OnlyTwin

There's a possibility I could end up playing bass to help start up a band, but I'm looking for a certain sound. I really like the sound of Natsuko Miyamoto from the band Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, which I kinda think sounds "loose" and "dirty" but not too much of either, and I believe she uses Ampeg. I also really like Robert DeLeo from STP's bass sound, mostly from the "No. 4" album. I think I might like Natsuko's sound a bit more, but what I like about their sound is that, being that it's them and a single guitarist, they're able to carry on riff's while the guitarist plays a lead line or something like that.





I would be using my friend's bass amp, an Acoustic 200w. I know Natsuko uses Ampeg, but I thought that maybe with DI boxes or pedals or maybe even pickup configuration, I could achieve her sound. I personally own a Marshall DSL 401, and I did read up about Robert DeLeo splitting his bass signal like Chris Squire into a guitar amp, so I thought maybe I could atleast go for Robert's sound and my guitar amp wouldn't have to sit to waste. Any ideas or advice on how I could achieve the sound I have in mind? Thank you.

eddiehimself

You certainly could use your DSL to add a bit of dirt to the sound. Plenty of bass players use guitar amps for just that. I think ideally what you would want is what is known as a "crossover", to split the high frequency sounds to the guitar amp and the lower frequencies to the bass amp. Alternatively, you could use the guitar amp as a preamp by using the preamp output or effects send. and hook it up to the bass amp that way. However, you should avoid using the guitar amp speaker if you're running all the bass frequencies through it, as they're not designed for the lower frequencies. You'll just have to turn the master volume off.

PS: Lady + Asian + bass player = yum

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Black Ox

You could also use one of the Tech 21 pedals and add some drive to your tone.

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MaggaraMarine

I think that Asian band bass sound comes from her playing power chords on the higher strings on bass (she seems to be using the two highest strings almost all the time). It will pretty much sound like that when you play power chords. You don't necessarily need any overdrive. She plays the bass pretty much like a rhythm guitar.

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My motto: Play what the song needs you to play!

Gear:

Charvel So Cal (MIJ)
Digitech RP355
MXR Micro Chorus
Laney VC30
Tokai TB48

OnlyTwin

+1

OnlyTwin

If you listen to the albums, there's too much bass for it to always be the high strings. I used that video as an example of something more rhythm-guitarish she plays with bass. But I guess what I should ask is, PLAYING POWER CHORDS, how would you get a sound like that? I own a Peavey bass and playing power chords, it sounds nothing like this. Then again, my strings are about 5 years old. She plays a Fender J-bass, but I wanna know what kinda strings/pickups/preamps, DIs, etc. would I need for this sound?

CJ Noble

she plays a Bacchus Premium 4 through an Ampeg SVT-CL and an SVT-810E

I'm a huge fan of MOTFD and Natsuko Miyamoto, she's probably one of my biggest influences these days

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1978 Peavey T-40 -> Ampeg Micro-VR - > Ampeg SVT210AV + Ampeg SVT-15E

OnlyTwin

What the? Where'd you get all that info? D: Couldn't find anything on the net

CJ Noble

saw them live about 3 years ago, and I asked her about her gear.

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1978 Peavey T-40 -> Ampeg Micro-VR - > Ampeg SVT210AV + Ampeg SVT-15E

MaggaraMarine

Well, I don't know. When I play power chords it sounds like that. You could also buy new strings. I don't really play through an amp at home (I don't own a bass amp) but at our band practice place we have a Peavey TNT amp and through it my Thunderbird sounds a bit like that when I play power chords. Even if I play unplugged, it sounds like that.

__________________
My motto: Play what the song needs you to play!

Gear:

Charvel So Cal (MIJ)
Digitech RP355
MXR Micro Chorus
Laney VC30
Tokai TB48

Pandawithapick

Fresh rounds and a Tech 21 VT Bass will get you fairly close for fairly cheap, methinks. Also, play hard with a pick.

eddiehimself

Are you sure you're not just driving the amp really hard?

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MaggaraMarine

No. I have the pre-gain control at 1 or 2 (and you really can't get any distortion from the TNT amp, I have tried it with pre gain at 10). But as I said, my bass sounds like that when I play power chords even when it's unplugged.

__________________
My motto: Play what the song needs you to play!

Gear:

Charvel So Cal (MIJ)
Digitech RP355
MXR Micro Chorus
Laney VC30
Tokai TB48

CJ Noble

low action is integral to that tone

__________________
1978 Peavey T-40 -> Ampeg Micro-VR - > Ampeg SVT210AV + Ampeg SVT-15E