Worst bass tones?

[ubit]

I came across this video on Youchoob and found it quite interesting. Do you agree with the tones as voted?

 

Personally I like Fieldy's sound. It works for their music and is percussive as much as boomy. 

 

 

 

 

[mrtcat]

Tone is so subjective and also context is everything. That Flea tone at the end was god awful to my ears but most of the rest worked within the context of the song it was in. I thought the fieldy sound was poor tho. Just sounds like his bass needs a set up and that the engineer had mixed him terribly. The only thing wrong with Newstead's tone is the same thing I've always struggled to like with Metallica. Lars Ulrich.

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by mrtcat

[steve-bbb]

I think greg lake probably had nine of the ten 

 

edit - to be more specific the early j tone stuff like 21schizoid was nice… all went south after brain salad surgery

Edited November 8, 2021 by steve-bbb

[bassman7755]

UFOs only you can rock me ...

 

Possibly also the worst rhythm guitar sound ever as a bonus.

[fretmeister]

2 minutes ago, mrtcat said:

Tone is so subjective and also context is everything. That Flea tone at the end was god awful to my ears but most of the rest worked within the context of the song it was in. I thought the fieldy sound was poor tho. Just sounds like his bass needs a set up and that the engineer had mixed him terribly. The only thing wrong with Newstead's tone is the same thing I've always struggled to like with Metallica. Lars Ulrich.

 

 

There's a gig video from when Lars was unavailable as his appendix had blown.

 

Dave Lombardo and Joey Jordison filled in after having learned the songs that afternoon. Both of them really showed what could have been.

 

But TBF for all I know maybe Lars is actually the chief arranger for Metallica songs but we don't get to hear about that. Maybe he should be Bernie to James' Elton!

[spencer.b]

Wow I didn't expect that , it seems to me that the results of any poll like this will be the the players that the most people know regardless if it's best/worst 

[skankdelvar]

Great lines, terrible tone

 

 

[Musicman666]

Agree about flea on that last one …maybe he was slightly taking the mick? But everything else was not what I would call bad at all, McCartney was sloppy but in a good way, burst out laughing when enwistle got a mention, seriously wtf?

Edited November 8, 2021 by Musicman666

[Cliff Edge]

Most of them were unbelievably bad, but like all the other responses to the poll, that’s just a personal opinion. 

[chris_b]

Pick any bass tone and, no matter how successful the song or how great the tone is, there will be someone who doesn't like it.

[Dan Dare]

2 hours ago, mrtcat said:

worked within the context of the song 

 

This sums it up. We, because we play bass, spend hours tweaking and fettling to get "my tone". It may sound great at home, but if it doesn't work in context - be that working in the room acoustic, suiting the song, blending with and complementing the other instruments - then it's no use. People don't listen to the bass in isolation. If we're running entirely through the PA, that can be left to the engineer, but where we use backline for the room sound, it's important to set it to suit. Since I started using a long lead or wireless to check how the bass works out front, I have thinned out the sound I use and added a little midrange bark/bite to it, so it sits right and has more clarity and less bloom. It may not be the most pleasing sound to me in isolation, but it works better as part of the whole. 

[Wolverinebass]

I'm so glad I have Scott Devine to tell me what to like. I'd be lost otherwise as my taste has not developed in any way.

 

I mean, it's the usual Scott Devine BS clickbait video. People like what tones they like. If it works it works. 

[Saul Panzer]

I watched the video when it came out, I got the feeling some were voted for by the kind of audio purist side of the voters.

The last clip with Flea sounded to me like he'd been talking with or influenced by Frusciantes (RHCPs guitar player) solo stuff, it had a similar vibe and sound.
Maybe it was like an art piece homage rather than a perfect tone masterclass.
The solo Frusciante stuff was/is distorted garbage sounding to a lot of people, even back around 2000 I'd download some of his tracks and mates listening to it would look at me like a moron with my ears back to front.

 

Anyone who's watched Fieldy doing his little bass tip/lessons on songs would know his Korn sound is that clacky percussive slap type thing, go way back to the first stuff and it's there in the background "clack clack clack Falling away from me....". Seems weird to complain about the tone from anything other than the purists pov, yeah it's not some smooth jazz, it's korn.

