If I was to start a cool kid-forum club

[Matt Till]

They are all the rage these days, left handed bassists with webbed feet member #53 reporting for duty... but if I were to start one, which I'm not, it would be the "The 'The Tone is In Your Hands' is the biggest crock of bull **** I have ever heard and it seems the only people who say it are the ones who can afford any rig they want and really... I mean c'mon, do you really mean that, or did you heard Victor Wooten say once and decide to stick by the motto because it sounds deep, because all it is doing is putting out the pretentious snobby music snob vibe... hard... deluxe club deluxe."

But the forum club thing isn't doing much for me, but I do enjoy any situation where I can write "the" three times in a row.

This is just a major major pet peeve of mine. Yes, technique is important to sounding good, if you can't make your bass sound good acoustically, it's not going to sound good plugged in. Your style is in your hands: Your phrasing, attack, etc... yeah, I can back that. But what is perceived as the overall "tone" is not. That comes from a bass, an amp (or however the bass was recorded), and a producer behind the boards working all sorts of magic.

I'm not expecting to change the minds of those who honestly believe this, but just know, you have no idea how ****ing snobby you sound.

[theshadow2001]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

They are all the rage these days, left handed bassists with webbed feet member #53 reporting for duty... but if I were to start one, which I'm not, it would be the "The 'The Tone is In Your Hands' is the biggest crock of bull **** I have ever heard and it seems the only people who say it are the ones who can afford any rig they want and really... I mean c'mon, do you really mean that, or did you heard Victor Wooten say once and decide to stick by the motto because it sounds deep, because all it is doing is putting out the pretentious snobby music snob vibe... hard... deluxe club deluxe."

But the forum club thing isn't doing much for me, but I do enjoy any situation where I can write "the" three times in a row.

This is just a major major pet peeve of mine. Yes, technique is important to sounding good, if you can't make your bass sound good acoustically, it's not going to sound good plugged in. Your style is in your hands: Your phrasing, attack, etc... yeah, I can back that. But what is perceived as the overall "tone" is not. That comes from a bass, an amp (or however the bass was recorded), and a producer behind the boards working all sorts of magic.

I'm not expecting to change the minds of those who honestly believe this, but just know, you have no idea how ****ing snobby you sound.

Well play your bass at the bridge then play it at the neck. Then expand that further play with more of the meat of your finger play with less meat play softer play harder. All of these things will effect your tone. There's no way you can plug your bass in right now and come back and say that doing those things didn't effect how your bass sounded.

Your gear will also help define your sound. But your hands and your bass mixed together will form a base eq that the rest of the components such as pickups and and tone controls on the bass and amp will work over.

But you will always be stuck with that base eq. That is naturally a part of the instrument and how you play it. Some people can modify it a bit with technique depending on what sound they want to go for.

All that said. Cranking the bass knob on your amp is going to have more of an effect on your tone than how you play it with your hands but that initial combination of wood strings and person is always going to be there before any signal is modified electrically.

[KeithBMI]

I'm in the Matt Till fan club.

"Hi... hi... I'll just be in the corner watching you all night."

[Depth_Charge]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

Tit would be the "The 'The Tone is In Your Hands' is the biggest crock of bull **** I have ever heard and it seems the only people who say it are the ones who can afford any rig they want and really...

Tone is in the technique for sure. My practice rig in the studio is an Eden Nemesis NC410 combo and an ESP-F104 bass and at least half a dozen people have played it here and there, and each person sounded different. Sadly, in my perception, they all sounded BETTER than me as well!

Now shaping that natural tone to the crisp perfection us bassists aim for to get that unique tone...that's where the amps effects and money come into it.

IMHO of course.

[Phalex]

I used to think I wanted a Modulus. A friend of mine was gigging with one and his tone was awesome!! Jim playing that Modulus was like a religious experience for me. I sat in with his band on many different occasions, and played that wonderful ax, and it just didn't give me a chubby when I played it the way it did when he was playing it. I don't know what he does that's so different than what I do, but there was something missing from the equation when I played it.

[megadan]

I usually agree with you, that tone comes from amps and basses, but I have always notice that anytime anyone besides me picks up my bass and plays, it comes out as a huge loud muddy rumble, whereas when I play it's brighter and punchier. I always thought that was weird.
Maybe my bony little bird fingers have something to do with it.

[Matt Till]

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

Well play your bass at the bridge then play it at the neck. Then expand that further play with more of the meat of your finger play with less meat play softer play harder. All of these things will effect your tone. There's no way you can plug your bass in right now and come back and say that doing those things didn't effect how your bass sounded.

I wouldn't argue that at all, but an overall desired tone isn't "in the hands." When someone says, "I want to sound like Geddy Lee," and they've got all the money in the world, they could buy Geddy Lee's rig and sound almost (almost!) just like him. Will having Geddy Lee's rig make you play like him?! Hell no, but any bass tone you've ever heard is achievable by purchasing the equipment used to produce it.

[theshadow2001]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

I wouldn't argue that at all, but an overall desired tone isn't "in the hands." When someone says, "I want to sound like Geddy Lee," and they've got all the money in the world, they could buy Geddy Lee's rig and sound almost (almost!) just like him. Will having Geddy Lee's rig make you play like him?! Hell no, but any bass tone you've ever heard is achievable by purchasing the equipment used to produce it.

I'll agree with you more or less. You can dial in a lot of the similar eq to someone. Though like you say to make up for the last bit that almost sounds like him you'll need his hands and technique.

I don't believe that the hands and instrument are the only factor in tone either. Not nearly as much as how your equipment is EQed