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Topic: Tone question |
Scott McRee
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2016 4:07 pm |
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| If I want a more mellow tone on my fender bassman would I turn the treble down or the mids or both? Also, how much of each? Also, what do you suggest with the bass? I like a real mellow tone. No ice picky shrill sounds |
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Ben Waligoske
From:
Denver, CO
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Posted 18 Jan 2016 4:20 pm
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I'm sure others will chime in, but you might try to simply adjust your picking technique and move further away from the pickup/changer. Experiment with picking your lines around the 15th-20th fret instead of directly above the pickup, and you might be surprised at the result.
The advantage of this is that you can leave your amp set to a hotter, more old-school steel tone with some bite when you pick normally by the changer, but you can easily alter it with just your technique instead of messing with the amp too much.
YMMV, but happy pickin'! To answer your question directly, Fender amps are naturally mid-cut, but if I were you I'd kill all/most of the mids and set the bass/treble to taste.
Last edited by Ben Waligoske on 18 Jan 2016 8:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Scott McRee
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2016 4:31 pm Thx so much
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| Thanks for the tips. I appreciate it a lot |
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 19 Jan 2016 5:40 am
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Start with the bass at 6-8, and the mids all the way down. Then, adjust the tone with the treble control (usually below 4). If the bass is too "thumpy" raise the mids a little.  |
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Charley Bond
From:
Inola, OK, USA
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Posted 19 Jan 2016 8:01 am Shrill tones
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| When I discussed this with Lenny, he suggested I get a BOSS GE7, it's an inline EQ. |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2016 2:14 pm
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Hmmm.....here's a quote from the article Ian pointed out:
"if you aggressively scoop your mids you are confused by tone and trying to avoid as much of it as possible, a grounded mid pot not just reducing mids but eliminating much of the rest of the amp’s sound.
But more importantly this explains why the mid control not only attenuates the mid frequencies, “it also attenuates the overall level of the output signal.â€*"
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Drew Pierce
From:
Arkansas, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2016 3:33 pm
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The tone you perceive is very environment specific. When you are sitting right in front of, or next to your amp, you hear a lot more high end than you woud hear, say, 50 feet away. High frequencies drop off much faster than lows. This is especially true if there are a bunch of noisy people in the room. What sounds "mellow" in your practice space can sound thick and mushy farther away in a large room.
_________________
Drew Pierce
Emmons D10 Fatback, S10 bolt-on, Zum D10, Evans RE500, Hilton volume and delay pedals. |
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Chris Harvey
From:
California, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2016 9:12 am
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| Try picking farther up on the neck. Also, a lot of the piercing highs you'll hear is from the speaker "beaming". A weber beam blocker will instantly tame those highs and disperse them evenly. You can get an idea by placing a coffee (or CD or foam or duct tape) can lid on the grill of your amp directly over the cone. I keep a portable one handy, but those Weber Beam Blockers are great. The tone is subjective and will vary from room to room. Not enough highs and you'll get buried. |
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Norm Fletcher
From:
Ashland, OR
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Posted 21 Jan 2016 10:01 am environmentally specific
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Drew
An acoustic guitar maker once told me that the true sound of an instrument is not in your lap while you play, but well out and away from the player. That little piece of advice has never let me down. When I play through an amplifier, it is may own "rule" that I get as far away as my cord lets me in order to get the tone I want the audience to hear. Thanks for the reminder.
Norm
_________________
Williams 700 E9th/B6. 1978 Webb 6-14. Taylor Acoustic, 1973 Ramirez Segovia 1a, Brian Moore iGuitar with synth driver and, my standby for acoustic gigs, a little Roland Acoustic amp. |
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John Limbach
From:
Billings, Montana, USA
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2016 10:17 am
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Tame the "shrill" before it ever gets to the amp... 
B |
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Scott McRee
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2016 11:48 am Freeloader
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| Yea that's why I ordered my freeloader. Looking forward to having a little control over that top end |
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