 

Yeah I'm siding the with, music is an artform still and sometimes you need the weird low end strokes.

4 hours ago, mrtcat said:

worked within the context of the song it was in

 

[paul_5]

Sty hamm for me. I can fully appreciate that he’s a hell of a player with some serious chops in his arsenal, but it just doesn’t have any ‘heft’ -almost like it’s not a bass.

[SteveXFR]

I'd rather listen to any of them "holding down the low end" than listen to Scott's pointless noodling and talking rubbish about his day.

[Barking Spiders]

The Flea and Fieldy tones are pretty dire and I'm not mad about Macca's sound there.  For me, Steve Harris's clanky galloping is about as bad as those.

[Frank Blank]

51 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

Steve Harris's Clanky Galloping…

…the second instalment of the Iron Maiden bass player’s autobiography will be available next Monday from all good bookshops published by West Ham Press, £12.99.

[ubit]

11 hours ago, Wolverinebass said:

I'm so glad I have Scott Devine to tell me what to like. I'd be lost otherwise as my taste has not developed in any way.

 

I mean, it's the usual Scott Devine BS clickbait video. People like what tones they like. If it works it works. 

 

 

Scott didn't tell anyone what to like. In fact he disagreed with most of the tones chosen.

[Bassfinger]

11 hours ago, Wolverinebass said:

I'm so glad I have Scott Devine to tell me what to like. I'd be lost otherwise as my taste has not developed in any way.

 

I mean, it's the usual Scott Devine BS clickbait video. People like what tones they like. If it works it works. 

He does seem to have set himself up as an arbiter of what is supposedly good, correct and right in all matters bass. Yeah, right mate.

 

Of course, in this case its his viewers that supposedly made the choices.

Edited November 9, 2021 by Bassfinger
Thpidhng

[Downunderwonder]

It's ALL about the mix.

 

Awhile back there was a collection of isolated Macca Beatles bass tracks floating around the 'net. Holy cow what a terrible collection of bass tones! Quite an education.

[SteveXFR]

I think all of them except the last Flea example and the inaudible Jason Newstead sounded great in their mix and that's all that matters.

I think even Fieldy's bass sounds right in context . He has said in interviews that he really hates the sound of bass guitars so what he is trying to do is percussion with some low end rumble. I can't stand Korn but I get it.

Newstead sounded great but you just couldn't hear him. As usual, Lars was the problem. As a side note, anyone else noticed that his appearance is getting more like old Stewie Griffin from Family Guy?

[ern500evo]

He should probably change the title to “bass tones that suck on their own, but sound perfect where it matters” . When you hear the Newstead tone in isolation though, it makes you realise what a shame the mix on that album is, because his bass sounds great. Fieldy’s tone probably wouldn’t work in any other situation, but it’s an integral part of the Korn sound. That anyone would single out the legend that is James Jamerson,  just makes the poll a bit laughable. A man who’s tone provided the foundation for some of the greatest songs ever released. 

Edited November 9, 2021 by ern500evo

[musicbassman]

7 minutes ago, ern500evo said:

That anyone would single out the legend that is James Jamerson,  just makes the poll a bit laughable. A man who’s tone provided the foundation for some of the greatest songs ever released. 

 

I would guess it just shows that they have zero understanding of the pivotal role of the bass guitar on those Motown tracks.

Jamerson's bass was the colourful glue that bound the melody and rhythm together perfectly.

[spongebob]

Bass in an ensemble instrument for me. If it glues the mix, it works. Jamerson is a perfect example....his bass tone is more prominent on those recordings than 99% of recorded bass since!

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, Downunderwonder said:

It's ALL about the mix.

This ^
 

One of my favourite bass tones of all time is in that video list, The Real Me. Love it! However, in isolation, it’s horrible and I was aghast the first time I heard it like that. Of course, when the mix buries the bass tone, what’s the actual point of being there at all? I feel sorry for Jason Newstead, seems a nice guy and a decent player, forced to work with that goblin behind the drums. I bet Trujillo doesn’t put up with his shít.

Interesting the Scott D refuses to concede that Jaco’s tone is challenging for some - he’s such a massive fanboy. 

 

Edited November 9, 2021 by ezbass