jazzy sound?

[ashiin]

i have been playing at a jazz band at school and a rock band. When i played at my jazz band, my friend mentioned to me how my bass sounded a little too rockish. What type of settings can make my stingray more jazzy?

 

[screaminhugger]

I have played a fender Jazz bass for 20+ years, and just bought a stingray because I needed more of a "rock" sound. For jazz, you need a more laid back smooth tone. try rolling off the treble and keeping your bass and mid settings in the center position. You just don't want it to "punch" too much. Even with my Jbass, I roll the treble back a bit to smooth things out. Tone is a very subjective thing, and this is only my opinion, but it works for me. I haven't tried my stingray with the big band yet, but I am anxious to see if it will be o.k. I am keeping my J until I know for sure though. Hope this helps.

james

 

[Caca de Kick]

Flatwounds....

I see you're playing a 30th....right now I'm playing mine too. And I just noticed you're using the same bass for two different bands, so you're probably wanting to stick with roundwounds. Maybe you could try sticking a chunk of foam under the strings by the bridge for a mute. I have one old Stingray that has the spring mutes and it works for that, and I just tried a chunk foam on my 30th and it tamed it down where you probably want it.

 

[KennethB]

Fretless.

 

[Alvabass]

In my experience, a punchy tone isn't what a "standard" jazz band looks for. Now, the closer you play to the bridge, the punchier the tone will be. So, try playing closer to the fingerboard. Another option is to play using your thumb while palm-muting the strings at the bridge, like most reggae bassists do. This works better with old strings and rolled-off treble.

Hope this helps.

 

[mike not fat]

If your SR has 2 pick-up, try playing with the neck p-u.
If not, as Alvabass pointed out, playing with your finger near the neck will get you a smoother tone. Also try to have a "lighter" touch
To get a jazzier sound, I also cut some high and high mids, keep the low bass at half of the pot run and push a bit the low mids, just to cut in the mix without being to punchy.

MNF

 

[roballanson]

i have been playing at a jazz band at school and a rock band. When i played at my jazz band, my friend mentioned to me how my bass sounded a little too rockish. What type of settings can make my stingray more jazzy?

Why not forget trying to recreate the past and push Jazz forward... innovate. Ok so its only school but gotta start somewhere.
Sorry not having a go but why is your friend trying to pigeon hole your sound.

If not Alva's idea is a grand one

 

[dlb1001]

You could try to palm muting the strings.

 

[boston asphalt2]

Flatwounds....

I see you're playing a 30th....right now I'm playing mine too. And I just noticed you're using the same bass for two different bands, so you're probably wanting to stick with roundwounds. Maybe you could try sticking a chunk of foam under the strings by the bridge for a mute. I have one old Stingray that has the spring mutes and it works for that, and I just tried a chunk foam on my 30th and it tamed it down where you probably want it.

you got any picutres of you using a foam block?

I love the punchiness of the 30th (it could take Tyson in two rounds but I do also want to be able to mute it down a bit)

 

[PocketGroove82]

wow...so I'm not the only person who (on a single H ray) rolls off the Treble and Mids, with a slight bass boost to get a warm, phat, huge, jazz tone!
Also, I agree that palm muting produces a huge bass tone with little sustain, which is similar to an upright sound, but I really get the most out of that style of play when I'm playing reggae.
It will also help to mellow out your EQ on your rig, if you are using your ray for jazz.

Also, try playing with your right hand thumb sitting on the end of your fretboard. Plucking so far away from your pickup/bridge will add extra mellowness to your sound, and so your 30th won't sound so in your face.

Let me be the first person to say, if you have a real interest in playing jazz then it would behoove you to find an acoustic, upright bass and start learning pizzicato.
It will double the number of gigs you get, the audience loves it, it's more fun and legit in a jazz setting, and it will bring another dimension to your electric playing, as your electric playing will bring nuance to your upright playing.
The string bass is our direct link and ancestor to history and our link to the bass-in-music spanning hundreds of years.

Tonight I did a Christmas concert where I played everything from The Jackson 5 and Brian Setzer, to Vince Guaraldi, Tchaikovsky, and Handel. All in 2hours.
And let me just say that doubling is one of the hardest, but most gratifying endeavors I've ever undertaken.


try it

 

[tkarter]

Flatwounds....

I see you're playing a 30th....right now I'm playing mine too. And I just noticed you're using the same bass for two different bands, so you're probably wanting to stick with roundwounds. Maybe you could try sticking a chunk of foam under the strings by the bridge for a mute. I have one old Stingray that has the spring mutes and it works for that, and I just tried a chunk foam on my 30th and it tamed it down where you probably want it.

Good answer!!

tk

 

[stretch80]

Lots of good suggestions from everybody! YOU CAN PLAY JAZZ with a RAY.

My formula:
- Boost bass, cut treble fully, mids a little.
- Play by the end of the fingerboard with a light touch.
- Cut treble a bit on my amp, and mids a bit as well.
- Play phrases like a jazz player. Listen to actual jazz players (on upright) and hear how they phrase things...

have fun!

 

[plato]

BTW, what *IS* jazz sound?
Why fight the instrument?!?
If you love your SR tone and dynamics then define your own "jazz sound".

My 2 cents....
I use 2 EQ SR's (Boost only EQ) and I get a very warm sound (for Jazz and Latin gigs) by rolling both Bass & Treble knobs ALL THE WAY DOWN and use the amp pre-gain and EQ to shape the final tone.
I know it sounds a bit extreme to most... but you can give it a try. You might be surprizzzzzed

 

[boston asphalt2]

simple answer: use your bass's EQ to find your tone, or use the EQ on your amp to go along with it.

 

[NoFrets80]

Let me be the first person to say, if you have a real interest in playing jazz then it would behoove you to find an acoustic, upright bass and start learning pizzicato.
It will double the number of gigs you get, the audience loves it, it's more fun and legit in a jazz setting, and it will bring another dimension to your electric playing, as your electric playing will bring nuance to your upright playing.
The string bass is our direct link and ancestor to history and our link to the bass-in-music spanning hundreds of years.

Word... It's funny too how people can tell whether or not your pedigree is primarily upright bass. I've had people come up to me after gigs and ask if I play upright too, simply because so much of that vocabulary is also in my EB playing. I use all sorts of open string skips, chromatic passing tones, and upright fingerings on electric, simply because it makes sense and is second nature. If you want to make the transition to upright easier down the road, play fretless EB as well. My very first bass was a fretless (potential disaster, no?), and it scared me to death, but it made upright so much easier. Just watch out for the blisters for the first year or so.

 

[tkarter]

I will go out on a long limb here and state simple. If you are wanting to play jazz and wanting to learn about it learn from Carol Kaye. Anyone that can out Jazz her I want to meet.

tk

 

[Mr Light]

Well,

For me, mids centered, bass and treble slightly boosted, and a lighter right-hand touch gives me the smooth "Sade" tone. You may want to turn up to compensate for the lighter touch. Also, sometimes without thinking about it, I find myself placing my right hand closer to the neck.

If that doesn't satisfy them, tell them you're ushering in a new non-Fender using electric jazz era.