Bass tone for popular music

[gongchime]

I played bass in a big jazz band and combos at uni and there were some other guys that would play in some of the other combos and in the theater pit. One guy could get very different but excellent tone from his bass. I suspect it has something to do with the placement of P and J pick ups and the amount of each one blended in, if the bass had both, and perhaps the tone control knob as well as the bass itselfI'm looking for a bass sound for pop music such as might be heard on a Sting, Seal, Sade, or Secada recording. What kind of bass do you think I should buy and what kind of picks-ups located where, adjusted how? Can I expect to get a good enough tone with stock pickups and bridges?Also, a recommendation for types of strings to get would be helpful.Greg

[mojobone]

Did you happen to notice where and how he picked/plucked? I've noticed in videos of Jaco that he attacked the strings differently than other players. It's really hard to know what you're after, without hearing the guy or having a recording to refer to. When I have a question of this nature, I ask this guy:http://www.gwbasses.comHis name is Grandon, and he is awesome.

[gongchime]

Thanks for that. I'm not trying to emulate the guy I was talking about. I just want a good tone such as Sting, Seal, Sade or Secada recordings have.I'll go bother Grandon about it.

[gongchime]

After a little research I discovered that Sting primarily plays a Fender P. Bass (1961?) through an Ampeg Bass amp. And that Sade's bass player plays a 1978 Music Man Sting Ray through a Trace Elliot Bass Amp. Do any bass players around here have any preferences? Still don't know if they've been modified such as custom pickups or brass bridges etc...

[Mark Kaufman]

I would say that the most common combination of all would be that Fender Precision through an Ampeg. But I honestly believe these choices are not nearly as impactful as the bass-playing itself...that appears to be where 80% of tone originates. I used to think Chris Squire depended on a Rickenbacker and stock effects for his signature sound...then I saw him play a Fender with no effects through some amp on some video as a demonstration, and sure enough, it sounded like the signature Chris Squire sound. Sorry I can't remember where I saw that.I think a good Ampeg with roundwounds on a Fender Precision will give you plenty of versatility...and this from a dyed-in-the-wool Rickenbacker fanatic who loves his flat strings...

[billg]

What Mark said. The tone you get will depend greatly on the way you play & Marks figure of 80% is probably no exageration. It seems that most of the Fender players like the early 60's models, truth is there's not much difference in the passive P-basses from the 60's as in new P-basses, except the quality control on the new stuff is crapola. If you're not going into a store to try your bass out I would go for a knck-off with a good rep. Here's one from a place with good honest reviews. You could replace the pickups & bridge with vintage fender re-issues for a couple hundred bucks but I honestly don't think you'd need to. If this is for recording your amp/speaker selection is not so important. You can even go direct with good results with proper compression & eg.http://www.rondomusic.com/product828.htmlhere are some reviews from Harmony Centralhttp://reviews.harmony-central.com/revie..../SX+SPJ-62/10/1for some reason It won't allow me to copy the entire link so you may have to copy & paste in your browser for the review.

[mikedunbar]

I think Sting plays with his thumb. Years ago, a Japanese fan offered Jaco a million dollars for his bass. Jaco told him, "It's the fingers, man." I play mostly on a G&L five string. It has two EMG "soapbar" pickups, placed roughly in a "P J" config. I'll sometimes play both wide open, then it's got some of the jazz sound, sometimes I'll just play with the bridge pickup, then it sounds quite a bit like a Precision. Live I use either a Gallien Kruger RB700 through a Hartke 4x10 or an SWR combo amp. The Hartke has a little more transparency to it. Once in a while, I record these with a 57 on the voice coil of the speaker and a Rode NT1 a few feet back, then I might move the file with the Rode backward a bit until I find a "sweet spot." But mostly, I just plug into a mic pre. I use just a drop of compression to prevent any overs, then in the mix I might put on a bit of Waves RC or Blockfish (cool freeware). I like to roll off a slope from 150 on down off of every track except the bass and bass drum. On those, I'll notch. I give the bass a db or two of 80 and 100. 200 gives it "Motown" crunch. Higher stuff depends on what else is in the track, I've even bumped 1k to give the bass presence, though not very often. Same with highs, though I use a shelf to roll off the very high end for country and some rock, especially rootsy stuff.Sometimes it takes a pick to get the bass to cut. Then I use a very heavy pick. I've got a black one with a picture of an alligator on it that I like...can't remember the brand, but it's about as thick as a quarter. I don't slap a lot, but when I do I'll scoop out the middle and leave the highs and lows, sometimes using a multiband compressor. Getting back to pickups, the reason I like the soapbars? No buzz. I've never had a buzz or hum problem since I went over to them, and they sound fine.Hope that helps.Mike

[gongchime]

Thanks everybody. I certainly believe that about the fingers. My bass instructor who played on the tonight show with Johnny Carson and tours extensively with Doc Severenson just plucks the bass differently than I do. I came to the bass after playing the classical guitar for many years and I didn't really play the bass enough to where tension could built up from my bad habit of holding the tip of my finger too stiff for me to realize I need to relax it. If I just consciously try to let it be more limp, it goes too limp and I can't play. I don't know how he plays like that. I think just playing alot and letting exhaustion correct the problem might help. I think I'm going with a newer Fender Precision just because there are none from the 60s and 70's here in Indonesia. And I'll go with a Ampeg combo amp for studio recording, that is, if I can find one. I may have to go with whatever they've got. Last time I was at the music store in Denpassar, there were lots of basses and guitars but not many amps to choose from.Thanks for the EQ and pickup info Mike.

[Mark Kaufman]

If you see a G&L among those Fender Precisions, try a comparison...old Leo Fender made his last stand designing the G&L line and I'm one of many who believe he perfected his instruments at that time. All the mystique and hyper-inflated pricing still resides in the vintage Fenders...but don't be fooled, because every bit of the quality--maybe more--remains in the G&Ls.

[mojobone]

I'm hearing from my local BB that there's a "Sting" model "Telecaster" bass-an early form of p-bass with a single non-split pickup, available from Fender, I think it goes for $799 US, or thereabouts. find a pic here:Sting BassBet that'd get you in the ballpark.