That's why when I record I always try to give the engineer as much top end as possible, he can always dial it down in the mix, but he can't add what's not there.
Once again another great video calling out something i've noticed myself.Trends just seem to be coming and going at a ferocious rate over the last 20years or so.A few years ago it was short scale basses and now its all the vintage thing with flatwounds and p basses.Ive used a hartke amp and active jazz bass for almost all of my 35 year career and its served every purpose for multiple music genres.Find what works for you as an individual and stick with it.❤
Great video , I totally agree !!! I have always gravitated towards modern tone, don’t really care for vintage tones much ! Love the stingray 5 , and I modded my American fender jazz deluxe 5 with a Sadowsky pre amp, bartolini b-axis pickups , and a brass hipshot bridge , sounds so much better to me now!
THANK YOU! Too many people praise these old tones as the best, when, as you stated in the video, that was they best they could do back then. It has its place, but I'm not spending 1500 bucks to sound like ass
When I think of modern bass tone, I think of Sansamp or other bass drivers, it seems like almost every modern bass amp has something built in similar. Not quite overdrive, sometimes it's call harmonics. There is that modern brightness that you get from having a touch of modern drive on your bass sound.
Good stuff and good sense. One thing that doesn't really make sense is the point about a lower action allowing the instrument to resonate better. Although there are clear playability and tuning / intonation benefits with a lower action.
Great video man! I also like playing with a versatile bass. I'm no longer interested in carrying around a vintage rig for that one Motown track that I need to play. 😂
Oops, did I spawn the inspiration for this video when I asked you to put Flats on the PBass? lol tho I couldn’t agree with you more Rib … you’re right on the money. I have my vintage basses/amps, and I have my modern ones… and you are correct, they’re collectively all a totally different animal.
Hi. I really like your video style. I think it's original and quite reminds me of the old internet. It's very refreshing. When it comes to bass tone I always wanted to like active basses, but it seems to me that their sound isn't as dynamic as in passive basses. Maybe these preamps have inbuilt compression and that enables them to have more even or extended frequency range at the top end, I don't know. For me they are so "sterile". What I play feels somewhat disconnected with playing my bass unplugged. I have the same feeling with many modern sounding bass amplifiers, such as new fender rumble. When I got an ampeg or when I play trough an ampeg emulation plugin, my bass sounds as I like it to sound. Ampeg sounds similar to just plugging your bass straight to the audio interface, it just sounds natural to me. And I also like to boost higher midrange to cut trough. But there are still certain active or semi-active basses that draw my attention. I really like aria pro basses and these old g&l ones. I need to find something cheaper, with this kind of neck pickup position - closer to the bridge than typical P pickup, but not as close as in stingray. Would you recommend me something available in Europe/Thomann for max price around 500USD? Cheers.
@Doofenshmirtz666 hey thanks for watching.......I really don't have any recommendations for ya. Usually I make recommendations based on a loose idea of what someone is seeking. You seem to have a very good focus on what you are looking for.
Rib, thank you thank you for supporting The Electricfiers! Your vids are always entertaining, educational and so well put together. You nailed this one, I've been on the same journey about tone recently . If you could show us what you did to that pbass that would be great. Picked one up recently and I don't play it much because I don't like the tone. Keep them comin brother!!
As always, thanks for watching and I love supporting The Electricfiers! I have some catching up to do on your channel......... That bass is a 1989 MIJ Fender Power Jazz Special and it has some very unique active electronics. It has a Fender TBX tone control as well as a sweep. Normally, if I want a traditional sound on a brighter bass, I will change pluck hand position toward the neck a little bit as well as solo the neck pickup and tone shape down. On this bass, I solo the P pickup, bump the sweep to lowest possible setting and I can keep my hand in one spot. Its a strange bird but I really like this bass and gig it a lot for 4-String gigs
My two favorite tones on bass is Mike Dirnt's tone from dookie and the bass tone on the song I will be heard by Hatebreed. My ideal tone is a bassy version of Mike's. Similar to Fieldy's but with more punch. My favorite bass player would probably be Sam Rivers from Limpbizkit. However, the other 4 in my top 5 are Geddy Lee, Les Claypool, Justin Chancelor, and Ryan Martini. Not knocking any other bass player just those are the guys I like the most and never get tired of hearing.
Yeah buddy. For me, a modern bass tone is the meat of a tune. I think a good vintage rock guitar tone with a tip of the hat towards modern with a good solid modern bass tone is the perfect mix in a song.
