Any tips on making bass "sound" more in tune.

[honkyjonk]

Thanks! You guys are awesome. A million great suggestions.

I wish I still had an upright. It's so much easier to be in tune, (if you're playing something simple) because you don't have to deal with the fretts. Maybe someday.

[drmorbius]

Take these other suggestions, as in this case I think they're probably correct, but let me take this opp to say that sometimes an in-tune bass can sound out of tune in those cheap headphones from Best Buy etc. that are constructed to emphasize the low. I don't know the science behind it, but it causes problems. I've seen singers try to do vocal takes with them that took hours because they couldn't sing on pitch, only to nail it when the phones were finally switched out by someone familiar with this phenomenon. It wasn't a bad singer, just bad headphones!

[JES]

Another 25 year bassist chiming in. Short scale is harder to keep in tune, but I love the sound of some short-scale basses, so I wouldn't say that's a dealbreaker.

Have a professional set-up. Get new strings (they'll make you anyway).

Play the hell out of the thing for a couple days to break in the new strings.

Press record.

FWIW, I play pretty aggressively (learned on upright and the "ight touch" thing just doesn't feel right to me for rock) and can stay in tune. But I use a regular scale bass most of the time.[/i]

[vvv]

drmobius said something similar, but if you are tracking and not hearing that you are out of tune, than consider changing how you monitor.

If, for example, the bass is too low in the mix, you might be playing it too hard trying to compensate.

I am not familiar with that bass (I play a P and an Alvarez, and fight a fretless P,) but if the pickups are not very strong, playing into a compressor or limiter might also help. Or, a tube pedal might work.

Finally, if you are stuck with an out of tune performance, a little chorus might "help."

[GrimmBrotherScott]

Another 25 year bassist chiming in. Short scale is harder to keep in tune, but I love the sound of some short-scale basses, so I wouldn't say that's a dealbreaker.

Hello fellow thud sticker. I agree, there is something about the short scale that works, but it's almost an entirely different technique to get it to sound right. Also, the problem with short scale is that most of them are made so cheaply and the necks are recycled guitar necks as far as I can tell.

My question is, what is a "good" scale bass? I have yet to find one that just works. Any suggestions?

[vvv]

Well, my Alvarez (made in some oriental country) short-scale with it's psuedo-EMG humbucking pups is not only nice to play, but pretty and pretty cheap (used US$150) besides.

It's on the left:

[GrimmBrotherScott]

Well, my Alvarez (made in some oriental country) short-scale with it's psuedo-EMG humbucking pups is not only nice to play, but pretty and pretty cheap (used US$150) besides.

Awesome. So cheap, I can "cutomize" the paint job since it's so damn cheap. Some stickers and some gouges should make that thing presentable in short order.

[Cyan421]

I have one of those Ibanez Ergodyne basses. Not the crazy looking ones, but the one that looks just like the ibanez soundgear basses. I love it, love the way it sounds, sustains, feels. I can get any thing i want out of it, after it goes through my sans amp. Never ever had a tunning problem. This thing stays in tune like a champ, ive forgot to tune before gigs and not worried about it.

[Derrick]

Do super old strings tend to sound out of tune? Maybe it's time for a change.

You hit the nail on the head by answering your own quesion in your first post. Damn... must not be too many guitar players on this board Old strings are known for this!

[JES]

My question is, what is a "good" scale bass? I have yet to find one that just works. Any suggestions?

On one end, there's a Fender Music Master (gotta pick a good one, you know the drill) with a replacement pickup, maybe new tuners and bridge if you want to go nuts.

On the other, there's one of a gazillion Alembics. Sure, they look fusion-y, but you can make them rawk. Also, a lot of acoustic bass guitars are short scale (or medium).

--JES

[covert]

Older strings can indeed become false, as to pitch. Another problem, especially with les expensive basses if flex in teh neck, which can pull notes out of tune, and may be hard to notice. Stuff above regarding technique is also possibly relevant. Finally, intonation is sometimes linked to style. I usually set mine to be settle into pitch, after the initial sharp period. If you're playing really fast lines, the intial sharp period may be all the time a note is sounding. In that case, adjusting the intonation so that it settles flat,might solve the problem. Or splitting the difference....

[inverseroom]

BOIL THEM!! Boil them for at least 45 minutes. Wipe them real dry instantly, then wipe them with alcohol. Boiled strings sound better and play easier than new. When I toured constantly, I kept a dozen sets of strings in rotation between my two basses. I'd boil them all before I went on tour, and change them as needed. If it was a long tour, I'd shanghai someones kitchen when I'd played them all out, and boil the batch. (you need to boil them longer when you're doing multiples)
Boiling bass strings is no joke. It works. You can boil them and play them and boil them and play them and boil them and play them until they break.
PS, this applies to round wounds. Flat wounds you're supposed to play them till they're gooey and never change them till you die.
brian

A blatant fawn: I have seen Brian play the bass a bunch of times and he is awesome. Do whatever he says.

[vvv]

Well, my Alvarez (made in some oriental country) short-scale with it's psuedo-EMG humbucking pups is not only nice to play, but pretty and pretty cheap (used US$150) besides.

Awesome. So cheap, I can "cutomize" the paint job since it's so damn cheap. Some stickers and some gouges should make that thing presentable in short order.

Well, I haven't gotten to it yet, but you can see my "P", stickerless head and all...

[apropos of nothing]

Something that nobody's touched on yet (and I'm disappointed in all of you) is that its within the realm of possibility that poorly tuned drums may be making your bass not sound as in-tune.

[inverseroom]

Something that nobody's touched on yet (and I'm disappointed in all of you) is that its within the realm of possibility that poorly tuned drums may be making your bass not sound as in-tune.

Blame the drummer! I love it!

Hell, you could be right though...