Tagged: low end

Plugging bass into a guitar amp seems harmless until the speaker starts farting out. Here's the actual physics of why it struggles, and what to do about it.

Watts on a bass amp don't mean what they mean on a guitar amp. Here's why headroom, speaker size and valve vs solid-state design matter more than the number.

Most fuzz pedals were voiced for guitar and strip your bass of fundamental. Here's how to pick, blend and EQ fuzz so the low end survives.

A bass player's take on why dreadnoughts, jumbos and smaller-bodied acoustics throw the fundamental differently, and what that means when you're picking one.

Swapping to heavier bass strings without checking pickup output leaves you fighting your own tone. Here's how gauge, pole spacing and output actually interact.

Two overdrives on a bass board can thicken your tone or bury your pocket. Here's how to stack them so the low end stays intact.

Most overdrive pedals are designed for guitar and eat your fundamental. Here's how bass overdrive actually works, and how to keep the pocket while adding grit.

A bassist's take on acoustic guitar body shapes and why dreadnoughts, jumbos and parlours produce such different low-end.

Most fuzz pedals are voiced for guitar and lose the low end on bass. Here's why, and how to pick or set one that keeps the fundamental intact.

A bass player's take on why the neck pickup shapes your guitar's low-end fundamental, and how to dial it in without going muddy.

Pickup height adjustment shapes bass response more than most EQ knobs. Here's how to set it so your low strings stay tight, not flabby.

Analog and digital time-based effects treat low frequencies very differently. Here's what actually happens to your fundamental, and how to set either up without losing the pocket.

Octave fuzz gave us some of the most iconic bass tones ever recorded. Here's why it works, why it often doesn't on bass, and how to fix it.

Bass overdrive falls apart when you copy a guitarist's EQ curve. Here's how to shape gain pedals so the low end survives the dirt.

A parallel blend keeps your fundamental intact while fuzz does its thing on top. Here's how I wire it and set the balance.

Sharing one fuzz between bass and guitar? Where you put it in the chain changes everything below the octave. Here's what actually works.

A practical guide to running delay and reverb on bass in a wet/dry split, so your ambience stays wide without swallowing the fundamental.

Ambient bass tones can work live and in the studio, but only if delay and reverb are set up to protect the low end. Here's how I do it.

Most overdrive pedals were designed for guitar. Here's what happens when you plug a bass into them — and how to get dirt that still locks in the pocket.

Pickup height is the most overlooked setup variable on a bass. Sheildon breaks down what moving them up or down actually does to your tone, output and feel.

Running bass through a guitar amp? Here's what the speaker cabinet is actually doing to your low end — and how to work with it, not against it.

Your open strings tune up fine, but chords and high notes sound off. Sheildon breaks down bass intonation — what causes it, how to check it, and how to fix it.

Sheildon breaks down how bass string gauge affects tension, tone and feel — so you can stop guessing and start dialling in your sound.

Not all bass pickups are created equal. Sheildon breaks down the main types and what each one actually does to your tone and feel.

Fuzz on bass sounds huge — until it eats your fundamental. Here's how to pick the right fuzz, set it up, and keep the groove sitting where it should.

Where and how you pluck the string changes your bass tone more than most gear swaps. Sheildon explains why technique should drive your equipment decisions.