alexclaber Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='379659' date='Jan 13 2009, 08:53 PM']Its all sound. Theres more to a bass than sound, if it plays and looks awesome but its acoustics are crap, a pickup that ignores that, and just sounds good whetever its stuck in is going to be a good sounding pickup, and make a good sounding bass. Same pickup might totally waste your custom built to a thesis sized spec bass.[/quote] There is no such thing as a pickup that can ignore the sound of the bass itself. The vibrations of the string that are picked up are entirely dependant on the resonant systems of the string, hardware, neck and body. I've discussed this at length in other posts and if you dismiss it thus: [quote name='EBS_freak' post='379906' date='Jan 14 2009, 01:37 AM']Indeed. I think all the "tone wood" theories are not as applicable on electric instuments where the majority of the tone is generated by string interacting with the pickup. Acoustic instruments on the other hand...[/quote] then you aren't thinking hard enough. Yes, people get too bothered about the minutiae of tone but when you come across one of those basses where the neck just isn't stiff enough or the body is so dead that it only absorbs vibration and fails to return energy back to the string then whatever fancy pickup or electronics you put it you will not be able to get good tone. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [quote name='alexclaber' post='379980' date='Jan 14 2009, 09:19 AM']then you aren't thinking hard enough. Yes, people get too bothered about the minutiae of tone but when you come across one of those basses where the neck just isn't stiff enough or the body is so dead that it only absorbs vibration and fails to return energy back to the string then whatever fancy pickup or electronics you put it you will not be able to get good tone. Alex[/quote] Well obviously you need to have a stiff neck and a solid body... I was taking that as a given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [quote name='EBS_freak' post='380072' date='Jan 14 2009, 10:48 AM']Well obviously you need to have a stiff neck and a solid body... I was taking that as a given.[/quote] Not so much a solid body as a body that resonates easily and doesn't have much self-damping. But the variations in how different bodies resonate and how rigid different necks are makes a really big difference to the sound of the instrument. One reason certain P-basses sound so good is they have a really strong stiff maple neck yet a light resonant body. Reduce the neck stiffness by reducing its cross-sectional-area or using a quicker grown piece of maple and increase the self-damping of the body by using a more resinous wood with a tighter growth pattern and the tone will change significantly. One of the reasons people are willing to pay so much for a Sadowsky is that they have a really good understanding of which pieces of wood to use and where to use them and which should be kept for the furnace! Along those lines the most over-rated basses have to be early Fenders because it's a matter of luck whether you get a gem or a lemon! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [quote name='ARGH' post='379425' date='Jan 13 2009, 06:00 PM'][quote name='tauzero' post='379062' date='Jan 13 2009, 02:30 PM'] There's no [b]need[/b] for six-string basses. They have a niche. Most bassists can live without reaching into that niche.[/quote] Is that a wheelie bin in the corner of your classroom? [/quote] I do believe you're confused by the fact that I have said that there is no [b]need[/b] for a six-string bass. If you look very carefully at my sig, you will see that I own several five-strings, one six-string, and one seven-string bass. If you think very carefully about the English words that I have used, or perhaps use a dictionary, you may come to a correct conclusion about their meaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [quote name='Rich' post='377570' date='Jan 12 2009, 12:29 PM']Problem with Nathan East, or his choice of kit? [/quote] [quote name='EBS_freak' post='377574' date='Jan 12 2009, 12:35 PM']I wonder if Prince Harry has a friendly nickname for Nathan East. I love Nathan East's playing and his signature bass is awesome. I'm not too big a fan of the bridge pieces though. I just wish he had a signature 6 like the one he actually uses. Still reckon white basses are the ultimate stage basses. Will get another one one day. His kit - if memory serves me right, is currently Avalon, and Aggie. Not too shabby if you ask me. His parametric EQ is pretty useful piece of kit for the price. Alot better than some of the BS put out by these big name companies. Plus he co-wrote Easy Lover. Dont know about anybody else... but I'm a fan![/quote] It's just the corporate-whoreness about it all. I mean re. the NE-1 which the blurb said 'he never plays or records without it', but then he's endorsing Aphex pedals, then he's straight onto endorsing the PJB Bassbuddy. Does he believe in and use all this gear? TBF if any bass (and/or bass related) companies wanted to pay me for using their products I'd rip their arms off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [quote name='MacDaddy' post='380138' date='Jan 14 2009, 11:48 AM']It's just the corporate-whoreness about it all. I mean re. the NE-1 which the blurb said 'he never plays or records without it', but then he's endorsing Aphex pedals, then he's straight onto endorsing the PJB Bassbuddy. Does he believe in and use all this gear? TBF if any bass (and/or bass related) companies wanted to pay me for using their products I'd rip their arms off.