Members vrm Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 hey guys, I am not Bass savy as I'm a guitarist. I just want to help our Bassist get a better, more appropriate tone for our band. Here's the problem, he's a mix style-wise of Flea-style slap and Justin Chancelllor? from Tool. So I'm guessing tone-wise he's going for a mix of the 2 ( Clarity for Flea slap, yet dirty for the Tool-ish stuff). What would you guys recommend as an ideal rig for someone seeking that tone. Let me fill you in on his rig. First he's got a Ibanez Bass, not sure of the model # but I know it has active p-ups or atleast active electronics as it requires a 9V, this goes straight into an old SS Carvin 350W head (sounds too sterile to me) into a nice Trace Elliot 800W 4ohm 4x12 bass cabinet. Now all else aside, I know he won't part w/ the Trace and probably not the ibanez. I'm just asking because to me the hallmark bass tone is Fender p-bass and Ampeg SVT tubes, but I doubt that's gonna happen. Is there a happy medium? You can check us out and here the bass @ http://myspace.com/subjectusSorry so long Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Benjamin Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Maybe he should run a Traynor YBA-200 with the Trace cab? I wouldn't part with the Trace cab either. If you guys aren't overly loud then the Traynor should give a good mix of clean and grit for a really really good price. Then he should upgrade bass to something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guttermouth Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 maybe look into one of the sansamp pedals ? listening to the recordings on your myspace it just sounds like his bass needs a little punch ( and mabe a bit more gain)and the sansamps seem to be a popular choice for getting that svt-ish growl from different amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members james on bass Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 I agree with the Sansamp pedal (or reasonble facsimile) suggestion. Not a huge investment, and it might be all he needs to get a little grit in his sound. I did the same with my previous amp which had a great clean "Flea" tone, but couldn't get dirty. He could always go the route of a nicer amp with a tube pre if he wants to ditch his head for a new one. If he likes the bass he should keep it. He should definitely keep the Trace cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vrm Posted March 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Thanks for the info guys, but for the reocrd what didi you thnk of his tone? Take in mind that the demo wasn't recorded w/ the Carvin, but was re-amped through an Ampeg SVT-Classic (I think, it was all tube but unsure of the model) and a Marshall 4-12 Jcm 800 guitar cab. The reason I'm addin all this is this actually our 2nd demo, but 1st w/ vocals and both times we've had troubles gettng bass tones. It seems our bassist plays w/ some sort of unorthodox technique that either engineer can dial in due to the slap. there's always had to be some compromise ending w/ the engineer saying " that's the best I can do" I have been thinking recently that maybe his bass just isn't setup for his unique style of play. Is there any reason to believe that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members been_effected Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 I'm biased, but i'd tell him to get a GB750 head on top of that rig, solve a lot of problems with one damn sexy stone...i mean rig... oh and find a better engineer, doesn't matter how weird a guys technique is, if the engineer is half good he'll find a way to record it decently, its what you're bloody well paying him for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Timmylikedthing Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 He's always micing the cab alone when he records? Damn... Try a good DI mixed with the mic'ed signal. That tends to help. As for amps, try the "official HCBF budget rig." Sansamp RBI and a QSC RMX 850. AT 4 ohms bridged it puts out 830W. That should be plenty of power for clean head room and the RBI is like a sansamp, but bigger and with a mids knob. Good Luck,Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Both Justin & Flea don't use P pups either...they are primarily known for their humbucker sound (Flea w/ a Ray' & Justin w/ a Wal). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Benjamin Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Ok, seeing as you're all suggesting a SansAmp, I am going to recomment the MXR M-80 Bass DI+ over it by a long shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 get him a big muff, that'll dirty up his sound (i'm joking) the bass looks great, afaik its an Ibanez SRX. nice basses. trace cabs are great so that should stay. so maybe you should bring him to a guitar store and try out some of these pedals. the mxr, the sansamp, and anything else nice he sees there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rpsands Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Have him replace his head with a Gk. Should be plenty. Gk's got enough growly type dirty sound for me mostly. I pretty much just use my MXR for a little warmth if I want it, or really nasty distortion if warranted. If I had to choose between a crappy carvin head and a either an mxr m80 or a sansamp, or a GK by itself, I'd take the GK. As everyone else's said the Trace cab sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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