Help with a tone

red_ice

Hey, im going in to record an EP with the band on Sunday and im really worried about my tone. We are trying to develop a sound and the guitars/drums sound is great.. i just cant get what im looking for in my bass.

Granted the lads we are working with will be able to help me with what im looking for, but i cant go into the studio without the sound being as close to what want as possible!

Let me give my setup.

Hartke transient attack 2000 bass head(This is on loan from a friend untill i can afford my new head)
Ashdown 4x10 deep cab
electro harmonix soviet big muff
Boss bass EQ
boss ds1

US Fender Jazz with s1 switch
Mex Fender p bass
Rickenbacker 4001

Thats all there is really in the tonal section of my setup. Im really feeling the jazz, i like playing that the most, and i would prefer to use that as much as possible in the recordings.

Now, our sound is very indy/alternative (the usual explanation) but there's no point in going with the flow. Im trying to get my muff fuzz to sound like below(obviously we can have some studio effects)

QOTSA Tangled up in plaid

I love this sound because the really high notes come through so well and there is so much belly in the sound.

A close second would be
Elbow - Grounds for divorce

My Distortion sound is sorted, i just need a fuzz sound. on the effect side of things.

The clean tone is the most hassle for me.
QOTSA - Misfit love This is imo one of the meanest tones ever and that's what i want for the recordings.

I realize this is in C, but this would be a close second
Interpol - rest my chemistry

Can anyone try shed some light on how to get a sound close to those Clean/fuzz tones?

Cheers, im at my wits end!

eoin5

red_ice wrote: »

Hey, im going in to record an EP with the band on Sunday and im really worried about my tone. We are trying to develop a sound and the guitars/drums sound is great.. i just cant get what im looking for in my bass.

Granted the lads we are working with will be able to help me with what im looking for, but i cant go into the studio without the sound being as close to what want as possible!

Let me give my setup.

Hartke transient attack 2000 bass head(This is on loan from a friend untill i can afford my new head)
Ashdown 4x10 deep cab
electro harmonix soviet big muff
Boss bass EQ
boss ds1

US Fender Jazz with s1 switch
Mex Fender p bass
Rickenbacker 4001

Thats all there is really in the tonal section of my setup. Im really feeling the jazz, i like playing that the most, and i would prefer to use that as much as possible in the recordings.

Now, our sound is very indy/alternative (the usual explanation) but there's no point in going with the flow. Im trying to get my muff fuzz to sound like below(obviously we can have some studio effects)

QOTSA Tangled up in plaid

I love this sound because the really high notes come through so well and there is so much belly in the sound.

A close second would be
Elbow - Grounds for divorce

My Distortion sound is sorted, i just need a fuzz sound. on the effect side of things.

The clean tone is the most hassle for me.
QOTSA - Misfit love This is imo one of the meanest tones ever and that's what i want for the recordings.

I realize this is in C, but this would be a close second
Interpol - rest my chemistry

Can anyone try shed some light on how to get a sound close to those Clean/fuzz tones?

Cheers, im at my wits end!

Most modern fuzz bass sounds will be mixed a bit with the dry DI sound to give it depth and definition. You should be able get a good sound with the big muff and a bit of DI. One thing I've found is its better to hear the bass with drums at a reasonable volume level, loud bass on its own always sounds kinda low fi to me for some reason.

What strings are you using?

red_ice

i've got some D'addario EXL 165 Bright round wound strings for the recording. But i find new strings make the jazz sound really 'woody' if you know what i mean.. too much ping in the sound, id much prefer a worn in set of strings

eoin5

I've found the neck pickup on my 4003 + big muff + bit of DI + fingerstyle near the bridge gives me a good fuzz sound, your 4001 should be much the same. If you want PM me and I can email you a clip if you want to hear what to expect.