[/quote] True - he gets everwhere. The NE-1 is build into his bass... so strictly speaking, he doesn't play or record without it... The Aphex stuff, well, that's just random stuff... and the PJB Bassbuddy, God only knows what he uses that for. I'd say he doesn't believe in any of it. It just works and he enjoys the paycheck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [quote name='alexclaber' post='380112' date='Jan 14 2009, 11:23 AM']Not so much a solid body as a body that resonates easily and doesn't have much self-damping. But the variations in how different bodies resonate and how rigid different necks are makes a really big difference to the sound of the instrument. One reason certain P-basses sound so good is they have a really strong stiff maple neck yet a light resonant body. Reduce the neck stiffness by reducing its cross-sectional-area or using a quicker grown piece of maple and increase the self-damping of the body by using a more resinous wood with a tighter growth pattern and the tone will change significantly. One of the reasons people are willing to pay so much for a Sadowsky is that they have a really good understanding of which pieces of wood to use and where to use them and which should be kept for the furnace! Along those lines the most over-rated basses have to be early Fenders because it's a matter of luck whether you get a gem or a lemon! Alex[/quote] Yeah, a wobbleboard isn't the greatest foundation for a bass. I understand what you are saying. I think I need to clarify... We need a solid neck. We need a stiff body with as uniform wood as possible that can resonate freely. Right, that's cleared that up. Bet you with the right table, the right pickups and a few strings (and bridge and hardware for all the pedants) I could make a table sound as good as a bass. Fender are over-rated full stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapmonsta Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 [quote name='EBS_freak' post='380170' date='Jan 14 2009, 12:23 PM']Yeah, a wobbleboard isn't the greatest foundation for a bass. I understand what you are saying. I think I need to clarify... We need a solid neck. We need a stiff body with as uniform wood as possible that can resonate freely. Right, that's cleared that up. Bet you with the right table, the right pickups and a few strings (and bridge and hardware for all the pedants) I could make a table sound as good as a bass. [size=5]Fender are over-rated full stop.[/size][/quote] This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdragon Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 [quote name='EBS_freak' post='380170' date='Jan 14 2009, 12:23 PM']Fender are over-rated full stop.[/quote] If they/were good enough for. John Paul Jones, Jaco, Steve Harris, John Entwistle.Leo Lyons,James Jamerson,Carol Kaye, WOT. I could go on and on but you get what i'm saying i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 some players like them, some players don't, kinda the subject of the thread. I respect (most) of the players you mentioned, but i still think Fender are way overated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdragon Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I have to admit i like the sound of some Warwicks i've heard but it would take some arm twisting to get me to play one. as for a say,Stingray watch this space, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJBASS Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 +1 for Roto strings and Ernieball strings. Elixer coated strings are just horrible. Cant stand marshall or ashdown amps. Not too keen on warwick amps although I do own one! Not a fan of! any Boss pedal I've tried. Agree that Fenders are overpriced but still want one. Its been a while since I played it but loved the nathan east sig bass. Not a fan of Genz Benz or Markbass or Ampeg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Just curious CJBASS which Genz Benz amps you've tried (not having a go my friend ). It's just that I've got a GBE 750 and it is without doubt the best sounding, most versatile, most well made amp I've ever tried / owned. I realise it's probably a case of each to his own etc but I think Genz Benz are probably the most under rated product out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 [quote name='beerdragon' post='382913' date='Jan 16 2009, 11:37 PM']If they/were good enough for. John Paul Jones, Jaco, Steve Harris, John Entwistle.Leo Lyons,James Jamerson,Carol Kaye, WOT. I could go on and on but you get what i'm saying i think.