# 'Strings against fretboard' tone



## Murmel (Jul 27, 2010)

So I keep hearing this bass sound that sounds like the strings are really close to the fretboard but still maintaining the notes themselves (while bouncing of the fretboard....)
Kinda hard to explain, so I brought a soundclip. Now what I wanna know is, do bassists set their action crazy low to get that kind of sound?

Listen to the bass from about 0:28


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jul 27, 2010)

From what I keep reading fret buzz is pretty much a staple part of bass tone in certain styles of music. I actually love that tone and have the same thing going on on my guitar xD


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## Murmel (Jul 27, 2010)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> From what I keep reading fret buzz is pretty much a staple part of bass tone in certain styles of music. I actually love that tone and have the same thing going on on my guitar xD


Yeah I keep noticing how it actually sounds better in some styles with the bass buzzing. I'm kinda in love with the tone right now 

Though I need some new strings and a truss rod adjustment for my bass to be able to do that, will probably happen next month.


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## Necris (Jul 27, 2010)

Low action can help, but the the "fret clank" sound cutting through has as much, if not more to do with to do with the EQ settings than the basses setup itself.


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## Murmel (Jul 27, 2010)

Necris said:


> Low action can help, but the the "fret clank" sound cutting through has as much, if not more to do with to do with the EQ settings than the basses setup itself.


Then share please? 
If you know how to set the EQ.


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## LordCashew (Jul 27, 2010)

In my experience it's mostly about right-hand technique. I find that if I place my hand closer to the neck and strike downward, through the strings instead of across them, I can get the "fret clank" sound almost regardless of EQ. By messing around with my hand position and the amount of force I use, I can blend between traditional fingerstyle tone and something that sounds almost like a pick or even slapping.

Lower action and minimal neck relief makes this a lot easier, requiring less striking force and follow through. EQ is also an important factor, but more an enhancement than the source of the clank itself in my personal experience.

To me, it sounds like the guy in the clip has low action and is playing with a pretty good amount of downward force. There is obviously some pretty heavy EQ going on in there, maybe a little bit of drive too.


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## LordCashew (Jul 27, 2010)

Murmel said:


> Then share please?
> If you know how to set the EQ.



Scoop out the mids, boost the highs.


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## Murmel (Jul 28, 2010)

LordIronSpatula said:


> To me, it sounds like the guy in the clip has low action and is playing with a pretty good amount of downward force. There is obviously some pretty heavy EQ going on in there, maybe a little bit of drive too.



How can he play with downward force if he's plucking?
Sorry but I'm a total noob when it comes to bass terms. I played it for 3 years before I picked up guitar and now I haven't touched it in ages.


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## Steve08 (Jul 28, 2010)

Murmel said:


> How can he play with downward force if he's plucking?
> Sorry but I'm a total noob when it comes to bass terms. I played it for 3 years before I picked up guitar and now I haven't touched it in ages.


If you're playing finger style, it's pretty rare for someone to play with their finger directly perpendicular to the string. Most of the time when a bassist plays, their finger is angled and it goes back into the string behind it-- so basically, if you play really hard in this way, it'll make a really percussive clacky tone, whereas it's almost impossible to get this aggressive clack if your finger is directly perpendicular. It's somewhat hard to explain with words, better with video or images but you get the idea I think.

Just play with a fairly aggressive attack and you'll find that tone basically.


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## Murmel (Jul 28, 2010)

Steve08 said:


> If you're playing finger style, it's pretty rare for someone to play with their finger directly perpendicular to the string. Most of the time when a bassist plays, their finger is angled and it goes back into the string behind it-- so basically, if you play really hard in this way, it'll make a really percussive clacky tone, whereas it's almost impossible to get this aggressive clack if your finger is directly perpendicular. It's somewhat hard to explain with words, better with video or images but you get the idea I think.
> 
> Just play with a fairly aggressive attack and you'll find that tone basically.


Yes ofcourse you land on the string above the one you're plucking (unless you're plucking the last one.) It's one of the first things you get to learn when you play bass. It's not really the technique that bothers me, I have no problem playing with a pikc or fingerstyle. I can slap too but I'm not very good at it. It's just that I've always had the action crazy high on my basses so I never got that sound.

I tried playing a bit closer to the bridge now, and it really helped in getting the slapback, I also lowered the action, so I'm pretty close now. I just need to EQ a bit and adjust the truss rod.


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## TemjinStrife (Jul 28, 2010)

Super low action and a more "drumming" style of finger plucking (like when you tap your fingers on a table) will get that no problem without any EQ tomfoolery. With one of my basses, the action is so low I have a hard time *not* getting the "clank" from bouncing off of the frets.

You're gonna need those mids anyways to be heard, so don't scoop them.


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## Murmel (Jul 28, 2010)

So how should I set the truss rod? I think it's a little bit too tight right now because it's not been adjusted for ages. I can barely play above the 12th fret because the notes will be nothing but buzz. Should I set the neck tension really loose?


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## LordCashew (Jul 28, 2010)

Murmel said:


> So how should I set the truss rod? I think it's a little bit too tight right now because it's not been adjusted for ages. I can barely play above the 12th fret because the notes will be nothing but buzz. Should I set the neck tension really loose?



