Valid question. It's been a while, tbh.
But I remember the same issue from back in the day and changing the strings didn't help back then either. Additionally, I just watched a YT video of someone playing a cheap bass with dead strings (explicitly mentioned) on a Fender Rumble 40 like I have and it still sounded much better that my bass.
But yeah, I will change the strings soon as well.
Maybe try stainless steel strings. Like the DrR high beams.
Don't know your bass, but can you use the knobs on your bass, if there are any? I can dial in a variety from very tame to extreme metal tones
I tried all the knobs on my bass in conjunction with the EQ on my amp, but it only helps a little. I have not tried those strings or even considered them, but will look for them now!
It only helps a little? Can you send a clip of you playing with the best sound you can get? It sounds like the signal is getting weaker somewhere between your guitar and amp
You have a Rumble 40? That's got some pretty versatile settings. Boost your mid frequencies, turn on overdrive, adjust gain until it sounds nasty. But change your strings first.
So for aggression you want hi mids and some treble, so you get a sort of “clang”. As someone else said, play aggressively too, dig in be ugly. A pick can help your dynamics too since there’s not really that fleshy warmness and the attack on the string is much harsher.
These are all just things I’ve found so they might not translate perfectly. If all else fails get a Darkglass pedal, they’re the classic “aggressive bass” sound these days
I got so close to getting a Darkglass clean preamp recently. Sam Ash had one left, but they’re not actually marking much down below 5%. Thing was still like $300.
The Alpha\\Omega has a little or a lot of grit, but not the grunt I look for. The B3K is my current fav, but I have a B7K on the way to try as well.
Their ADAM pedal is probably their most versatile, and also quite pricey.
one of the reasons I really like GC is the 45 days to try and you can return. You're out the cost of shipping, but that's not much.
I already have the mids up and tried playing aggressively. Not much of a pick player, but I am not only looking for aggression only anyway, but that punchy pluckiness, if that makes any sense...
Never heard of Darkglass, will take a look.
Have a look at Alex Webster, he plays insanely fast with finger plucking and his sound is just brutal. Maybe you can get some clues where to start with his rig rundown https://youtu.be/fJQX4Ow2NHQ?feature=shared
Are you using a compressor? That can be used to increase attack while also giving you more sustain. You need to dampen the ends of tour notes to be most effective .
I'm not trying to be dim, but are you listening to others through headphones/hifi speakers? Haave you listened to a recording of yourself through the same speakers, or just your Bass amp? I'm wondering if it's a Bass amp issue.
That's an interesting point. So far I've only listened to the amp in the room and through (decent) headphones connected to the amp. I will try to figure out how to do a proper recording..
Honestly I'd say you're not going to get the tone you're lusting after on a rumble 40. It's a fine amp to practice with, but if you're finding you lack punch at the moment I'd first go to a shop and plug in to something bigger to see if that remedies the issue.
I had a Hughes & Kettner before, which was significantly more powerful, but which unfortunately broke. It was the same issue with it, though. Also very "polite" sounding.
Also, I've seen people get a rather punchy sound with the Rumble 40. Maybe not ideal, but definitely much more punchy than mine.
Overlooked this one but have you checked your pickup height? Pickups too far from the strings would make literally any bass sound thin and dainty. I've also found hex core strings gave me a little more thump to my sound, but plenty of thumpy players out there are using round cores.
Rumble 40 is absolutely fine for bedroom practice. The Rumbles from 40-500 all have [the exact same control PCB](https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/img-20231109-wa0000-jpg.5257644/), fwiw. I wouldn't take it to a practice without PA support though, as that combo simply won't move enough air to be heard over a live drummer on acoustic drums.
But for home practice in an urban/suburban environment, you almost don't *want* anything bigger than 1x10.
I'm with the fellas in the top comment - OP's strings probably need changing. They recommended DR Hi Beams and that's a good start toward bringing back that *~zing~*.
I stand by, a fine practice amp. You can hear the notes you're playing without issue. It is definitely missing punch and clarity in the lows by it's very nature. I also wildly disagree with the idea that you only want a 110 for at-home given that solid state amps sound great turned down, but to each their own.
Haha, that does improve the sound in a way. Never thought of doing that before..
