Do you REALLY need tone controls, bells and whistles?

Avezzano · #1 08-24-2011, 07:02 AM

So, as a spinoff from the "Do you REALLY need a compressor" thread, here it is my own take on the subject.

Whenever I go for a gig or a rehearsal, I notice that I rarely (better: never!) touch anything that is on the amp and regularly I only use gain and master volume. If I need "a hair" more bass or treble maybe I adjust at fly the controls on the instrument. Now: all these controls: pre/post, eq, compressor, contour, shape, treble, mid, bass etc. only increase the cost of the amp.

How would you like a much simplified (read less money involved in the development/production line) amp that is powerful, compact, no frills and only having: gain, master (input and output jacks)? Obviously this would be aimed mostly at the saturday night warriors, but I suspect that lots of people would rather like to buy a Rudy (rudimental!) 400w combo with two simple knobs instead than spending the same amount for maybe a 100/200 watts more sophisticated one.....

Not for anybody, I guess, but think about it.... think about the enormous success of low cost cars (at least here in Europe...): steering wheel, engine and the body. No frills at half the cost of the equivalent reknown brand one...

stepswork4me · #2 08-24-2011, 07:17 AM

I prefer to have the options to find the sound I want. Also, I want to mute and check tuning.

madbassplaya · #3 08-24-2011, 07:22 AM

"Less is more" doesn't always apply. Yes, it is simple sometimes to get the sound you want, but, every now and again you're going to play a room where you will need the EQ because your bass sounds like a turd in the room.

This is about as simple as it should get IMO:

mp40smg · #4 08-24-2011, 07:23 AM

I have thought about this a lot. For me... I want my bass to give me ONE good sound. Generally, the only adjustments I make are volume.

As for the amp.. All I want is that pre amp to give me that one good sound I am getting from my bass and put it to line level to drive the amp section or output to DI.

I want very minimal tone controls. I would like the tone knobs instead of 0-10 to go from -2 to +2 as far as range goes.
So, I'd like the amp to be as transparent as possible and just tweak the tone a little as needed to compensate for the room.

onosson · #5 08-24-2011, 07:24 AM

In an ideal situation that would probably work fine, but I use my amp eq to tailor my sound to the particulars of the room, which can vary drastically from venue to venue. So for me, the answer is definitely "Yes".

onosson · #6 08-24-2011, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madbassplaya

"Less is more" doesn't always apply. Yes, it is simple sometimes to get the sound you want, but, every now and again you're going to play a room where you will need the EQ because your bass sounds like a turn in the room.

This is about as simple as it should get IMO:

You beat me to it ... and, that's my amp!

animvl · #7 08-24-2011, 07:26 AM

I do quite like the idea, I'd opt for an effects loop too though. And power switching from 400 to 100 watts or something. If I had the skills, I'd build one myself.

DeathFromBelow · #8 08-24-2011, 07:26 AM

Do you REALLY need strings? Or pickups? Or cables? Or speakers?

makkE · #9 08-24-2011, 07:27 AM

I can understand where you're coming from - I never used to fiddle with my sound much, in fact, for the first few years as a bassist, I didn't even know what my bass' knobs were for, so I just turned them all up, go into the amp and just play.

Nowadays, I like having some control over my tone. I don't use my amp's controls that much, but sometimes I like to be able to dial in more high mids/highs, when I play with a pick for one or two songs, or those 2 songs where I use harmonics a lot. I am quite happy with my bass/low-mid/high-mid/treble on my amp, and I wouldn't need more, I never touch the scoop dial either.
As others have mentioned, there's still the room you might need to adapt to.

In the end, nothing stops you from getting a simple amp (like that hartke shown above) , and just setting the eq to flat, doesn't it? That's basically what you're talking about. Of yourse, you won't need fancy 10 band eq's and all that, but you don't have to get such an amp in the first place.

