need bass sound but play guitar...

[guhlenn]

ok the most obvious answer is "get a bassguitar". there, that one is already posted...

seriously, i play a detuned 6string guitar with a low a. i find that the low a is too weak played through a marshall jcm2000 dsl100watt and 4x12"... so i thought about getting a bassman and splitting the signal.

Now which speakers would you reccomend? 10" or 15"

and i tried this ( although with a normal, sevenstring, not my own guitar)with a 4x10" with H&K bassamp (not sure which one) and it sounded like crap! my marshall gives fuller tones then that...

any advice ?

guhlenn

 

[memphissound]

I've got two ideas on this. The first is the cheaper though may not work:
1. Get an octave pedal. BOSS makes a nice one that transposes one and two octaves. You're string tension will stay tight enough that you won't lose tone.
2. If your sure it's the amp/cab, it's really not set in stone which speaker configuration (10's or 15's) you go with. You'll just have to keep experiementing to find which one YOU like best.

Peace <><

 

[guhlenn]

i thought about the transpose thingy, but it's not what i want. I want the tunign to stay this way no bass shit as that would clutter up the total band sound, i just dislike the sound that comes through the amp... there should be a way to get a fat bass sound out of a guitar right?

guhlenn

 

[toyL]

yes there is a way to get a fat low-end--simply "boost" the lows...I don't mean a few dB via EQ...add some "serious" lows--grab a handful of your favorite effects units, and tweak each of them to boost low end response...then, use a dedicated EQ to boost the hell outa that...place all of this before your amp(s) and you may now find that the low-end knob on your amp is twice as effective/sensitive...or, if you hear someone with that killer fat low-end sound, you could ask them about it...they just might say something to the "effect" of what I have said.

 

[toyL]

if you want to begin "at" the guitar...take your dual humbucking guitar to a "pro" and tell him it needs to accentuate the lows...then, tune it to GCGCGD--damn near all of what you appear to seek can be now be found with any three strings, on any fret, with one finger...but, don't tell anyone.

 

[guhlenn]

thanks for your reply.

however i never heard of bringing my guitar to a pro to accentuate the lows??? explain please. the effect thing ewas a very good idea however , i'll try that as soon as i find the time. I'll keep you posted

changing the tuning to gcgcgd??? This woiuld only lower the tuning NOT the sound. and i donot want to detune as this would increase the problem instead of resolving it. (the matrshall does the a weak, the g will probably be weaker then... and that tuning is totally different then mine so i really don't see what the idea behind this is. i'll let you know about the effects ...

thanks and greetz

guhlenn

 

[Oysterman]

"get a bassguitar".

 

[Gidge]

have you tried raising the pickup on the side over your low strings and lowering it over the side of your high strings to even it out some......

 

[ametth]

Do you play in a band? Does your band have a bass player? or are you recording yourself?

Have you tried engaging the 'deep' switch?

 

[Treeline]

I'd second the octave box idea; you can get a Danelectro for about $45.00 and it will do for a test run. I've had some fun running my acoustic through one, just a little now and then when nobody is expecting it. You can dial in one octave down and two octaves down, as little or as much as you want. A little does the trick.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Dude, to play at A you need some fat strings. That's where your problem lies. I know that a guy around here (S8-N) uses .16's and he tunes down to A. I've tried to get down to A with .13's and it sounded pathetic.

There's a reason why the strings on a bass guitar are much larger than those on a regular guitar Yes, deciding to tune down to an A requires big strings and therefore a custom setup which could even include a new nut and possibly a new bridge. There is a chance your guitar won't even do it. Bring it in to a shop and see what they recommend.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[guhlenn]

thanks everyone for your replies, i'll try to answer 'm all. yes i play in a band, that's why the octave box idea doesn't work for me... i would get in the way of our bassplayer.

The guitar is fine, it's already adjusted for the tuning.

my string setup is as 0.010 set with the high e removed the adde4d a .62 string for the A. that's enough for my taste , i like my strings to be a little loose... personal taste i guess...

I suddenly realise i wasn't quite clear enough. My guitar has a good bass resp[ons in that in clean the A sounds reasonable (yes i have the deep switch on) but in overdrive the a just get's pushed aside by the higher strings... so i want the bassamp merely for reinforcing the low end while the marshall is shattering glass... i like alot of midrange and treble in my high gain sound so i need to back off on the bass , or the gain will just turn everything to mud... here's where the bass amp kicks in; the clean thumps should give the a a liuttle puysh-in-the-back...

i tried it this sunday with the amp of our bassplayer (peavey tmax with 2x10" and 1x15" and i got the sound i was looking for... a nice big round fat thjump... now to integrate this into my live setup...

anymore advice is welcome...

greetz guhlenn

 

[ametth]

The problem I see in having alot of bass frequencies in your guitar sound, is those freq will get in the way of your bass player. You need to listen to the whole mix of the band, and not just your instrument. With less bass in your guitar, the bass and guitar will be much clearer, lending to a better experience listening to your band. YMMV.

 

[ametth]

Oh yeah, turn those highs down, your hurting my ears!!

 

[Roel]

Or you could get a bariton guitar... Thingy in between a bass and a guitar. Epiphone has got a cheap model, I think. Or maybe it was Danelectro. Check it out...

 

[Queue]

OK - How 'bout this?

Split your signal, and use FX on each line as a "crossover". Lose all the highs on one line and send it to a bass amp or a guitar amp with good low response. On the other line, lose the lows and send that to the Marshall.

Queue

 

[Gidge]

Also,

as Slack was mentioning S8-N's setup, it may help to mention he uses (last I heard)a Peavey Preamp into a 200wt(2x100) Crate poweramp into a Marshall 4x12 and a HiWatt 2x15......

 

[guhlenn]

thanks all ,

first off i like my guitars and do not want any other (after all they cost a fortune...), and the comment of ametth is correct , that's why i donot want the octave idea. However i was thinking about this a long time but got motivated by the engineer of our new demo. He suggested the bass amp idea; and in the mix it doesn't interfere with the bass it rather adds a dimension to the bassplayer.

i was thinking about the effects too only using the original signal for the marshall and the processed signal for the bass amp... gotta check it ...

and ametth, my kinda music is supposed to hurt your ear!

guhlenn

 

[toyL]

hey guhlenn, your engineer is clearly doing his part--fantastic advice...keep the dude on hand...at first I was unclear about what you were seeking, but now I see...I too, have wandered down that road, but I don't have my shit together...YOU obviously do...I'd really apppreciate the opportunity to "hear" what you're talking about...here is my e-mail--ADHaudio@netscape.net--get in touch with me and I'll "master" some tracks for you for free...I have a killer studio--CuBaseVST...

 

[guhlenn]

thanks,

it took me quite a while to figure out what i wanted exactly but i think i found it now. anyway i'll keep your adress and 'll contact you... and yes the engineer knows his shit, he's a touring pro...

i like his setup alot; you know people always double tracks in the studio? he uses a plexi AND a jcm800 live to get the same effect... his sound is killer i'm telling ya!

greetz & thanks

guhlenn