Your Favorite tone setting...

[Anton Hasias]

Hi everybody,

Runing the bass flat, to me it's like a hamburger without onions, mustard and ketchup.
On Smith basses we find one of the best bass 3 band eq ever and all the knobs are there to be tweaked in order to reach the best palette of sounds needed for the gigs or studio songs.
On amps like Ampeg or others, only the preamp section worth hundreds of $$ and I think it's a waiste of money to run these amps flat. (btw, if anybody knows how can we run an Ampeg SVT tube amp flat, please share, because I don't think it's possible - as only by the fact that you are playing a tube amp, the sound will be well coloured by the tubes)

So the eq board on Smith basses and amps is there to be utilised, and only our creativity must be the border line.
If not, a DI is largely enough...
It's just like some nice clothes; each time we wear something different we look a little different and generaly we wear for any occasion different closes (try to enter in your local Opera House dressed with your beloved rainbow coloured jogging sweat shirt...or better, nacked), but this will not change our personality.

Best regards

[Allan Padmore]

Originally Posted by Anton Hasias

Hi everybody,

Runing the bass flat, to me it's like a hamburger without onions, mustard and ketchup.
On Smith basses we find one of the best bass 3 band eq ever and all the knobs are there to be tweaked in order to reach the best palette of sounds needed for the gigs or studio songs.
On amps like Ampeg or others, only the preamp section worth hundreds of $$ and I think it's a waiste of money to run these amps flat. (btw, if anybody knows how can we run an Ampeg SVT tube amp flat, please share, because I don't think it's possible - as only by the fact that you are playing a tube amp, the sound will be well coloured by the tubes)

So the eq board on Smith basses and amps is there to be utilised, and only our creativity must be the border line.
If not, a DI is largely enough...
It's just like some nice clothes; each time we wear something different we look a little different and generaly we wear for any occasion different closes (try to enter in your local Opera House dressed with your beloved rainbow coloured jogging sweat shirt...or better, nacked), but this will not change our personality.

Best regards

Well said! I could never understand flat settings only regardless of room and speaker and all other components. Such a waste of high end electronics. If all a player needed was flat then cheaper would be better cost wise.

[Christopher Rhodes]

My favorite setting is ... well... a new set of Ken Smith Burner strings. The nickel type.

All the EQ settings cannot replace a fresh set of strings.

Secondly. A nice sounding cabinet seems to make the tone just pop out in the mix.

I know this is slightly off topic - but since the subject is "tone";
mentioning the basic ingredients wouldn't be too far off topic.

Bass (BMT or BSR) + New Strings (Burners) + Nice cabinet( a good one) = That sparkling Ken Smith Tone.

[Roosevelt Allen]

Originally Posted by Christopher Rhodes

My favorite setting is ... well... a new set of Ken Smith Burner strings. The nickel type.

All the EQ settings cannot replace a fresh set of strings.

Secondly. A nice sounding cabinet seems to make the tone just pop out in the mix.

I know this is slightly off topic - but since the subject is "tone";
mentioning the basic ingredients wouldn't be too far off topic.

Bass (BMT or BSR) + New Strings (Burners) + Nice cabinet( a good one) = That sparkling Ken Smith Tone.

1000+. With this combination I can't seem to get a bad sound out of my BT5G no matter how the EQ settings on the bass are adjusted. In addition I tend to also tweak my tone with hand position, attack, etc.; so, I usually leave the bass flat until the strings start to die.

[Christopher Rhodes]

EQ settings, running flat, or however you desire still cannot replace a players abilities with touch and technique.
Your pluck, thump, slap, pop, attack, release, and control of the strings are ... well...
more important than EQ settings.

This ultimately is the determining factor of "your" tone.

Check out this youtube example: from the 7 minute mark...
clearly, a demonstration of total control of the tone, with touch & technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0e0Y...eature=related
( I believe this is Ken Smith BT6 - red stain color; rarely seen like this?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z51o7...eature=related
(Jerry Brooks Solo with red Smith BT6)

Oh yes...
Tone is such a subjective topic... "ear" of the beholder.

[Christopher Rhodes]

I hope I did not kill this thread...

I played my 7-string bass last night, with a LMKII head... it was nice. I might get another gig out of it.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Christopher Rhodes

I hope I did not kill this thread...

I played my 7-string bass last night, with a LMKII head... it was nice. I might get another gig out of it.

I have noticed tons of youtube clips with Smith basses. Just put 'ken smith' in the youtube search, pull up a chair and listen all day to more clips that I can count.

For me, (if playing electric bass) I get the sound I need with the bass and amp at hand. The room and stage have a lot to do with it. I would say it's equally or even more important to have the sound in your head you are shooting for than to have pre-fixed settings planned.

I usually use both pickups balanced firts of all. Usually medium Tapercore strings and fairly fresh regardless of the venue. Form there it depends on the amp and how the amp sounds in the room. I like to set-up the amp for the room to get the basic sound I am looking for with the bass controls still set flat. I would prefer to make my tweaks or adjustments from the bass rather then reaching back to the amp. I usually have the volume out full on the bass but holding that back incase you need a quick on-board boost isn't a bad idea.

For tight funk sound setting with any amount of slapping to do (I haven't slapped much in years) I would raise equally the the bass and treble and cut the mids. This gives the bass a 'notched' setting. For jazz or pop or straight non-pop/slap R&B I do what ever works at the time. Playing with a small group verses a large group with horns will require different settings to cut through.

I would say the best setting is what pleases your ear and what people out in the house or hall tell you sounds best out there as well.

The exact bass you have in model or woods (woods matter a lot for tone settings) and settings between 4, 5, 6, and 7 string will vary even if each bass on the same gig in the same hands with the same strings is the exact same model and woods because, the mass in the neck woods matter. An open G sounds different on a 4, 5, 6 and 7 because of how much wood is under it.

So, use your head (mind really) and ears to know what you want to sound like and set you amp first. Then do the fine tuning with the Bass preamp.

Sometimes after you get it just right, someone in the band tells you, too much this or not enough that or.. the house engineer say.. put it all flat, I'll mix it in the booth... lol

Keep an open mind and make good music.

[Jose Bichoff]

Originally Posted by Allan Padmore

Well said! I could never understand flat settings only regardless of room and speaker and all other components. Such a waste of high end electronics. If all a player needed was flat then cheaper would be better cost wise.

Well, my point is that I do change EQs, but when I'm not in the studio I usually do that in my amp, not in the bass, so I can shape the sound to the room where I am and send the tone that I like from my bass to FOH.
Flat setting is just another one among infinite possibilities Ken's EQ provides. And I think it works just fine.

Best Regards