How important is gear to your sound?

[Rayman]

Yeah ok, it IS important, but HOW important. 

 

How many of you and your favourite players, GENERALLY get your/their sound WHATEVER gear you're using?

 

I, always seem to find MY sound, regardless of the gear, there or thereabouts.......and I don't believe that expensive gear will make you a better player at all, in fact I've always deviated towards modest gear, even when I could afford something more expensive (not often). You can find an amazing tone, YOUR tone, on a £100 bass, it doesn't need to be £1K or over does it?

 

So I believe, that it's NOT all about the bass, I think its all about YOU. 

 

The funk's in the fingers, not the instrument, isn't it?? Or am I very wrong?

[neepheid]

Having played mostly live for all my bass playing career, I've come to the conclusion that (most) basses sounds bassy.  I pick the bass I'm playing on a whim.  My cheapest (current) bass cost £350, my most expensive cost £1600.  I've owned and played cheaper and more expensive.  Is the £1600 bass better?  Not really - I just bought it because I liked and continue to like it and there was no cheaper option.  My choices in bass are almost entirely aesthetic and ergonomic, with a side order of disliking Jazz basses - I've tried them and they just don't work for me on any level.

 

I'm not saying anyone is wrong to deep dive into the minutae of what makes their sound theirs, I'm just happy existing in a place and point in my life where I just don't care about that level of frankly distracting and exhausting (to me) detail any more and simply enjoy playing bass for bass's sake.

[Boodang]

My expensive custom bass doesn't sound any better than my cheap basses but it does play better.

Having said that, at the moment I seem to prefer playing my Squier basses which all have custom pickups installed. 

It changes but at the moment the most important element in my tone (other than my fingers!!) are strings, which I think are a critical factor, and a decent compressor. 

At the height of his career Jaco almost wouldn't play live without his Acoustic 360, saying it was an essential part of his tone. But Jaco would sound like Jaco whatever he was playing. 

[Len_derby]

Buy and play what makes you happiest. Might be expensive, might be cheap n’ cheerful. A happy bass player is more likely to give a good performance.

 

 For other gear, I now go for lightness and transportability. I’m getting older and weaker plus car parking close to venues seems to get more difficult.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Len_derby

[Trueno]

As long as I can stick an EMG Geezer in it I’m happy.

[neepheid]

15 minutes ago, Trueno said:

As long as I can stick an EMG Geezer in it I’m happy.

 

I'm pretty sure EMGs would sound like EMGs if you installed them in a breeze block

[Trueno]

6 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

I'm pretty sure EMGs would sound like EMGs if you installed them in a breeze block

Breeze block basses are great… no neck dive…

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Dood]

6 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

I once turned up to a gig without any gear.
Could not get a decent sound, no matter how I tried. I've been told that the tone is all in the fingers, but I remain unconvinced.

bravo sir bravo! 👏 😊

[Boodang]

4 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

I once turned up to a gig without any gear.
Could not get a decent sound, no matter how I tried. I've been told that the tone is all in the fingers, but I remain unconvinced.

Maybe if you had played the John Cage piece 4'33" you would have had more success.

[Dood]

41 minutes ago, Trueno said:

As long as I can stick an EMG Geezer in it I’m happy.

 

25 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

I'm pretty sure EMGs would sound like EMGs if you installed them in a breeze block

The GZR is a bit special. Great P style pickup! (I’ve not tried the PJ yet)

[hooky_lowdown]

5 minutes ago, Boodang said:

Maybe if you had played the John Cage piece 4'33" you would have had more success.

This was our sound check piece for a while 😆

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

Yeah ok, it IS important, but HOW important. 

 

How many of you and your favourite players, GENERALLY get your/their sound WHATEVER gear you're using?

 

I, always seem to find MY sound, regardless of the gear, there or thereabouts.......and I don't believe that expensive gear will make you a better player at all, in fact I've always deviated towards modest gear, even when I could afford something more expensive (not often). You can find an amazing tone, YOUR tone, on a £100 bass, it doesn't need to be £1K or over does it?

 

So I believe, that it's NOT all about the bass, I think its all about YOU. 

 

The funk's in the fingers, not the instrument, isn't it?? Or am I very wrong?

 

I think the thrust of what you're saying is right. My experience is that you can get a better sound and improved playability if you're prepared to pay more (obviously not always), but it's usually a law of diminishing returns. Cabs are where I've found the biggest correlation between improved sound and spending more.

After a certain point, though, pretty much all the improvement in how good a bass player you are and your sound is going to be down to you and time spent on the fretboard and playing with other good musicians.

It's the old story - a great bass player will sound great with whatever gear he or she has to hand, but a poor bass player is not going to sound like a pro even if he or she has a £20k set up. 

But, let's face it, gear is a lot of fun! And if it brings us enjoyment and we can comfortably afford what we're buying, then why not?

[Rayman]

I recently bought a Yamaha RBX460, stuck TI flats on it, and it sounds fabulous. £150, and honestly, to me it sounds as good as basses I've had 3 or 4 times the price.

 

The Hohner B Bass sounds immense, and again only £175.....

