1. Most drummers can't even tune their instrument
2. Most bass players wouldn't know a proper bass tone if it bit them on the ass.
Perhaps that's why every single tech ryder I see from touring acts specifies an Ampeg SVT and 8x10 cabinet for the backline. Monkey see, monkey do. They're the biggest, loudest and most expensive bass rigs you can get, but they sound like a flatulent elephant. The bass players don't mind though, it's fun to have someone else pay for them and lug them so they can stand in front of them and feel their pant legs move. More Ampeg-bashing later.
I've spent the last year playing with Amp modelling software trying every conceivable combination of bass amps, speaker cabinets, microphones and mic preamps with mostly predictable but a few surprising results.
Speakers
Get yourself a 4x10 cabinet with a horn. That's really all there is to it. SWR and Eden are the top choices, but Peavey or Traynor will do too for half the price. In a pinch, a 2x12 guitar cabinet will do too. Avoid 15 and 18"speakers; they're too heavy and slow to give a useful bass tone. A 4x10 cabinet will give you the same volume as a single 15"anyway. This is the formula: 4x10"= 2x12"= 1x15"
If you're stuck with a 15" combo amp, go plug into your guitar players 2x12" combo to hear what you've been missing with that slow old 15".
Amp Heads
Leave the Ampeg SVT head to the posers, pretenders and knuckleheads who are more concerned with the image and size, than the sound. SVT's have huge power and price tags but are voiced completely wrong for a bass guitar in a mix. Gobs of bottom end, honky top end and absolutely no critical mid-range from 220 to 700 hz. it's the exact opposite of what a bass tone needs to be sit in a mix. Good for bass solos though, Mr. Sheehan.
One of the best sounding amp heads is the Galien Kruger RB800. While it's not the most robust or reliable, it has plenty of power and the passive EQ, specifically the low mid control is voiced perfectly for bass.
An interesting choice (if you can find one) is the Marshall Plexi Super Bass Head. An old tube head that also has perfect passive EQ circuits for bass tone. The Fender Dual Showman head is an ugly old beast that also has perfect passive EQ voicing for bass.
SWR, Eden, and Aguilar amps, even with their active EQ just can't dial in the right bass sound. Great cabinets, lousy sounding, under-powered amp heads.
Surprising Combo as Amp Head
The Roland Jazz Chorus JC120 makes a surprisingly good bass amp or head to drive your 4x10 cabinet. It's incredibly clean, fast, has more bottom than you'll ever need and the built in 2x12" puts out as much sound as a 4x10"cabinet. It's a little light on power though, so mic up that cabinet with a large diaphragm dynamic mike. RE20, D112 or MD421
How to Dial In a Good Bass Tone
Assuming you have one of the preferred amp heads with passive tone controls (passive controls go from 0 to 10 with 5 at the center. Active EQ goes from -15 to +15 with 0 at the center)
Set the Bass control to 5 then, turn the mid, presence and treble up full. Hopefully this will be a bit to bright, so dial out some treble until it sounds OK. Now try the sound in a mix or with your band before making more adjustments. A bass tone that sits properly in a mix or with a band will sound like it has too much mid-range when played by itself.So keep that in mind before dialing out any of the mid control or adding any bass. 220Hz, 500Hz and 700Hz are your friends. Don't scoop them out like so many do by instinct.
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