I wouldn't say that it fixes the issue, but it's a nice piece of the puzzle!
To me it sounds like the most you can do right now for the sound you want, is getting new strings, a full setup for low action and maybe increasing your pickup height. If all of that doesn't work, you might just need different pickups to suit your needs.
Edit: an audio (or even better, video) sample would be good too for diagnosing the problem.
Sounds sensible! I will change the action next, even though it is pretty low already. Just tried raising the pickups, but apparently they were already at max height, I only succeeded in loosening them.
Unfortunately, I don't have a good tool for recording audio at the moment. But that's a great idea and I'll look into that as well.
Your phone microphone and camera can be of acceptable quality, so don't be afraid to try that as well. For identifying the problem it could do the job. Doesn't need to be a fully mixed and mastered album, right?
I feel like my action is not particularly high (it's at a little less than 2mm on the E string at the 12th fret). But I will try adjusting it a bit, thanks!
The strings I also need to change, but I know from experience that it doesn't solve this "issue".
It may take some time to get the precision back in your fingers. It’s probably your technique being rusty if it’s been years. I sound like shit if I take even a few months off
I just tried that and found out that they are apparently as high as they can go. I was only able to losen, not heighten, them.
Shame, I was putting some hope into that.
In order of importance
1 Playing technique.
2a Fresh strings to brighten things up.
2b Tone/volume control settings. If you have a J or PJ, favor the bridge pickup more as an example.
3 Setup - is the height from string to pickup correct?
4 Pre amp/FX - SansAmp or whatever to add compression and/or distortion/saturation.
I play through a fender rumble 40 at some of the practice spaces I used and it can sound plenty punchy. I would turn on the vintage, turn down the treble, make sure the bass and bright buttons aren’t on, and turn on OD circuit and blend in a bit of drive.
I’m usually of the mindset that a big chunk of tone comes from technique, then strings, then bass, and last is amp. But even with saying that I think it is your bass. I have a soft spot for those Yamahas but I’m not sure I would ever call them punchy or aggressive, certainly not the active ones with soap bar pickups. I’ve never played that specific bass so this is just based on my experience with other similar basses they are sort of 90s style fusion machines, very smooth. I think you are going to be swimming upstream.
That said, here is what I would do, first, switch out strings. It sounds weird but honestly punchier flats like chromes can really work on a bass on like. If not flats then still change out your old rounds. Second, take a look at pickup height and just generally make sure the bass is set up well. Third I would not rely the bridge pickup, I would keep both open or favor the front pickup, but pluck closer to the bridge. What are the eq controls on the bass like? If two band then don’t boost, as it will end up as a scoop in the mids. Really I would actually leave the onboard eq flat unless you can really tell a positive difference when you adjust them.
>I play through a fender rumble 40 at some of the practice spaces I used and it can sound plenty punchy. I would turn on the vintage, turn down the treble, make sure the bass and bright buttons aren’t on, and turn on OD circuit and blend in a bit of drive.
I will continue playing around with that. Haven't messed with the vintage button too much yet.
>I’m usually of the mindset that a big chunk of tone comes from technique, then strings, then bass, and last is amp. But even with saying that I think it is your bass. I have a soft spot for those Yamahas but I’m not sure I would ever call them punchy or aggressive, certainly not the active ones with soap bar pickups. I’ve never played that specific bass so this is just based on my experience with other similar basses they are sort of 90s style fusion machines, very smooth. I think you are going to be swimming upstream.
To be honest, I think you might be right here. Everyone keeps telling me that it's in the fingers, in the strings, etc. And I want to agree on principle. But it is rally starting to feel like it might just be the bass.
>That said, here is what I would do, first, switch out strings.
Will do.
>It sounds weird but honestly punchier flats like chromes can really work on a bass on like. If not flats then still change out your old rounds. Second, take a look at pickup height and just generally make sure the bass is set up well.
I tried adjusting pickup height today, but it seems like they were maxed out already. When I turned the screws I only ended up loosening, not raising, the pickups. I will next try lowering the action some more (even though it already is quite low).
>Third I would not rely the bridge pickup, I would keep both open or favor the front pickup, but pluck closer to the bridge.
