Trust Only Your Own Ears

[pbasswil]

When I first found Talkbass a few years ago, it was like opening a window in my dark house, a window I didn't even know was there before. I mean: all these discussions about exotic high-end gear and instruments. It was a whole new, sparkly, glittery world!

Since then I've acquired some of the stuff that has been raved about on TB. Some of it has been great; some of it has been ok; some of it was just plain wrong for me.

I mail-ordered a used, high-end boutique bass that was pretty close to my ideal instrument -- as far as I could predict. It was gonna be my fantasy come true. When I got it, I could _not_ get a sound out of it I liked.

This month I've shopped for a decent sized loud cab to replace some garbage I've had for many years.
From TB, I now know who the big shooters are for speakers: Bergantino, Epifani, Genz-Benz, AccuGroove, etc. etc.

I tried as many of them as I could find in my area. They each had some great qualities. But none of them was quite making me want to keep playing them. I was pretty shocked at that.

I ended up with a MarkBass 104HF. MarkBass heads are the second coming; but their cabs are widely disdained as second tier, compared to the names above. But this cab was right for me -- it has the chewy, textured mids and punch I wanted, and is very responsive to EQ for getting the lows and highs I want.

Man, I feel I musically matured in the couple of years I've been following TB. I now know what equipment and instruments are commonly eulogized by many players. But more importantly: I now know that the hype and the specs and the price tag and the positive buzz are no guarantee I'm going to like anything.

I now know I have to try before I buy; cuz I can only trust my own ears. I don't know about you, but my ears are different than the next guys. I blew a fair bit of dough assuming that the TB consensus was smarter than my ears!

[elgecko]

Yes, beware of "group think"!

[NecroticImbecil]

pshaw.

[tangentmusic]

Just goes to show -we all hear different sounds in our heads. Some of us even hear voices...

[UnityGain]

Blasphemy. Burn the heretic.

[pbasswil]

Originally Posted by UnityGain

Blasphemy. Burn the heretic.

Have mercy, I beg you! I can learn to conform; I don't absolutely, crucially have to dig the sound... I crave the approval of the wealthy bass-playing masses and the envy of the poor masses; just tell me what to buy.

[tangentmusic]

Originally Posted by pbasswil

Have mercy, I beg you! I can learn to conform; I don't absolutely, crucially have to dig the sound... I crave the approval of the wealthy bass-playing masses and the envy of the poor masses; just tell me what to buy.

The beauty of it all is that you can get whatever makes you happy without pleasing anyone but yourself.
You only need to know what it is that does it for you.

[jnewmark]

The science is there if you want to make use of it, but, it's no secret, the best way to choose gear is try it out first, if you can, and even then, you won't know till you get it on the gig. I have been disappointed by many a " boutique " piece of gear, but, obviously, I'm in the minority when it comes to that. Sometimes, it's just not what you want, no matter what the specs say ( if you can get honest ones ) .

[UnityGain]

Ok, now for a non-smartarse reply.

I think part of the problem is that we are constantly comparing apples to oranges tone wise. Everyones idea of good tone is subjective. And not only that, but we are listening to recordings where the most important issue is the PLAYER. We hear a thick ballsy tone, and want to buy the gear to get it, when in reality its someone playing really, really hard over the neck pickup and we play lightly over the bridge. There is NO way that we will EVER get that tone by gear alone.

I'm not sure if this applies here, but I think that the reason that we idolize some vintage gear and classic recordings is not that its inherently great, but people figured out how to get the best sound possible out of it when it was the only gear around. It took a long time and a lot of practice, but techniques evolved to match the gear that was available, and thats what we have heard on classic recordings that in many ways defined what good tone is.

Great players of yesteryear adapted their technique to get the best tone out of what they had. Now I feel like people are trying to adapt their gear to get great tone out of their style, which is fine but is an inherently different methodology.

[P. Aaron]

I have to admit, I bought my LH1000 amp after reading the numerous pages thread here first. I did not try it out but got lucky. It does what I want it to do and it sounds just like what I was looking for. The LDS cabs were a 1st purchase.

The LH just brings the cabs along, the whole rig works for me & I have gotten compliments on the tone.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by UnityGain

Great players of yesteryear adapted their technique to get the best tone out of what they had. Now I feel like people are trying to adapt their gear to get great tone out of their style, which is fine but is an inherently different methodology.

An excellent insight here...

Originally Posted by UnityGain

I think part of the problem is that we are constantly comparing apples to oranges tone wise. Everyones idea of good tone is subjective.

I will just add that this is precisely why the gear reviews of some players (i.e. KJung, TBowlus, etc.) are so much more valuable than those of others - because those guys are self-aware enough to be cognizant of their personal biases, and forthcoming enough to express them upfront - thus allowing other players to take account of them and compensate for them in consideration of their own gear acquisitions...

