Bass gear question...

[Paan]

For all you bassists out there...

I am looking at getting some new equipment... maybe even trade in some of my other basses to get one really nice setup.

But I don't know the equipment very well at this point, and there is tons of it out there... what I am looking for are receommendations for amps/pedals to give me a really fat, funky sound, that is also good for slapping.... the sounds that Les Claypool and Flea at times generate... the kind of luscious growl that you feel in your intestines and makes you drop to your knees and thank God that you have ear drums and a soul.

You know... that sound.

Any recommendations on some gear?

[bradm]

What gear do you have now, and what about it prevents you from getting the sound(s) you want?

Aloha,

Brad

[Paan]

I have an American jazz bass... and it is beautiful, great on the high end, but I don't think necessary great for the low end. But I will never get rid of this one.

I also have a 6-string Washburn, which does have a nice sound, but just way too many strings for me... it was more of a whim buy.

And a Crate 100watt amp, which is probably the biggest problem... it does not seem to get the power that I desire.

The sound I have now is really not that bad, but it is still not at the level I really want... plus it sounds terrible for slapping.... not ballsy enough on the low end - and way to twangy on the high end.

[bradm]

Would a simple EQ pedal help, maybe? I've also heard that adding a compressor can help a lot.

Aloha,

Brad

[Jaimoe]

You may need to get a new bass.

Spending a lot of money on amps and effects is a gamble.

Edited May 4, 2005 by Guest

[Freak By Night]

I can tell you what not to buy. Don't buy any amps made by Hartke or Trace Elliot. Unless you enjoy mystery cutouts during gigs.

[SaggyBalls]

you need more power. keep your jazz bass. that's the most solid bass you could probably get. it sounds great live and in the studio. it's a standard for a reason.

i'd suggest going with no less than 300W.

i don't see a problem with trace elliot - however, my trace is only 120W and it's not enough for much more than just me...even then it's just a practice amp for me. not a gigger.

you could also get an EQ pedal. i want one that's for sure.

want an 'effect'? get envelope/dynamic filter. (auto wah)

the cabinet i've had my eye on for about a year is the hartke 2200...it's got 2x12 and a 1" driver. the most range of their entire line in one of their smallest cabinets, and the upper speaker and the driver are angled up so you can hear your amp better. if you can find that to play, you're going to want to match it with a 300W 4ohm head.

you and i both need more headroom.

if the hartke cab isn't in your area to play then there's nothing wrong with a 4x10 or an swr triad. 1x12, 1x8, and a driver. you want lows and you want bright high mids. no need to overload your EQ section on your amp just to get crisp tone.

and remember...as far as EQ goes, it's always better to take frequencies out of your signal than try to boost them. just boost your volume.

and if you're trying to choose between eden and swr and the swr is a deal, i'd suggest swr. david eden used to design for swr and the only real difference in tone is that the eden rigs have more scooped out low mids. you get the same bottom end without the mud on the lower strings - that's the eden advantage at a flat setting. if you know how to tweak your EQ you can get your rig to sound sooooooo phat.

expect to spend about a grand if you want your rig to sound ideal...trade in things you don't care for anymore. an amp is worth it if you're actually in a position to do something with your talents. you already have a rad bass.

keep your fender and get a new amp.

'the kind of luscious growl that you feel in your intestines and makes you drop to your knees and thank God that you have ear drums and a soul.'

jaimoe - read that quote again and rethink the need for a new bass...

[Deeps]

I can tell you what not to buy. Don't buy any amps made by Hartke or Trace Elliot. Unless you enjoy mystery cutouts during gigs.

Completely do not agree with the above statement. I played through a Hartke 2x10 combo for 10 years and NEVER had a problem. Even ran a Bag End 1x15 in series with it!

I removed the Hartke head to power my ampeg 4x10 and 1x15 and it does a great job to this day.

I find trace elliot's a little muddy as do I find Gallien Kreuger and Peavey's to be the same.

For me personally I find if I have a set of speakers to pick up the highs.....couple of 10" speaks and a bigger speaker 12" or 15" to round the low end out powered by a solid head that puts out 200W+ this is where it's at. But you are loking at at least $1200 to get that going.

You should be able to get that rumble you're looking for from that Jazz bass you have, but

compression is absolutely a necessity ... this is where you'll get the punchy sound that flea gets.

Compression allows you to push the bass pretty hard but when it gets too loud it the compression grabs it and sets the sound back to where it needs to be. It removes the clack of a clipping amp and replaces it with the punch of a nice bass rig.