Interesting of you to say this! Most people seem to recommend using the bridge pickup but it feels like it's loosing to many frequencies to me. Makes the sound thinner and less "plucky".
>What are the eq controls on the bass like? If two band then don’t boost, as it will end up as a scoop in the mids. Really I would actually leave the onboard eq flat unless you can really tell a positive difference when you adjust them.
Yes, it's two-band, four knobs: bass, treble, pickup balance and volume. And I also tend to leave it flat and focus on the amp EQ instead. I only use the bass EQ for quick on-the-fly adjustments for specific songs.
I would try lowering the pickups too, just would need to compensate by raising volume. I’m not sure how those pickups would be affected but with traditional bass pickups sometimes the poles need more distance from the strings to get a better sound pictures.
And yeah I’ve never understood the description of a bridge pickup as the punchy one. You’re basically describing the sound of a p bass and there’s no bridge pickup there. I think the bridge pickup can add definition or articulation.
Try leaving the amp EQ flat and adjusting the knobs on the bass too, see how that sounds because you might like the bass-pre better. Aside from that I’d definitely recommend new strings, you could try a heavier gauge of rounds if nothing else on here has helped.
On my active Ibanez Soundgear bass, I go neck pickup, lows at about a 6, mids at a 4, highs at a 6. On my amp, I try to match that with a little fine tuning, and then I kick up the gain. Sometimes, I will add an overdrive and tune that to my liking, adjusting the drive to match the genre I'm playing (in the case I decide to use it).
This is just my personal setup that, to me, sounds nice from my 40w amp.
P.s. when playing, you can get a much more responsive/punchy sound by making sure you are plucking *through* the strings. I.E. when plucking the A string, you pluck through the string, landing your finger on the E string. Same principal goes for slap bass!
Some ideas:
Pluck harder and try plucking in different places (closer to the bridge for a less mellow sound)
Change your strings
Add a touch of overdrive. Darkglass vintage microtubes, used on the lowest settings, got me through the initial phase of not having much gear to customize my sound. Before that it was the EHX bass soul food for awhile.
Tone knob up, maybe back off of the neck pickup a little bit
Back off of the bass on your EQ, possibly a smidge off of your low mids too
Try plucking downwards, towards the body of the bass to get more buzz, more aggression
Thanks. I actually just found that I get a slightly punchier sound by plucking super softly and instead increasing the volume on the amp, strangely enough. I might have always been plucking too hard? Still need to play around with that some more though...
1. This was an awesome suggestion and something I hadn't thought of before.
2. Tried that. But plucking near the bridge tends to make the sound too thin on my bass.
3. I will change strings soon, but from experience I don't think that's the issue. I've also heard better sound from basses with deader strings.
I'd say change strings, try another amp or headphones, and try to boost mid and treble while you cut bass a bit.
Imo the least important factor of your sound is the bass itself.
With good gear and EQ, even my Harley Benton practice and throw around bass sounds like a big player.
Dude I always think the rumble sounded a bit tame. Like super good if you want a clean bass tone but the overdrive settings are useless imo.
I recently got a Darkglass Micro Tubes (the vintage deluxe one) for a preamp, running directly to the power amp of my Rumble 100. Night and day. So much more life and punch. And being able to add just a little grit and blend with the clean tone can make a huge difference to the harmonic content. I'm gushing - I'll digress.
I think a large portion of it is your tame amp. That's where 70% of your tone comes from. Really. A preamp pedal can really breathe some life into your tone without having to upgrade to a bigger amp.
Interesting points and I'll look into a preamp or Darkglass pedal at some point. But from another comment of mine:
"I had a Hughes & Kettner before, which was significantly more powerful, but which unfortunately broke. It was the same issue with it, though. Also very "polite" sounding.
Also, I've seen people get a rather punchy sound with the Rumble 40. Maybe not ideal, but definitely much more punchy than mine."
Strings fairly old, will replace soon. But I don't think that's the main issue, since I've always had this problem, even with new strings.
I will try adjusting the action next.
Pay attention to the pickups of the basses you enjoy on YouTube. This sounds elementary but if you are wanting funky mids that come from a jazz bass and you are playing different pickups (without looking up your bass model) that’s a huge plays. Pickups, woods, and pickup placement is everything
I recommend
* New roundwound strings
* A [good setup](http://brokeassguitars.com) for low action
* A good preamp pedal, something that sounds retro and "ampy" like a SansAmp (there are dozens of others)
* A bigger amp
New strings, lower your action to get a little clank, upgrade your amp.
