There is no one "tone"

Pilgrim · #1 10-06-2010, 08:23 AM

If there's a term I dislike because of its vagueness, it's "my tone".

"Tone" is an essentially meaningless word, but it's commonly used to indicate something about a specific sound that people like to generate.

IMO people don't have one single "tone". They sound the way they sound given a specific instrument and signal chain. I change basses and strings to change the sound. The result is my "tone" - but it's different depending on the instrument.

If you don't vary your sound based on some combination of the instrument, the strings, the EQ and the amp, why would you own more than two basses equipped identically? If you have A "tone", all you need is a main bass and an identical backup, both equipped with the same strings and electronics. Nothing else is needed - because you don't need or want to vary your sound outside the parameters of that specific instrument setup.

But that's not what most here do. They have more than one bass, with different strings, etc. They may have a sound they're going after, but there is NOT "a tone" for them. they have lots of "tones", depending on the situation and the instrument used.

Yerf Dog · #2 10-06-2010, 08:32 AM

IBTTone=Fingers

drewfunk · #3 10-06-2010, 08:34 AM

Yep, i change my tone on almost every song haha.

Pilgrim · #4 10-06-2010, 01:22 PM

So - why is it that so many people obsess about a specific tone? Makes no sense to me. When anyone plays an instrument, they sound like themselves. (tone = fingers)

Deluge Of Sound · #5 10-06-2010, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

So - why is it that so many people obsess about a specific tone? Makes no sense to me. When anyone plays an instrument, they sound like themselves. (tone = fingers)

Nonsense. People will always play like themselves, but you're not going to get a Walter Woods to sounds like an redlining Superbass with just your fingers.

Zolbol · #6 10-06-2010, 01:47 PM

Lol .. Good thread IMO..

Tone shmone!!

My tone changes all the time, depending on my mood, type song, a lot of things really. Sometimes I just like to experiment with wacky EQ settings. Not because I'm searching for my "tone" or a specific tone. Just having fun creating..

We rehearse twice a week, Tuesday we'll rock out and then when thursday comes, although nothing has been touched on the desk or amps, all of a sudden the gutairs or I'm not happy with the sound and end up fiddling with the amps for half an hour. Lol Like nothings changed, and we were happy two days ago so why we fiddling again.

For me, if I am chasing a tone, that maybe i heard listening to a song on the radio or something, I know i wont rest till I get as close as I'm satisfied my skills will let me..

Satisfying when you finally nail it though

Like Aaaaahhhhh

stratovani · #7 10-06-2010, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

So - why is it that so many people obsess about a specific tone? Makes no sense to me. When anyone plays an instrument, they sound like themselves. (tone = fingers)

That's why on those threads that ask who you sound most like or who your favorite bassist is, I always say myself. I'll never sound like McCartney, Geddy, or Jaco, and I guarantee they'll never sound like me!

Blueszilla · #8 10-06-2010, 02:44 PM

+1.

I know I'm looking for 'good' sound every time I play, even with the same equipment. Others say they are searching for 'tone', but I'm looking for something workable at the moment. I'll play different basses and generally like what they give me, but I'll need to fiddle with them to get something I can use. Tastes and needs change so something that worked for me at one time, may not the next, even with most variables the same. The main way I change 'tones' is choosing where I play between bridge and neck, how much I dig in, and the angle of the tips of my fingers in relation to the strings, which I'm sure countless others do also.

IMO it's foolish to try to emulate another players' sound, because so much is inherent in their feel and touch. Your tone is not just the audible properties of bass/amp/speaker/strings, but your own rhythm and attack, and I believe that is as individual as each of us.

Some of the guys on the dark side (DB) might be more in tune with this kind of thing, maybe they can chime in....

