bassjamm Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Hello everyone, Bit of a weird one this. But I was wondering what you all would suggest when it comes to dark and powerful sounding basses for rock and stuff like that? I've had some nice basses in my time, but I've settled with a modest Highway 1 Precision which I adore, but I think it likes the darker tones of some other basses. So what's everyone's thoughts? Are Thunderbirds the daddy? How about the EP-3/0's? What about Ricks? Stuff you can pound out a line of death on? Kind of looking to see what might tickle my fancy as another bass in the future you see Look forward to reading your replies... Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Hey dude, good thread. Personally for rock, I find that you'd have to work hard to beat a good Precision. For T-birds I'd say that it's more a look thing, but if you get a good one they can be awesome - for the money hower I'd probably look elsewhere. Ricks are a thing, some people love 'em, some hate 'em, and it's gonna depend on what kind of rock you play, and also very much on the amp you use. I think though that a lot of a good, fat, powerful sound comes from a good amp and playing in a good, hard, rock style. I've seen people make tiny little Ibanez basses sound heavy as hell, but if you put a big old Precision in the wrong hands through the wrong amp it can sound weedy. Sometimes what can also work well is to take a bass that no-one thinks can be heavy, and push it really hard. Maybe a semi-hollow bass into a huge valve stack is what you're after, you never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 Yeah, I know the Precisions rock, and I love mine, it's so versatile. They're not the bassiest sounding basses though in my opinion though...as in, not dark and thick, almost thundery. Don't get me wrong, I can get mine to sound huge! So, what basses have that dark, rumbly bassy thud? Almost old old old school sound? I could do with just trying a load out, but that's never an easy option when shops don't often stock the huge range that this kind of covers (in my opinion). J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheButler Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 You see P's, J's and Ricks primarily getting used by all these bands that market themselves as dark and complex, but that really would be tarring them all with the same brush. Really though, i think the darkness of the sound extends a lot further than the bass itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Yea, you can make most basses rock, hard, if you're using the right amplification and signal processing. Mostly I play through SWR, and it can rock, but when I've wanted a big rock sound I've used Ampeg SVT gear. Same basses, totally different character at the end of the signal chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I've not come across any bigger, fatter, darker sounding bass than my passive Gus with humbuckers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 I know the amps play a huge part, but they're just projecting the sound that puts into them essentially. Yeah, you can EQ it to death and create a monster tone, but you can't add what isn't there. Great example would be that classic Jazz honk...I can get my Precision to bark and I can EQ my rig to punch it out, but I can't quite get the same honk and bark that a Jazz offers from my P bass. So there's got to be something different about all of these basses right? I mean, I saw my mates band last night and he was playing an ancient Thunderbird (been on tour with Motorhead, the man himself played it), and I just had something my Precision hasn't got. There's a dark, bassier undertone to them I'm sure. Not as bright sounding I guess, but not at the expense of tone. That's the thing I find with my P, you can role the tone off and get that awesome Pino Palladino sound from it (D'angelo Voodoo album kind of thing), but it's not quite that same. Yes, it's full and poweful, but it's not dark and rumbley. I think the only Rickenbacker I've ever played offered this kind of sound. And the bloke from the Editors certainly achieves it with his Ricks. I'm not much of a fan of the band, but that guy really has got tone, lots of it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdavid Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 [quote name='bassjamm' post='674858' date='Dec 5 2009, 12:11 PM']Hello everyone, Bit of a weird one this. But I was wondering what you all would suggest when it comes to dark and powerful sounding basses for rock and stuff like that? I've had some nice basses in my time, but I've settled with a modest Highway 1 Precision which I adore, but I think it likes the darker tones of some other basses. So what's everyone's thoughts? Are Thunderbirds the daddy? How about the EP-3/0's? What about Ricks? Stuff you can pound out a line of death on? Kind of looking to see what might tickle my fancy as another bass in the future you see Look forward to reading your replies... Jamie[/quote] Maybe changing some hardware may achieve a similar result , A pickup swap for an overwound p bass pickup such as the Wizard thumper or maybe the Seymour duncan Hot should give your bass a darker tone, also maybe swapping out the greasebucket for a standard 250k tone control ,I also know that the badass bass on the Highway one basses adds some highs to the tone , maybe swapping the bridge for a more traditional one , these changes should darken your tone a fair bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheButler Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Guild starfire with darkstars... yum! Maybe get Andy at wizard to see if he can wind to your requirements Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 [quote name='markdavid' post='674899' date='Dec 5 2009, 12:59 PM']Maybe changing some hardware may achieve a similar result , A pickup swap for an overwound p bass pickup such as the Wizard thumper or maybe the Seymour duncan Hot should give your bass a darker tone, also maybe swapping out the greasebucket for a standard 250k tone control ,I also know that the badass bass on the Highway one basses adds some highs to the tone , maybe swapping the bridge for a more traditional one , these changes should darken your tone a fair bit.[/quote] Thanks for that mate. Not a route I was thinking of really as I quite like my Precision's tone, but I could certainly consider it I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 [quote name='bassjamm' post='674880' date='Dec 5 2009, 12:36 PM']Yeah, I know the Precisions rock, and I love mine, it's so versatile. They're not the bassiest sounding basses though in my opinion though...as in, not dark and thick, almost thundery. Don't get me wrong, I can get mine to sound huge! So, what basses have that dark, rumbly bassy thud? Almost old old old school sound? I could do with just trying a load out, but that's never an easy option when shops don't often stock the huge range that this kind of covers (in my opinion). J[/quote] Fender Telecaster Bass. You won't get more thyuddy than that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdavid Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) [quote name='bassjamm' post='674902' date='Dec 5 2009, 01:03 PM']Thanks for that mate. Not a route I was thinking of really as I quite like my Precision's tone, but I could certainly consider it I guess.