How To Get A Great Rock Bass Tone

Strings, technique, plectrums, amps, pedals. They all play a huge part in tone and that's especially true of rock bass.

When I researched my soul bass book, it was evident that most of that bass tone was down to the dark textures created by flatwounds plus a Fender Precision bass.

Rock bass players tend to go the other way, brightening the sound.

See how in the video below.

Rock Bass Tone

Rock is a huge genre and there are many rock bass tones that sound great.

Generally, rock bass players like:

  1. Bright sounds, so think stainless steel strings.
  2. Overdrive, distortion, and/or fuzz.
  3. Tube amplifiers (although you can use any amps and have your pedals provide the rock).

If you're interested in putting a pedalboard together, watch this video:

How To Put Together a Bass Guitar Pedalboard

Certainly, being able to sound authentic in whatever style of bass you are playing is a worthy goal. Get yourself an overdrive pedal or two and you'll be ready to rock!


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