fleabag Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 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 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZilchWoolham Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicbassman Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZilchWoolham Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I’m firmly in the “it’s mostly/all the bass itself” camp. Tone rolled off a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 It's all in the fingers, you know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 Like a Kit-Kat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Ask him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Just sounds like a Jazz to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 6 hours ago, discreet said: It's all in the fingers, you know. Exactly, that tone comes from his fingers. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 If it was all in the fingers, basses wouldnt have tone controls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 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 ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 39 minutes ago, fleabag said: I take it your a passive bloke, monsieur Passive-aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 (edited) Yellow hankie dangling from left or right pocket ? Edited April 23, 2018 by fleabag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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