Let the Amp do the Work.

[MustacheJoeII]

The above statement was made to me twenty years ago when I was fourteen (give or take), by my instructor (whom actually played guitar). Over the years I've had real bass teachers (just so you know, Jim Widner), and as far as the bass guitar goes, I never hear about where the right hand is placed (on bass guitar). mike watt (not a typo) always said that he never needed a pedal because his right hand was enough to achieve various tones.

I was always told, "Let the amp do the work for you."

********!

I've got bass friends that need Eden cabs and a Sadowsky to get **** done; I get the job done with an '89 mij Squire P and an ampeg solid state combo all day long.

My own vanity is enough!

My question to the masses: Notes aside; How much is you, and how much is the amp? Do you spend thousands of dollars tweeking? Or just thousands to keep up appearances?

I have to know!

[fractiouslowend]

not sure what the point is your trying to make, you say other people need all this gear to 'get **** done' and then you list the gear you need to do the same.

so the gear you want is cheaper, so what?
if someone likes the sound of eden / sadowsky, then that's what they need to get that sound.

[Plays_For_Dog]

I spent years playing on crap gear, developing technique. Now that I have that down, I have the luxory of affording nice gear. So, I have technique and nice gear. Without good technique and skill, all you have is nice gear with crap being pushed through it. If you don't have nice gear, then you have technique and skill being pushed by crap.

I paid my dues with crappy instruments and gutless amps. I have no shame in my rig, nor will I as I aquire nicer gear. As long as my chops are in par with my equipment, then my playing, tone and presentation will be in harmony.

[madmatt]

I let the amp do the work.
I'm lazy.

[MustacheJoeII]

When I started, "let the amp do the work."

And, I find that it's the most ******** lazy "don't learn the nuances of the instrument," thing a guitar teacher can give a bass player. That is not a direct quote, just an implied statement, from the guitar player that gave me lessons when
I was fourteen and my cheap-ass dad was paying for it.

Still, how much of that holds up? Do you rewire your stock Warwick, or just change the way you play?

Let the Amp do the Work. Is it you? Or, is it your ****?

Are you (the person responding to the post) the most important part of playing, or is it just your possessions?

[KsPiNeSh]

I play through what sounds good to me at all points in the signal chain. Do I sound good playing a Squire through an Ampeg? Yup, have before. Do I want to always play a Squire through an Ampeg? Nope, and I'm glad I don't have to While good technique is imperative, I see nothing wrong with choosing gear whose voicing is inherently pleasing to the player.

[Plays_For_Dog]

Originally Posted by MustacheJoeII

Are you (the person responding to the post) the most important part of playing, or is it just your possessions?

Definitely me. I'm driving this groove bus!

[Russell L]

Well, I played a cheap bass through a cheap combo at a friend's house the other day and made the darn thing sound good. Was it me? Dunno. But, it's a fact that the tone was good, kinda woody and thunky. Old strings, I guess. Do I want that rig? No. I want my high-end stuff for its reliability and ability to push the envelope without farting out. I want my sound to burn through the mix, like it does. And yes, I do like the looks of it, and the feel of it all, including how the knobs on my Little Mark II feel tight, or how smooth the rolled edges feel on my American Jazz. Even if some of these things don't make me sound any better, just because I paid a lot for it makes me think it does, and it makes me feel good. If my stuff makes me smile, I'm getting my money's worth.

Oh, and I understand the thing about how you can get different tones with just your fingers, but it doesn't make up for having great equipment.

[chadds]

"let the amp do the work" was said in the 80's-90's. It has nothing specifically to do with the quality or price of your gear. It didn't mean turning knobs incessantly. It simply meant have enough watts so that you can turn that sucker up. Then you can play gently or firmly and not hurt your hands. We are avoiding tendinittus here! It allows you to move your hand closer to the bridge or neck to achieve all the sounds that are there. You play with dynamics as the music calls for, from a whisper to a boom. It allows you to use the tip of your finger or the side for significant tone changes.

So having watts and headroom allows this. Sure, the more refined your gear the better. Then though it's set and forget. Play the tune!!!!

[staindbass]

the amp only reproduces your work in whatever tone you set it to. if someone said to me "let the amp do the work" i would think they mean play lighter.

[jordie65]

Originally Posted by staindbass

the amp only reproduces your work in whatever tone you set it to. if someone said to me "let the amp do the work" i would think they mean play lighter.

correct. OP, is your entire argument (rant) based upon this misunderstanding of a throwaway phrase you once heard someone say?

[BigDaddyO]

what chadds said.......

[onosson]

How about "Let my tone pot do the work"...

[bjabass]

Originally Posted by chadds

"let the amp do the work" was said in the 80's-90's. It has nothing specifically to do with the quality or price of your gear. It didn't mean turning knobs incessantly. It simply meant have enough watts so that you can turn that sucker up. Then you can play gently or firmly and not hurt your hands. We are avoiding tendinittus here! It allows you to move your hand closer to the bridge or neck to achieve all the sounds that are there. You play with dynamics as the music calls for, from a whisper to a boom. It allows you to use the tip of your finger or the side for significant tone changes.

So having watts and headroom allows this. Sure, the more refined your gear the better. Then though it's set and forget. Play the tune!!!!

Yep.

[93Jazz+]

Originally Posted by Russell L

Well, I played a cheap bass through a cheap combo...

This is ME.. I started with a Yamaha RBX and a Yorkville Keyboard amp .. got them both for 50 bucks from a guy who was moving and wanted to get rid of it. It's sounded like crap at first when I was just learning.. by the time I got rid of the amp, I doubled my money because I could play something through it that sounded alright.
Fast forward to today (YBA-200 TC1510 & MIA Jazz +) and I gotta say, the same playing style sounds a hell of a lot better through this setup then what I started out with.
I rely on dynamics for sure, as any bassist will, but I also know that my gear can bring out those dynamics when I need it.
As a side note... I’ve never heard anyone create a nice rich chorus sound with just their fingers

[JimmyM]

Good thread!

[edbass]

Originally Posted by jordie65

correct. OP, is your entire argument (rant) based upon this misunderstanding of a throwaway phrase you once heard someone say?

Yeah; what they said.

[DeathFromBelow]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Good thread!

Yes,amazing isn't it?

[rpsands]

Years and years of heavy computer use and (to a much lesser extent) playing bass have beat my hands to crap so I tend to let the amp (or pedal) do the work - both in achieving various tones and getting volume. My hands wear out if I play super hard to get aggressive tones.

It sucks, but it is what it is. Now that I've learned to practice healthy habits (stretching, not resting your wrist on the keyboard tray, doing wrist/hand exercises) I'm able to maintain but endurance is slow in building. Not entirely sure what the deal is there, if maybe I've done some semi-permanent damage, whatever.

[woodyng]

similar to what some of the other posters said,i always perceived that statement to mean,"develop your attack/plucking, fingering techniques and use an amp that will allow these variances to be heard. i have gotten nice sounding results using the tiniest of amps (danelectro and markbass 6" speaker combos for example). i think the bass is just about as important,but again, i will pick up anything and find a way to extract some kind of sound out of it. (i played a reeeeally cheap crappy Kay bass the other day,with ancient rusty rw strings,and after a few tweaks through an equally crappy amp,got it to sound acceptable for the situation) of course,it didn't sound as nice as my ric basses through my markbass cmd121p combo with an avatar 1-12 extension cabinet! (which would have been complete overkill for accompanying an acoustic guitar,singer,and congas player in an unplugged situation....)