Another well-crafted video from Rib, good day indeed. Modern bass tone Kind of got its start in the 80s with the bass player from Faith no more, falling to pieces has an awesome tone. I think the bassist that popularized modern tone the most is Fieldy from Korn. You should do a click bait type video, if you do a video discussing Tool's bass tone it will get views. Tool has a huge following and a diverse one at that. I think of modern bass tone kind of an amplification of what you are doing to the strings. muting them and slapping them will produce a pop. Vintage bass tone is like a rubber band on a cardboard box.
Modern tone to me: Active electronics, pickups too preferably. I don't think pickup tone matters much, but I stick to humbuckers. Both pickups on, full volume. Super super low action. Little bit of a mid scoop. Definitely compression. 45-130 stainless steel rounds.
For me have treble but not too high so ur ears bleed then have enough bottom end but not too much and then the mids around 250 to 450hz boost or cut. I have an custom shop ibanez btb bass with aguilar pickups and sound modern no matter
I have a BTB with Bartolini HS2s which I think are a little too dark for my preferences. I was thinking about putting Nord Big Singles in it but let me go check what Aguilar has first ( thanks to your comment lol). Thank you for watching and commenting
I appreciate your knowledge and would like you to get more subscribers. I have an idea for a video if you feel like putting one together. Compare different manufactures active basses for under $500 that produce good modern tone. I figure for $500 you can get a gig worthy and studio ready bass. I think I am going to get a Specter next because they have a green model that looks cool. It is the intro level model but should give me a good idea of what Spector feels like. I'm not a working bassist it is just a hobby, I am working on my thumb technique right now. Again, thank you for the time you spend on the videos. I know comments and subscribing help get your channel noticed and do as much as I can.
Man, the SVT+810=modern is a tough bridge. Is the Ampeg SVT one of the first hifi tube amps? Maybe? I have a '76, it's as old as me, I bought it primarily because it's as old as me, and I f'ing love it. Is it hi-fi? Not my expertise to say, but it sounds amazing in just about any application... Especially with Winged Cs in the power section. That said, I play mostly Sabbath-style metal, noisy ass punk rock, and sometimes Widespread Panic sorta stuff, so ?? I will say it sounds way different through my mid-70s 810 than it does through my Mesa PH 412 than it does through my Ampeg 210. I guess my point is saying something like "DeDe's Ramones tone *isn't* vintage" is weird.
You're right; because Vintage Tone is a current flavor, Modern Tone isn't modern....our vernacular is flip flopped.....when I addressed the pbass with rounds with pick with svt, I had to think about how I wanted to say it so I used the phrase "earliest example" but it is a Classic tone also: its just got greater fidelity than a lot of earlier tones.....the mid70s was the seeds of Modern Tone for sure....thanks for watching
Now that is a highly controversial video.There are some interesting and funny points made, but overall i feel like the modern tone on active basses sounds bloated and soulless. Active electronics make the bass more streamlined and focused, but i'd rather use a compressor pedal for that. What if you play live and the battery dies all of a sudden, since you have no indication how much juice is left. Also Flatwound strings are superior in a band setting, because you don't clash with guitar frequencies, making the bass more hearable in the mix. While one could argue that turning down the tone knob would provide similar results, it's not the same. It's easy to get the modern sound right out of the box, but achieving that warm and woody vintage sounds takes some serious dedication - that's why there are so many tutorials for it. So i really have to disagree, but the video was still good and deserves a thumbs up.
Hey! Thank you for watching! A little controversy to start the day lol! Most of my active basses have a passive bypass in case of battery failure and that I can count on one hand over decades lol.... In the video I mentioned that active basses are an option and not a necessity to get Modern Tone. I personally have always sat better in most mixes with active basses, enabling articulation. Especially in my heavy gigging days playing a lot of variety, smooth jazz, and modern dance (especially 80s pop). I do have one bass with flats and one bass with tapewounds for studiowork...they do sit great in a mix if the producer or project in question is looking for more of a classic sounding mix. I myself have heard P basses with flats sound great in a mix but the instrumentation around it and the mix itself all sounded like it came from the late 70s :)
No need to bash on the vintage style stuff. It really does not sound bad at all ("like a**.") You can love both, and frankly use whatever with the right gear and your fingers. It is a matter of preference, and sometimes, specific application (which was mentioned above.) Each to their own-take no offense and enjoy the basses/strings/gear you like.
@classicalthrasher James Jamerson played a 1960s bass, through 1960s gear, in the 1960s.....he wasn't purposely trying to sound vintage: he was just using his modern technology in his time period. Just my personal opinion, but things sounded the way they did back then because that was the best they had to work with; theres an abundance of players nowadays trying to sound like people they weren't in a time period they didn't live in instead of sounding like themselves for today.