Adjusting the truss rod usually adds and subtracts curve lower on the neck - around frets 2-9 on my basses. You might see a bigger difference if you raise your bridge saddle height to reduce buzz in the higher registers. Afterward, you might even be able to tighten the truss rod and still not have buzz. On a bass with good, level frets you only need a little bit of neck relief.

Also, if you're inexperienced with setup and want good, quick results, you could have a tech do it for you.


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## LordCashew (Jul 28, 2010)

TemjinStrife said:


> ...a more "drumming" style of finger plucking (like when you tap your fingers on a table) will get that no problem without any EQ tomfoolery.



That's exactly what I meant by "downward force." Excellent description.


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## signalgrey (Jul 28, 2010)

but you dont want to get into fieldy territory where all you hear is "clickity clickity click"

dont scoop out all the mids if you are gonna go that route.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jul 28, 2010)

Stainless steel strings (maybe even go a size or two lower), low action.
Don't scoop all the mids and boost the treble to get that sound either, you'd want to boost the upper mids whilst either leaving the low mids alone or turning them down.

Make sure that your bass amp will actually recreate those higher freqs as well, some bass amps have the high end drastically attenuated no matter what you do.

I do the "bright, clanky, slap-esque" bass tone as well, I use stainless steel rotosounds, a four string 95 75 60 40 set, tuned to DGCF, with my action set low, and I play aggressively with a pick, almost exclusively on the bridge pup (a single coil jazz pup).

You don't need to pick, but any way you attack the string you must make sure to have some force behind it.

Here's a guy doing it finger style


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## MistaMarko (Jul 30, 2010)

This type of tone is the tone I use exclusively in my playing as far as any rock/metal music goes (my band, per se). I feel I've mastered this tone and have found all of the "happy mediums", and have spent a couple years perfecting it.

I used to hate fret buzz PERIOD, and was close-minded to new tones and only liked the boomy bass tone with no attack. When I started playing in a band, I realized how bad a boomy bass tone was to the mix, and pretty much did nothing but wash the mix out.

My best advice here (in all seriousness)...before you start cranking up the treble to twitter-blowing volumes, roll back on the BASS a little. You'll be surprised how much it reveals, and cleans up the mix. Boosted bass will drown out all of those nuances in the higher frequencies you want to hear. You may think "why should I roll back BASS when I'm playing a BASS?" -- well, the fact that you're in a lower octave automatically will expose you in that area of the spectrum. Geddy Lee for example hardly has any lows in his sound, and his bass sound is probably one of the clearest and most audible in the mix, even live.

After rolling back on the bass to a reasonable level, scoop out the mids slightly around 800Hz. (I'd say about 5-7dB of cut). Boost your highs around 3.5kHz. Also, boost your low mids significantly; this offers a lower presence in the mix but it's just high enough over true bass frequencies that it won't fight with the kick drum.

The rest relies pretty much on what effects you have, and lastly, your right-hand technique. As far as effects, I recommend a light compression to keep the highs tamed if you dig in hard, and maybe an input gain boost pedal if you aren't already using an active bass. Lastly, you need to play aggressively with a lot of attack.

Good luck.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Aug 1, 2010)

^I'm the opposite, I liked playing bass but hated the indistinct, smooth, and featureless tone that I heard (or didn't hear!) on all of my music. I wanted clarity and zing and to be able to hear the attack on the notes-as the attack in the first place helps us tell one note from the next. And above all I wanted the bass to stick out rather than fade into the background. Even with smoother tones I like to be able to hear the bass parts a.k.a. fretless parts in Opeth songs.

I actually like Fieldy's playing, but I hate how he achieves that sound-by using the dreaded uber-scoop.

I like as much mids as I can get, I won't punch through a mix, I will PLOW straight through it.


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## Soubi7string (Aug 3, 2010)

All_¥our_Bass;2079141 said:


> Stainless steel strings (maybe even go a size or two lower), low action.
> Don't scoop all the mids and boost the treble to get that sound either, you'd want to boost the upper mids whilst either leaving the low mids alone or turning them down.
> 
> Make sure that your bass amp will actually recreate those higher freqs as well, some bass amps have the high end drastically attenuated no matter what you do.
> ...




That was godly as FUCK
I love that tone


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## davisjom (Oct 7, 2011)

I've gotten that sound when i use an amp with a tweeter on it.
That's probably what it is, I'm not 100% sure, but i love that sound.


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## Remission (Oct 7, 2011)

MistaMarko said:


> This type of tone is the tone I use exclusively in my playing as far as any rock/metal music goes (my band, per se). I feel I've mastered this tone and have found all of the "happy mediums", and have spent a couple years perfecting it.
> 
> I used to hate fret buzz PERIOD, and was close-minded to new tones and only liked the boomy bass tone with no attack. When I started playing in a band, I realized how bad a boomy bass tone was to the mix, and pretty much did nothing but wash the mix out.
> 
> ...



^^^^

This

An excellent example of bass cutting through and becoming a true rhythm (almost guitar-like) backing:



Clearly defined, cuts through, yet still works great in a band context.


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