If you are a guitarist or bassist
who is old enough to have
lived through a few stylistic
trends in rock, you know that
each one comes with its own
tone or amp trend as well. For
the guitarist, the signs are pretty
obvious. A few years back, for
example, it was nearly impossible
to hear a heavy rock album
without a Mesa/Boogie Rectifier
melting your face. But when it
comes to bass, there is a singular
tone that has survived through
most of rock ’n’ roll’s trends and
can be heard in most genres of
rock—be it the British new wave
and punk bands of the ’70s, the
hair-metal bands of the ’80s,
or the modern rock and punk
bands of the ’90s and today. That
timeless thunder is the sound
of a Fender P bass played with
a pick while fueling an Ampeg
SVT and 8x10 speaker cabinet.
1. While trends come and go with guitar amps, this vintage Ampeg has continued to deliver the rock tone for bass that
won’t go away—in spite of musical trends. Getting the high end to break up a little without really distorting provides that
special “toaster tone.” 2. Cutting the mids at the right frequency, engaging the ultra-low switch, and making sure your
volume is turned up loud enough will make a vintage Ampeg respond with the perfect tone when you plug in a P bass.
When that tone is executed
correctly, it is square one for rock
bass. In fact, it has been rock’s
sonic standard for decades. Just
listen to “The Middle” by Jimmy
Eat World, “All Fired Up” by Pat
Benatar, “Piece of Me” by Skid
Row, or “Warning” by Green
Day, and you’ll get an earful of
exactly how this classic, bright
tone is supposed to sound.
So how does one deliver this
classic bass tone? With their
thick necks, P basses from the
’70s are certainly a good starting
point, and the fretboard should
be maple to really accentuate the
growl, midrange “woodiness,”
and attack of the pick. Pick
attack location is vital to this
tone too—you should be hitting
the strings right above the pickup
or just a little bit behind it.
Personally, I use D’Addario
medium-heavy picks that are
0.99 mm thick. Some players
prefer a lighter pick to coax more
zing and brightness from the
strings, while others may choose
a lighter gauge for increased
playing speed. But remember: If
your pick is too light, you’ll lose
low end and some of the buil-tin,
kick-drum effect that’s at the
heart of good plectrum tone.
For strings, they must be
roundwounds. Luckily, there
are a variety of high-end roundwounds
available from different
manufacturers—all with their
own personality. Some brands
have a cleaner, pointed top that
sound good for slapping, while
others have a wide top end that
sounds amazing with a pick.
Rotosound’s Swing Bass 66 series
have been one of the most popular
roundwound sets for many
years, and D’Addario ProSteels
are a great choice to achieve the
“tone that won’t go away.”
But the secret to getting this
tone really lies in the amplifier,
and my amp of choice is a ’74
Ampeg SVT. The versions the
company made from ’71 through
’76 are the magical models, and
they are legendary for a reason.
They sound the best when you
push them hard. No other amp
has come even close to sounding
as sweet when pushed like my ’74.
My standard procedure for
getting the amp “pick ready” is
to engage the ultra-low rocker
switch, set the assignable midrange-
frequency rocker switch
to 800 Hz, cut the midrange
knob to about 10 o’clock (cutting
the midrange is an essential
element for any great pick
tone), and boost the treble to
2 o’clock. The magic starts to
appear with a big, warm sound
once the volume is set above 9
o’clock, but the tone will not
sound aggressive until you really
dig in with the pick. When you
do so, you’ll get a high end that
isn’t distorted—in the traditional
meaning of the word—
but rather a little dirty or fuzzy,
while still retaining punch and
clarity. I call it the “toaster
tone” because your top end gets
the same treatment that a piece
of bread gets in the toaster—it
gets tougher, crunchier, a little
discolored, and a lot tastier.
Of course, the cabinet also
plays a huge role in this tone.
And pairing the SVT with an
8x10 speaker enclosure is a great
fit, especially in a live setting.
The secret lies in the fairly low
power-rating of each driver—
they actually sound like they are
working hard. By doing so, they
help the top end sound a little
dirtier—without really being
distorted—just like the amp does.
Conversely, many of the modern
4x10 enclosures will not give you
the impression they are working
hard when pushed, because of the
higher power-rating per speaker.
In a studio setting with a mic,
I actually prefer a 1x15 cabinet
when playing with a pick. Because
I tend to play fairly aggressively,
a 15" speaker softens my attack
just a bit while still giving the
recorded tone some extra size.
But what if you don’t own
these particular pieces of gear? Is
it possible to get into the tonal
ballpark with a combo amp or
solid-state rig? Yes. Pedals can
actually do a very nice job of
replicating the setup we’ve been
discussing. To name just a couple,
the Tech 21 VT Bass and the
MXR Bass D.I.+ both do a great
job of simulating a tube amp
and will give the impression of a
slightly overdriven cabinet. When
using the MXR, I’ll engage the
distortion channel and turn the
settings all the way down. Doing
this scoops out the mids and adds
just enough dirt to get the desired
tone without sounding like a
distortion pedal. With the Tech
21 pedal, it’s a matter of simply
setting the character control to
9 o’clock, adding a touch of the
drive control, and voilà—the
effect we’re looking for.
So there you have it …
everything you need for one of
the most enduring bass tones
of all time. Even if you’re not
in the market to throw down
big bucks for the vintage gear,
you can get close to the “rock
bass tone that won’t go away”
through other rigs.
Victor Brodén
Nashville bassist and producer Victor Brodén
has toured and recorded
with more than 25 major-label
artists, including
LeAnn Rimes, Richard
Marx, Casting Crowns, and Randy Houser.
His credits also include Grammy-winning
albums and numerous television specials
on CMT and GAC, as well as performances
on
The Tonight Show and
The Ellen
DeGeneres Show. You can reach him at
vbroden@yahoo.com.