How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

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windmill
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How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by windmill » Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:05 am

Hello

I am looking for a pedal that will thicken/fatten a bass guitar sound,

Any suggestions ?

The rhythm guitarist will miss the next show of our cover band, so when the guitarist is soloing I am looking for something to help fill out the sonic space.

I am thinking a distortion pedal might work. For example would a bass big muff be any good ?

Thanks in advance

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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Futuron » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:35 am

Thick chorus? Big overdrive? Anything that gives a fat sound. (I don't have any specific suggestions sorry, I don't personally use pedals when on bass)

I'd also personally play (probably barre) chords instead of single notes. You become the rhythm guitarist on the bass for that moment in time.

Probably wouldn't work for a cover situation but whenever I find myself in a 3-piece with solos in upbeat songs the bass player often takes them and the guitarist focuses on rhythm.

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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Trout » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:42 am

Octaver ::)
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Larry Mal » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:53 am

That's the problem with guitar solos, right? The big, full sound of the guitar disappears. That's why a lot of times on records you'll hear a lot of support from the other instruments while the guitarist solos, because otherwise the song gets very thin all of a sudden.

Frankly, why not just do something other than the solos?

But that's not my call. There certainly is precedent for what you are suggesting with the bass distortion, these guys do that from time to time to make the otherwise sparse arrangement seem more full at the choruses.

You could also get a sampler, and record some pads to play during the solos, maybe some keyboard pads or something.

Then, when you guitarist steps up to just really fucking shred that thing and give the world something they've never seen before, a smoking solo, you've got some other sounds thickening things up a bit. That's a lot more common on records than you probably think.
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Mike S » Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:17 am

Probably a Sovtek or Sovtek based Big Muff or a Big Muff that can dial in that sound. Or if you want that really thick Krist Novoselic bass sound, that's a Rat pedal. Those are really great with bass as well.

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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Embenny » Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:55 am

Honestly, just jump up the octave and throw in some triads or fifths (power chords). Effects aren't the answer, musicianship is. When you have a three-piece and the guitar has been used to fill out the midrange frequencies, you have the liberty to ride the low end. When that guitar disappears and you want to keep that fullness, the only answer for you as a bassist is to cover part of the range the guitar occupied.

It sounds a whole lot better for you to move up an octave and throw in some power chords or triads than for you to sit in the lowest octave range of the bass. People don't "miss" that low end nearly as much as you'd think. After all, it's a guitar solo taking the attention at that point.

Depending on your style, you might want to throw some OD on the bass as well at that point, but only you can answer that, knowing what music you're playing.

Lou Barlow got me started on doing that trick years ago. A bass, running through a bass amp, hitting chords up the neck is a VERY full sound.
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by andy » Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:56 am

mbene085 wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:55 am
Effects aren't the answer, musicianship is.
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by leokula » Thu Jun 14, 2018 11:05 am

I'd say just have a fuzz or distortion box on the bass AND / OR play two note power chords on the bass.
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by parry » Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:09 pm

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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Maggieo » Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:18 pm

mbene085 wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:55 am
Honestly, just jump up the octave and throw in some triads or fifths (power chords). Effects aren't the answer, musicianship is. When you have a three-piece and the guitar has been used to fill out the midrange frequencies, you have the liberty to ride the low end. When that guitar disappears and you want to keep that fullness, the only answer for you as a bassist is to cover part of the range the guitar occupied.

It sounds a whole lot better for you to move up an octave and throw in some power chords or triads than for you to sit in the lowest octave range of the bass. People don't "miss" that low end nearly as much as you'd think. After all, it's a guitar solo taking the attention at that point.

Depending on your style, you might want to throw some OD on the bass as well at that point, but only you can answer that, knowing what music you're playing.

Lou Barlow got me started on doing that trick years ago. A bass, running through a bass amp, hitting chords up the neck is a VERY full sound.
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by i love sharin foo » Thu Jun 14, 2018 4:23 pm

Maggieo wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:18 pm
mbene085 wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:55 am
Honestly, just jump up the octave and throw in some triads or fifths (power chords). Effects aren't the answer, musicianship is. When you have a three-piece and the guitar has been used to fill out the midrange frequencies, you have the liberty to ride the low end. When that guitar disappears and you want to keep that fullness, the only answer for you as a bassist is to cover part of the range the guitar occupied.

It sounds a whole lot better for you to move up an octave and throw in some power chords or triads than for you to sit in the lowest octave range of the bass. People don't "miss" that low end nearly as much as you'd think. After all, it's a guitar solo taking the attention at that point.

Depending on your style, you might want to throw some OD on the bass as well at that point, but only you can answer that, knowing what music you're playing.

Lou Barlow got me started on doing that trick years ago. A bass, running through a bass amp, hitting chords up the neck is a VERY full sound.
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Sauerkraut » Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:40 am

Some great advice here. Alternatively, if you have the money lying around; get yourself a Bass VI, so those power chords and triads will actually sound good, or just keep playing the low notes while at the same time filling the gap the guitarist just left.

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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by windmill » Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:07 am

Thanks for all the responses

Not quite what I expected

I thought there would be a whole range of wonderful and wacky stompboxes out there to cater for this.... but to be told to just to become a better player has dampened the stompbox GAS that had been building up. :)

A few of the songs rely on single note bass lines to underpin the tunes so I will try out some of the distortion & octave suggestions.

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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by Embenny » Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:19 am

windmill wrote:
Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:07 am
Thanks for all the responses

Not quite what I expected

I thought there would be a whole range of wonderful and wacky stompboxes out there to cater for this.... but to be told to just to become a better player has dampened the stompbox GAS that had been building up. :)

A few of the songs rely on single note bass lines to underpin the tunes so I will try out some of the distortion & octave suggestions.
Hey, I totally did not mean it as a "get better" kind of way - I was trying to suggest a technique I use that I believe you're fully capable of already ;D

I've had two bands in the last couple of years where I had to do exactly what you're describing - cover extra range during solos.

Even if there's a characteristic monophonic bassline, you can either use an octaver or just play it up the octave, and you'd be surprised how much sonic space that helps fill. And a lot of monophonic basslines can still be punctuated by strategically-placed triads and dyads to imply chords and fill that space.
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Re: How to help a bass fill out the sound behind a single guitar ?

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:39 am

Just put shimmer reverb on everything. :P

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