@Rib13Bass It is your opinion-to be respected to be sure. My take would be that a person wanting to sound like himself/herself may wish to do so with a vintagey vibe, totally modern, or a mix of these factors. Not everyone that loves a P bass (such as myself-and I do own other kinds) wants to play with 70 year old flatwounds, and with a mute under the strings near the bridge. For me, it's not about vintage sound hype-trains-as good as these legendary sounds can be-but more about finding tones I love and can use. Some popular, modern tones are super boring-subjective, or course!-but some other modern sounds are amazing to me. I definitely did not mean to talk down to you-however in the modern vs old false dichotomy (IMHO) debate, I lean "old" with a touch of "modernity." I like a nice top end myself, and love my BS66 roundwounds, but also love my flatwounds on my other basses. I guess what I am trying to state is that every tone can be beautiful and usable if you put enough effort into making them work-even outside their "original eras," as you may put it. Better to have the best tool for the work, but sometimes a humble instrument with a lone passive pickup with flats-or roundwounds for that matter-could do "everything." That said, we should play what we love, as that *is* more inspiring, and develop our own style and palette of sounds, as it's pointless (IMO) to become a clone of a player-vintage or otherwise-for its own sake. Being inspired by a(many) great player(s) is better than trying to be a lesser version of someone we are not. Best wishes! Apologies for my long statement. Just do not agree the older guys would have necessarily adopted all new sounds and gear as these came about. Some would have, I am sure, as they did throughout the 70s/80s, adopting new tech and pickup designs, but I am sure many would have stuck to what they knew best-and some still do. (Last note: some old LP masterings sound amazing! Especially for classical. Not all old is bad at all!) Take care, and be happy with all your endeavors.
@classicalthrasher not at all....it was a great read and always awesome to consider everyone's perspective....everyones differences is what makes the magic of music
your editing style is second to none
Thank you
That's why when I record I always try to give the engineer as much top end as possible, he can always dial it down in the mix, but he can't add what's not there.
Once again another great video calling out something i've noticed myself.Trends just seem to be coming and going at a ferocious rate over the last 20years or so.A few years ago it was short scale basses and now its all the vintage thing with flatwounds and p basses.Ive used a hartke amp and active jazz bass for almost all of my 35 year career and its served every purpose for multiple music genres.Find what works for you as an individual and stick with it.❤
Great video , I totally agree !!!
I have always gravitated towards modern tone, don’t really care for vintage tones much !
Love the stingray 5 , and I modded my American fender jazz deluxe 5 with a Sadowsky pre amp, bartolini b-axis pickups , and a brass hipshot bridge , sounds so much better to me now!
THANK YOU! Too many people praise these old tones as the best, when, as you stated in the video, that was they best they could do back then. It has its place, but I'm not spending 1500 bucks to sound like ass
lol
love the inverted v as an arrow
When I think of modern bass tone, I think of Sansamp or other bass drivers, it seems like almost every modern bass amp has something built in similar. Not quite overdrive, sometimes it's call harmonics. There is that modern brightness that you get from having a touch of modern drive on your bass sound.
Yup. For certain genres, that is certainly true. I probably should have given that a mention
Good stuff and good sense. One thing that doesn't really make sense is the point about a lower action allowing the instrument to resonate better. Although there are clear playability and tuning / intonation benefits with a lower action.
I couldnt agree more with this video. Great job Tony!
Great video man! I also like playing with a versatile bass. I'm no longer interested in carrying around a vintage rig for that one Motown track that I need to play. 😂
Man I was tickled when I watched your video......I was like "He's not only a great bass player, but he's got ESP !" lol....love your channel!
Oops, did I spawn the inspiration for this video when I asked you to put Flats on the PBass? lol
tho I couldn’t agree with you more Rib … you’re right on the money.
I have my vintage basses/amps,
and I have my modern ones… and you are correct, they’re collectively all a totally different animal.
THANK YOU
love how creative the editing is
Never thought I'd hear about modern bass tone from Scott Ian
Hi. I really like your video style. I think it's original and quite reminds me of the old internet. It's very refreshing. When it comes to bass tone I always wanted to like active basses, but it seems to me that their sound isn't as dynamic as in passive basses. Maybe these preamps have inbuilt compression and that enables them to have more even or extended frequency range at the top end, I don't know. For me they are so "sterile". What I play feels somewhat disconnected with playing my bass unplugged. I have the same feeling with many modern sounding bass amplifiers, such as new fender rumble. When I got an ampeg or when I play trough an ampeg emulation plugin, my bass sounds as I like it to sound. Ampeg sounds similar to just plugging your bass straight to the audio interface, it just sounds natural to me. And I also like to boost higher midrange to cut trough. But there are still certain active or semi-active basses that draw my attention. I really like aria pro basses and these old g&l ones. I need to find something cheaper, with this kind of neck pickup position - closer to the bridge than typical P pickup, but not as close as in stingray. Would you recommend me something available in Europe/Thomann for max price around 500USD? Cheers.
