Wanting to improve the sound of the bass

K

Kleudde

New member
Good morning,
I would like to improve the sound of my bass. I find it flat, without warmth or presence. It's just a cheap bass (Lyon made by Washburn) that I had like 20 years ago. I have a crate amp and a peavy amp. Both are combo like 80 watts I think. No pedals or effects. Should I A get a new bass?
B get a new amp? C get some pedals ? Or D all of the above ? :)

I don't do slapping, I don't play with fingers and i play heavy metal. I don't like distortion on my bass.

I have tried long time ago an Ibanez active SR something that I liked the sound (but it was like 15 years ago), did the market changed a lot since is there new technology that came out recently that make a better sound ?
Any brand I should try ? Ltd? Jackson? Something else? Active? Not active ? What else is good to have on a bass?

Around 15 year ago I also tried the sound of an amp that really impressed me, a David Eden. I like also the sound of a Hughes & Ketner.
But there has been new technology since. I saw some amp heads that were really light and small. Didn't had time to hear any new amp, do they sound better now?

I had tried an eq too that improved a bit the sound but in the three options I felt the pedals improved less the sound than a new bass and even less than a new amp, might be wrong though. What do you think?
Are there any new pedals that makes the sound much much better now? I found one for my guitar that did it (sonic maximizer)... Anything like that for bass?

What would be my best option to improve my sound? Which of the 3 or which 2 of the 3 or all 3? And any suggestions on brand or model for the style I'm playing?

Thank you all! :)
 
Has it got ancient strings on it? I only ask 'cos one of my cheapo basses has ancient strings on it and "I find it flat, without warmth or presence"
 
They are old because I didn't play my bass for a long time but were fairly new when I was playing with my bass the last time. Do they age even when we don't touch the instrument ? I also don't really like the sound of a new string, too clear.
 
Are they flat, half or round wound strings?
They'll make a difference.
Washburn were Matsumoko factory made and have appreciated a little in value with time.
You can spend big to get a better instrument or amp but why not try something cheap but very effective like...
 
You haven't told us what you're doing with your bass: home recording, gigging, noodling in your bedroom? What matters is how the bass sounds in a mix. Bass tones that sound gorgeous by themselves can disappear in a mix, while bland-sounding ones cut through. You have to judge the sound in a mix. Even then, you have to consider the other sounds in the mix. It could be that your bass problem in really a guitar problem, or a drum problem, or a keyboard problem, or whatever else is trespassing on the frequencies that your bass needs to occupy.
 
Hi Robus,
What I do with my bass right now is just writing the bass line on my songs that I'm writing. I'd like to have a better sound to enjoy playing the instrument again after so many years without touching it.
After that I will record the bass line in Reaper but I'm not there yet. So it's really for now to enjoy what I hear when I play not what is on the mix. I will probably not be the one doing the mix anyways after I'm done recording all the instruments.
I just went to the BBE site to check about my sonic maximiser that improved so much the sound on my guitar and it turned out I can use my pedal for the bass too so I'll give it a try next time I go to my rehearsal place.
But I'm thinking of getting a new bass too in any case, it's been too long I have this bass and I don't really like it anymore. I'm changed my guitars to better ones but I never replaced the first instrument I ever got since I was in high school lol.
 
Hope you'll keep your old bass too. If you can upgrade your bass, why not? Flat wound strings got me digging the sound of my bass. They're not for everyone but they work in my music.
 
Robus said:
Hope you'll keep your old bass too. If you can upgrade your bass, why not? Flat wound strings got me digging the sound of my bass. They're not for everyone but they work in my music.
Click to expand...

Ok thank you. I don't remember what type of strings I put on my bass.
I'll check that too.

I also just found this thing on the Eden website, maybe I could plug this before my amp and wouldn't need to get a new amp... ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrk5N-oXba4

Eden WTDI Bass Pedal
 
The Behringer is a good starting point. I use it all the time. I have an early 80s bass - nothing even approaching expensive - a Vantage that cost $130 in 81. I use round wounds and have a decent amp (superbass MkII) but that isn't always a good option for recording as it needs a LOT of volume to get happening.
The BDI is a very, very close copy of the Sansamp Bass DI21.
Really, the better starting point if you're considering anything between the bass and amp or audio interface is the BDI21.
It is also pretty tough. Here's a comparison I found on utub...
 
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