[/quote] Fair enough , if you like the tone then it makes more sense to get another bass , for a good , dark rock tone I would say that you can't beat a Thunderbird although they are a little on the pricey side. The Squier tele bass (or its Fender counterpart) is very dark sounding although more of an old school Jack bruce kind of rock tone. Edited December 5, 2009 by markdavid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 My ibby sr500 sounds very thick - have had to work hard to get away from that, even with single coils it has a monstrous lower midrange! Much 'fatter' than a Fender. I think it's the wood combinations used. Consider trying some basses made of that asian mahogany as it seems to have the tone you're after. Lots of the Jap actives have a thicker lower-mid punch than the trad Fender tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 [quote name='bassjamm' post='674858' date='Dec 5 2009, 12:11 PM']Are Thunderbirds the daddy?[/quote] Oh yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 no one's mentioned Rays yet - roll up the bass on the EQ and that gets purty thuddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 [quote name='LawrenceH' post='674994' date='Dec 5 2009, 03:25 PM']My ibby sr500 sounds very thick - have had to work hard to get away from that, even with single coils it has a monstrous lower midrange! Much 'fatter' than a Fender. I think it's the wood combinations used. Consider trying some basses made of that asian mahogany as it seems to have the tone you're after. Lots of the Jap actives have a thicker lower-mid punch than the trad Fender tones.[/quote] +1, my ibanez sr500 can really sound awesome, its an amazing bass! i had an epiphone thunderbird, but i sold it because it really wasn't the sound i was looking for. however, it sounds like it could be perfect for you, very low and bassy, with a lot of presence. i guess you could say it was quite agressive sounding. my problem with it was it didn't sound "crisp" enough for me, i like a bright sound, personally. as for a rick, having played my dads precision and my dads rick, i'd say a precision has a lot more punch and bass personally. i play in a rock band, with a couple of quite heavy songs in the set, and if i had to choose one, i'd pick the precision over the rick (for sounds - the rick looks WAY cooler) every time. although again thats personal tastes, tbh i'd pick the stingray over either out of all my dad's basses, and i wouldn't say a stingray is what you're after. but yeah, for what you're looking for, i'd definatly say the precision will do a better job of it than a rick. another thing you might think of is a little bit of distortion? not much, but a little there can make a HUGE difference! i often do that when recording, add just a little distortion, still enough that you'd call it a clean sound, but it just adds a little rumble. the actual distortion is disguised by the distortion guitars (which i assume if you're playing rock, the guitarists will be using distortion), but it adds to the tone. just another option you might consider. also, bear in mind it might not be the "bass frequencies" you want to up on your amp. you'll get a quite smooth tone, like a double bass, if you up your bass frequencies. i find raising my low mids is a lot more effective at getting a rumble than raising my bass frequencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basszilla Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 You're definitely describing Gibson sounds there Jamm IMO For example, my 78 ripper. It dishes out a really thick dark sound. Almost too dark, but it comes to life in a mix and really supports the guitars well without getting in the way of the kickdrum. I can't get enough of the old school gibbo tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 Yeah, I've had a Ray, it was a bit more aggressive than what I'm thinking here. But I had a feeling that the Thunderbirds were going to be the Daddy's here. I think I need to get my hands on some Gibson basses, or how do the Epiphone's sound in comparison? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 [quote name='bassjamm' post='675177' date='Dec 5 2009, 06:53 PM']Yeah, I've had a Ray, it was a bit more aggressive than what I'm thinking here. But I had a feeling that the Thunderbirds were going to be the Daddy's here. I think I need to get my hands on some Gibson basses, or how do the Epiphone's sound in comparison?[/quote] i'd try the epis out, they're great basses. if i were you i'd try them both and decide whether the gibson is worth the extra cash, personally i can't imagine that they are, but you might think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheButler Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 [quote name='Basszilla' post='675088' date='Dec 5 2009, 05:13 PM']You're definitely describing Gibson sounds there Jamm IMO For example, my 78 ripper. It dishes out a really thick dark sound. Almost too dark, but it comes to life in a mix and really supports the guitars well without getting in the way of the kickdrum. I can't get enough of the old school gibbo tones.[/quote] A Ripper will be my next bass for this very reason. I saw Misery Signals, supporting Architects (not into that scene, but mate dragged me along!) anyway, his sound was immense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Just acquired a G&L L1000 with flats, courtesy of Guzzibass, and that definitely has a darkness neither of my Precisions can give me. The OMG pickup switch position, I believe it's called... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 Has the Ripper got that clanky kind of sound about it? Kind of Rolling Stones thuddy bass lines with plenty of raunch and depth? Have Epiphone ever done a Ripper copy? Or does anyone know of a good (cheaper) copy of the original? This is all very helpful stuff guys. Any thoughts on the Epi EB basses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 By the way...does anyone have any, or know anywhere to get some sound clips of any of the Gibson/Epiphone basses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 The fattest bass I've ever heard is my Peavey T-40! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjamm Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 By the way...Is the Telecaster bass the same as the 51 re-issue Precision? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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