Pilgrim · #9 10-07-2010, 09:18 AM

I find the responses reassuring. I read so much stuff about people looking for their tone - and I find it difficult to believe that they're not just obsessing over details and missing the bigger picture.

sonic assassin · #10 10-07-2010, 04:00 PM

so you're saying your tone is awful?

i have a very general sense of what im after, and no matter what bass im playing, i approximate that tone. bit of dirt, push high mids, cut sub lows. turn tweeters off. heavy attack.

from there i can get the sound i always have out of most basses i pick up

Pilgrim · #11 10-07-2010, 08:05 PM

Nope.... my "tone"... whatever that is.... is just fine. No matter which of my 10 basses I play or which amp I play through, I sound like me and it sounds good. It just sounds a bit different depending on the combination of gear.

C.Linton · #12 10-07-2010, 08:34 PM

I Sometimes it seems to me this search for the "Golden Tone" a tad much. I get the impression it's like some folks subconcsiously think, " If I can get The Tone I will be a better bassist."
Yet again, it can also be as simple as just trying to get a sound that approxiamates (sp?)the sound they've heard in certain music that speaks to them.
How exactly you achieve this ever elusive tone is where matters get a little murky' it seems to me. Is it hardware? technique? strings? electronics? effects? the amp? body wood? One or more of those, and to what degree?
The bottom line for me is, it is all a matter of taste and personal preference, and any attempt to pin down exactly what is good tone for the masses is ultimately futile.

Pilgrim · #13 10-07-2010, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C.Linton

I Sometimes it seems to me this search for the "Golden Tone" a tad much...
[large snip]
The bottom line for me is, it is all a matter of taste and personal preference, and any attempt to pin down exactly what is good tone for the masses is ultimately futile.

Well said. There are many ways to sound good.

**Staccato** · #14 10-07-2010, 09:25 PM

There is no one "tone" ...

Just this week I was comparing two Jazz basses with very different pickups with the same amp settings.
Tone? Yes, they have some kind of tone!

zachoff · #15 10-07-2010, 09:33 PM

I have my tone.
I like my tone.

paganjack · #16 10-07-2010, 10:02 PM

I think one's "tone" can encompass a number of individual tones. It's not just one, at least usually.

In would posit that our situational use of one tone or another also defines us as players. People will use individual tones (i.e. p-bass w/ flats, stingray w/ fingers, etc.) differently when put in the same musical situation. There is some overlap between peoples' choices, sure, but I think tone choice is as much a part of "tone" as the individual tones themselves.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Zolbol · #17 10-08-2010, 12:09 AM

Quote:

tone choice is as much a part of "tone" as the individual tones themselves.

Nailed it !!!!

NateS · #18 10-08-2010, 01:37 AM

to me, it's not "my tone" or "the tone", it's more...personal and changing than that, an i'm sure that it's what others actually mean, too:

if i'm looking for "my tone", it's the sound that's in my head at that time, an what i think my sound should sound like at that time. "my/the tone" changes as often as i change my mind.

Munjibunga · #19 10-08-2010, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

If there's a term I dislike because of its vagueness, it's "my tone".

"Tone" is an essentially meaningless word, but it's commonly used to indicate something about a specific sound that people like to generate.

IMO people don't have one single "tone". They sound the way they sound given a specific instrument and signal chain. I change basses and strings to change the sound. The result is my "tone" - but it's different depending on the instrument.

If you don't vary your sound based on some combination of the instrument, the strings, the EQ and the amp, why would you own more than two basses equipped identically? If you have A "tone", all you need is a main bass and an identical backup, both equipped with the same strings and electronics. Nothing else is needed - because you don't need or want to vary your sound outside the parameters of that specific instrument setup.

But that's not what most here do. They have more than one bass, with different strings, etc. They may have a sound they're going after, but there is NOT "a tone" for them. they have lots of "tones", depending on the situation and the instrument used.

Could you tone it down a little, please?

Munjibunga · #20 10-08-2010, 01:48 AM

Anyway, my tone changes with the song. My tone for Barracuda is much different from my tone for Sister Christian. But both are my tones, and you can't have them.