Bass gtr tones a la Spoon's Rob Pope

[bipedal]

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted here.  Good to be back.

I'm playing bass in my current music project, and lately I've been really enjoying the bass tones on Spoon's latest album Transference; am thinking about a DIY pedal build that could get me in the general sonic territory.  To my ears, the tone is full in the bass and mids, with a slight bit of gritty distortion.  Take a look/listen to this youtubed version of "Written in Reverse" (music starts about 0:50, although the bass is sparse early in the tune).  Similar bass sounds on "Got Nuffin'".

Since I can't get my hands on Rob Pope's '60's P-Bass and what appears to be an Aguilar DB 900 tube DI, nor perfectly mimic his playing style, I am itching to tackle a new build.

My current signal chain is basic: J-bass (w/switch to run pickups in series) -> Tuner -> Ampeg SVT classic.

Suggestions?  Rather than building another distortion circuit (I've got a few flavors in my arsenal already), I'm wondering if a compressor to enhance "punch" and add a little grit (a mildly modded Orange Squeezer, maybe) might be a potential solution?

[wavley]

Personally, I think you everything you need.  Try running the pickups in parallel (like a P bass) then I would mess with the mid shift on the SVT and hit the front end of the amp relatively hard or turn it up!  Maybe a not bright booster like an LPB would help, or something like the Runoff groove flipster, I know there is a kit at OLC, not sure if there are just DIY files.

What kind of cab are you using?

[bipedal]

What kind of cab are you using?

It's an Ampeg 15" speaker cab.  Honestly, I have little to complain about with my current setup (my technique is a different story) -- just an itching to make 'really good' maybe a little better.

Awhile back I was using my hotcake to send a hotter, growly signal into this amp, but that was when playing bass with a much noisier, punkier sounding group.  Maybe I ought to revisit that arrangement, looking for a milder flavor of that sound...