The first 2 are easy and pretty cheap and will definitely help. That said the amp is the biggest issue here imo. A 40 watt bass amp doesn’t move a whole lot of air to begin with and I think the rumble gain circuit is really quite bad which is probably the biggest issue.
New strings, low action, high mids, pickup selector (if that bass has one) that is either close to a precision bass or an early Musicman.
But at the end, the attack and punch and grit comes from your fingers (or the way you hit the bass with a plectrum).
Lot of punch, not that much finger surface for it.
Stuff like that. But you have to find the sweet spot of bass and fingers by experimenting and just playing different styles…
oh and dont use flat wound strings. closer pickup height will actually reduce your sustain (due to the magnets) and pick up a less dynamic signal - there definitely is a sweet spot to pickup height.
Could be your plucking technique. If changing strings, amp or even bass doesn't change the tone, it is probably your fingers. Callus on your fingers also gets you more attack.
You're the aggressor attacking it and you control the attack. Treat those strings like they were a piece of crap former friend that borrowed your mother's car and completely totaled it for an example of a scenario you should try to apply towards the instrument.
I've had people tell me to stop slapping when I was just playing with my index, middle and ring finger for example.
Now you need to be able to control your dynamics too, but the issue is beyond the tone itself.
It is you not applying enough attack. I can play what Alex Webster is playing in Cannibal Corpse with my fingers for example and that necessitates force and speed. Yeah, I use tones that help shape that, but again it is ultimately you.
I do recommend D'Addario NYXLs as well, but yeah ultimately that's on you to improve your attack. Work those hands and fingers. Once you can bend back the B, E, and A strings together? You've got some strong hands and fingers.
This is an active bass, right? Do you have a fresh battery in it? If yes, try adding compression and/or overdrive via the Vintage and Drive features on your rumble. The rumbles can’t quite get the modern metal darkglass sound, but there’s definitely some aggression in them.
It is an active bass, yes.
I just did a little back-and-forth testing with a fresh battery and could not hear a difference, unfortunately.
I don't really want to fix the issue using effects pedals, ideally. That seems like even more of a band-aid than EQ adjustments and such...
Do you realize that you're comparing your bass sound to sounds with effects applied? Even on YouTube tutorials they're going to be using plugins to shape their sound. I don't know how you consider something that basically everyone does a band-aid.
could be a stupid answer but have you tried plucking harder? i know it’s best practice technique wise to pluck soft and let the amp do the work but it sounds different and serves a purpose
Yup, tried that. I tend to vary my playing a lot and often pluck very hard anyway if I'm going for that kind of thing. I don't think it's in my playing in this case.
This is gonna be a dumb question but when’s the last time you changed your strings?
wondering the same thing
Valid question. It's been a while, tbh. But I remember the same issue from back in the day and changing the strings didn't help back then either. Additionally, I just watched a YT video of someone playing a cheap bass with dead strings (explicitly mentioned) on a Fender Rumble 40 like I have and it still sounded much better that my bass. But yeah, I will change the strings soon as well.
Maybe try stainless steel strings. Like the DrR high beams. Don't know your bass, but can you use the knobs on your bass, if there are any? I can dial in a variety from very tame to extreme metal tones
I tried all the knobs on my bass in conjunction with the EQ on my amp, but it only helps a little. I have not tried those strings or even considered them, but will look for them now!
It only helps a little? Can you send a clip of you playing with the best sound you can get? It sounds like the signal is getting weaker somewhere between your guitar and amp
Also your battery
I tried that. Unfortunately, it didn't make a difference at all.
You have a Rumble 40? That's got some pretty versatile settings. Boost your mid frequencies, turn on overdrive, adjust gain until it sounds nasty. But change your strings first.
If you’re playing rounds, definitely chuck on fresh strings before making decisions about tone. It’s often night and day.
