- Honz
To achieve the "tone" you are looking for, #1 - start with a new set of strings - for a "warm" tone that it appears you are looking for, stainless steel will sound "brighter" than nickel wrapped, DRs Hex cores have a warm sound I have found, Fender/DR & others have "Tape Wound" that have a nice warm tone, finally - flatwounds may be the way to go to get what you are looking for.
#2 - Experiment with your EQ - even if you only have a traditional single tone knob on your bass & Low/Mid/High on your amp. I have typically always ran my bass wide open - Vol/Tone all the way up on a passive bass - using the p/u pan (think Jazz bass) to roll between neck & bridge to dial in a tone that suits. For my active basses (musicman bongo HH) I usually keep things flat sometimes boosting mids or highs to suit.
Most amps nowadays have a good EQ section - first try a little boost around 125-160K, roll off the highs after 4-5K, scopp the mids in-between but not much - a little EQ goes a long way. These are some general guidelines for a warm tone.
Remember to experiment - trial & error - that is how you are going to find that tone you are looking for. If your amp doesnt have a good EQ section, one affordable alternative is a graphic EQ stompbox like the Boss GEB-7.
The Quest for perfect tone is never ending!
#2 - Experiment with your EQ - even if you only have a traditional single tone knob on your bass & Low/Mid/High on your amp. I have typically always ran my bass wide open - Vol/Tone all the way up on a passive bass - using the p/u pan (think Jazz bass) to roll between neck & bridge to dial in a tone that suits. For my active basses (musicman bongo HH) I usually keep things flat sometimes boosting mids or highs to suit.
Most amps nowadays have a good EQ section - first try a little boost around 125-160K, roll off the highs after 4-5K, scopp the mids in-between but not much - a little EQ goes a long way. These are some general guidelines for a warm tone.
Remember to experiment - trial & error - that is how you are going to find that tone you are looking for. If your amp doesnt have a good EQ section, one affordable alternative is a graphic EQ stompbox like the Boss GEB-7.
The Quest for perfect tone is never ending!
September 5, 2011 @01:16pm
AxeArt