I demo'd my 14 basses to a singer friend. He said 11 of them sounded the same. I nearly cried..... 
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I demo'd my 14 basses to a singer friend. He said 11 of them sounded the same. I nearly cried.....
But he was probably dead on, eh!!
So serious!
How ‘bout a little less hyper and maybe a little more carrots next time?
@Joe Nerve you should post that statement of yours to the Fodera guys. They said "headless basses lacks that special character in tone" while they were hyping that Garrisson model. See what reply you get. I am going to NYC next year, or least I am planning to, but I don't know if I will shop for a bass. I am satisfied so far, have no dream bass. I might upgrade some pedal. The thing with buying a new bass and bring it over the pond just causes problems these days with lacey acts and whatnot, and you get fined and get your bass confiscated for dealing with endangered wood species. Ok then, maybe some graphite stuff then...
I was at a friends rehearsal space this wednesday where he and ha couple of friends had a go. He bragged about that he'd just bought a second hand Ampeg rig with 8x10 cabs in and whatnot for scraps. It was a real bargain he found. He wanted me to approve it. Plugging in my bass into it, rendered a weak low E string (at all notes across along that string) but his old trusty fender Jazz bass from the 70s sounded stellar all over the place. Of course he lent me his bass...
Some things just gels without the slightest hatch, and others not.
I was at a friends rehearsal space this wednesday where he and ha couple of friends had a go. He bragged about that he'd just bought a second hand Ampeg rig with 8x10 cabs in and whatnot for scraps. It was a real bargain he found. He wanted me to approve it. Plugging in my bass into it, rendered a weak low E string (at all notes across along that string) but his old trusty fender Jazz bass from the 70s sounded stellar all over the place. Of course he lent me his bass...
Some things just gels without the slightest hatch, and others not.
For me...Ive come to view the bass as a tool, nothing more nothing less. The story I like to tell that demonstrates this is in the recording "The Quintet, Jazz at Massey Hall", Charlie Parker shows up to the gig with no horn, he borrows an early Grafton plastic sax (a real POS from what ive read)....and guess what he sounded like...Charlie Parker.
I think our ears get tired of hearing the same thing over and over a lot of times.
Still thinking this through and want to reserve the right to change my mind at any time...
Also not sure yet if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm choosing right now to see it as a good thing.
Last night I broke out a bass I haven't gigged in years. My Warwick Fortress One.
Lo and behold, it was hands down the band's favorite of any bass I've gigged yet. Gotta admit, it kicked some major butt. I loved playing it too as it's real comfy, balances well, has great action, and lots of versatility. So I'm driving home and I start thinkin...
One day my Caprice sounds like the greatest bass on earth. Another day, different room, different levels on everyone, all of a sudden it sounds like a completely different animal. Same holds true for my Jazz, my Bongo, my Ric and every single bass I've ever played or owned. One day sounds freaking awesome, the next - who knows? Last night the stars were all aligned for the Warwick. When I take it to the next gig I may very well wonder, what was I thinking or hearing?
That being said, I love playing even when I don't feel I've got the greatest sound I could possibly have. I'm starting to really feel like the bass means little to nothing. As long as it's set up to my liking, anything and everything I want can be found in my amp EQ and fingers - or not. Either it's there, or it isn't, and there's no way I'm going to have precisely what I like most, every time, in every room, with every band. Unless I'm playing in the same room with the same band every gig. That ain't happening.
I'm really starting not to care a single bit about the bass I'm playing. Beginning to feel like I never want to comment on a bass again, too- which I've said before and I know makes some people here happy. This is one of the reasons I never really listen to anyone else's comments regarding a bass, also. It doesn't matter.
I love all basses.
And I don't really care anymore.
At least for today
How about you?
Duh. Now how long before you finally arrive at the same conclusion about instrument dealers, you blowhard.
after a few decades of the boutique type showing off period ... the last several years = i don't care ..!
i'll build my own parts basses .. ! that play/sound great every day ... they have everything i like , and they feel more like ' mine ' ... must be a little sweat equity .?!
even using nice Warmoth pieces parts , the price will stay under a grand ... other pieces parts ( Fender/Squire/whatever ) will stay under $500 ... !
must be getting old .?!
i'll build my own parts basses .. ! that play/sound great every day ... they have everything i like , and they feel more like ' mine ' ... must be a little sweat equity .?!
even using nice Warmoth pieces parts , the price will stay under a grand ... other pieces parts ( Fender/Squire/whatever ) will stay under $500 ... !
must be getting old .?!
I demo'd my 14 basses to a singer friend. He said 11 of them sounded the same. I nearly cried.....
14 out of 14 will sound the same in the mix!