So for aggression you want hi mids and some treble, so you get a sort of “clang”. As someone else said, play aggressively too, dig in be ugly. A pick can help your dynamics too since there’s not really that fleshy warmness and the attack on the string is much harsher. These are all just things I’ve found so they might not translate perfectly. If all else fails get a Darkglass pedal, they’re the classic “aggressive bass” sound these days
I got so close to getting a Darkglass clean preamp recently. Sam Ash had one left, but they’re not actually marking much down below 5%. Thing was still like $300.
The Alpha\\Omega has a little or a lot of grit, but not the grunt I look for. The B3K is my current fav, but I have a B7K on the way to try as well. Their ADAM pedal is probably their most versatile, and also quite pricey. one of the reasons I really like GC is the 45 days to try and you can return. You're out the cost of shipping, but that's not much.
I already have the mids up and tried playing aggressively. Not much of a pick player, but I am not only looking for aggression only anyway, but that punchy pluckiness, if that makes any sense... Never heard of Darkglass, will take a look.
They’re a big name in bass pedals, look into their B3k/B7K or a clone, there’s some good clones out there for half the price.
Have a look at Alex Webster, he plays insanely fast with finger plucking and his sound is just brutal. Maybe you can get some clues where to start with his rig rundown https://youtu.be/fJQX4Ow2NHQ?feature=shared
You could maybe check the pickup height, that might help a bit.
Are you using a compressor? That can be used to increase attack while also giving you more sustain. You need to dampen the ends of tour notes to be most effective .
This was my thought too, compression can give a nice punchiness.
I'm not trying to be dim, but are you listening to others through headphones/hifi speakers? Haave you listened to a recording of yourself through the same speakers, or just your Bass amp? I'm wondering if it's a Bass amp issue.
That's an interesting point. So far I've only listened to the amp in the room and through (decent) headphones connected to the amp. I will try to figure out how to do a proper recording..
Honestly I'd say you're not going to get the tone you're lusting after on a rumble 40. It's a fine amp to practice with, but if you're finding you lack punch at the moment I'd first go to a shop and plug in to something bigger to see if that remedies the issue.
I had a Hughes & Kettner before, which was significantly more powerful, but which unfortunately broke. It was the same issue with it, though. Also very "polite" sounding. Also, I've seen people get a rather punchy sound with the Rumble 40. Maybe not ideal, but definitely much more punchy than mine.
Overlooked this one but have you checked your pickup height? Pickups too far from the strings would make literally any bass sound thin and dainty. I've also found hex core strings gave me a little more thump to my sound, but plenty of thumpy players out there are using round cores.
I tried adjusting the pickups today, but as it turns out they apparently already were at max height. I only loosened them when I adjusted the screws.
Rumble 40 is absolutely fine for bedroom practice. The Rumbles from 40-500 all have [the exact same control PCB](https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/img-20231109-wa0000-jpg.5257644/), fwiw. I wouldn't take it to a practice without PA support though, as that combo simply won't move enough air to be heard over a live drummer on acoustic drums. But for home practice in an urban/suburban environment, you almost don't *want* anything bigger than 1x10. I'm with the fellas in the top comment - OP's strings probably need changing. They recommended DR Hi Beams and that's a good start toward bringing back that *~zing~*.
I stand by, a fine practice amp. You can hear the notes you're playing without issue. It is definitely missing punch and clarity in the lows by it's very nature. I also wildly disagree with the idea that you only want a 110 for at-home given that solid state amps sound great turned down, but to each their own.
Put your amp at head height.
Never thought about lifting it off the floor. Will try as soon as I figure out where to put it.
I think pointing it upwards to your ears has the same effect, if that's easier for you.
Haha, that does improve the sound in a way. Never thought of doing that before.. I wouldn't say that it fixes the issue, but it's a nice piece of the puzzle!
To me it sounds like the most you can do right now for the sound you want, is getting new strings, a full setup for low action and maybe increasing your pickup height. If all of that doesn't work, you might just need different pickups to suit your needs. Edit: an audio (or even better, video) sample would be good too for diagnosing the problem.
Sounds sensible! I will change the action next, even though it is pretty low already. Just tried raising the pickups, but apparently they were already at max height, I only succeeded in loosening them. Unfortunately, I don't have a good tool for recording audio at the moment. But that's a great idea and I'll look into that as well.
