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Making a 5-string bass sound more like a P-Bass

I recently was doing a session for the uniquely talented singer/songwriter Katie Howell and learned something new. We hired a buddy of ours, Jonathan Smither, to play bass. Jonathan’s a great player who knows how to groove and has a great sense of tone.
For the session, he brought his custom 5-string which sounds great. We smacked it through my Hamptone tube preamp (which loves bass guitar), but it wasn’t the right tone for the track. It was too bright and clear. It really needed a P-Bass. WARNING: You’ve got to take me with a grain of salt here. I think a P-Bass through an Ampeg is the greatest bass tone know to mankind. Almost every song needs a P-Bass.
Jonathan actually has a beauty P-Bass, but he didn’t have it with him. I mentioned that I wished we could get more of that vintage tone, and he pulled out a trick I’d never seen.
First, grab some Kleenex. Preferably not the kind with lotion in it. Toilet paper works fine. Stuff just enough under the strings down near the bridge, and it creates a fair approximation of that slightly dampened sound I love so much. Kudos to Jonathan for teaching me a new trick!

Using Kleenex to make a 5-string sound more like a P-Bass at the Amusement Park Studio

Bassist Jonathan Smither and his nifty trick!


Detail of Jonathan Smither's trick for making his 5-string sound more like a P-Bass. At the Amusement Park Studio.

Detail of bassist Jonathan Smither's trick

Posted by Scott at 10:25 am | Guitar Tone, Recording & Producing | Permalink

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Comments

Hey Scott,

Thanks for including this little tip in your tone blog land. Thanks also for the compliment. As always, its a pleasure working with you. As a point of interest, tone minded bass players would do well to check out the DVD Standing in the Shadows of Motown. If you look carefully at the Bass that Bob Babbit is using, you’ll see a strip of what looks like petrified egg crate foam under the strings of his late 60′s P-Bass. Sometimes the best tricks are old ones.

Posted by: Jonathan Smither | March 4th, 2010 21:52

Great rec on the DVD there, man. A phenomenal and inspiring movie completely worth watching. Jonathan has expanded on the P-Bass sound on his myspace blog. Check it out here. Good stuff!

Posted by: Scott | March 6th, 2010 08:39

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