Author Topic: Keep me searchin' for a fatter tone (Read 112 times)

Dale M Williams · « **on:** March 08, 2010, 09:01:22 PM »

I could use some help. I am playing an Essence 4-string (Europa elect) with TI Superalloy strings. My amp is a F-1X + Stewart power amp. I'm trying to produce a fatter, thicker tone. Any ideas? Anyone using the EBS Valve Drive?
Thanks, Dale

2400wattman · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2010, 09:19:50 PM »

1. Heavier strings maybe, or different material like nickel or you could try some good ol' flats
2. set your bass knob on 6, mid at 10 and treble at 2
3. roll your filter on your bass almost all the way down and try it with the switch in both positions. bass switch on wiil help in this area as well.
What cabinets are you using? If the cab you are using has a horn with an attenuator, roll that attenuator all the way down.
I would think that these tips will get you in the area you want to be.
Good luck!

adriaan · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2010, 01:29:15 AM »

You might try moving the pickups as close to the strings as they will go. --- Do check out Joey's Post on Setting Up Your Bass for getting the action as low as possible, which may help reduce the gap between strings and pickups.

I have them cranked up all the way, slightly tilted to avoid the strings fretting out on them when playing up the neck.

(Message edited by adriaan on March 09, 2010)

David Houck · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2010, 12:37:10 PM »

Is the trim pot on the inside on your Essence turned all of the way up?

Dale M Williams · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2010, 12:07:54 PM »

Thanks for your comments. Very interesting, because I recently turned back the trim pots and lowered the pickups. The trim pots were lowered( to about 10:00) to attempt to reduce some string noise and fret rattle. The pickups were lowered because onanother post from Joey he states as the pickups are raised closer to the strings, treble output rises and lows roll off.
Where do you suggest I set the trim pots at? (F-1X with an Essence(Europa controls)
Thanks again,
Dale

2400wattman · « **Reply #5 on:** March 11, 2010, 09:53:49 AM »

Roll the trim pot up a bit before things get distorted or there's too much of anything.
I would try this with your switches and filter set to their boost position.
Also, you want to use the second input jack as it pads your signal, you can get the most output of your instrument going to the F1-X.
The e.q. setting I recommended is what I use. Alembic states that Bass-2, Mid-10, Treble-2 is as close to a flat setting as you can get. If you roll off the mid knob then you start cutting mids. Work with the e.q., make small and drastic e.q. changes and you will notice that when you adjust one frequency knob you'll have to adjust something else to get it how you like it, and you will have to adjust volume accordingly.
Good luck!

bkbass · « **Reply #6 on:** March 11, 2010, 12:14:54 PM »

How about leaving everything where you like it and then adding a superfilter to your rig? Short on $$? Maybe a Boss OC-2 etc. on a low setting.
For cheap thrills you could go to banjo center and play through an SWR amp most of them have that octave crutch. To get an idea before a pedal purchase. Still it's worth the coinage for a superfilter. You may notice that theres not a lot of them for sale here on the site. People will sell off their FX-1 AND F2B'S before parting with that puppy. Theres a setting for wall shaking lows.When you dail it in ....the walls shake. I can get a super deep Raggae tone with a quarter turn of one knob. I can take a rather bright sounding bass, dial in the setting and it sounds like a Gibson mud cannon with 20 year old strings through an all bassed out SVT. It's really quite amazing,very flexible. A swiss army knife of tone. Just my 2cents,happy hunting.God bless.

David Houck · « **Reply #7 on:** March 11, 2010, 08:29:30 PM »

The trim pots don't change harmonic content, only the amount of signal being sent to your rig. As Adam alluded to, where it makes a difference is your rig's ability to handle that much signal. Personally, I have my trim pots turned all the way up, as I want to send as much signal as possible at the beginning of the chain to keep noise levels down. And I tend to think it helps with tube saturation, though I could be wrong about that. And as Adam said, the 10db difference in the two inputs on the F-1X can make a significant difference.

On pickup height, I tend to think that the closer the pickups are to the string, the more growl; the further away the pickups are from the string, the cleaner the sound. But I don't know how significant the difference is; my pickup heights are based primarily on playing comfort.

Dale M Williams · « **Reply #8 on:** March 13, 2010, 09:58:33 PM »

Thanks for the help. I'm getting there. I turned the trim pots up to 80% on, and raised the pickups back up. I also installed a set of Pyramid Gold flats. That was the biggest improvement except for the E string. My choices were long or short scale from JustStrings.com for my medium scale Essence. From experience I ordered the long scale. After cutting to the proper length, the E string went from the thin leader to the full width string wrapping half way around the tuning peg, breaking the string. I am in contact now with the mfg. for assistance.

Dale M Williams · « **Reply #9 on:** March 13, 2010, 10:06:49 PM »

Back to the SF-2. I like suggestion. It was mentioned that the SF-2 is also a pre-amp? Does that mean I will no longer need the F-1x? Can you direct me to a thread discussing the use of a SF-2?
Thanks again.

edwin · « **Reply #10 on:** March 14, 2010, 01:50:45 AM »

There are tons of threads concerning the SF-2. I don't think it replaces the F1X, they are complementary.

Go to http://club.alembic.com/Images/16271/17596.html?1112538443 for information on the SF-2.

Barry is right, I'd sell my F1X (actually just did, enjoy it, Ben!) or F2B before the SF-2. It's a whole different way of thinking of tone.

OTOH, if you don't want what the other pres do, you could easily run it right into a power amp and be perfectly happy.

Edwin

David Houck · « **Reply #11 on:** March 14, 2010, 02:36:03 PM »

Edwin's right, the SF-2 does not replace the F-1X; they are not the same thing. And while the SF-2 can be used as a preamp, it does not have a tube stage or the tone stack. In my view, the F-1X provides the character of the tone and the SF-2 fine tunes the shape of the curve.

There are links to some SF-2 threads in the Must Reads section here.

bigredbass · « **Reply #12 on:** March 14, 2010, 05:37:32 PM »

The change in tone is gradual and slight from the pickup heights.

Fret noise and string rattle can be tuned out somewhat by amp/preamp settings, but it won't go away, only the axe being set up just right for you will do that. You can shoot for a few string rattles acoustically (unplugged) that aren't heard through the pickups.

'Fatter tone' covers an encyclopedia of whys/what ifs. Flatwounds and an F2B would certainly put me in the neighborhood of warmer and fatter, once your string issues are straightened out.

My first question would be, what cabinet(s) are you using?

My second question would be, what kind of room(s) are you in where it sounds this way?

J o e y

gtrguy · « **Reply #13 on:** March 17, 2010, 10:57:16 AM »

Big ass 15 EV speaker gets fat tones!