, you know.

[fleabag]

Like a Kit-Kat     

[miles'tone]

Ask him?

[lemmywinks]

Just sounds like a Jazz to me.

[Bluewine]

6 hours ago, discreet said:

It's all in the fingers, you know.

Exactly, that tone comes from his fingers.

Blue

[fleabag]

If it was  all in the fingers, basses  wouldnt have tone controls

[discreet]

1 minute ago, fleabag said:

If it was  all in the fingers, basses  wouldnt have tone controls

Very rarely use mine. Volume and Tone up full 100% of the time.

[fleabag]

I'm sure that doesnt work for everyone - hows about all those active basses ?   Kind of a waste of money if you dont use 'em

I take it your a passive bloke,  monsieur

[Hellzero]

Almost never use the preamp of my basses. Most of the time when room correction is needed. And my amp is dead flat.

That said, mon ami, as the two Jazz Bass pickups have reversed winding and reversed polarity, when they are both used, you get a parallel wired humbucker.

[Hellzero]

Neck pickup 100 %, bridge pickup 25 %, tone 25 %, nickel strings and playing on the bridge pickup with a firm strings attack : you should be close. Thanks (that way it's done  ).

[discreet]

39 minutes ago, fleabag said:

I take it your a passive bloke,  monsieur

Passive-aggressive. 

[fleabag]

Yellow hankie dangling from left or right pocket  ? 

Edited April 23, 2018 by fleabag