MM

[Crabby]

If you do hang around here long enough, you become aware of other TB members whose opinion is consistent and non biased and you can put some stock in their opinions. But as mentioned, everyone has an ideal sound in their head and tries to find the gear that will take them there. I have had people play my bass through my rig and it sounds nothing like me or the tone I have. This is something that cannot be ignored.

Having said that, there is a treasure trove of info on TB and despite some biased ravings here and there, there is so much to gain from a little research!

[NecroticImbecil]

Originally Posted by pbasswil

Have mercy, I beg you! I can learn to conform; I don't absolutely, crucially have to dig the sound... I crave the approval of the wealthy bass-playing masses and the envy of the poor masses; just tell me what to buy.

A Markbass cab is acceptable as long as you have a Markbass head and play a Sadowsky. Otherwise, you are welcome to start posting again as soon as you obtain them.

[pbasswil]

Originally Posted by jnewmark

I have been disappointed by many a " boutique " piece of gear, but, obviously, I'm in the minority when it comes to that.

I don't know about that! I think your odds of great, thoughtful, quality craftsmanship go way up when you go boutique/high end; but that sure doesn't mean that the tonal ideals of the maker will match the sound in your head.
I've recently tried plenty of expensive stuff that couldn't replace my favorite mid-range gear.

[JazzbassArt]

Originally Posted by UnityGain

Ok, now for a non-smartarse reply.

I think part of the problem is that we are constantly comparing apples to oranges tone wise. Everyones idea of good tone is subjective. And not only that, but we are listening to recordings where the most important issue is the PLAYER. We hear a thick ballsy tone, and want to buy the gear to get it, when in reality its someone playing really, really hard over the neck pickup and we play lightly over the bridge. There is NO way that we will EVER get that tone by gear alone.

I'm not sure if this applies here, but I think that the reason that we idolize some vintage gear and classic recordings is not that its inherently great, but people figured out how to get the best sound possible out of it when it was the only gear around. It took a long time and a lot of practice, but techniques evolved to match the gear that was available, and thats what we have heard on classic recordings that in many ways defined what good tone is.

Great players of yesteryear adapted their technique to get the best tone out of what they had. Now I feel like people are trying to adapt their gear to get great tone out of their style, which is fine but is an inherently different methodology.

Man, this rekindled a memory. I occasionally, would trade amps with another bassist. He played REALLY LIGHT, and I play harder and closer to the bridge. Now, I'm not saying I was/am a better player, just that he was never satisfied with his axe or gear, and was always gassing for a change, just as I have been since 1967. Never satisfied, the common denominator.

[pbasswil]

Originally Posted by Crabby

If you do hang around here long enough, you become aware of other TB members whose opinion is consistent and non biased and you can put some stock in their opinions. But as mentioned, everyone has an ideal sound in their head and tries to find the gear that will take them there. [...]

Yup, I have nothing but respect for, for instance, JKung or Fretlessboy (Dennis Michaels). But it has only taken a couple of gear auditions for me to conclude that I have different tonal goals than either of them. I've learned plenty from them, though!

Originally Posted by Crabby

Having said that, there is a treasure trove of info on TB and despite some biased ravings here and there, there is so much to gain from a little research!

Yup, you're right. God bless the united expressions of inteligent, articulate Talkbassers. But I now feel that the ultimate research is personal audition.

[Antipodean]

Originally Posted by pbasswil

I now know I have to try before I buy; cuz I can only trust my own ears. I don't know about you, but my ears are different than the next guys. I blew a fair bit of dough assuming that the TB consensus was smarter than my ears!

Unfortunately, some of us live in places where the variety in gear is limited, so we rely on resources such as this for valuable info.
I find it useful to read other's opions on gear that I am familiar with, so that I can find comparisons that have been made between that and something else.

But, I suppose this has made me think more:

Originally Posted by UnityGain

Great players of yesteryear adapted their technique to get the best tone out of what they had

[Thumpking]

Originally Posted by Antipodean

Unfortunately, some of us live in places where the variety in gear is limited, so we rely on resources such as this for valuable info.
I find it useful to read other's opions on gear that I am familiar with, so that I can find comparisons that have been made between that and something else.

That is a problem even in some medium sized cities like Nashville. We don't have any high end stuff, with the exception of a couple specialty shops.

The perfect bass sound IS subjective, but I am glad we all do not have the same sound. I personally do not care for the Markbass or GK sound, but who the hell am I? I am justa old school tube man. We like what we like, but sometimes finding out any possible pitfalls or potential issues from real experience can save you a bundle!

[nubs]

been there dun that!! i went through more gear since being a member here then i ever would have imagined....but thats not always a bad thing......once and awhile even one of these knuckleheads will stear you in the right direction!!! LOL

[Interceptor]

Tone is a funny thing.

You try all sorts of basses, amplifiers, speakers, stomp boxes and magic potions.

Then, one day, you nail it.

After that, you will quickly figure out how you can bend an awful lot of things into making that sound. But you know what that sound is.

Then the gear disappears.

It is a very very painful process to get to that point.