Which part of your setup bass,amp,cab etc do you prioritize

[LITTLEWING]

I'm going to have to say amplifier, then cab. I suffered with an Arsedown for ages and was never really happy in any venue until I bought a Hartke 3500. Holey flipping' Moley, different world even through the original Armsdown cabs.
As for basses, in my experience, (after throwing time and money at different Yamahas, LTD's, Westones and top end Squiers to find my tone) it's not always the actual bass you need to change to get a cool sound.
Amplifier-wise as a personal example, I picked up a 40watt Stagg combo for 20 squids simply to throw in the car for quiet rehearsals, chucked a couple of bass ports in the back and hand on heart it sounds better than most other combos I've ever had in the past and even using my old project Westfield P bass modded with decent pickups and a Wilkinson bridge, a little bit of tone knob usage for particular songs and I'm grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

[Guest bassman7755]

For me the key ingredients to the sound I like to get are fresh sounding strings and a quality overdrive effect. Bass wise I could get by with anything so long as it looks like a proper bass and not some hideous oversized guitar (e.g a fender). Amp and cab any thing thats decent quality and is small and light although a prefer an amp with a decent built in OD and compressor (and tuner for bonus points) as I hate having to use separate pedals.

Edited October 29, 2016 by bassman7755

[TimR]

I guess looking at it from the other point of view. I've played in a few situations where I've had to borrow gear or use house gear. Basses, amps, leads and cabs.

Assuming all the gear is good quality, a rubbish lead can be a nightmare, I've never managed to get a decent sound out of any 4x10" cab.

So maybe for me it's a cab, not a deal breaker, but I'd rather avoid using them.

[Spike Vincent]

The instrument. Played many a gig with a provided backline, and if you're going through a big PA the audience can't hear your amp and cab anyway.

[stingrayPete1977]

I went ampless last night, LD Maui behind all three of us for monitoring vocals, bass and guitar/midi stuff. Sounded fine, I had a mixer channel for upright bass and one for the Stingray and just used the volume pots as mutes.

[Chewie]

Hey Twincam,
Interesting thread....
What cabs do you use then?

[mcnach]

I'd say bass first. If the instrument is not appealing and feels good... then it's not fun. Although even a mediocre bass can sound great through a good amp.
Next it would be the cab. It has to sound good. But I also want it smallish and powerful. I don't have roadies
Lastly, the amp. Not saying it's not important. It is. Very much so. But with a good bass and a good cab, even a meh amp can result in an enjoyable experience, while if you give me a bad cab I'd hate every note I play.

[dave_bass5]

These days its the cab. Ive not been through loads in my lifetime, but recently i realised they have the biggest impact on the final tone. Changing cabs while keeping the bass and amp consistent has shown me this to be true in my case.

I should add im not too fussy about what bass i use so although it needs to have a comfortable neck thats it.

[lowhand_mike]

guess it would be bass, its what i'm physically connected to. Not saying that the amp and cab arent important as they are but bass first.

[ambient]

The bass is the most vital bit. I'd look pretty silly sitting on stage with my Markbass combo, going dum, d dum dum dum .