What Fretted basses make nice Fretless basses?

[Tomass]

Hey guys im new to this forum, however not new to bass so im not a noob. Anyway ive been playing for almost 6 years and want to make the transition from playing a fretted bass to fretless, and the reason was from Individual Thought Patterns and Scariot Momentum Shift. Im considering selling my Lakland 55-02 as it just doesnt cut through the mix and i dont like the sound of it. At the moment ive been recording with the Ibanez SDGR which has a nice low mid growl and solid higher mid range. So either Steve or anyone else with experience, what bass either manufactured as fretless or fretted will cut through a metal mix, with a nice low mid growl. Warwick comes to mind, but id rather buy a Thumb and keep it as a fretted bass. The Bass Centre (australia) has the Cort B4 fretless and the B5s, couple of fender jazzes etc. Would a Cort B4 cut through a metal mix alright? or should i buy another Ibanez or even get an ESP and get a professional defret?

Great Forum by the way, and Steve you would appear as a godly figure if i didnt think that relgions are a crock of shit, your just a great inspiration to aspiring bassists in other words.

 

[genocide roach]

i like my pedulla hexabuzz. sweet tone, even acoustic.

be prepared to drop a few G's though
~gR~

 

[Bassista]

carvin,spector,cort -my types
alltimers-musicman ,fender-these basses will cut through any mix

 

[HippieOfDoom]

This is my opinion...
I think any good bass can sound good, *or cut through the mix. And any bad bass will always sound bad. It's not a matter of if the neck has frets or not. It's the overall character of the bass. It's an EQ thing, it's the way you play it thing, and mostly it's what you play. You can't hide behind people in a room and expect someone else to see you. You have to play stuff to get out of the shadows or being lost in the guitar and drum hell.
*And basically, we have to start convincing engineers and producers that there is a reason to hear what the bass player has done within the song. And then the mixes will start to change back to how they were back when...back before all these sucky guys came out and got burried in the mix and made it a standard in metal to have the bass inaudible.
All brands have high-level instruments that all have the potential to sound good in the studio or on stage. It's up to the player to make it that way. I have had a bad bass stick out (Death - Individual Thought Patterns) and good bass tones get lost (many many albums, too many to list! haha). You can't just go buy an expensive bass and expect to be loud all the time. Just work with what you already have and try a new approach to the EQ as well as what you contribute to the song.
SDG

 

[Bassista]

damn... word!

 

[Tomass]

Cheers Steve. Im listening to Dark Hall as we speak, certaintly a lot different to the other work you were involved in, which is defently refreshing to hear. Anyway i went for a Cort B4FL and Im completely satisfied with it, basic amp settings are all flat except mids, and a fair amount of "clean" gain.

 

[PerennialQuest1349]

i like the bass tone on ITP.

 

[Eligos]

*And basically, we have to start convincing engineers and producers that there is a reason to hear what the bass player has done within the song.
SDG

I second this. My bandmates and I want to keep me high in the mix because my bass fills/harmonies add to the atmosphere of many of the songs we play. Once we release our demo, be sure to check out Solitas Votum and Then We Prevail.

 

[tomas_almeida]

Apart from EQing and Volume there are some factors that very important to remeber. Technique and WHAT you play are as or even more important than EQ. You can't play roots and expect to stand out in the mix with two guitars and a double pedal bass drum.

Oh yeeah, this is my first post here! Hi everyone! I'm from Portugal and love Steve's work!