I love this bass sound, any ideas how it’s achieved?

[Tullfan]

I love this bass players tone. I wonder if anyone can help identify what and how the bass player has achieved it. 

Equipment and settings if you can work it out would be great! ☺️🙏🏼

Thanks guys! 👍🏼

[Mykesbass]

Here's the bass player - 62 P Bass, D'addario Chromes and Fender Bassman, but who knows what he used in the studio.

http://www.richardstudholme.com/equipment.htm

 

[Sibob]

P bass, flats....done

Si

[wateroftyne]

1 minute ago, Sibob said:

P bass, flats....done

Si

^^^ This

[Reggaebass]

I’d say P with flats, Nice tune Tullfan 

[Dood]

You gotta check out some of @Sibob’s “P bass and flats” recording work. Sublime playing and that toooooone!

[walshy]

17 minutes ago, Sibob said:

P bass, flats....done

Si

Exactly what @Tullfan has waiting to pick up from me 😁 P Bass, CS'62 pups, la Bella Flats 🤘

[drTStingray]

I don't think straightforward P Bass with flatwounds answers how the bass player gets that over driven sound on the fill before the start of the verse. 

I would suggest he's playing pretty hard and it almost sounds like playing with a pick but could be very hard with fingers. As for the bass, could be anything I would suggest but may be a Precision. 

[Tullfan]

2 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

Here's the bass player - 62 P Bass, D'addario Chromes and Fender Bassman, but who knows what he used in the studio.

http://www.richardstudholme.com/equipment.htm

 

Thanks Mykesbass for the link! 

I’ll chase up more of his work now!

cheers!

[Tullfan]

1 hour ago, Dood said:

You gotta check out some of @Sibob’s “P bass and flats” recording work. Sublime playing and that toooooone!

Ok, I’d like to, where’s best? 🙂

[Tullfan]

1 hour ago, walshy said:

Exactly what @Tullfan has waiting to pick up from me 😁 P Bass, CS'62 pups, la Bella Flats 🤘

Guess who’s looking forward to picking it up even more now! 😄

soon ......, 🥰👍🏼

[Tullfan]

1 hour ago, drTStingray said:

I don't think straightforward P Bass with flatwounds answers how the bass player gets that over driven sound on the fill before the start of the verse. 

I would suggest he's playing pretty hard and it almost sounds like playing with a pick but could be very hard with fingers. As for the bass, could be anything I would suggest but may be a Precision. 

Just the sort of extra help I was hoping for. Thanks drT

✔️

[Dood]

4 minutes ago, Tullfan said:

Ok, I’d like to, where’s best? 🙂

Over to you @Sibob..

[4000]

16 hours ago, drTStingray said:

I don't think straightforward P Bass with flatwounds answers how the bass player gets that over driven sound on the fill before the start of the verse. 

I would suggest he's playing pretty hard and it almost sounds like playing with a pick but could be very hard with fingers. As for the bass, could be anything I would suggest but may be a Precision. 

Sounds like hard with fingers to me.

[Dan Dare]

Trying to re-create studio tones in a live context is a minefield. I agree with comments above that it was probably a vintage P (because that's what most blues players would have used), possibly with flats (you can get an over driven sound with any kind of strings depending on how you treat the recorded track), but the end product will depend on the processing used in the final mix. Could well have been recorded direct to the desk and if so, probably via a specialist pre-amp. Jamerson was recorded that way. Despite claims that his sound was achieved via the classic Ampeg rig, it was actually only used as a bass monitor in the studio so the band could hear him.

[andytoad]

22 hours ago, Tullfan said:

I love this bass players tone. I wonder if anyone can help identify what and how the bass player has achieved it. 

Equipment and settings if you can work it out would be great! ☺️🙏🏼

Thanks guys! 👍🏼

Great tune, im gonna explore more of Hubert!

[Tullfan]

2 hours ago, andytoad said:

Great tune, im gonna explore more of Hubert!

Jimmy Page, the Stones, along with Clapton, were big fans.

try ‘woodchopping blues’ for a ‘you shook me babe’ inspiration, IMHO.

👍🏼

[borntohang]

That intro has vibes! Could actually pass for a Dark Side-era Floyd track if the guitar was a little more languid. 

[Sibob]

On 03/01/2020 at 21:58, Tullfan said:

Ok, I’d like to, where’s best? 🙂

Thanks @Dood, that’s very kind 😊.

Well, the whole of Jocee’s first album is my ‘71 P with La Bella 760FL’s:

Then ‘Not Wrong’ & ‘Dancing In The Kitchen’ are my passive Lakland 44-94 P/J with the P solo’d and La Bella Gold Flats:

Then ‘Illusive Love’ and ‘Counting’ were my Lakland 44-64 (60’s P) with a set of Labella 760FS:

‘Twenties’ from that EP is a Japanese Mustang bass with La Bella flats, so a similar vibe too.

All recorded directly to a Focusrite interface into logic, the mixer then applied minimal compression and EQ’ing to suit each tracks mix, nothing that changed the character of the tone really.

Cheers 🙂

Si

[Sibob]

Sorry for the slight thread derail, was purely to add some ‘P-bass with flats’ example to the discussion when asked 🙂

Si

[Dood]

4 hours ago, Sibob said:

Sorry for the slight thread derail, was purely to add some ‘P-bass with flats’ example to the discussion when asked 🙂

Si

Thank you for posting - I think that being able to add examples of a particular sound to a thread, well, I find it really helpful - hopefully others do too!

[Tullfan]

7 hours ago, Sibob said:

Sorry for the slight thread derail, was purely to add some ‘P-bass with flats’ example to the discussion when asked 🙂

Si

Thanks for the examples, I appreciate your breakdown and specific examples for us to share. 🙏🏼

[chris_b]

23 hours ago, andytoad said:

Great tune, im gonna explore more of Hubert!

Start with Spoonful, Going Down Slow and Smokestack Lightening, by Howling Wolf. Sumlin played in HW's band for decades.

[Tullfan]

Sibob 

“Well, the whole of Jocee’s first album is my ‘71 P with La Bella 760FL’s:”

I think what I like from the Hubert track is how clean and forward the bass has been brought in the mix, it leaves the sound distinct. Alittle more like “Mistress” in the first album you linked! 👍🏼

Happy for anyone else to link their track with a similar sound to the Hubert Sumlin sound posted above, if you can break down what you are using and how your sound has been achieved. 

Cheers! 👍🏼🍻

[chris_b]

This tone is a P bass with flats. Volume full up, tone full up on the treble side. Lowish action to get that clank. Probably some foam to soften the edges.

A bit like Wilton Felder in his sessions, particularly this one.