I just picked up a combo pedal by BOSS that has a tonne of sweet effects in it.

http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/ME-50B/

It has some sweet compressors in it as well as any effect a kid could ever need to put on their bass. Apply sparingly. As well as some level of Eq'ing as it has a high mid low dial on it.

I have a 12 band EQ built into my hartke head and I find that it helps immensely in fine tuning my sound.

Hope this helps.

Deeps

Might be a good idea to PM PhishyK on this....I'm sure he has a lot of knowledge on this schtuff.

[Deeps]

I also have a 6-string Washburn, which does have a nice sound, but just way too many strings for me... it was more of a whim buy.

Sell that suckah and put it toward an amp buddy.

Deeps

[Jaimoe]

jaimoe - read that quote again and rethink the need for a new bass...

I was thinking more on these lines: If you want a specific tone that is inspired by Flea or Claypool, try playing what they play.

[Paan]

Great!

I have no intention of selling my Jazz bass, I love it... I may add a P-bass though!!!

I think I'll start with the smaller changes, and work my way up.... start with the equalizer and compressor pedals... see what that does... and then probably trade-in my existing amp and 6-string to get a kick-ass amp.

Thanks for the info guys... keep it coming if you have more!

[bradm]

A good place for info and to ask questions is the Harmony-Central Bass Forum, and, in particular, their product review database.

Aloha,

Brad

[Freak By Night]

I can tell you what not to buy. Don't buy any amps made by Hartke or Trace Elliot. Unless you enjoy mystery cutouts during gigs.

Completely do not agree with the above statement.

You're lucky. I guess I just had lemons. Actually I've heard other people have problems with particular models of Hartkes.

[TheGoodRev]

Kev you and I are going to take a few trips to Mountain Music, where we will sit and you will make a lot of bass noise, on several occasions, until we have found a great sound for you while utilizing as much of the gear that you already own as possible. I can't wait, gear shopping is my favourite thing ever.

[ike]

I can tell you what not to buy. Don't buy any amps made by Hartke or Trace Elliot. Unless you enjoy mystery cutouts during gigs.

I've been using Hartke cabinets and at times Hartke amps for like 10 years now. Never had problems, and always lovin' the sound. Even when one of my cabinets got stolen I went out and replaced it with the same model. Love the Hartke.

Hey Kev, if you want an EQ pedal I have one that I don't use anymore. I'm sure we can work something out?

[Paan]

GoodRev... can't wait... music shopping is one of my favourite things too... also can't wait to get the 'studio' setup.

Looks like I am going to have to get a second mortgage!

Ike... I would definitiely be interested in that pedal... bring it with you to Chatham this weekend.

[PhishyK]

hey man, sounds like you need an Ampeg or David Eden stack. The bass doesn't matter much when you have an amp like these, as long as it has active (battery-powered) pickups.

rock on!

[SaggyBalls]

phishy K...stop spreading the active propaganda.

you can't get passive tones from an active bass.

you can't get active tones from a passive bass.

they have their places...and i think that the bass DOES matter...that washburn wouldn't sound anywhere near what a warwick thumb would sound like...come now...

but i too dig the active bass. no line loss on long cables, sounds better through effects than the same bass passive.

reading this thread i wish i had the 5 grand i would need to get my ideal rig...boooo

[Gr8FuL]

Sucked in again...thought this was a thread about some bass fishing tackle...hahahhaha

[boogieknight]

speaking of amps, look what came in the mail....

I am in love. I can't even begin to describe the feeling i get playing through this thing. un-fucking-believable!!!!!

link1

link 2

[dave-O]

Holy shit Boogieknight, nice purchase!! Colour me green with gear envy.

[PhishyK]

hey CB - my bass has a switch to turn the active pickups on or off. It's sweet.

[TheGoodRev]

speaking of amps, look what came in the mail....

Good work BK. Did you buy the cab too? This guy's site intrigues me, but I've never heard of him. Did you play one at a dealer in Ontario first, or buy it sound unheard?

[SaggyBalls]

is that a bass amp...i thought it was a gee-tar rig.

and as for active/passive circuitry...i believe there's a difference between the active preamp and an active pickup...somebody school me if i'm wrong.

[TheGoodRev]

Yeah I was under the impression it was a guitar amp too...I mean, 40 watts, all tube. Anything all-tube for bass is almost ten times that wattage.