Question about micing a bass guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter Yasoo
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Yasoo

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I'm trying to reproduce the sound I hear from my bass guitar (it's not an acoustic bass, but it has great acoustic sound and tone) and the pickups on there just don't seem to do it. I have another bass that's the same way. It seems I can hear it in a certain way that the pickups aren't reproducing.

What is the technique for micing a bass?

Are there pickups that have tiny mics in them instead of the magnetic poles?

How about pickups with tiny mics that send 6 mono channels to a small preamp mixer? Or is that really pushin' it? :)
 
This is a solid body electric? And are you looking for the tone you hear from the amp, or what you hear with no amp?
 
Hi mixsit. Yeah, it's a solid body electric. I'm looking for the sound I hear when I play it acoustically (not plugged into anything).
 
Try rolling off some lowend and/or using more bridge pick up. If that doesn't work, try micing the strings and blending with miced amp or DI signal.
 
stick a good contact on the wood , mike up close with a condenser and DI. mix those three.
 
faderbug said:
stick a good contact on the wood , mike up close with a condenser and DI. mix those three.
Click to expand...
I was going to go there too, but chickened out.
..Too get that effect of the bass being up against your body as you play it would be a cool trick.
:D

ps Ever put the headstock against a panel or pane of glass? When I mess with my wife's bass sitting on our couch, open E resonates the back of the seat like crazy. Surround 44hz!:cool:
 
I have a small condenser mike called an "IT" made by FRAP that I picked up over 20 years ago. It attaches to a guitar body with bees wax. I have used it to record from solid body basses and guitars. It is hi-Z so I always have to go through a good pre-amp, but it does get a sound that adds the "wood" feel of the lower notes.
 
Go ahead an laugh if you want...

Here is a far out suggestion.

Play it through a guitar amp on a clean setting. You won't get the bass registers that the pickups, amp and a large cone produce. You'll also get a lot more "clickity-clack" from the strings hitting the frets - that is if it is fretted.

Not sure how this would work in a recording situation.

Good luck,

Roaf
 
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