Bill Sheehan Bass tone?

Stevelow74

Stevelow74

Inspired
Hi guys,

I'm after a good bass tone for rock for my songs, like the Winery dogs and Mr. Big sound.
I'm mostly guitar and Vox, so I never dedicated time to study bass sound correctly..... now that I mix and master I'm missing somthing......

Anyone try to get the big bassmans BS sound :encouragement: ?

Thanks !!!!!
 
Seeing his rig, will need 2 amps, one for lows and one for highs (use a crossover to split), he does a huge revers smiley on one, which is the low end i think, and he uses a pearce preamp for the high end distortion. Dug Pinnick does something similar with 2 amps highs distorted. I've been meaning to work on a patch myself.
 
His bass also has two outputs and he routes the Bridge pickup to the preamp and the neck pickup to the low amplifier.
 
I wish I could help you, but to be honest, this type of "bass tone" (Billy's more than Dug's) has never been my cup of tea. I always got the feeling that BS was simply trying to implement what is essentially a type of lead guitar tone into his bass rig. He is after all playing just as much "lead" stuff as most guitarists do...for example:

Billy sheehan & Guthrie Govan LIVE - YouTube

If you're interested in over-the-top, non-standard approach to bass tones, then sure, Billy Sheehan is your guy. Otherwise, there could be something said for the opposite approach. As for tone...well...don't you think he could get something acceptably similar without all the gymnastics of his gear? I think Guthrie needs to introduce Billy to the Tone Match feature in the AxeFxII so he can lighten his load a bit.

Of course, Billy was never the type of bassist that seemed like he wanted his role to just sit back, lay in the pocket, and make room for the vocalist and lead guitarist to do their thing. Great playing skill, chops, and a top-notch entertainer/performer....I'll just be sitting here digging the Lemon Song instead, which makes my head explode, and for reasons totally unrelated to anything I hear from Billy Sheehan.

Rig Rundown - Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan - YouTube

...so I watch Bill Sheehan...marveling at his skill...insane with jealousy...F*cking A**hole that he is!! LOL. ;-)
 
He has a series of vids about his Hartke stuff that has a lot of helpful info:

Billy Sheehan Talking About His Hartke Rig. Part 1 - YouTube

His tone is very heavy in the mids to my ears.

For non-bass players, Billy is one of those players that I suspect is loved more for his note choices and phrases than loved for his tone.

I'm guessing it's his bass lines themselves that you love vs. his tone per se.

I play bass and I do dig his style and tone though. Chris Squire'ish. Tons of tude' and vibe.
 
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I've grown to love his tone. He's said that he developed his sound because he wanted a great "power trio" bass sound that really fills the spectrum. The mid range distorted growl is designed to fill the space where a rhythm guitar might go.

Also, he is a bass player who you can instantly recognize within seconds of hearing him. That's pretty rare and admirable.

I think it helps to hear it live to appreciate the massive low end. On recordings sometimes his tone is mixed too midrange heavy.
 
honestly, I have the utmost admiration for Mr. Sheehan and fully appreciate his what he does with his bass and sound. I've been listening to him since the days of Talas back in the eighties. Just never warmed up to his sound, but it is absolutely appropriate for the types of musical outfits he performs with (usually power trios, obvious, no?). Someone model his Pearce amps before it's too late!!
 
jimfist said:
Someone model his Pearce amps before it's too late!!
Click to expand...

As far as I know he only has one pre still fully operational and he mentioned that he wanted to have it modeled. I'm not sure when the stars will align to get this done, but it would be a fabulous addition to the stable.
 
AdamCook said:
I've grown to love his tone. He's said that he developed his sound because he wanted a great "power trio" bass sound that really fills the spectrum. The mid range distorted growl is designed to fill the space where a rhythm guitar might go.

Also, he is a bass player who you can instantly recognize within seconds of hearing him. That's pretty rare and admirable.

I think it helps to hear it live to appreciate the massive low end. On recordings sometimes his tone is mixed too midrange heavy.
Click to expand...

+1 mid heavy on recorded tracks and @ss shakin' low end live.

I saw him with Vai at The Cannery in Nashville. Between Billy and the kick drum, surprised I have any teeth left :)
 
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