I do admit, though, an amp like you talk about would intrigue me somewhat for it's sheer simplicity. There is a definite attraction in simple things..

pbd · #10 08-24-2011, 07:28 AM

There is a guitar manufacture called Dr Z amps. He has a lot of amps that just have a single volume and tone control or just a volume, treble and bass control. The amps sound fantastic and are very simple to use, each control does a lot to affect your sound.

there is rumor of a Dr Z bass amp in the future . . . I hope they do it because their guitar amps are awesome

my 2 cents,
Todd

Muckaluck · #11 08-24-2011, 07:37 AM

The Electric Amp guys seem to be onto this. They claim they sell many of their 'Power' amps (just 3 knobs which I think are bass, boost and volume) to bass players who just plug straight in. That being said, those are certainly not known as low price, barebones amplifiers.

The simplicity of plugging and playing is something that's attractive to me. This is why I have my eyes on an Orange Ad200b.

Perhaps this is a tube amp thing?

Avezzano · #12 08-24-2011, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Do you REALLY need strings? Or pickups? Or cables? Or speakers?

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Now that I answered to your question, would you share seriously your thoughts about the topic? I am just speaking of a basic no frills amp with lots of clean power and stop. Think about the audiophile stuff: I don't know your experience, but during the seventies, on the home hi-fi there were all the possible tone manipulations etc. Then audiophile people started talking "esoteric" (read "heavy $$$$ stuff") and that pre/amps only had minimal controls: volume input selector and stop, to prevent any possible "homeopatic" coloration of the signal. So, it is not a so stupid question after all. MVVHO.

Thanks in advance.

Quote:

The simplicity of plugging and playing is something that's attractive to me. This is why I have my eyes on an Orange Ad200b.

Perhaps this is a tube amp thing?

don't know: I see tubes more for guitar, but I might be wrong; as a bassplayer in a jazz combo I see the market slice for a simple but powerful no frills solid state amp. No effects loop or any other than gain and volume. And lots of pure, crystal clear power...

Flabass · #13 08-24-2011, 07:43 AM

I rarely fiddle with my amp settings. Only time I do is in a large hall and that doesn't happen very often.

Avezzano · #14 08-24-2011, 07:44 AM

Thanks! So I am not alone in this thing, uh?

madbassplaya · #15 08-24-2011, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onosson

You beat me to it ... and, that's my amp!

Haha! It's a great amp for sure!

**baba** · #16 08-24-2011, 07:48 AM

I fiddle with tone/eq at sound check and then set it and forget it. Every room/stage is different, so a little eq adjustment definitely cleans things up.

IngerAlb · #17 08-24-2011, 07:57 AM

In a word...yes. My minimal requirements are: active/passive in + mute + bass / mid / treble controls (and of course gain + master). I don't like to turn knobs for hours, but I normally prefer to keep the onboard EQ of my bass just the way I like it (and use it as a starting point of my sound) and use the amp's settings to further adjust my tone.

M.R. Ogle · #18 08-24-2011, 08:21 AM

If this comes back to that "versatility" thing again, IMHO versatility is overrated.

In playing live, I've always liked a very simple passive setup on the bass, like one volume, one tone, and a toggle switch to cut the tone control out of the circuit completely. I leave the tone knob at about 7 (though I may roll it off for a ballad) for most of the night, and in combination vary my hand position/ pick/ fingers to get 90% of the sonic "versatility" I need for different songs.

In the studio, just pick up a different bass. Done.

The amp? I agree... that's the component that has to deal with the "room" or stage variances, so it's good to have some flexibility and control(s) at your disposal. I do find I tweak the controls a bit during the night as the guitarists turn up, or the dance floor fills up, or the soundman gets drunk... gotta "match" the room, even if that's a moving target. And onboard noodling between coil taps or pickups usually WON'T be enough to do that.

**smperry** · #19 08-24-2011, 08:36 AM

moved to amps.

BassChuck · #20 08-24-2011, 08:37 AM

For me, simple is good. I like the ability to roll off a bit of highs now and again, but once I get the sound I like, I tend to stick with it for the gig and control the tone with my plucking hand.

Now if I could just find an amp that put out a sound as good as my Cafe Walter practice amp, I'd be in heaven.