My Tips to Improve Your Bass Tone 

We’re talking about the Brown’s tone. 😁

Finally! Someone who takes the time to properly explain bass tone and how to go about finding your own sound. Great explanation on how treble, mids, and bass settings affect levels of warmth versus note definition. Also difference in pickup activation settings. Thanks Rich!

dude,.you have the prefect speaking voice for a teacher - it give's the feeling that Eeeeeverything's going to be ok... :) great lesson, thanks!

This!!! Thank you! I learned so much about tone from this video. I’ve been taking a deep dive with my rig lately and magically this video appears and you shine some light on the subject. Love your videos, please keep it up!

So well stated. I really enjoy your explanations and your perspective. I find tone fascinating and love hearing how people find their tone and what they like to hear.

came from a scott video. you have such a calm voice, it makes me want to listen to it without speeding up the video even though it's slow and paused and you're such a good explainer :)

Rich, Your every lesson is a goldmine of ideas and inspiration. I love them all! I was wondering, though, if you might consider a lesson discussing your right hand technique, including the “hanging thumb” technique and its pros and cons? Thanks for everything!

I'm old school, warm bass tone. Finding my or a tone that I like, has been most frustrating part of learning how to play.

Great information Rich. Thanks!

Thank you! I'm 7 months in learning as a left-handed player. I definitely fall into the old school category because I like the disco and funk sounds of the 1970s.

Extraordinary helpful. Thank you!

Really loved this, thanks!

I have been playing the bass guitar for one month. I just watched your video, I'm going to try this right away, thanks!

Thank you for your thoughts

As always, Rich, you are informative and inspirational! Your hints are clear, simple, easy to experiment with, and are very well-defined; like your tone! I most definitely fall into the more “modern” J-Bass, Jaco camp; he’s been my bass hero for almost fifty years. I am also a firm believer in the idea that one’s hands are integral to one’s sounds.

Love your videos Rich. Keep 'em coming please, Maestro! :-)

Wow Rich! Good stuff! Keep it coming.

Love this, Rich. Jazz bass guy here. Love that bridge pickup but with a little neck for warmth. Great channel, really learning a lot here. Much respect ✌🏼 & ❤

Such a great video. Your explanations are concise, but offer just enough detail. Thank you! FWIW, my settings are close to yours, although I tend to boost the low mids and leave the lows flat.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world!

Thank you Rich! I'm a guitarist new to bass and just got a J bass with active EQ. I was reluctant to get to extreme with any settings but I tried using the bridge PU with bass and mid maxed and treble off. I love that sound! Thank you for the encouragement to experiment!

Excellent! Thank you!

Love your videos. Thank you very much.

Waoo thanks papa Rich your teachings has helped me allot.

Good vid! It’s amazing how good that squire sounds on its own honestly

Wow, thanks for sharing this video on how you get your tone Rich and how to find your own, it is very valuable! I have long been a fan of your tone and it’s great to hear your your concept on how you achieve it. Yours is one my favourite bass tones in the world wether it’s a melodic bass line or solo or playing a whole note! Thanks for the simple, clear, deep ideas in all of your videos, they are a breath of fresh air!

I’m a committed PJ player. Lol. I play with various BLs in many genres and different venues. These tips are really helpful and practical. Thanks.

Rich thank you for wonderfully articulating what sound I was looking to get out of my bass. I’m a beginner, 1 year in. Everything kind of sounded similar to me before, but now that I’m a little more skilled, tone has become apparent. My technique significantly hinders the tone I want from my bass, but rolling down the treble and lows really helped me hone in that sound. Thank you 🙏🏽. Subscribed a few seconds into your video.

Hello Rich.... A very good lesson. I'm sure you know this lesson is very rarely discussed in bass lessons. Please note that this helps me a lot... thanks.

Thank you so much for this video ! I wish I could have those advice a long time ago ! I was a J Bass fan, in small jazz amateur combo, using low end to get an ”upright bass” type of sound. After a long break, I’m back to bass. Now, I enjoy more and more that P bass distinctive sound, with a more present voice in the mid-lows. So precise, so present, even with a drummer, guitar and electric piano.

Tone. Ahhh. An ever changing value. I've just discovered the EB3 and violin bass... new horizons outside of the knob reality. Great vid.

Thanks. After tens of years playing rounds suddenly felt the urge to try some flats and a mute on my pbass. Tellin you, everything just swings much harder. Thinking I finally found my home.

