Bongo bass 5 - Having tone trouble!

[JoshbassCana]

Hey there guys,

Im in a spot of bother at the moment! Ive had this bass for a while (its the 5 string with double humbuckers, piezo etc...) and im still struggling with the tone. No matter how hard I try and just get a muddy tone and no clarity. I want the complete spectrum of the EQ to fly out of my amp at gigs. I play throught a Warwick tubepath 5.1. Do you think my amp is the problem?
Can anyone give me tips on how to make this bass soound awesome. I know there is amazing tone in it, ive just gota find it.
Thanks,

josh

 

[adouglas]

Some general guidelines:

1) What sounds good soloed does not necessarily sound good when the rest of the band is playing. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that what sounds good soloed practically NEVER sounds good when the rest of the band is playing. Avoid "smiley face" EQ (boosted lows and highs, cut mids). This sounds awesome by itself, but as soon as the band kicks in your bass magically disappears from the mix. The important frequencies are from 100 Hz on up. That's where punch lies.

(Did you know that some live recording mics are intentionally made with a bass roll-off below 100 Hz because it makes for a better-sounding live mix?)

2) Avoid overboosting the low end...that can lead to woofy, muddy tones. Step away from your amp while the band is playing and use your ears. Get rid of preconceived notions about what the bass is supposed to sound like...what does the whole song sound like? EQ to serve the music, not some arbitrary notion of tone. See above about live mics.

3) Avoid extreme EQ settings on both the bass and the amp. Start flat, then go from there. If things sound thin, turn up your amp volume some before you start boosting everything.

4) The lo-mid control on the bass is your friend. So is the hi-mid, but less so. Try leaving the bass and treble flat.

5) If you've got a piezo, try blending just a little bit of it into the mix (1/4 turn or thereabouts.

6) You didn't say what cabinet you're using. A 1x15 or 2x15 will not give you a very "hi-fi" full-range sound. I personally like the sound of a nice 2x12 with a horn. Lots of people like 4x10s with a horn. Decent cabinets cheap are made by Avatar.

7) Oh, and never ever EVER overlook the obvious. Do you have a dead battery?

Anyone else have some good tips?

If you just can't get it to sound like you want, just send it to me. I'll make good use of it!

 

[tombboy]

Step away from your amp while the band is playing and use your ears. Get rid of preconceived notions about what the bass is supposed to sound like...what does the whole song sound like?

Great advice.... I always do this when we are not playing with a dedicated sound engineer. It may make me look like a pompous git standing out front but it's the only way I can get 'our sound'. Don't try this when you do have an engineer though.... they tend to get a tad p#ssed off. Seen it happen once to a very experienced engineer, where the guitarist was trying to tell him his job. The engineer just took all the abuse and promptly dialled in the most horrendous mix you could imagine with a wry smile on his face. The band never got asked back to the venue!

 

[JoshbassCana]

Hey guys,

Last night I tried everything! I tried starting everything from scratch and alsowly working through the EQ on the bass and then the amp. I tried everything and still I couldn't get it to sound right.
I managed to dial in some punch - but (and i know this sounds weird) - it just doesn't like a bass guitar. Its not sounding right and its driving me up the wall. Do you think its my amp?

josh

 

[adouglas]

Okay, so what does a bass guitar sound like in your view?

The Bongo has the most beefarific tone I've ever heard. But no doubt that's because my expectations are different from yours. Listen to some Peter Gabriel/Tony Levin. That's what my bass sounds like and that's what I think it should sound like.

Here's a clip of Tony playing a Bongo, from Amazon.com:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B000EOTF30001002/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_002/103-8149336-6911060"]Amazon.com[/ame]

Does that not sound like a bass to you?

Also see #2 and #6 below.

Also consider flatwounds if it's too zingy for ya.

 

[high mileage]

My Bongo 5 came with way too much tone. I'll send you some...

Seriously, good advice given here so far. I'd start with all EQ (both bass and amp) completely flat. This means that the knobs on the bass should be at the middle detent and graphic EQ sliders on the amp (if it has this) will be in the middle. If you're playing with a band (live drums and loud guitars) then bumping up the low mids will make you cut through. It's not a great solo sound, but in a band situation this is what you'll need.

I saw the amp listed - no experience with it but I doubt it's the problem. What cabinets are you using?

 

[JoshbassCana]

Im playing through a Warwick 4x10 cab. So you'd think it would have a alot of punch - am i right or wrong?
Im also making sure im not boosting the lows. Ive noticed more recently that the B string with first 5 fretted notes just dont have any clarity at all. Thats no beef, you know.

 

[hankSRay]

I gotta say, listen to adouglas, he posted a similar response a while back in some other thread. I went back and looked at my tone settings, adjusted them a bit to what he said and I've never sounded better. I was totally blown away of how huge I sounded while still retaining clarity. My solo tone is pretty decent, but in a band setting it is a force to be reckoned with.

 

[high mileage]

Im playing through a Warwick 4x10 cab. So you'd think it would have a alot of punch - am i right or wrong?

Again, no experience with Warwick amps but there should be a lot of punch with a 410. I've played a lot of them and they've all had plenty... Very strange. Again, be sure everything's flat and start from there. How are the strings? If they're completely dead and you're looking for a 'zingy' tone, it ain't gonna happen.

 

[ptuckerbass]

What kind of strings are you using?
Before I got my Bongo, I was a diehard stainless user.

After the original set of strings died on my Bongo 5 HHP, I replaced them with a set of Ken Smith stainless (40-120).

The tone seemed to lack the depth, roundness, and punch that it had with the original strings. It was especially noticed when I did some recording.

I put on some nickel d'addarios with a 130 b-string and I was back in business .

 

[maddog]

If you think it is the amplification, try something different. Beg, Borrow or Demo one.

Other questions that may help:

What is the string height at the pickups?

Is your gain set right on your head?

Have you replaced the factory strings with brand X?

 

[adouglas]

What is the string height at the pickups?

Ooh, good one. I forgot about that. The Bongo's magets are so powerful that if you have the pickups raised up too high it'll choke off the output.