Trying to find "That Sound"

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:15 am

A lot of us worship at the alter of Ampeg SVT and Ric, Jeffrey.

henny · Post by **henny** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:32 am

Ampegs are super in that they make any bass sound great....

But, for me, there's only one bass amp for a Ric - that's a Marshall Super Bass 100...

...(and to a lesser extent the new Marshall VBA412)

They just bring out the best of Rics.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:45 am

I've never tried one but have heard they sound good, Paul Yan has one also, I used to own a Marshall Major 200 watt head, sounded great for bass, this was pre-Ric though. I like most tube bass heads, and I have always liked Marshalls.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:53 am

There are some good amps from that era ... Marshall ... Ampeg ... Acoustic ... Sunn ...

scanman17 · Post by **scanman17** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 2:19 pm

well i just ordered the bass podxt and some flatwound strings. so begins my journey into the great unknown. the roto flatwounds i purchased are a slightly different gauge than the ric strings. the d string is .10 heavier. is that a big enough difference that i should consult a guitar expert i trust to help me with? im thinking my action is too low anyway, so maybe i'll just bring it to him with the new strings and a big MORON sign attached to my forehead. i know many of you folks recommend learning how to do these things yourself and fixing it, but if i tried to do that, i would be bringing in my mangled 4003 with an even bigger MORON sign attached to me.
sorry i haven't posted a pic of my turqouis baby yet. i know it's the law but i do not have a digital camera or scanner

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 2:53 pm

I have a question for the bass experts. Did Vox ever make a have decent bass amplifier?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 3:12 pm

I had a Vox amp ... did not like it ...

Joseph ... we get opinionated here but we try not to get personal ... even though I would never use a flatwound string ... I also don't think you are a moron for using flats ... I know flats have a cool sound ... I just think that rounds are cooler and more versatile ...

dr_rickenstein · Post by **dr_rickenstein** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 3:42 pm

I have a bass podxt and I have to admit I only use it for recording. I play live direct through either of one of my ampex amps, it depends on how I feel the amp will suit the songs. I have never really taken the time to set the pod up for playing live but now that I have seen Jeff's settings I'll probably give them a try.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 5:29 pm

I heard the pod xt is better for the studio and the 1st bass pod is better for live stuff ...

but I just use mine as a front end tone shaper no matter what I am doing ... I can get my sound in the studio, or for a gig, or for an open jam, or what ever ... it can make an inferior amp sound good or a good amp sound great ... or it can suck if you use it wrong ... it is not for everybody ...

dean712 · Post by **dean712** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:59 pm

This is an awesome thread; sorry I'm just now jumping in - my access over the weekend was cut.

This has been a very valuable discussion to me. My live tone is 100% there, but Jeff and others have me wondering about how to improve my studio tone. Last time in the studio, I ran direct with only a SansAmp (nice effect, btw). I'm thinking some compression and a little more bite would have been great. Might try some of your suggestions for the next time.

Anybody have any suggestions on a great compression effect, stand-alone, for bass guitar?

Also - Steve: Thanks for posting on Steve Harris using flats. Wow, that is incredible, given his tone. He is a huge influence, and Iron Maiden is a great band!

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 10:27 pm

Right now my Rick is strung up with flats - it's been that way for a while and will probably stay that way. I keep the mutes up quite often to get a "plunky" tone with lots of attack, it works great within my music.

If I want a bright sound, I pick up my Musicman Sterling, a bass which can REALLY run the gamut of tones. Not to say the Rick can't - i've used it in metal bands, punk bands, and even for classical recitals! I just love it the way I have it now, mellow sounding.

Question - Would a Toaster pickup better suit my needs based on what i've said about my Rick use? I get the impression that the Hi-gains are more geared towards Roundwound strings, but I don't know for sure.

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:34 am

Thanks Jeff. I will start a new thread on The Others as I don't want to take from this discussion.

scanman17 · Post by **scanman17** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:58 am

i really hope it is untrue about the basspodxt being good for studio but not live, because i got it for my live sound, not the studio.
jeff, the MORON thing was just my poor attempt at humour. i know everybody around here is great. i really love all of the diverse opinions. i was reading about how the p'up guard bothers some folks, and also where everyone likes to rest to rest there thumb. i rest mine on the E string and then dangle it when im playing an E. definitely a lot of different strokes in this forum. I love that there is not any self righteousness in the opinions given. everyone is very open.

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 3:08 am

John: Many like the toaster sound on their Rickenbacker bass. It is a simple experiment to do and so I would encourage you to buy a toaster an pop it in. Should you not like it, there is always someone looking for a toaster and you could easily sell it for a fair price.

I tried the toaster in my 4003 but in the end, having only one bass, I put the high gain back in the neck position as I preferred that sound overall. This was a more versatile arrangement for me.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:17 am

Dean ... I have a sans amp ... it can give you a live sound in the studio ... but it lacks compression ... If you add a compressor in with it the sans amp will work fine ... I have to have a compressor because I play aggressively ... I hate when I do a heavy thumb slap and the amp clips ... that is a ****** sound ...

Also the bass pod has deep editing options where you can hook it up to a computer and really tweak your patches ... I never use it though because I get a good enough sound out of the dials ...