Great video, Rich ❤️ in terms of tone, I feel like there is more like an ‘umbrella’ or sorts. I am always using different knob settings throughout the set depending on what the song needs, and I feel like that as a whole represents a general ‘tone’ :)

Thanks, great explanation on how you make your tone on the bass. Bass tone is an interesting subject. I found that on (almost) every bass is a nice tone to be found. If that tone works with the song is another thing. When playing with my band I know the tones that work by now for most of the songs. When recording a song I mostly record the bass line on 2 different basses or with 2 different tones and later on in the mix is decided which recording works best. In live situations the tone settings can be different according to the venue. I listened to some recordings where my bass tones really sucks but it worked wonderful in the mix.

Thanks for this video. I just came across this. I have been using your vids on using pentatonic shapes to create solos. I’ve learned a lot! I’ve always played my fretless fender J-Bass and accentuated the back pickup, rolled down the front, and played right over the back pickup. I have the exact same Squire as you have in this video and used to play it similarly and kept the tone knob down on what I imagine a 3 or 4 out of 10 would be. Now that I’m more into high energy blues and rock with a solid flare of jazzy funk, I’m exploring the sound setup you described where I actually cut the treble a bit on my amp and roll up the low mid and bass eq on the amp and accentuate and the front pickup just a little more and then when I solo I roll up the back pickup and play there. I didn’t have it quite dialed in as I like, but thanks to your video I do know! Much appreciated! Every video you publish is a valuable bass lesson for me. I’ve been a working bass player and learner for almost 30 years and still have so much to learn. I never use foot pedals. I just use my bass, my hands, and the eq on the amp. I’m just still pursuing that tone that I’ll love. Thank you for the help!

THANK YOU SO MUCH RICH.

Great video, Rich. Thank you for doing what you do. You are a good teacher, and I always enjoy watching your vids. So, on tone, I prefer the old school sound, without too much mid frequencies. I do however, like the highs for the added definition. P-basses always sound great, but I’ve been loving my jazz bass since I got it. The fella who set it up did a wonderful job. I usually turn the front pickup to about 6, bridge pickup all the way off, and dip the tone knob down about 10%. That’s been the tone I’ve been rocking with. Blessings to you brother. Stay well. 🎶🎶🎶

Good instruction. Most of the groups I play with are looking for an old school P sound. That's where we need the bass tone to live for the style of music.

Thanks Rich.

I own a music man stingray and It has the lows mids and treble but it sounds much more detailed when I use the bass and mids alone and a little treble. You talking about it has helpede get the urge to explore more things on my bass. Thank you

Definitely Old School, but I'm stuck with a Fender Mexican Jazz Bass, and the American 50s P Bass I ordered last March is now back-ordered till March 2022! This video is really helpful! Thank you.

My sound preference tends to be with flat midrange with some zing in the treble, but I’ve never tried cranking the mids and bass while taking off the treble . I’ll try that tonight.

Thanks Rich! May I request "Tone part deux, the sequel"? I'd love to see another one of these where you show some of the magic ways you produce sound simply by moving your hands around. There's so much about your left-hand articulation and dynamic control, along with how you articulate, that makes it sound like you. (For me, sound-wise? I was about 15, when my teacher George Koller told me he liked to sound like a deep ocean with some silver light sparkling on top. That image made me think long and hard about what I wanted to do. My sound is a frozen lake, with life teeming under the thick ice. Wow, never said that out loud before! And, yeah, Jazz bass 5 for me. P-bass by request)

im old school P bass as I'm a blues tragic. Mind you the tone outta my jazz bass is really nice to practice with. Thanks Mr B, great lesson...

Solid knowledge transfer here. Most sober analysis of tone ever.

Excellent video Rich!!! 👍😎🎸 I'm definitely old school on many levels....lol. P Bass .

You're the man, Rich.

Thank you for this information

Keep up the great work man

Mr.Brown Thank you. You really inspire me. I'm 66 yo from montreal . Ai love your channel.

I'll keep myself short: I literally dig every bass sound in its own right. For me personally, classic boomy nylon tapewound flats on the P and that Jaco vibe JB sound are literally it.

interesting and true the pickup and tone setting... you made me decide to fetch my unused 200 Euro bass and use it before the end of this week...

Thanks!

I love the part where you discuss finding one's place in the mix. Not stepping on others' toes (and vice versa) can be challenging in some musical situations! I play in a twelve piece horn band and there is an abundance of midrange; I'll try your suggestions at the next rehearsal. Thanks!

I have both but I really like your tone. Working on my attack.

This is so funny. I had just been playing on my Squire Jazz (admittedly a Japanese 1983 one). Another great video, which is going to send me back to some tweaking.

