Form vs function

[dclaassen]

I’m not in the same camp as the “ I can get any sound I want out of any bass with my pedals” guy. I’ve never found an emulated sound that matches what I can get out of any of my basses plugged straight into the amp. You can get close, but it’s like an electronic keyboard vs a grand piano….close but not the same. YMMV

[Munurmunuh]

13 hours ago, dclaassen said:

I also would probably not consider playing a jazz, folk, or country gig on upright knowing I can produce an acceptable tone on my fretless Spector. 

 

4 minutes ago, dclaassen said:

You can get close, but it’s like an electronic keyboard vs a grand piano….close but not the same.

 

Mmm-hmm.

[Greg Edwards69]

One of the most important factors in a bass guitar for me other than tone and playability is the ergonomics - particularly body shape, balance, and weight.  In this case, I feel there is some overlap between form and function. The design or 'form' of the bass' shape is part of its function.

 

Similarly, I care about some aesthetics in a functional manner. Whilst I prefer the look of maple fretboards with big, high-contrast markers from a beauty standpoint, I also like them because I can see them better!

Edited July 26, 2023 by Greg Edwards69

[dclaassen]

18 minutes ago, Munurmunuh said:

 

 

Mmm-hmm.

I see what you did there, but the difference is acoustic, not digital….more like an upright piano vs a grand

[BigRedX]

54 minutes ago, dclaassen said:

You can get close, but it’s like an electronic keyboard vs a grand piano….close but not the same.

 

Of course it's not the same. They are entirely different instruments with entirely functions. Sometimes you want a the sound of a brilliant grand piano captured in a perfect acoustic environment, and sometimes you want the sound of a cheap Casio, and all the options in-between. To think that they are the same simply because the sounds are activated by pressing keys is foolish.

[Greg Edwards69]

1 hour ago, dclaassen said:

I’m not in the same camp as the “ I can get any sound I want out of any bass with my pedals” guy. I’ve never found an emulated sound that matches what I can get out of any of my basses plugged straight into the amp. You can get close, but it’s like an electronic keyboard vs a grand piano….close but not the same. YMMV

This sounds awfully like the "amp in the room" discussion that often pops up on modeling threads and SM channels. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

I don't care about anything, unless other people do, and trust me no one does.

 

Now excuse me, I'll be off shooting myself...

 

 

 

On a more serious note, while I do care about looks (which though doesn't mean looking brand new and clean, like it have never been used and just been polished for two hours straight) functionality is by far the primary concern. 

 

If an ugly bass plays amazing I will buy and use it, if an amazing looking instrument sounds and plays like crap I most definitely will not buy or use it.

 

I will however most certainly try to pimp a bass to look as close to my personal preferences as possible. 

 

Personally I love how my lowly Ibanez Mikro Bass both plays and looks (mind the knob closest to the neck is now red):

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[tauzero]

My priorities are generally the same as @BigRedX - generally I'm attracted to unusual but attractive basses, although I do have an Ibanez SRF705 which I find somewhat insipid styling wise but does have rather good fretless sounds, and a Variax 705 which follows Fender styling cues but, well, it's a Variax. The bass must be playable (for me, slim and shallow neck, not too concerned about string spacing). I have upgraded pickups and/or preamps on some basses when I've decided that the sound isn't good enough (generally when it's too thin).

[BillyBass]

I find myself gassing after a particular bass due to its looks.  When in a shop trying a bass out I'm mainly interested in how it feels in my hands and over my left shoulder. The sound is not unimportant but I will generally rule out a bass I believe would not sound how I want based on its pick ups and their placement.

 

I have 9 basses at home and I often look at my collection in admiration and pick out a bass to practise with because I love the way it looks.

 

For me appearance and feel are the things I consider first, and like several others have commented above, what I like may not be the same as others.

[PaulThePlug]

Similar, but maybe one for over on the 'who rides motorcycle thread...'

The amount of tyre, car and particularly bikes, sold on the appearance of the tread pattern... loves a good looking 'wet pair' 😉

[TheGreek]

I'm surprised with the amount of "looks don't matter" comments TBH.

 

There are lots of basses that I wouldn't be seen dead with, irrespective of how well they play or sound. Test after test has shown that most people can't tell what bass makes what noise - a test at one of the SE Bashes showed that many of us couldn't even identify our own basses. Joe Public certainly can't tell.

[ped]

Form is part of the function for me. If it looks cool, I want it to work. Sometimes it doesn't, which is a shame, and other times I've had basses I didn't like the look of as much which played really well. So like anything, it's a balance. What's really nice is when you find an instrument that looks great and plays great too.

[TimR]

Both.

 

The bass has to function 100% and sound 100% first. If those are not right it doesn't matter what it looks like, it's a no go.

 

Then it has to look OK. Or rather has to fit with the gig image. 

 

I have a Charvel SB2, an 80s bass with pointy headstock. It doesn't look good in a function band. It sounds and plays pretty good though. 

 

 

[miles'tone]

I used to be "it has to look cool" first and foremost in my youth but not now.

I currently play a Yammy BB604 which just looks like a bass to me, nothing to get too excited about visually, and not at all what I would have gone for even just a couple of years ago.

However, it was inexpensive, is very well made, a joy and easy to play and sounds amazing. It's a great tool to create on so therefore it begs me to pick it up.

Winning. 

[MacDaddy]

In terms of how the look of certain instruments suits specific music types, this can change over time.

An example from the guitar world are the Flying V and Explorer, which were quite popular in Country bands in the late 50's and 60's.

