Your Favorite tone setting...

[Amit Shtriker]

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)

That was exactly my point... Every amp is engineered to have a certain sound (a preset EQ if you will). What I have found is that most of the amps that need messing around with the sound to get the sound you want, will almost always sound less natural (I know a lot of bass players ARE after this low& high boosted with no mids) than amps that sound good when just turning up the volume...

And as both a musician and engineer, one thing I have learned the hard way - using a piece of gear (EQ/compressor etc.) just because you have one available or because it worth hundreds/thousands of $$ is not such a musical decision.

As Christopher Rhodes said (I think this is what he ultimately meant) - the sound is the bass, the strings, and your fingers!! Then the FOH or mix engineer can tweak it further to fit better in the mix..

I used to record and perform with the bass EQ'ed with the onboard EQ as "my tone", I have found it harder to control in the mix, as did the FOH engineers that I worked with. Since I started playing with flat settings on onboard EQ, my sound is more manageable, live and in studio.

One more thing - as I said in my first post - I do use the onboard EQ - just not as MY TONE but in extreme cases, when I need it (extreme sub-bass playing or compensating for thin sounding pickups for instance).