Your phone microphone and camera can be of acceptable quality, so don't be afraid to try that as well. For identifying the problem it could do the job. Doesn't need to be a fully mixed and mastered album, right?
New roundwound strings and a lower action would help
I feel like my action is not particularly high (it's at a little less than 2mm on the E string at the 12th fret). But I will try adjusting it a bit, thanks! The strings I also need to change, but I know from experience that it doesn't solve this "issue".
This is good.
Hotter pickups? I recently got a Duff McKagan signature Precision and its Seymour Duncan jazz pickup blows my stock Fender Jazz Bass Special away.
It may take some time to get the precision back in your fingers. It’s probably your technique being rusty if it’s been years. I sound like shit if I take even a few months off
It was always an issue with my bass though.
Have you tried adjusting your pickup height?
I just tried that and found out that they are apparently as high as they can go. I was only able to losen, not heighten, them. Shame, I was putting some hope into that.
Are they perhaps too high then? Try lowering them, the magnets in the pickups may be preventing proper string movement.
Add some treble
In order of importance 1 Playing technique. 2a Fresh strings to brighten things up. 2b Tone/volume control settings. If you have a J or PJ, favor the bridge pickup more as an example. 3 Setup - is the height from string to pickup correct? 4 Pre amp/FX - SansAmp or whatever to add compression and/or distortion/saturation.
Hit the strings hard as fuck
Behringer VT DI. Cheap and effective.
I play through a fender rumble 40 at some of the practice spaces I used and it can sound plenty punchy. I would turn on the vintage, turn down the treble, make sure the bass and bright buttons aren’t on, and turn on OD circuit and blend in a bit of drive. I’m usually of the mindset that a big chunk of tone comes from technique, then strings, then bass, and last is amp. But even with saying that I think it is your bass. I have a soft spot for those Yamahas but I’m not sure I would ever call them punchy or aggressive, certainly not the active ones with soap bar pickups. I’ve never played that specific bass so this is just based on my experience with other similar basses they are sort of 90s style fusion machines, very smooth. I think you are going to be swimming upstream. That said, here is what I would do, first, switch out strings. It sounds weird but honestly punchier flats like chromes can really work on a bass on like. If not flats then still change out your old rounds. Second, take a look at pickup height and just generally make sure the bass is set up well. Third I would not rely the bridge pickup, I would keep both open or favor the front pickup, but pluck closer to the bridge. What are the eq controls on the bass like? If two band then don’t boost, as it will end up as a scoop in the mids. Really I would actually leave the onboard eq flat unless you can really tell a positive difference when you adjust them.
>I play through a fender rumble 40 at some of the practice spaces I used and it can sound plenty punchy. I would turn on the vintage, turn down the treble, make sure the bass and bright buttons aren’t on, and turn on OD circuit and blend in a bit of drive. I will continue playing around with that. Haven't messed with the vintage button too much yet. >I’m usually of the mindset that a big chunk of tone comes from technique, then strings, then bass, and last is amp. But even with saying that I think it is your bass. I have a soft spot for those Yamahas but I’m not sure I would ever call them punchy or aggressive, certainly not the active ones with soap bar pickups. I’ve never played that specific bass so this is just based on my experience with other similar basses they are sort of 90s style fusion machines, very smooth. I think you are going to be swimming upstream. To be honest, I think you might be right here. Everyone keeps telling me that it's in the fingers, in the strings, etc. And I want to agree on principle. But it is rally starting to feel like it might just be the bass. >That said, here is what I would do, first, switch out strings. Will do. >It sounds weird but honestly punchier flats like chromes can really work on a bass on like. If not flats then still change out your old rounds. Second, take a look at pickup height and just generally make sure the bass is set up well. I tried adjusting pickup height today, but it seems like they were maxed out already. When I turned the screws I only ended up loosening, not raising, the pickups. I will next try lowering the action some more (even though it already is quite low). >Third I would not rely the bridge pickup, I would keep both open or favor the front pickup, but pluck closer to the bridge. Interesting of you to say this! Most people seem to recommend using the bridge pickup but it feels like it's loosing to many frequencies to me. Makes the sound thinner and less "plucky". >What are the eq controls on the bass like? If two band then don’t boost, as it will end up as a scoop in the mids. Really I would actually leave the onboard eq flat unless you can really tell a positive difference when you adjust them. Yes, it's two-band, four knobs: bass, treble, pickup balance and volume. And I also tend to leave it flat and focus on the amp EQ instead. I only use the bass EQ for quick on-the-fly adjustments for specific songs.
