How do you get a good sound on a bass guitar?

Answer 1

Good sound on a Bass Guitar depends on two things: your technique and your equipment.

Most important is your technique. Even with the best bass in the world, your sound will be bad if you have bad technique. Here are some things to think about:

1) Make sure that your left hand makes a C shape, as in curve your fingers and play on your finger tips. This also means keep your thumb planted in the center of the neck, and that your thumb and second finger are pointed at each other.

2) Check your left hand fingers and make sure that they are "behind" the fret. This means that, if you are playing on the second fret, your finger is right by the fret, but on the side that is nearer to the first fret, not the side nearer to the third fret.

3) Do not press too hard or too lightly with your left hand fingers. Make sure you are pressing just enough to make a clear note without buzzing, and no harder than what is "just enough."

4) Make sure each finger is spaced 1 fret apart. This means, if your index finger is on the 5th fret, your middle finger is on the 6th fret, your ring finger is on the 7th fret, and your pinky is on the 8th fret. Make sure that this spacing is the same in most positions. As you get closer and closer to your index finger on the 1st fret, it might feel like a huge stretch to you. If that is the case, try Index finger on the 1st fret, middle finger on the 2nd fret, and ring and pinky together on the 3rd fret.

5) Keep your left hand fingers close to the string. It is natural, for example, when you have your index finger down, that the rest of your fingers will either point off into space or get tucked behind the neck. Keep them hovering over the strings, ready to go.

6) Anchor your right hand thumb somewhere, most commonly on one of the pickups. Note that the closer your right hand is to the bridge, the brighter the sound you will get, and the closer it is to the fretboard, the deeper the sound you will get.

7) Your right hand fingers should play "through the string," meaning that if you pluck the A string, your finger should automatically find itself resting on the E string, instead of retracted back into your hand.

8) If you are standing, your bass should cross across your belly and waist. If it is lower than this, then it will cause a lot of strain on your hands and negatively affect your tone.

Note that most of the tone comes from the left hand technique, which might come as a surprise as it doesn't actually do the striking of the string.

Also important is your equipment! Here are some things to keep in mind:

1) The more you spend on your bass guitar and amplifier, typically the better sound you will get. This is not always the case, but is generally true. That said, the rest of these points will focus on what you can do already with the bass you own.

2) Make sure you take care of your bass. Keep it in its case when not in use. Try to avoid prolonged periods in heat, extreme cold, and high or low humidity, as intense weather can warp and damage your instrument.

3) Take your bass in once or twice a year for a tune up. Watch for the neck, if it seems like it's bending a lot in the middle you should get it adjusted. You can better see this if you hold your bass up in front of you, parallel the the ground with the bridge by your eyes and the tuning pegs away from you. Also, open strings should not buzz. If they do, get your bass taken in for a tune up.

4) Know what the knobs do on your bass. Some knobs are for volume, some are for tone, and others are for a balance between pickups. It can take months or even years to really understand how to work these, even on a really simple bass, so constantly play with them and keep trying to get new sounds. Hint: always start "flat" (halfway between turned all the way left and turned all the way right)

5) Know what the EQ on your bass amplifier does. Just like with the knobs on your bass, it can take months or even years to fully understand how to work this, so play with it constantly. 6) How old your strings are also affects tone. New strings will be brighter, and the more you play them the duller the sound will get. This is due to the sweat and gunk on your fingers dulling the strings. If you wash your hands regularly before you play, the strings will keep their brightness longer. Some bass players rarely change their strings, whereas others change every month or so. Slap bass in particular requires newer strings.

Tone Tips:

If your tone is too low and muddy, then cut out some low end. If your tone is too punchy, then cut out the midrange, and if your tone is too tinny and metallic, then cut out some high end. You can do this with your EQ on your bass amplifier, or with your tone knob on your bass.

Also, if you have two pickups, the one closer to the bridge will get a brighter tone, and the one closer to the fingerboard will get a lower tone.

Again, your finger placement on the string will also have an effect. Closer to the bridge and you will get a brighter, punchier tone, and closer to the fingerboard and you will get a deeper, fuller tone.

IMPORTANT:

This last point has absolutely nothing to do with your technique or your equipment, and is more important than either of them, so pay attention:

LISTEN

This means always. Listen to your own tone when you practice and perform. Listen to the tone bassists get in your favorite recordings. Listen to live bands perform and what tone their bass player is getting. Try to emulate these tones, and listen again to your own playing to see if you're getting it. The more you listen, and the better you listen, the better understanding you're going to have about tone.

Answer 2

There are a few different playing styles used for the bass guitar.

You can play using your fingers, by anchoring your thumb, and plucking upwards with the tips of your fingers.

You can play using a plectrum, like on a standard 6 string guitar,

Or you can play "Slap". This is achieved by striking the strings with the side of your thumb, and "popping" the strings by putting your fingers under the strings and pulling up.

Answer 3

you need to get a fretless bass with flatwound strings