Describing double bass sound

[fergus currie]

Does anyone have a guide to some kind of vocabulary for describing how a double bass sounds?

Reading descriptions on the net, it is sometimes difficult to know objectively what you will get 'in real life'. 'Huge sound', 'lots of puff', 'great tone', really dont help me narrow down my choices while I'm looking for a new instrument.

So far I have been reduced to using the price tag as a more reliable guide to how loud a bass is rather than how smooth, clear, ballanced, rich, bright, dark, active, zippy, wirey, gnawing, silky, or bouncy the actual sound might be.

Is there a standard scale for bass sounds or are we eternally bound to having to travel thousands of miles on a catchy sales pitch just to be confronted with a bass that sounds like an asthmatic rotveiller through a Marshall amp?

FC

[Ed Fuqua]

There is not, as far as I know, anything akin to a Pantone guide for describing sound. So you are always going to be at the mercy of a process very much like someone describing the blind date they've set up for you....

[PaulCannon]

Music and sound being relatively abstract things, I don't think it's entirely possible to use language to accurately describe or imitate the sound of an instrument. The only way to truly know what a bass sounds like is to hear it. If you're considering traveling thousands of miles to try a bass, maybe you could ask for a recording first?

[fergus currie]

There is one site on the net that I know of that has sound bites of their basses being played. The Olde basse Shoppe (or something like) that in England. Unfortunately they are not particullarly good recordings and never of the same piece.

But asking for a recording is not a bad idea but still full of problems, like which microphone? who's playing? etc.

I was looking for a way that makers communicate the qualities of the basses they make to potential buyers. I read a lot of descriptions but how objective are they? No one would say in an add for a bass: 'small wirey tone with little bottom end.' but that's quite often what's on sale in a 'big ballanced sound' advert.

Still searching.... (the pantone idea is actually pretty much what I was after.)
FC

[Eric Hochberg]

Lemur, Upton, Contrabass Shoppe are putting up videos of some of their consignment/used basses being played. I would think we'll be seeing this kind of advertising more often in the future. Heck, with Skype, you could probably ask for a live demo from just about anyone.

[MartinBorgen]

Thomann Musikhaus have what seems to be mostly recordings of the product in question and the same piece played on all. Different genres as well.

[JtheJazzMan]

Originally Posted by fergus currie

Is there a standard scale for bass sounds or are we eternally bound to having to travel thousands of miles on a catchy sales pitch just to be confronted with a bass that sounds like an asthmatic rotveiller through a Marshall amp?

FC

There is one site on the net that I know of that has sound bites of their basses being played. The Olde basse Shoppe (or something like) that in England. Unfortunately they are not particullarly good recordings and never of the same piece.

This is probably the best solution. Take the subjectivity out of the equation as much as possible. List the strings that are on the bass too. Its about the best you can do.

One mans bright is another mans nasal. One mans mellow is another mans dull..... yada yada

You can at least narrow the search down to keep the flight bills down.

[Don Higdon]

I think you know the answer.
It is impossible for words to convey the equivalent of a sensory experience. Otherwise we could all go to a restaurant, read the menu and then go home.
The best we can do is make relative statements like dark, bright, etc.
Sorry.

[PocketGroove82]

Originally Posted by fergus currie

are we eternally bound to having to travel thousands of miles on a catchy sales pitch just to be confronted with a bass that sounds like an asthmatic rotveiller through a Marshall amp?

lol, yes. see you at ISB!

[Stev187]

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

The best we can do is make relative statements like dark, bright, etc.

Or we could describe our bass sounds like wine connoisseurs; here's a glossary. When played by others, my bass is full bodied and oaky with a thick, velvety complexity. When I play it, however, it can sometimes sound diffuse, hollow and angular.

--Steve

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by Stev187

Or we could describe our bass sounds like wine connoisseurs; here's a glossary. When played by others, my bass is full bodied and oaky with a thick, velvety complexity. When I play it, however, it can sometimes sound diffuse, hollow and angular.

--Steve

Mine sounds "muscular, yet focused!"

Here's a list of Auditory Descriptors that I got from Michael Darnton - the formatting has been sacrificed to appease the Gods of TalkBass.

[drurb]

As I see it, verbal descriptors can convey a fair amount of information but only among those who have heard many basses and who have learned to make the discriminations. In the same way, wine connoisseurs pretty much know the sensory characteristics that go with the descriptors they use but others may not. Still, for the purposes of buying a bass (or a bottle of wine)-- even among aficionados-- the adjectives ascribed by another are no substitute for experiencing it for yourself. At best, the adjectives serve as guidelines.