Crappy bass through a great amp or Great bass through a crappy amp?

bassteban · #2 06-11-2011, 03:32 PM

I vote *crappy bass/good amp* as most peeps can't hear the diff between a Wish & a Fodera, but farty is farty.

Hellbastard · #3 06-11-2011, 03:33 PM

Neither. A crappy Bass will sound crappier through a great amp. A great bass will sound crappy through a bad amp.

Now a crappy bass or amp played by a great player will sound amazing no matter what.

Lowtonejoe · #4 06-11-2011, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassteban

I vote *crappy bass/good amp* as most peeps can't hear the diff between a Wish & a Fodera, but farty is farty.

I used to feel exactly the same way until I started going through the PA (via a DI) most of the time and used my amp just for monitoring.

But on the other hand...If I was using my amp for primary amplification I would have voted the other way.

I guess it just depends on what your needs are.

Joe.

BassmanPaul · #5 06-11-2011, 03:43 PM

In my mind, the basses available today as budget items are infinitely better than those we had when I started out fifty years ago. So thinking thus, I chose crappy bass and a good amp.

michael_atw · #6 06-11-2011, 03:46 PM

I just heard a Rickenbacker through a cheap Behringer SS on Youtube a few days ago. It made the Ric tone sound like muffled trash.

I've played Squiers through my Ampeg V4B and it made them sound pretty good. A crappy bass can limit you...but a crappy amp will limit you far more.

**barebones** · #7 06-11-2011, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

In my mind, the basses available today as budget items are infinitely better than those we had when I started out fifty years ago. So thinking thus, I chose crappy bass and a good amp.

Read my mind. Today's "crappy" basses are pretty darned good when set up properly.

klokker · #8 06-11-2011, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

In my mind, the basses available today as budget items are infinitely better than those we had when I started out fifty years ago. So thinking thus, I chose crappy bass and a good amp.

+1. The bar band I'm in rehearses in our keyboard players basement and the other day I forgot my bass. The only bass laying around was his kid's 150 dollar LEFTY. So I quickly restrung it with the old rusty strings upside down and played. Got the job done, but without a decent amp it doesn't matter much.

jgroh · #9 06-11-2011, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barebones

Read my mind. Today's "crappy" basses are pretty darned good when set up properly.

+1

Green1 · #10 06-11-2011, 03:56 PM

I always say buy the best bass you can afford, so I would vote great bass/crappy amp

JimmyM · #11 06-11-2011, 04:14 PM

The idea is to find a balance with what you can afford, but as the owner of several crappy basses that I love as much as my good basses, and as someone who's played quite a few not so great heads, a good cab will make even the crappiest of crap basses and heads sound usable. The reverse is not true. While many of us use a DI to the PA and use the amp as a monitor, you can use a crappy cab and still be good in the house. But you still have to listen to it. If you're not inspired by your sound, you might not play as well.

Or you might...who knows? Anyway, if I have to choose crap somewhere along the line, I vote for crappy bass and amp with a good cab.

**Matthew_84** · #12 06-11-2011, 05:01 PM

I chose a great bass over a great amp because if your bass is crappy then it could make you develop some bad habits. An amp won't do that. An amp, however, should be loud enough where you can play with a light touch and still be heard

slaphappychappy · #13 06-11-2011, 05:10 PM

i would rather a crappy bass. It is easier to mod a bass to make it better than it is to mod an amp.
If an amp farts and crackles and can't cut thru a drummer, then you might as well just be a mime.

BassDudeSA · #14 06-11-2011, 05:16 PM

It depends. For a gig where I needed to be heard, without a doubt a crappy bass with a good amp. At home for practice, without a doubt a good bass with a crappy amp.

Rockmusician · #15 06-11-2011, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew_84

I chose a great bass over a great amp because if your bass is crappy then it could make you develop some bad habits. An amp won't do that. An amp, however, should be loud enough where you can play with a light touch and still be heard

+1

wumusic · #16 06-11-2011, 05:31 PM

During my high school and college years, I always went for the solid bass, and affordable amp. My main basses were a '78 PBass, then a JBass V, then a customer six string. My amp and cab during this time was a Peavey Mark III head and Peavey 2x8 / 1x12 cabinet. It served me very well for many years.

I played in all original bands. It was more important to me to development my own sound and tone and the instrument was the the way I did this. Besides, most of the time, I was DI into the mains and my amp / cab was essentially on on-stage monitor.

I also set my EQ relatively flat on the amp and used the bass for tone shaping as much as I could.

rpsands · #17 06-11-2011, 05:39 PM

I'll always spend money on a bass first--not too many places where I need more than a 1x15 combo or so on stage.

Big Brother · #18 06-11-2011, 05:42 PM

In the real world with diminishing returns, you are probably far better off taking the same money and buying the best bang for the buck amp and best bang for the buck bass that fit your budget.

But I know, it's a philosophical question...

Epidrake · #19 06-11-2011, 05:48 PM

Today's "crappy" basses are indeed way better than they were 40 or even 20 years ago. I played a Squier Jazz bass today through a $1,150 Markbass combo and it was AWESOME. I vote for the amp.

BartmanPDX · #20 06-11-2011, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barebones

Read my mind. Today's "crappy" basses are pretty darned good when set up properly.

+1.

There are several pros on here who gig Squiers and SXs and other inexpensive basses because with a good setup they can be made to play well, and through a good amp/cab or PA they sound fine.

I'd rather play and hear a SX or a Squier through a SVT stack than an MIA Fender or a Stingray through a crappy amp any day. A good player can make a cheap bass sound great, but no one can get a great bass to sound good through a crappy amp.