THE ROCK BASS TONE THAT WON’T GO AWAY BY VICTOR BRODÉN
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.
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
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.
your pick is too light, you’ll lose
low end and some of the built-in, 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 round-
wounds 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 popu-
lar 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 mid-
range-frequency rocker switch
to 800 Hz, cut the midrange
knob to about 10 o’clock (cut-
ting 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 tradi-
tional 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.
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.