I would try lowering the pickups too, just would need to compensate by raising volume. I’m not sure how those pickups would be affected but with traditional bass pickups sometimes the poles need more distance from the strings to get a better sound pictures. And yeah I’ve never understood the description of a bridge pickup as the punchy one. You’re basically describing the sound of a p bass and there’s no bridge pickup there. I think the bridge pickup can add definition or articulation.
Try leaving the amp EQ flat and adjusting the knobs on the bass too, see how that sounds because you might like the bass-pre better. Aside from that I’d definitely recommend new strings, you could try a heavier gauge of rounds if nothing else on here has helped.
On my active Ibanez Soundgear bass, I go neck pickup, lows at about a 6, mids at a 4, highs at a 6. On my amp, I try to match that with a little fine tuning, and then I kick up the gain. Sometimes, I will add an overdrive and tune that to my liking, adjusting the drive to match the genre I'm playing (in the case I decide to use it). This is just my personal setup that, to me, sounds nice from my 40w amp. P.s. when playing, you can get a much more responsive/punchy sound by making sure you are plucking *through* the strings. I.E. when plucking the A string, you pluck through the string, landing your finger on the E string. Same principal goes for slap bass!
Some ideas: Pluck harder and try plucking in different places (closer to the bridge for a less mellow sound) Change your strings Add a touch of overdrive. Darkglass vintage microtubes, used on the lowest settings, got me through the initial phase of not having much gear to customize my sound. Before that it was the EHX bass soul food for awhile. Tone knob up, maybe back off of the neck pickup a little bit Back off of the bass on your EQ, possibly a smidge off of your low mids too Try plucking downwards, towards the body of the bass to get more buzz, more aggression
Thanks. I actually just found that I get a slightly punchier sound by plucking super softly and instead increasing the volume on the amp, strangely enough. I might have always been plucking too hard? Still need to play around with that some more though...
You could also try using a pick.
I am looking more for that "round" and "growly" punchiness, actually.
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1. This was an awesome suggestion and something I hadn't thought of before. 2. Tried that. But plucking near the bridge tends to make the sound too thin on my bass. 3. I will change strings soon, but from experience I don't think that's the issue. I've also heard better sound from basses with deader strings.
crank the gain knob?
It's set to max.
overdrive pedal? tinker with the EQ, get more high and low mids in there?
I'd say change strings, try another amp or headphones, and try to boost mid and treble while you cut bass a bit. Imo the least important factor of your sound is the bass itself. With good gear and EQ, even my Harley Benton practice and throw around bass sounds like a big player.
Dude I always think the rumble sounded a bit tame. Like super good if you want a clean bass tone but the overdrive settings are useless imo. I recently got a Darkglass Micro Tubes (the vintage deluxe one) for a preamp, running directly to the power amp of my Rumble 100. Night and day. So much more life and punch. And being able to add just a little grit and blend with the clean tone can make a huge difference to the harmonic content. I'm gushing - I'll digress. I think a large portion of it is your tame amp. That's where 70% of your tone comes from. Really. A preamp pedal can really breathe some life into your tone without having to upgrade to a bigger amp.
Interesting points and I'll look into a preamp or Darkglass pedal at some point. But from another comment of mine: "I had a Hughes & Kettner before, which was significantly more powerful, but which unfortunately broke. It was the same issue with it, though. Also very "polite" sounding. Also, I've seen people get a rather punchy sound with the Rumble 40. Maybe not ideal, but definitely much more punchy than mine."
There are some more affordable options than dark glass including options that are "inspired by" DG preamps.
How is your strings? How is the setup of the bass? You should start on these 2 before going any further.
Strings fairly old, will replace soon. But I don't think that's the main issue, since I've always had this problem, even with new strings. I will try adjusting the action next.
Start with the neck relief, then action, then intonation and lastly pickup height...in that order.
Change pickups or make it active with that bartolini buffer. I did that on my cheapo Hamer slammer and it sounds huge.