[/quote] Different era of Fender or Custom Shop. You can't go into a shop and pick up a Fender like the one that James Jamerson picked up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 [quote name='CJBASS' post='383644' date='Jan 17 2009, 11:29 PM']+1 for Roto strings and Ernieball strings. Elixer coated strings are just horrible. Cant stand marshall or ashdown amps. Not too keen on warwick amps although I do own one! Not a fan of! any Boss pedal I've tried. Agree that Fenders are overpriced but still want one. Its been a while since I played it but loved the nathan east sig bass. Not a fan of Genz Benz or Markbass or Ampeg [/quote] Played a gig through an Ashdown amp last week. Spent the whole time stressed out because there was just zero definition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJBASS Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Haha to be honest Genz Benz and markbass was just chucked in there cos they seem to be hyped up at the moment. Recently played a Shuttle 6.0 and it was definetly not bad just not my thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 (edited) I played the W&T Spectrum through a Genz Benz at Bass Day and I'm not sure whether it was the Genz or the Berg cabs but I absolutely hated the rig, it was as far away from my thing as it's possible to get. The bass was great though. However what people need to remember is that any bit of kit played by them may not sound the same as it does when someone else uses it; of course many of us are after different sounds anyway, but the first point is very important. With regards to wood, electronics etc, my Rics all sound different acoustically (I'm using them as an example because they're essentially the same bass), and amplified they sound like amplified versions of how they sound acoustically, which to me is how it should be. Edited January 18, 2009 by 4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 [quote name='lemmywinks' post='273626' date='Aug 31 2008, 10:56 AM']Also Mexican Fenders. Tried loads of Mex Jazzes and ended up buying a Squier for half the price![/quote] But your're selling the Squier. How does that work out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 [quote name='beerdragon' post='382913' date='Jan 16 2009, 11:37 PM']If they/were good enough for. John Paul Jones, Jaco, Steve Harris, John Entwistle.Leo Lyons,James Jamerson,Carol Kaye, WOT. I could go on and on but you get what i'm saying i think.[/quote] But at the time when those players originally chose to use those basses there wasn't really much competition. Had these people started their musical careers in the late 70s I think the picture would have been quite a lot different. Also JPJ and Entwistle moved on to different basses. If Fender were that good surely that would never have happened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riff raff Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 people obsessing about frequencies and tones and other such sh*te that only belong in the communication abilities of bats and whales. people who forget that live music and being a musician is far more about performance and entertainment than it is about being note perfect and having perfect tone and blah blah blah.complete pish. people slagging stuff off.even if they've never used it,or only used it for 3 minutes in a music shop.or because its cool to slag something off. people who dont have their own opinion on their own gear.and rely on others. smug bassists. people whose attitudes and opinions on gear/tone/other peoples more knowledgeable opinions, far exceed any ability they have as a performer.or ever will have. people who forget that playing an instrument or being in a band is meant to be fun.a release from boring daily life for most of us.not a f***ing science project. ......oh..and caravans. they're just nonsense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 ha ha good fun agree on Gibson basses... play and sound like planks, ditto Rickenbackers now, if you were talking guitars, then that can be another story.. How can they get things so right and then SOOOO wrong..? also, I don't get the quick-fire sale on certain things on here... some kit has had more BC owners than... ????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greene-Mann Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='markytbass' post='273904' date='Aug 31 2008, 06:06 PM']Frets, they make us all lazy.[/quote] That made me smile quite a bit lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 maxima gold strings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Any kind of 'trend' with products...which leads to the rest being slagged off, and then some months later its the best product ever. Cannot stand small bodied bass guitars. It a bass, not a guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Sei Jazz 5; too many of these being sold here lately, guess they look great but are too clean and polite sounding unless you play in a jazz-fusion trio?>>>QUOTE There is nothing overrated about a Sei Jazz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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