UTS-D Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Recently I completed my bass rig (minus a tuner) and I have to say that I can not be happier. Saturday at practice, I had my tone dialed in and while we're playing all I could think was "HOLY CRAP!! That's me! That is what I sound I like!" It's taken me a while but I finally was able to put my tone together the way I want it. I've been in Under The Stone for 5 years and for 5 years I've been trying to describe my tone to my guitar players and they just didn't have the vision. They were weary to say the least. And now I have my tone and they heard it and they're like "That sounds fuckin' tough!" And I'm like "Damn straight! That tone will kill you!" hahhaha But in all seriousness, has anyone else experienced that feeling? You spend a grip of time (and money) looking and looking and looking and trying effect after effect, EQ setting after setting...everything down to the strings and then you find it and it's everything you heard inside your soul and you're like "That's it. That's my voice." Please tell me someone else has experienced this because this is too good of a feeling for just 1 person to experience. UNDER THE STONE Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 i had that moment when i played through a bergantino HT-112 for the first time. it felt like coming home, you know, like, "i knew this kind of sound could happen!" i mean, i generally get the same tone no matter what i play and what i play it through (it's just a lot easier with some gear than it is with others). but there's a lot to be said for getting that sound exactly, and with minimal effort. the funny thing is that there's very little gear that i absolutely must have now. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo-London Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I've experinced this too and sometimes it's as simple as hearing yourself through a professional rig for the first time. This is true of fretlesses and especially true of fretless ABGs. Davo "We will make you bob your head whether you want to or not". - David Sisk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Yep. For me, it's my P-bass through basically any amp. Now that it's set up correctly, I am super happy with it. Don't get me wrong... I really like my rig, and I enjoy my MM a lot... but that P-bass tone is really my voice on bass whether I play through my big Ampeg set up or a Bass Pod. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thanny XIII Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 It happened too me once. the eq was flat except for a litle boost in the treble and bass.My carvin lb75 was mostly on the bridge pickup and the eq leaned toward the mids and highs. My bp50s eq was flat and was pretending to be an svt. It's never happened again I knew a girl that was into biamping,I sure do miss her.-ButcherNburn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UTS-D Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Thanks for the responses. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. And reading what you guys are saying, it's more about 1 all important puzzle piece rather than an entire set up and I think you guys are right and the funny thing is that rather than it being a bass or a cabinet or an amp for me, I think it's a pedal. And it's not even a bass pedal. hahahaha It's this guy right here http://www.jfrankcarr.com/images/guitar/hotfoot1.jpg The Peavey Hotfoot Distortion. I used it over 10 years ago and lost it. Then I just recently found it again and after thinking about what you guys have shared, I think my voice is in this box. hahaha. When I had it the first time, I played an Ibanez Sound Gear through a Peavey Mark VIII with a matching Peavey 8x10 cabinet (810TX I think). And today, I'm playing a Warwick Corvette $$ through a Glockenklang Soulhead and that goes through a Mesa Boogie 8x10 Diesel cab. Anyway, I think it just might be that pedal, but STILL Holy Crap does it feel good to be home again, as robb put it. UNDER THE STONE Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 home is a special place that can never be duplicated or replaced. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moot Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 My latest rig has given me the tone I have been looking for. I have come close several times but have never been able to consistantly keep a tone I like 'till now. The combination of the Grind 5, BBE pre-amp, the Ashdown Head and the 1-12 and 1-15 give me that deep, fat tone. The grind and snarl are left up to my fingers but the basic tone is heaven! Add a tad bit of distortion or chorus or both and oh my . . . schwiiiing!! "He is to music what Stevie Wonder is to photography." getz76 I have nothing nice to say so . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 it's hard to get anything bright out of a grind 5, if it's the NTB BXP variety. so it sounds like you've found what you want. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Coop Coyote Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Maybe It's just the perfectionist or frustrated artist in me, but I have often hit on what I feel to be my perfect sound, only to be dissatisfied with it usually within a few days. I find myself changing strings, basses, amps, eq's, effects you name it. Then I find it again and ahhh! Sometimes I realize it's back to how I had things 20 years ago? Am I the only nutjob that goes through this? J.Coop Coyote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 not in the least. spend some time at talkbass. there are lots of gear whores there that always change and switch. the thing is, there's lots of great gear out there, so it's pretty easy to always imagine that something can be better. for me, "home" is actually pretty broad. i more try to enjoy my sound than find the perfect sound. the reason is because there is no perfect sound. also, that allows me to sound like me on a variety of different amps and instruments -- i don't need a 62 J to nail the sound in my head. i can plug in just about anything into anything and get a sound i can live with for that one time. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gab Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Originally posted by UTS-D: Thanks for the responses. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. And reading what you guys are saying, it's more about 1 all important puzzle piece rather than an entire set up and I think you guys are right and the funny thing is that rather than it being a bass or a cabinet or an amp for me, I think it's a pedal. And it's not even a bass pedal. hahahaha The Peavey Hotfoot Distortion. I was actually about to start a thread of my own how a silly Boss Phaser (guitar pedal) i tried for fun gave me such a sweet tone. I basically turn off all knobs completely and it gives this really deeb growl-like tone where You can barely hear (make that not hear) any phasing effect. I recommend You guys to give it a try. Warwick Streamer Jazzman 5, Fernandes LEB-2 Ashdown ABM-300, Ashdown ABM 4x10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpedebass Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I guess I don't have any particular one tone. I like to adjust my tone from song to song. My playing style is quite unique, however, so even though one may hear slight tone changes between songs, it all sounds like me. Love God...Love People! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edendude Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 If there's one thing I have learned over the years, it's that 90% of your tone is in your hands, not your gear. My Last Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butcherNburn Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 There's nothing like finding your tone. There's also nothing like setting up everything in a different room and find no matter how you tweek the EQ, it's gone. [insert something about a plague on your first born son here] As you have found, a great tone "element" can come from the most unlikely place. I get the meanest growl from an old Gorrila guitar amp that took a nasty fall one day. Now it doesn't do anything else well, but what it does, is like a good honest slap in your face. I kind of like to have something flexable enough to get me through most situations. There are many tones for many occasions. A good, solid, reliable, utility tone is crucial, everything else (that's good) is gravy. If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 First time I played through a Sunn 1200s, I was hooked. It took me 3 years before I could buy one. Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Originally posted by robb.: the thing is, there's lots of great gear out there, so it's pretty easy to always imagine that something can be better. for me, "home" is actually pretty broad. i more try to enjoy my sound than find the perfect sound. the reason is because there is no perfect sound. also, that allows me to sound like me on a variety of different amps and instruments -- i don't need a 62 J to nail the sound in my head. i can plug in just about anything into anything and get a sound i can live with for that one time.Exactly! Couldn't have put it better myself. However, as I get closer to the 'ideal' bass/amp it gets easier to find all the different facets of my tone. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Playability of an instrument is the most important factor in tone for me. Adequacy of a rig is the next (i.e., not a 30-watt guitar amp through a 1x12" guitar cabinet). I have preferences, but with adequate gear, I can get close enough to "my tone" that I am satisfied. If I am satisfied, I am confident that the audience cannot tell the difference between my "adequate" and "perfect." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 the funny thing about playability, though, is that sometimes i come up with different parts because one instrument is not as magnificently playable as the other. i love the feel of the cirrus BXP's neck and its low setup. but sometimes the extra effort i have to put into the plywood P makes me lay back a little more. i'm an amp guy, for the most part, so having an amp that i really enjoy and can get a lot of different feels from is quite special to me. some people buy lots of basses to get the different feels. i only really want one more bass. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.