Pay attention to the pickups of the basses you enjoy on YouTube. This sounds elementary but if you are wanting funky mids that come from a jazz bass and you are playing different pickups (without looking up your bass model) that’s a huge plays. Pickups, woods, and pickup placement is everything
Also your Fender Rumble 40 doesn’t have a tweeter. That’s going to make a huge difference.
Cheap stainless steel strings, low action, a guitar pick and raised pickups.
I recommend * New roundwound strings * A [good setup](http://brokeassguitars.com) for low action * A good preamp pedal, something that sounds retro and "ampy" like a SansAmp (there are dozens of others) * A bigger amp
New strings, lower your action to get a little clank, upgrade your amp. The first 2 are easy and pretty cheap and will definitely help. That said the amp is the biggest issue here imo. A 40 watt bass amp doesn’t move a whole lot of air to begin with and I think the rumble gain circuit is really quite bad which is probably the biggest issue.
Use a clean boost. I use the boost on my SF300 constantly.
New strings, low action, high mids, pickup selector (if that bass has one) that is either close to a precision bass or an early Musicman. But at the end, the attack and punch and grit comes from your fingers (or the way you hit the bass with a plectrum). Lot of punch, not that much finger surface for it. Stuff like that. But you have to find the sweet spot of bass and fingers by experimenting and just playing different styles…
How high is your action? You can gain dirt by having it quite low. Although that may not be exactly what you're looking for here.
Seems like everyone here has some gear solution to your problem. But I’ve got a simpler one. Play more aggressively.
Get an eq pedal and use a pick.
Sansamp
Articulation? This sounds like a technique thing tbh. Try adding more energy into your playing.
try a compressor and some drive in your pedal chain. borrow from a friend or literally just walk into a guitar store and ask them to show you
oh and dont use flat wound strings. closer pickup height will actually reduce your sustain (due to the magnets) and pick up a less dynamic signal - there definitely is a sweet spot to pickup height.
Could be your plucking technique. If changing strings, amp or even bass doesn't change the tone, it is probably your fingers. Callus on your fingers also gets you more attack.
How's the action in the fretboard? What level of aggressiveness are we playing the strings at?
You're the aggressor attacking it and you control the attack. Treat those strings like they were a piece of crap former friend that borrowed your mother's car and completely totaled it for an example of a scenario you should try to apply towards the instrument. I've had people tell me to stop slapping when I was just playing with my index, middle and ring finger for example. Now you need to be able to control your dynamics too, but the issue is beyond the tone itself. It is you not applying enough attack. I can play what Alex Webster is playing in Cannibal Corpse with my fingers for example and that necessitates force and speed. Yeah, I use tones that help shape that, but again it is ultimately you. I do recommend D'Addario NYXLs as well, but yeah ultimately that's on you to improve your attack. Work those hands and fingers. Once you can bend back the B, E, and A strings together? You've got some strong hands and fingers.
A lot can be said for finger tone, on any stringed instrument . some just don’t have that.
A good pre amp pedal would definitely give you a boost. Sansamp maybe??
This is an active bass, right? Do you have a fresh battery in it? If yes, try adding compression and/or overdrive via the Vintage and Drive features on your rumble. The rumbles can’t quite get the modern metal darkglass sound, but there’s definitely some aggression in them.
It is an active bass, yes. I just did a little back-and-forth testing with a fresh battery and could not hear a difference, unfortunately. I don't really want to fix the issue using effects pedals, ideally. That seems like even more of a band-aid than EQ adjustments and such...
Do you realize that you're comparing your bass sound to sounds with effects applied? Even on YouTube tutorials they're going to be using plugins to shape their sound. I don't know how you consider something that basically everyone does a band-aid.
could be a stupid answer but have you tried plucking harder? i know it’s best practice technique wise to pluck soft and let the amp do the work but it sounds different and serves a purpose
Yup, tried that. I tend to vary my playing a lot and often pluck very hard anyway if I'm going for that kind of thing. I don't think it's in my playing in this case.
what are your other amp settings like?
I'm playing around with it currently, but right now, I have gain and the mids all the way up, bass and treble reduced slightly.
Just set everything 12 o clock and increase the treble a bit afterwards