Pinball Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 The reason I ask the question is that I seem to gradually homing in on simpler good quality instruments as time goes on. For a while I "flipped" a number of basses while trying to find something that I was happy with. This lead me down a path of increasingly complicated basses. I would then find tones that I was really happy with at home, only to find that I wasn't happy with my sound in a band and was for-ever fiddling around with EQ, pup selection etc. Now I'm finding plenty of what I want in my MusicMan and Warwick FNA basses and that the sounds that I dial in live are also the ones that also sound good recorded. I gradually seem to be focusing in on the quality of sound. Is this a natural progression of other bass players or is it just me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Sounds to me like you're going in the right direction with your gear. When I was younger I was a busy player and didn't worry much about the detail of my sound. Loud and bassy was good enough. Then I had a lay off and when I came back I found my playing had evolved/grown up into a "less is more" approach, and when you're playing fewer notes, the better they are, the better your playing will sound. IMO, to sound your best the bass, amp and cab must have a synergy so that all parts of the signal chain compliment each other. Each part builds on the other parts. I set the volume and do one brief EQ (usually just setting the bass control) at the start of the gig and usually never touch the controls again. After the first gig with my Lull, I asked the guitarist (a very good player) what he thought of the new bass. I was hoping he'd tell me how much better it sounded. All he said was, "It was very good but it sounded like you." It took me awhile to work out that he was paying me a compliment. Enough waffle. Always play the best gear you can, and your playing will shine through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1414839560' post='2593796'] ...when you're playing fewer notes, the better they are, the better your playing will sound. ...the bass, amp and cab must have a synergy so that all parts of the signal chain compliment each other. [/quote] Plus about a billion. It only took me thirty-odd years to figure this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Don't fight the sound of the bass... there is only so far you can go with chasing and EQ'ing without sounding like a mess... and even if you arrive ata great sound, likely by accident, you'll never get it again. So, stay close to the inherrent sound of the bass and if you don't rate that...swap the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 (edited) Hmm, I already feel I'm hearing wise words that I may not have listened to a couple of years back. In reply to some of the points [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1414839560' post='2593796'] Sounds to me like you're going in the right direction with your gear. IMO, to sound your best the bass, amp and cab must have a synergy so that all parts of the signal chain compliment each other. Each part builds on the other parts. I set the volume and do one brief EQ (usually just setting the bass control) at the start of the gig and usually never touch the controls again. After the first gig with my Lull, I asked the guitarist (a very good player) what he thought of the new bass. I was hoping he'd tell me how much better it sounded. All he said was, "It was very good but it sounded like you." It took me awhile to work out that he was paying me a compliment. [/quote] Yes the synergy is very important. I changed from Ashdown to GB gear last year sand suddenly found that the EMG powered basses that I had been using didn't please me when played thought the the less coloured GB gear-it just lacked character. Also since getting a better basic sound I find that I use my pedal board less and get more complements from the rest of the band Re: "It sounds like you ". My friend Paul plays with a jazzy tone and uses carefully constructed complex bass lines. I have a deeper sound, using flats and my bass lines based around route notes. When he gave me a shot on his gear recently we looked at one another and he laughed and said "it just sounds like you". That backs up what your saying. [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1414840945' post='2593811'] Don't fight the sound of the bass... there is only so far you can go with chasing and EQ'ing without sounding like a mess... and even if you arrive ata great sound, likely by accident, you'll never get it again. So, stay close to the inherrent sound of the bass and if you don't rate that...swap the bass. [/quote] I think that's where I am now. No bass swapping needed Edited November 1, 2014 by Pinball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 It's all in the fingers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1414846764' post='2593893'] It's all in the fingers. [/quote] Yep, as Pinball said, whenever he plays my basses they sound like him playing them! They actually sound a lot like his own basses and less like mine. The difference is staggering actually. So yeah, there's a helluva lot in the fingers and playing style when it comes to tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Sausage Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Anyone else just plug in, fiddle with eq, then play. I really don't think about an overall tone to have all the time. Just a tone de jour really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 (edited) [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1414839560' post='2593796'] Sounds to me like you're going in the right direction with your gear. When I was younger I was a busy player and didn't worry much about the detail of my sound. Loud and bassy was good enough. Then I had a lay off and when I came back I found my playing had evolved/grown up into a "less is more" approach, and when you're playing fewer notes, the better they are, the better your playing will sound. IMO, to sound your best the bass, amp and cab must have a synergy so that all parts of the signal chain compliment each other. Each part builds on the other parts. I set the volume and do one brief EQ (usually just setting the bass control) at the start of the gig and usually never touch the controls again. After the first gig with my Lull, I asked the guitarist (a very good player) what he thought of the new bass. I was hoping he'd tell me how much better it sounded. All he said was, "It was very good but it sounded like you." It took me awhile to work out that he was paying me a compliment. Enough waffle. Always play the best gear you can, and your playing will shine through. [/quote]i really don't get this Synergy thing. If you have decent gear and you play well people are gonna like it.. never understood the over thought that is put into your signal chain.? whats all that about.. a good sound is great but over thinking it can get obsessive.. not calling you obsessive by the way Chris. i just think too much thought can be put into gear, and your tone down to the slightest nuance i know a guy who has a £90 guitar lead.. apparently his signal is superb, extreme example i know but…. i feel like cutting it in half and asking how is Synergy is. there is a reason why i don't frequent the gear section. Edited November 1, 2014 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 I have a Jazz with a John East preamp in it (which allows me to get just about any sound under the sun) and a Fender Precision. I used to have a MM Stingray and an active Yamaha too. But I tend to find that whatever bass I play, unless I go for an extreme EQ setting, just sounds like me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 I hear that last two posts and broadly agree but there is a limit. The again that is my own limit and opinion, which in turn effects my confidence and enjoyment and what really matters is all the other listeners opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 I think chris_b was saying that you need a signal chain that is complimentary...and matched, and therefore that is trying to be as uncomplicated as you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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