'woody' bass

[tc4b]

My music is taking a left turn into a folk-bluegrass kind of direction. No sweat, I usually make whatever kind of music I feel like, but I'm having trouble castrating my bass. I've worked hard to dial in a couple of sounds that are real ballsy, sometimes punchy in the lower mids, and that suits me for most of the rock & funk I write.

So now I'm having trouble with this very thick, punchy kind of bass mixing with the acoustic guitars, and I decided what I REALLY need is a real double bass. I don't have one yet, so for now i need a sound that's more kind of, uh, 'woody' sounding, I guess, but still present in the mix. When i try to take out lows or mids, or ease up on the drive, I have trouble hearing it in the mix at all.

Hope this makes sense, and i also concede it might be just the way I've come to play, which is pretty forcefully with the fingertips.

Anyone have any tips?

Oh, my chain looks like this:

ibanez soundgear active bass -> sansamp rbi -> symetrix 501 -> digi 001


ps- any suggestions involving buying gear are, unfortunately, out of the question until probably Feb

 

[danw]

Yeah, what you need is one of these. My next project is going to be to build something along those lines. Dennis Havlena has a nice page with instructions for a homebuilt version that's not too deep into the pockets.

Other than that, it seems to me that an upright tends to have more muted tones. I'd have thought losing some of the treble, or palm-muting just a little, would move you in that direction. Seems like I've seen little felt pads someplace to do the same thing; you put them just under the strings, next to bridge. Or I guess you could play through an amp inside a large wooden box. That might work, too.

 

[toobalicious]

OMG dude thanks for the link.

my washtub isnt NEARLY that advanced.

 

[toobalicious]

BTW, to the OP....

try stuffing a piece of foam under the strings at the bridge. makes the decay faster, mutes a lot of high end and string noise, and sounds punchy as all hell.

 

[tc4b]

Seems like I've seen little felt pads someplace to do the same thing; you put them just under the strings, next to bridge.

Sounds interesting. Is that anything like those things that look like ponytail-holder-things I've seen Victor Wooten slide up and down the neck of his bass when he plays?

 

[tc4b]

BTW, to the OP....

try stuffing a piece of foam under the strings at the bridge. makes the decay faster, mutes a lot of high end and string noise, and sounds punchy as all hell.

Maybe I wasn't clear; it's TOO punchy at present, I'm trying to wussify it without having it totally disappear in the mix.

 

[danw]

my washtub isnt NEARLY that advanced.

Say, is that thing amplified? If so, what kind of pickup do you have in there?

 

[danw]

Sounds interesting. Is that anything like those things that look like ponytail-holder-things I've seen Victor Wooten slide up and down the neck of his bass when he plays?

I don't know if that's what those are or not. I see what you're talking about, though. The picture I'm looking at (wikipedia) looks to me like his would be to keep the open strings from ringing out while he's doing some crazy stuff on the upper frets. I was thinking more along the lines of toobalicious' suggestion of something right next to the bridge. I would think that sound would be less like punchy and more like plunky. Either way, it's cheap and non-destructive, so it's bound to be worth a shot.

 

[tc4b]

OMG dude thanks for the link.

my washtub isnt NEARLY that advanced.

Would that washtub be what they call NOS?

 

[toobalicious]

nah, just OS, lol....

i amplify it, but no pickup. i put a kick mic mounted to a desktop stand (the little short ones) that i just put underneath it. i have a little block i cut from a 2x6 that i rest one edge of the lip on---- the slight elevation did wonders for the sound over just sitting flat on the floor, kind of like the buskers that play 5 gallon buckets as floor toms, i guess. also, it sounds much much louder on concrete or similar than it does on carpeted wood.

as far as the foam goes, i used that sort of set up with a set of flatwounds in an old-soul kind of band i played with. finger-plucked kind of had the jamerson tone, and picked had the barry oakly allmans sort of plunkiness. cool stuff.
i have done it with rounds too, though, and the effect is similar, but a little more "lively".

BTW, i think we are perhaps using the word "punchy" to mean different things.

 

[tc4b]

BTW, i think we are perhaps using the word "punchy" to mean different things.

Most likely. Along with 'warm,' just one of the ubiquitous gear-selling buzzwords.

 

[DrewPeterson7]

Sounds interesting. Is that anything like those things that look like ponytail-holder-things I've seen Victor Wooten slide up and down the neck of his bass when he plays?

No, that's a mute, to stop strings from ringing out. The idea is anything he's fretting will ring clearly, because his fretting hand is between the mute and the bridge, whereas anything he's not will get choked, because the mute is between the nut and the bridge.

Some guys use them for touchstyle electric, too.

 

[tc4b]

Just an update, one thing I found, comple6tely by accident, is that picking the strings up toward the fingerboard, that is, between the top j-style pickup and where the fingerboard begins. It seemed counter-intuitive, as I think I'm shortening the strings, I think, and because when I'm going for a little extra twang on guitar I pick down right next to the bridge, but there ya go. A more accoustic sound. Go figure. Can anyone explain why this helped, or am I just insane?

 

[tc4b]

OMG dude thanks for the link.

my washtub isnt NEARLY that advanced.

BTW toob, you inspired me, I decided to build my very own gutbucket and do a solo on an upcoming song. But, you know, not one of those flashy shredding 'wanking' type of gutbucket solos, but a more reserved, tasteful, soulful gutbucket solo.

 

[toobalicious]

cool. you will dig it a lot for awhile, but when your $hitty jugband falls apart, you will barely touch it. oh wait, that was me. although i did play a little with an interestingly instrumented group doing old johnny cash covers, which was kind of goofy and appealing at the same time, but the jugband was more fun.
it all sucked to the wrong person, though. not much mass appeal, i must admit, but fun in a rowdy southern college-town bar. but still, one is left to wonder how many of those hotties were truly interested, as opposed to "liking" it because it was theoretically "cool" to listen to something "alternative" as they choked down their newcastles and sierra nevadas in their "the north face" jackets, cargo pants, and new balance sneaks........................

"i want to be different..... just like all of the other different people."

noooo, i aint jaded at all.

BTW, i felt like i was a much better player when sitting on a stool--- i had much better reference to pitch by virtue of being able to anchor myself. i have also tried several different things for the string--- the variation in tone/feel/playability is immense. lots of stuff on the google. dont forget your chock-block to elevate one side.

have fun!