How to get one EQ setting good for slap and finger-style?

[Mukaiya]

For those who are familiar with Tetsuo Sakurai - the bass god that was one of the pioneer members of Japan fusion group Casiopea - ever notice about his bass tone? Seems to be just one setting that sounds great for slap as well as fingerstyle, and with growl/bark to boot!

It seems counter-intuitive to me that slap (smiley face) EQ, which cuts the mids, can give clear articulation when played finger-style, but somehow Sakurai can make it work.

I've tried setting up a smiley face EQ and pan the pick-up towards the bridge (to get some growl) and then boost bass EQ to compensate for the low freq attenuation due to bridge-ward pan. Still it doesn't sound quite right. Is this possible with just EQ tweak or are external gears required?

Idea, anyone?

 

[shinobi]

you're right, that IS freaky... because i would never associate things like 'mid cut', 'slap tone' or 'p bass' (i digress) with growl

but he is a pro. i'm not suggesting pro's have some magical voodoo equipment or fingers, i'm just suggesting that he might have a bass tech to do the necessary eq when he changes styles.

barring that, we might need to analyse his rig (particularly his bass) to find out if there really is some voodoo magic involved. you mentioned balancing the pups towards the bridge, but by the same principle you could play over the neck or near the bridge and the difference in tone can be pretty dramatic.

i think people usually slap over the neck, but where they pick really depends on the sound they are trying to achieve

 

[shinobi]

anyway for slap, try

+6dB @ 80Hz; -6dB @ 650Hz

or thereabout

 

[3notesAbar]

First you have to consider what bass you're using, and then what sound you really want. Also if Mr.Tetsuo plays in many different genres of music and bands, his tone may be perceived differently when he switches styles of playing. Different band-mates, different hbass tone cutting through. However if you want to get a nice tone on your own, its really so much easier (and pointless IMO). Always pays to listen to band-mates! Not just bassist listen to guitar ah...my dear thin-stringed brothers.

Always ask yourself, what can your bass do? Its best if your bass has inherent 'growl' (high mids and mids), and enough lows to boot without tweaking. Then cutting just the right frequencies on maybe a 31-band EQ for instance would do the trick. If you have to boost here and there, for slap, fingerstyle, pick or tapestry-style, its just too much work to do in a live setting. So remember - Cutting > Boosting.

My main bass is a Lakland 55-02. I run the bass flat, amp flat and can play most songs without tweaking. At the very most I'll cut my high mids a notch when I'm playing slap alone but thats rare. Thats just personal approach and I just like my bass alot. Good luck.

 

[shinobi]

i usually adjust my tone on my bass itself. i use my preamp to adjust to live room settings. amp eq is flat

anything more is both headache and potential disaster