Gear

Gear Breakdown

I’ve been using a Warwick Streamer LX Bass Guitar through a Mesa M-Pulse 600 head for a few years now, I run the head into two 2 X 10 inch 600 watt Mesa cabinets when I get the chance, mainly there is enough power in most gigging situations were I only need to use one cabinet.
My bass head is rigged up with a Korg DTR-2000 rack tuner, which can be muted via an external switch which is a must have for gigs, I also have my AKG SR 40 wireless unit “wired” up to my rig, once you go wireless you won’t go back.
I endorse RotoSound strings which have been my favourite for years and I proudly use on my Warwick and Marleaux basses. I do not use my six string Marleaux in the band currently as much as the Warwick, as it tends to come out when I am doing more “jazzy” stuff or anything that requires that bottom B string!!. The string gauge I use for the Marleaux is the swing bass 35 45 65 80 105 130, for the Warwick I rock the standard gauge 45 65 80 105 .

I don’t think it’s possible to get your tone 100% right, it is something that you will change and finally tune over time, it can sometimes sound like the tone has changed every gig because of afew factors, for example... the size of the room your in, if you are running your amp head through a different set of cabs/speakers, if your strings are starting to go dead or how the signal from the D.I sounds through different P.A speakers. I have a tone that I know works with my Warwick and Mesa combo that I can make minor changes to and it will still give the sound I want no matter the situation.
 
If there I any advice I can give, don’t neglect the Middle tone controls, there is quite a few bass players that cut that out, you then tend to only get the high “pings” of Treble end attacking through and the low subs of the Bass frequency underpinning. If that is the sound you are going for that’s fine but no matter what amp you use you will not get the cut that the Middle provides. I get the Middle controls turned up, with the Bass control just past that, (the Mesa M-pulse has a parametric e.q were this can be finally tuned but I tend to set most amps like this) the Treble control I usually have nearly a quarter turn below the Middle, as I say this can vary slightly.

I never have my Guitar controls all on full, apart from my volume at points, I have it set similar to my amp but with less Middle, as too much can create the unwanted “Gak” sound especially when slapping. To give my amp a bit more of a growl especially when I’m playing rock, I turn up the gain rather than my general volume because you can then turn the volume down, still keeping control of your sound but with an extra bite.

tone