@Doofenshmirtz666 hey thanks for watching.......I really don't have any recommendations for ya. Usually I make recommendations based on a loose idea of what someone is seeking. You seem to have a very good focus on what you are looking for.
Agreed on all points, bass player obsession with muddy vintage tones has always baffled me.
Cool video, as always !
Great video! Thanks Rib!
Great video! And you said the thing I always say verbatim: Sound of piano strings!
Great video thanks for awsome info as well as entertainment
Rib, thank you thank you for supporting The Electricfiers! Your vids are always entertaining, educational and so well put together. You nailed this one, I've been on the same journey about tone recently . If you could show us what you did to that pbass that would be great. Picked one up recently and I don't play it much because I don't like the tone. Keep them comin brother!!
As always, thanks for watching and I love supporting The Electricfiers! I have some catching up to do on your channel......... That bass is a 1989 MIJ Fender Power Jazz Special and it has some very unique active electronics. It has a Fender TBX tone control as well as a sweep. Normally, if I want a traditional sound on a brighter bass, I will change pluck hand position toward the neck a little bit as well as solo the neck pickup and tone shape down. On this bass, I solo the P pickup, bump the sweep to lowest possible setting and I can keep my hand in one spot. Its a strange bird but I really like this bass and gig it a lot for 4-String gigs
My two favorite tones on bass is Mike Dirnt's tone from dookie and the bass tone on the song I will be heard by Hatebreed. My ideal tone is a bassy version of Mike's. Similar to Fieldy's but with more punch. My favorite bass player would probably be Sam Rivers from Limpbizkit. However, the other 4 in my top 5 are Geddy Lee, Les Claypool, Justin Chancelor, and Ryan Martini. Not knocking any other bass player just those are the guys I like the most and never get tired of hearing.
Ive always loved Dirnt's tone.......especially from the G.3
Finally somebody speaking facts.
Yeah buddy. For me, a modern bass tone is the meat of a tune. I think a good vintage rock guitar tone with a tip of the hat towards modern with a good solid modern bass tone is the perfect mix in a song.
Another well-crafted video from Rib, good day indeed. Modern bass tone Kind of got its start in the 80s with the bass player from Faith no more, falling to pieces has an awesome tone. I think the bassist that popularized modern tone the most is Fieldy from Korn. You should do a click bait type video, if you do a video discussing Tool's bass tone it will get views. Tool has a huge following and a diverse one at that. I think of modern bass tone kind of an amplification of what you are doing to the strings. muting them and slapping them will produce a pop. Vintage bass tone is like a rubber band on a cardboard box.
As always, thank you
"Your Bass. it sounds so, Oolde!" -My Big Fat Greek Dad
Lolol
Modern tone to me: Active electronics, pickups too preferably. I don't think pickup tone matters much, but I stick to humbuckers. Both pickups on, full volume. Super super low action. Little bit of a mid scoop. Definitely compression. 45-130 stainless steel rounds.
For me have treble but not too high so ur ears bleed then have enough bottom end but not too much and then the mids around 250 to 450hz boost or cut. I have an custom shop ibanez btb bass with aguilar pickups and sound modern no matter
I have a BTB with Bartolini HS2s which I think are a little too dark for my preferences. I was thinking about putting Nord Big Singles in it but let me go check what Aguilar has first ( thanks to your comment lol). Thank you for watching and commenting
I appreciate your knowledge and would like you to get more subscribers. I have an idea for a video if you feel like putting one together. Compare different manufactures active basses for under $500 that produce good modern tone. I figure for $500 you can get a gig worthy and studio ready bass. I think I am going to get a Specter next because they have a green model that looks cool. It is the intro level model but should give me a good idea of what Spector feels like. I'm not a working bassist it is just a hobby, I am working on my thumb technique right now. Again, thank you for the time you spend on the videos. I know comments and subscribing help get your channel noticed and do as much as I can.
Thank you Thank you....and thanks for the idea!