[neepheid]

I don't mind admitting to being shallow and favouring looks first. Ergonomics comes second (principally string spacing my fingers seem picky about) and bottom of the heap is sound. All basses sound bassy - it has been pointed out that a bunch of us can't even pick out our own basses by sound alone... so as long as it sounds "good" by my nebulous definition then I'm happy.

[Baloney Balderdash]

23 hours ago, dclaassen said:

I’m not in the same camp as the “ I can get any sound I want out of any bass with my pedals” guy. I’ve never found an emulated sound that matches what I can get out of any of my basses plugged straight into the amp. You can get close, but it’s like an electronic keyboard vs a grand piano….close but not the same. YMMV

Utter nonsense!

 

EQ'ing the bass to sound the best is not emulating a sound, it's making the bass sound optimal, EQ'ing happens even if you plug the bass straight into your amp, the way your bass is constructed, your string choice, the way you pick the strings, the strings you use, and not least actually EQ'ing is very much happening in the amp, and the specific cab you use EQ your tone a lot.

 

Further more saturation will happen to some extend in the amp part of a setup, as well as the speaker units will likely distort to at least some degree as well, heck, even the cable you use from your bass to the amp will affect the output signal of the bass.  

 

There is no logic behind claiming that a bass plugged straight into an amp somehow sound better, quite on the contrary. 

 

And in no possible way is the difference even remotely close to the difference between an electronic keyboard and a grand piano, not least because an electric bass is in fact predominantly an electronic instrument (the tone of the bass is for a large part electronically generated, also the name strongly hint at this too, an electric bass).

 

Just because you don't know how to use pedals properly to shape your tone, doesn't make it true that they somehow inherently lessen the quality of your tone (but of course they will do so if you don't know how to use them properly). 

 

I do agree though that you can't make any given bass sound like any other given bass without compromising on the quality of the tone, each instrument does have a inherent tone characteristic that to some extend will always shine through, that doesn't however mean that it's tone can't be improved on or be made to sound closer to your personal preferences by for instance the right EQ'ing, without for that reason compromising the quality of the tone, in fact rather quite on the contrary.   

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[ahpook]

I might like the look of a bass, but unless it pleases me ergonomically I'm not interested.

 

Any neck dive is usually a complete no-no to me,  as is a nut wider than about 40mm.

 

Pretty basses are pretty basses, but if I find it hard to play, I really see no point in them.

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Utter nonsense!

 

EQ'ing the bass to sound the best is not emulating a sound, it's making the bass sound optimal, EQ'ing happens even if you plug the bass straight into your amp, the way your bass is constructed, your string choice, the way you pick the strings, the strings you use, and not least actually EQ'ing is very much happening in the amp, and the specific cab you use EQ your tone a lot.

 

Further more saturation will happen to some extend in the amp part of a setup, as well as the speaker units will likely distort to at least some degree as well, heck, even the cable you use from your bass to the amp will affect the output signal of the bass.  

 

There is no logic behind claiming that a bass plugged straight into an amp somehow sound better, quite on the contrary. 

 

And in no possible way is the difference even remotely close to the difference between an electronic keyboard and a grand piano, not least because an electric bass is in fact predominantly an electronic instrument (the tone of the bass is for a large part electronically generated, also the name strongly hint at this too, an electric bass).

 

Just because you don't know how to use pedals properly to shape your tone, doesn't make it true that they somehow inherently lessen the quality of your tone (but of course they will do so if you don't know how to use them properly). 

 

I do agree though that you can't make any given bass sound like any other given bass without compromising on the quality of the tone, each instrument does have a inherent tone characteristic that to some extend will always shine through, that doesn't however mean that it's tone can't be improved on or be made to sound closer to your personal preferences by for instance the right EQ'ing, without for that reason compromising the quality of the tone, in fact rather quite on the contrary.   

 

 

Jesus wept - shots fired!

[Baloney Balderdash]

13 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Jesus wept - shots fired!

I heard nothing.

 

Neither weeping or shooting.

 

I am afraid that is all in your imagination.

 

Simply stating the truth.

 

You really prefer a forum full of misinformation to daring face factual misconceptions?

 

I get you might already have your facts straight, but there are other people than you using this forum.

 

Which as far as I see it is as much a collection of knowledge, a place to search for information, as it is a social space.

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Frank Blank]

5 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Simply stating the truth an opinion 

FTFY 

[Baloney Balderdash]

4 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

FTFY 

An electric bass predominantly being an electrical instrument is not an opinion.

 

You are of cause still free to question reality, it is not like it can actually be proven to not be nothing but an illusion.

 

But unless assuming it is not all communication is rendered absurd and obsolete.

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Paul S]

I get that English isn't your first language but suspect you are just as rude to people in Danish   Arrogance knows no boundaries!

[Baloney Balderdash]

4 minutes ago, Paul S said:

I get that English isn't your first language but suspect you are just as rude to people in Danish   Arrogance knows no boundaries!

I suppose there will always be people perceiving having a sense of humor an offence.

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Frank Blank]

4 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

An electric bass predominantly being an electrical instrument is not an opinion.

 

In your opinion.

 

4 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

You are of cause still free to question reality, it is not like it can actually be proven to not be nothing but an illusion.

 

Therefore, my statement about it being opinion remains my opinion.

 

4 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

But unless assuming it is not all communication is rendered absurd and obsolete.

I would much rather be considered absurd and obsolete than just plain rude.