Choice of tone?

[bassmonkey]

As you can see from my sig, I only own single H Stingrays. However, I still feel I am spoilt for choice in the tone department.

I have real difficulty figuring out just what tone settings to use for a particular song. The problem being whatever I do with the controls seems to sound good. Just a natural characteristic of the basses I suppose.

So, how do you guys choose what sort of tone you use? Do you set it a certain way and leave it like that the whole set or do you constantly fiddle with the controls each song?

 

[Aussie Mark]

I'm a set and forget type of guy. I vary right hand position and technique to cop different tones.

 

[PocketGroove82]

On my HH, I usually don't mess with the pup selector on a gig, because the 3-band eq is so familiar I normally just add a little here, or cut a little there if a song calls for it. i.e. bass on the melody/solo

The thing has so many usable tones that you really can tinker a lot to figure out what eq you like with each coil setting.

For me, If I'm playing my single H rays I've been cutting the highs/mids a little and boosting the bass, to give me my favorite finger style sound, and I usually just have it set like that for most selector positions. BUT..when I need a more "P"-ish sound and switch to thel neck pup only position, I find that eq "mix" I've used for years just doesn't do it for me. So you gotta adjust, experiment, and if you are kind of crazy you could always make some little recordings, then go back and write down what you're hearing, so you get a little different approach to sculpting your tone.

I just bought a HI-D Minidisc recorder/player and a small mic to take to gigs and make A/B style recordings for my geeked out bass pleasure!

 

[Psycho Ward]

I'm a set and forget type of guy. I vary right hand position and technique to cop different tones.

I'm wit ya Mark... except I vary my left hand.

Sometimes if I take one of the two pickup basses to the local jam I'll fiddle with the blend knob, but that's about it.

 

[rhythmCity944]

I only have 2 EQ basses (as of now) but i generally find with my rock band and set up that i like to max both treble and bass with i play with a pick so i get a really cut through sound but still have the fat stingray sound, when i do finger style, i'll back the bass off some for the same effect...i find something i like and stick to it

though, in a church band i play in every other week, i'm constantly changing tone settings to cater to the song being played...i find that the bass may sound similar when played out of the mix but in the mix, the tone knobs really change the sound of the bass...

just my $0.02

 

[stretch80]

I've got a single-pickup SR5, so it's got the 3 coil settings plus EQ.

I tend to use 3 distinct settings, and switch between them. I play fingerstyle 90%of the time. Switching right hand positions gets more variation for each setting...

1. Full-range sound - the one I use most: serial (switch toward neck) position, mids cut just a tad, bass boosted just a tad.

2. Low end groove: when I need to get "under" the rest of the band, or want a more rootsy sound: parallel, with a little more bass boost and treble and mids cut to about 10:00. I'll probably play more up byt

3. Funk and solo: Single coil setting, mids boosted a bit, treble flat, bass flat or maybe a little boost. I might cut treble to get a growling-but-not sharp sound. Often playing back by the bridge.

These are all great sounds. Who says Stingrays ain't flexible. I'd love to get a HS SR5 someday, but till then, I'm doing fine.

that's me!

 

[AnthonyD]

Same tone - all night long!

 

[tkarter]

I am with Mark as well. The only knob I touch when playing is the volume knob. The rest is all me.

tk

 

[Bill]

Yep, one tone for me, too. I set my amp's EQ flat & start with the bass's EQ flat. Then on the bass I usually take some treble out & maybe crank the mids just a hair. Tone monster!

 

[DKWilkins]

I'm a set and forget type of guy. I vary right hand position and technique to cop different tones.

+1

With the benefit of being able to "throw the switch" on my Sterlings. I vary the tone there also, but generally not with the knobs.

 

[cdb]

I play an SR5 single H---Same tone all night except for quieter songs I switch from series to parallel, and turn down just a hair

 

[Figjam]

With my sterling I usually play flat, with tiny boosts here or there at times.

 

[phatduckk]

With my sterling I usually play flat, with tiny boosts here or there at times.

same here.

 

[Slim]

I play an SR5 single H---Same tone all night except for quieter songs I switch from series to parallel, and turn down just a hair

I am the same way except I adjust eq depends on how loud the band is playing