LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Bass Guitar => Topic started by: Richiee on February 01, 2005, 07:40:30 PM
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What kind of bass guitar and bass amp do the Gospel bass players use. I listen to a Florida AM station WPUL, and most songs the bass players actual sound is like a growl sound, so I assumed they must use pretty much the same setup. By that I mean, like a 4X10 bass cabinet and etc. Any info on this would be appreciated, as I really like the unique sound they are getting but need to know what the basic equipment is like what kind of bass guitars 5 string or what, and also what type of bass head and bass cabinets they usually prefer to get this special growl and throaty sound.
Thanks for any tips you can thow my way.
RIchiee
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It always sounds to me like they have active electronic basses. Their amps are anybody's guess.
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Perfessor is right. Most of them have active electronics. Don't forget,
these guys are in the studio too. Personally, I think good sound also comes from good technique.
As for myself, I play a Schecter Elite 5 (with EMG pickups and active electronics). I have a Peavey 4x10 cabinet and an Ampeg 1x15 cabinet powered by a bridged 2 channel amp (~600watts). I have a Bassist EQ. My amp and eq are Peavey.
It does o.k. (would love to upgrade though).
God Bless
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Please explain. I see this sometime. What do you mean by active and passive?
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Passive basses is all there was until the late '70's. A passive bass has the type of pickup that captures sound via magnetic field and only resonates with the string and body. Active basses have batteries that keep the resonating going at an even level even when the string is fading. Also, some active basses have further capabilties to shape the sound.
I only play passive basses because I prefer the closer-to-actual sound they produce. I had a Fender Precision at one time, which are passive of course, and now I play a Washburn T24 Taurus passive bass which is a neck through bass. You gotta try a neck through bass.
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another way is of putting it is that passive basses have two controls pickup volume and a tone dial active on the other hand is like putting a amp head right inside of your bass so u have control over the highs lows mids bass pickup select and volume so u have 1000s of tone possibilities compared to 100s i just upgraded my bass and put active electronics in it i got the j retros and bartolini pickups in my four string this thing is a monster now. active electronics is also a great way for you to develop your "OWN" sound
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To add to what has been said, there are two ways to have "active electronics". You could
a) have passive pickups like me (EMG-HZ's) and have a an active 2-band eq (installed in the back compartment)
or
b) have completely active pickups (which have the eq inside the pickup enclosure).
Active pickups also give you a lower signal to noise ratio. I loved my EMG's so much in my Schecter, that I installed EMJ P-J's in my 5 string
Alvarez.
I agree with lildrummaboy; you can come up with your own sound that you'll grow to like. Active pickups do take some getting used to (you can get such a broad range of tones), but I love them... I get good battery lifetime too.
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Good information everyone. It's like I just picked up the bass and don't know anything about it. I didn't know you could add all of the extras to a basic guitar.