Man…you’re the teacher I always wished I had.

Love this vid. Thank you. I like my tone off too.

Just found your channel. Yesterday. Much needed. I started playing bass because of a worship team leader. I came in as a guitar player. He handed me a bass and said “I have to many guitar players, need a bass player, learn how to play.” I had to learn on my own and I still feel like I’m guessing most of the time. Your content is amazing and I’m picking it up fast. Most channels are either way to basic or teaching you how to play way to flashy. I need the tone, some fills, most differently the groove and still be a bass player. Not a lead guitarist. Keep up the great work. Love your channel.

Greetings from Montreal ! Thank you very much for all your videos. As someone else suggest, i’d like a tone part too video. What about strings ?

Thank you my brother....peace& love. ✌🏾

When I heard you playing your Moollan, and the tone you made with it, I went "Ah-Ha!" there is the sound I want! I've been chasing it in the basses I've tried (I'm a newbie) and came upon the Sire V7 Vintage. The neck felt amazing, so I took a chance and bought it. Now, my tone can vary, depending on where I place my fingers, and when I get it just right, it's about as close to yours as I could ever hope to accomplish.

I’m definitely into the Jaco / modern tone of jimmy haslip in the yellowjackets sound your tone is awesome very clean and precise not muddy has clarity and warm Thanks for the lesson always great

Playing gently helped me greatly. This was facilitated by getting my monitoring signal up so that I don’t overstroke to hear myself.

Peace and love to you brother. I definitely love the old school deep bass tone. I was given a Yamaha bass and traded it in for another new boxed Yamaha and was taken aback by the tinny sound of the strings. They have mellowed out quite a bit and I like it. At some point I will change them but go with the deeper tone strings.

Thank you very much for this! I've not been very pleased with the tone I'm getting on my 5-string. Especially the B string (which was the goal my buying a 5-string!). I think you may have nipped it in the bud for me. Much appreciated. Oh yeah! I'm not sure which category I fall into. I have a both a Fender Jazz (4-string) and a Sire P7 (5-string). I'm happiest when I hear a little bit of growl coming from my bass, but without too much treble, and still experimenting a bit with the mids on the Sire. Once I find that sweet spot for the B string I'll likely be where I want to be. Thanks for helping me along the way.

Hi bro ! Thanx for your vids. I LOOOOVE them I am definitely a P-Bass boy !

As per, a brilliant breakdown of how to best find one's own tone. Amazing. I still spend plenty of time on my Johnson semi-acoustic -- I love being able to go back and forth between 3 different tones: plucking hand near the bridge, for a more J-bass sound, right above the sound hole for a 'regular' acoustic bass tone, and up the neck to somewhat approximate a stand-up bass (not really, but, you know, standup-ish 🤓). I also just picked up a Squier 60s Classic Vibe (so seeing you with that Affinity in your arms was very cool), and I prefer to turn the neck p/up down, and the bridge p/up all the way, and tone control down, too -- so that was affirming to see. Amp settings (just a simple Fender Rumble 40) are the biggest question mark for me, and those suggestions are excellent. I'm a bigger fan of the Jaco-style, bridge-focussed sound, but can appreciate the P-tone as well. For me, I love to be able to float between these different tones, according to context, and needs declared by a particular song. To get something like a stand-up bass sound on an electric is a goal, too. Thank you for yet another brilliant video, Maestro.

Hey Rich! Great topic and great discussion. I think you ought to do a video on "How do I fit in? Elements of making your bass fit perfectly in your ensemble."

Excellent presentation!

Thank you for getting me back on track. i was little bit lost with all the opportunities to achieve a bass tone. to trust me ears and playing the tone i love sounds very easy but it is finally a hard task.

Thank you for this great video, Rich! Really enjoyed it. Personally, my bass tone is pretty low mid heavy with an emphasis around 120-230Hz. That being said, I play with quite a lot of fx pedals and some OD on my signal, all the time. So, I'm not sure I fall into either of these categories. :D

Love playing and recording with both jazz and P/J configuration . That being said, each have the following commonalities; Lindy Fralin pups or DiMarzio pups, Badass bridge,Hipshot tuners, and Thomastik /Infeld Flats … This seems to help get the tone and feel I like 😎Thanks, Rich for the tone video …. Just great 🙌🏽BASS ON ‼️

Killer lesson Rich….Daalu !

Old School my Bro.. Thanku

I play bass for a very long time: best lesson ever 👍👍👏👏

good tips man, I'm a noob learning from videos and this is a good explanation of the settings.

