TONE! Am I hearing things?!

[SeedyBloke]

Maybe this is just me but I find that the tone from my bass changes from day to day. Sometimes it sounds warm and great and I can play for ages.
Other times I pick up my bass, play a few notes and the tone sounds rubbish - really grey and lifeless.
I've been trying to work out why this is and if I need to change my, bass, amp, strings, pickups, practice room!?


I have come to the conclusion that my tone changes with the weather. i.e. when the weather is nice and warm - so is my tone. When the wheather is miserable and cold my bass sounds rubbish.

Could there be any sense to this or am I just a crazy nut who is imagining things!

[cephas45]

you can check all those things (amp, strings, bass, eq, etc) but i've always heard people say that tone ultimately starts with your hands.. i.e. where you pluck, your attack, etc. i've felt the same thing your are describing from time to time and i notice that this normally takes place when i haven't played for a little while.

[rickbass]

You mean it actually gets cold and damp in England I'm shocked!

If it was happening to me, I'd lay off the pipe and leave the Prozac where I couldn't miss it.

[Hambone]

I think you've just got one of those instruments that is susceptible to weather and it's a coincidence that you happen to like the warmer tone only. All instruments have their personality. You should go and do a little matchmaking with a different instrument that sounds right to you all of the time.

[agyeman]

The same thing happens to me. I have a Ibanez GSR200L.

[steinbergerxp2]

I'd check all the hardware to make sure the neck and bridge are screwed in tightly. As said before, it soulds like it is responding to humidity/temperature and the neck joint would be the first place I'd look.