I stopped caring last year, I just make sure there is no electronic hum from my bass because sound guys hate that
I don't have a particular setup for my EQ. I always start a playing session or pratice time with my EQ flat and the balance centered. So I turn the knobs to fit, as long as I can tell what I'm doing I'm ok.
I've done quite a few multi-basses tracks and changed the EQ for each to make them discernable.
Then I discovered that whatever I play and whatever the EQ ... it end up sounding like a bass. The timbre is the one of a bass.
I think people chasing the purple dragon of the perfect tone and change basses to fit better in each songs just try very hard to convince themselves and everyone else the need to have too many basses.
Just play whatever you want.
Right now I play a Warwick Thumb6 BO and it sounds fine in whatever setting I tried it.
I've done quite a few multi-basses tracks and changed the EQ for each to make them discernable.
Then I discovered that whatever I play and whatever the EQ ... it end up sounding like a bass. The timbre is the one of a bass.
I think people chasing the purple dragon of the perfect tone and change basses to fit better in each songs just try very hard to convince themselves and everyone else the need to have too many basses.
Just play whatever you want.
Right now I play a Warwick Thumb6 BO and it sounds fine in whatever setting I tried it.
Lots of different flavors of basses out there. I'd say overall, some cheaper basses don't stack up against the bigger boyz. I love my fortress one too. Those wenge necks will last forever.
Singers...like their opinions matter. They only matter when they sign the check. Too bad they often do.I demo'd my 14 basses to a singer friend. He said 11 of them sounded the same. I nearly cried.....
I care about my tone but will not let it bring my joy of playing down. I choose my basses unless there is a consensus of the band for whatever reason, luckily most folks trust my choices.
I've been there too. I love my modulus live but can't get a sound I like in the house. Same amp same settings. I never play it at home anymore. I stick with the jazz
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
One day a bass feels and sounds amazing. A week later, the same bass with the same settings feels and sounds awful. Why? I don't know. Playing anyway is what happens. Then playing a different one for a while. Nobody but me notices what the bass sounds like, so it just doesn't matter.
Good players will reach a point when they will end up sounding like themselves with almost anything you hand them. I believe when we leave an instrument we have chosen alone for a while and bring it out we experience the reason we bought it in the first place.
This is definitely true. I bought a used Squier Jaguar years ago and it’s never been my go to bass, I just wanted one and it was cheap. I picked it up the other day and I have fallen in love with it’s sound. A passive p or j bass has always been my go-to but the active pj combo has really piqued my interest in the past week.
Still thinking this through and want to reserve the right to change my mind at any time...
Also not sure yet if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm choosing right now to see it as a good thing.
Last night I broke out a bass I haven't gigged in years. My Warwick Fortress One.
Lo and behold, it was hands down the band's favorite of any bass I've gigged yet. Gotta admit, it kicked some major butt. I loved playing it too as it's real comfy, balances well, has great action, and lots of versatility. So I'm driving home and I start thinkin...
One day my Caprice sounds like the greatest bass on earth. Another day, different room, different levels on everyone, all of a sudden it sounds like a completely different animal. Same holds true for my Jazz, my Bongo, my Ric and every single bass I've ever played or owned. One day sounds freaking awesome, the next - who knows? Last night the stars were all aligned for the Warwick. When I take it to the next gig I may very well wonder, what was I thinking or hearing?
That being said, I love playing even when I don't feel I've got the greatest sound I could possibly have. I'm starting to really feel like the bass means little to nothing. As long as it's set up to my liking, anything and everything I want can be found in my amp EQ and fingers - or not. Either it's there, or it isn't, and there's no way I'm going to have precisely what I like most, every time, in every room, with every band. Unless I'm playing in the same room with the same band every gig. That ain't happening.
I'm really starting not to care a single bit about the bass I'm playing. Beginning to feel like I never want to comment on a bass again, too
I love all basses.
And I don't really care anymore.
At least for today
How about you?
Yep. 100% this. I got my Jazz and really stopped GASing for anything else. I could be tempted for a J in a natural finish but that would be purely for vanity reasons. Either way, I'm happy and I don't care who knows it
Same thing happens to me with bacon and sausage. Just when I think bacon is the greatest breakfast meat of all time I have some sausage that has been perfectly spiced and seasoned. Then for the next week I have sausage until I get sick of it and then rediscover bacon.
I suspect the same phenomenon might happen with women, but I wouldn't know because I'm happily married and a good boy. I'm also smart enough to not find out because I know what will happen to me.
I suspect the same phenomenon might happen with women, but I wouldn't know because I'm happily married and a good boy. I'm also smart enough to not find out because I know what will happen to me.