 

But STILL, they sound like me, like the Stingray did, like the Marcus Jazz did, etc..... I just think whatever the bass, I search for and find MY sound. Is there any point in buying something expensive? Even though I still plan to 😆

[Nicko]

I bought a Squier 70s CV PB as back up for my American Special PB.  All of the band said it sounded better.  Personally from where I was standing I couldn't hear much difference.  I recently did some home recording and the difference between the two DI'd through the same amp simulations was remarkable - but that may have had more to do with the age of the strings.

 

I conclude from this that I use different technique when playing a different bass and it's all in the fingers.

[Lozz196]

In my last band I had a very specific sound that with many amps I wouldn`t have been able to achieve, as such I needed my Para Driver and required cables for every gig. Not a difficult set-up but needed for the sound of the band.

 

Lesson learned, in my current band I have a generic Precision sound, just scoop the low mids a tad and boost the highs.

 

I`m sure it will make gigging a bit easier being less fussy about having the exact sound.

 

But whatever I use the playing generally sounds like "me".

[bassman7755]

4 hours ago, Rayman said:

Yeah ok, it IS important, but HOW important. 

 

I believe gear is important but not necessarily in the priority people assume. Having strings in good condition is for example one of the biggest factors, to my ears a £175 bass with fresh strings will sound better than a £3000 bass with old dull ones (I actually own basses from both these price points). The other way of looking at it is if there is a weak link that will bring down everything else, so long as there is nothing hugely deficient in the signal chain it comes down to playing an musical context. Obviously this applies to "vanilla" bass sounds and not overtly effected ones which is whole other ball game.

Edited December 11, 2021 by bassman7755

[Rayman]

Yeah, and regarding the "not all expensive basses are better" theme...  Scott Devine was talking about Victor Wootens Fodera on his podcast..... "Meh" was Scotts opinion after playing it.... a bit bland and uninteresting apparently, but in the hands of Victor, it's sounds amazing. 

 

The bass? Or the player?

[Downunderwonder]

I seem to be getting more and more compliments on tone just as I feel I have cracked my gear situation. Going straight into an amp is not the same at all.

[SteveXFR]

It depends on the sound you're going for. If you want to sound like Tim Commerford of Rage Against The Machine then you'll struggle to get close unless you've got a Stingray and an Ampeg SVT. Some amp and bass combinations are quite distinctive and difficult to copy with different gear.

If you're not going for a specific sound, you can sound good with fairly basic gear and good technique. 

 

[Cat Burrito]

I can only echo the comments made about generally sounding like me. To prove a point a few years back, I downgraded my rig and went back to owning just 2 Squiers. I toured and recorded with those basses - they played the O2 in London with me and were on the BBC. Then I decided that it's nice to have nice things. I now own 4 American basses and a lot of kit again now. Why? Simply because life is too short. Does it make me sound better? No, not really. The 1hr a day practice I have been doing since the pandemic started does though. We make our own choices, finances allowing. 

[stewblack]

I don't search for a specific sound, it's more a case of defaulting to what sounds good to me. 

Over the years I've just found the quickest ways to get there regardless of the gear I use.

[lee650]

19 hours ago, Rayman said:

Yeah, and regarding the "not all expensive basses are better" theme...  Scott Devine was talking about Victor Wootens Fodera on his podcast..... "Meh" was Scotts opinion after playing it.... a bit bland and uninteresting apparently, but in the hands of Victor, it's sounds amazing. 

 

The bass? Or the player?

That's interesting to hear! I've personally played about 4 different Fodera Monarchs and was genuinely underwhelmed. They are very much a "clean Slate" with regards to tone so yes with Victor it's most definitely " the player "

Edited December 12, 2021 by lee650

[SteveXFR]

11 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I don't search for a specific sound, it's more a case of defaulting to what sounds good to me. 

Over the years I've just found the quickest ways to get there regardless of the gear I use.

 

I don't think there's much gear on the market that won't sound good with a bit of set up and some decent playing.

[Ed_S]

On 11/12/2021 at 12:43, Rayman said:

I, always seem to find MY sound, regardless of the gear, there or thereabouts.......and

 

I don't believe that expensive gear will make you a better player at all

 

You can find an amazing tone, YOUR tone, on a £100 bass, it doesn't need to be £1K or over does it?

 

At this point I can usually get a sound that will suffice from all but the most knackered of gear, though most of the time I'm not altogether sure what MY sound even is - it's probably fairly generic to be honest. Our lead guitarist once said the sound he most associates with me is "a P bass on full, played through a Markbass with the filters off and EQ off", so by rights I should be able to get somewhere close to that through just about anything!

 

I agree that expensive gear won't instantly or magically make you a better player, but even if it's just that a more expensive instrument draws you in and makes you pick it up and practice, and owning it gives you a bit of swagger on stage so you look like you're confident and having fun, then I'd say it's still kinda played a part. If you get the same kick out of having found something equally pleasingly and inviting but inexpensive, or if the music is reward enough on its own, then more power to your savings account!

 

You absolutely can find an amazing tone from a £100 bass, especially if you have the time and means to go hunting extensively, but in terms of just ordering one I'd generally fancy my chances of avoiding the duff one in a small pile of £1K instruments more than just happening upon one of the exceptional examples in a big pile of £100 ones.