Awesome vid! Touch is the key Improve the touch=improve your tone

Hi, thank you for the great suggestions.I`m still looking for the right sound,IQ settings and strings....But I play just for one year and I'm starting to find myself on the instrument.I play a Jazzbass and looking for a warm full tone without to much treble.....but in the low-end the notes sound quite similar .....so I keep searching and checking out your ideas!!Greetings from Germany.I love your channel!!!Niko

I had to pause halfway in the video. For 15yrs I have listened to pro bass players and not one of them has ever explained it this way. Thank you so much. Wow. I have been searching for that tone that is consistent across the fretboard, defined, clear whilst not being brittle. I get it..... thanks brother 🙏

Awesome as always Rich! Great to get some reassurance on tone. I’ve taken a v.similar approach when tweaking my sound as you describe: ‘84 Tokai Jazz sound, stock pickups, badass II bridge. Not been setup or strings changed for years (I should probably sort that lol). I rarely have the tone control up higher than halfway, and then only if I want to dig in and get more of a raspy solo sound when playing closer to the neck. Back pickup full on, front pickup i think of as ‘seasoning your meat’ - see how it’s cooking with the band and adjust as necessary! Who was it that said “Imitate, assimilate, innovate”? 🤔 Def applies to bass tone! ✌️🎸

thanks very much

Great information. I wish you would get a Gretch G2220 short scale with flat wounds, I can't play yet but the tones that come out of the G with flat wounds is phenomenal. Thanks for your time and talent.

Spot on . Thanks, Rich ! I lean toward a P/J configuration . And do like the old school sound with a modern punch that can cut through. I use Thomastik-Infeld flats on most of my basses. Using flats seem to tame that treble sound for me. I usually go full throttle with knobs and make adjustments with amp . Like you, I do not like that brittle trebly sound , so the set up I go to works well in most applications . Thanks again for your insight. Really great 🙌🏽

I found someone who has same ideas with me. Our tones are the same on the stage my friend:) thanks for your informations.

Outstanding stuff Rich, I was wondering what it was about your tone that I couldn't put my finger on; articulation without high end brittleness. I play rock/metal mostly but with more of an old-school tone. Getting that Jaco tone will be great for branching out and having fun playing other stuff, which is something I believe in for sure. Stay cool man.🕶

thanks man..😎

Tonight during band practise I tried the tone settings you explained so I rolled the highs al the way down, the mids to 80% and bass neutral to 50% and 100% bridge pick-up and neck pick-up 0% (3 band control on bass with 2 soapbars) It sounded very good I must say. Very articulated, didn't miss the highs and bottom was there. Very Cool!

Hey Rich, love your tone (of voice AND bass). Thanks for the great advice! As you spelled out clearly, there are lots of tonal variations within the electronics’ settings and even more when you move your plucking hand up in the neck area or toward the bridge! Keep up the good grooves…🙏🏼🎶

This was awesome! I have a 5 string Warwick jazz and recently got a G&L L-5000 (his last production model before passing on home AND his only 5 string design AND it has a funky sickle headstock). I love them almost equally...but would take the Warwick in the end.

thank you

I also love the sound of the neck pickup turned all the way down. I only figured this out when the neck pickup broke on my Jazz Bass. 😅

This brother knows how to serve a song..period

My favorite tone is a Jazz Bass and my second favorite is a Stingray ( however ) I like everything from dark reggae-dub tones to bright snappy Marcus Miller tone's. Enjoyed your explanation. oNe LovE from NYC

As a really new bassist who really hasn’t found their footing, this was a very helpful explanation!!

Hi Rich what the best strings you would recommend much appreciated sir 👍

Agree about the goodness of the bridge pickup with tone knob turned down (doesn't always have to be all the way down). I also love the bridge pickup at 100 % and neck at 10 %. A lot of people think the p bass sits easier in a mix, but that's not the case for me. If I'm allowed to use EQ on both, I find it much easier to make a jazz bass sit in a rock/pop mix, due to the upper harmonics that the p bass doesn't have. That is, unless you have a jazz with a HUGE mid scoop and you play with both pickups on full, then the P bass can be a little easier to fit in a mix. The thing is, jazz basses vary a lot in terms of how big that mid scoop is, so as long as you don't have one of the most severe 'scoopers' it can sit in a mix as well, if not better, than a P.

I'm old school and have a similar tone preference to you - on a Jazz with Fender 58 tapes - I don't really like P's, but I also like some of the newer active sounds.

I agree with you about that treble tho. My low end and mids are usually at the middle setting and my treble is only about 10 to 20% at the most.

Love the channel