Man, the SVT+810=modern is a tough bridge. Is the Ampeg SVT one of the first hifi tube amps? Maybe? I have a '76, it's as old as me, I bought it primarily because it's as old as me, and I f'ing love it. Is it hi-fi? Not my expertise to say, but it sounds amazing in just about any application... Especially with Winged Cs in the power section. That said, I play mostly Sabbath-style metal, noisy ass punk rock, and sometimes Widespread Panic sorta stuff, so ?? I will say it sounds way different through my mid-70s 810 than it does through my Mesa PH 412 than it does through my Ampeg 210. I guess my point is saying something like "DeDe's Ramones tone *isn't* vintage" is weird.
You're right; because Vintage Tone is a current flavor, Modern Tone isn't modern....our vernacular is flip flopped.....when I addressed the pbass with rounds with pick with svt, I had to think about how I wanted to say it so I used the phrase "earliest example" but it is a Classic tone also: its just got greater fidelity than a lot of earlier tones.....the mid70s was the seeds of Modern Tone for sure....thanks for watching
Now that is a highly controversial video.There are some interesting and funny points made, but overall i feel like the modern tone on active basses sounds bloated and soulless. Active electronics make the bass more streamlined and focused, but i'd rather use a compressor pedal for that. What if you play live and the battery dies all of a sudden, since you have no indication how much juice is left. Also Flatwound strings are superior in a band setting, because you don't clash with guitar frequencies, making the bass more hearable in the mix. While one could argue that turning down the tone knob would provide similar results, it's not the same. It's easy to get the modern sound right out of the box, but achieving that warm and woody vintage sounds takes some serious dedication - that's why there are so many tutorials for it. So i really have to disagree, but the video was still good and deserves a thumbs up.
Hey! Thank you for watching! A little controversy to start the day lol! Most of my active basses have a passive bypass in case of battery failure and that I can count on one hand over decades lol.... In the video I mentioned that active basses are an option and not a necessity to get Modern Tone. I personally have always sat better in most mixes with active basses, enabling articulation. Especially in my heavy gigging days playing a lot of variety, smooth jazz, and modern dance (especially 80s pop). I do have one bass with flats and one bass with tapewounds for studiowork...they do sit great in a mix if the producer or project in question is looking for more of a classic sounding mix. I myself have heard P basses with flats sound great in a mix but the instrumentation around it and the mix itself all sounded like it came from the late 70s :)
No need to bash on the vintage style stuff. It really does not sound bad at all ("like a**.") You can love both, and frankly use whatever with the right gear and your fingers. It is a matter of preference, and sometimes, specific application (which was mentioned above.)
Each to their own-take no offense and enjoy the basses/strings/gear you like.
@classicalthrasher James Jamerson played a 1960s bass, through 1960s gear, in the 1960s.....he wasn't purposely trying to sound vintage: he was just using his modern technology in his time period. Just my personal opinion, but things sounded the way they did back then because that was the best they had to work with; theres an abundance of players nowadays trying to sound like people they weren't in a time period they didn't live in instead of sounding like themselves for today.
@Rib13Bass It is your opinion-to be respected to be sure.
My take would be that a person wanting to sound like himself/herself may wish to do so with a vintagey vibe, totally modern, or a mix of these factors. Not everyone that loves a P bass (such as myself-and I do own other kinds) wants to play with 70 year old flatwounds, and with a mute under the strings near the bridge. For me, it's not about vintage sound hype-trains-as good as these legendary sounds can be-but more about finding tones I love and can use. Some popular, modern tones are super boring-subjective, or course!-but some other modern sounds are amazing to me. I definitely did not mean to talk down to you-however in the modern vs old false dichotomy (IMHO) debate, I lean "old" with a touch of "modernity." I like a nice top end myself, and love my BS66 roundwounds, but also love my flatwounds on my other basses.
I guess what I am trying to state is that every tone can be beautiful and usable if you put enough effort into making them work-even outside their "original eras," as you may put it. Better to have the best tool for the work, but sometimes a humble instrument with a lone passive pickup with flats-or roundwounds for that matter-could do "everything."
That said, we should play what we love, as that *is* more inspiring, and develop our own style and palette of sounds, as it's pointless (IMO) to become a clone of a player-vintage or otherwise-for its own sake. Being inspired by a(many) great player(s) is better than trying to be a lesser version of someone we are not.
Best wishes! Apologies for my long statement. Just do not agree the older guys would have necessarily adopted all new sounds and gear as these came about. Some would have, I am sure, as they did throughout the 70s/80s, adopting new tech and pickup designs, but I am sure many would have stuck to what they knew best-and some still do.
(Last note: some old LP masterings sound amazing! Especially for classical. Not all old is bad at all!)
Take care, and be happy with all your endeavors.
@classicalthrasher not at all....it was a great read and always awesome to consider everyone's perspective....everyones differences is what makes the magic of music
Dug Pinnick. Nuff said.