Anybody else really not care anymore?

[singlemalt]

I’ve spent a few weeks with my tone rolled back to nothing, and only letting a little bit at a time back in. At the same time, my volume knob is more in the center, so I have room to move up or down. What a revelation. After years of active, spanky, full range, wide spectrum sound.

Now any grind or overdrive sounds thick and warm. Add a bit of octave down and it’s so nice. Much more classic tone.

I’ll chaulk it up as another advantage of the one bass program. Really exploring the full range of a bass’s tone controls, pickup selectors and right hand techniques.

 

[bassbully]

I have found in 15 years of playing bass in bands only one time did anyone care about the bass I played. I never hear anything about the bass I play or the tone.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

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?

I have felt like this for at least a year. I have played too many cheaper basses that I like to turn my nose up at them. I have played enough expensive basses to know that there is no one way to reach excellence. I still listen to other bassists opinions, but I don’t put them above my own. I shamelessly say what works for me, and I leave it at that.

 

[seansbrew]

I love to play all my basses and rediscover them all the time, I totally get it.

 

[Fxpmusic]

Are you trying to tell me it is about the music but not the instrument??

 

[Old Blastard]

I've dated or been married to 15 women in 40 years. I've bought 15 basses in 45 years.

I stilI have 15 basses.

 

[GreyBeard]

Variety

 

[DEDX]

I don't comment much, more of a lurker, but this hit home for me. I've been playing in bands for going on 20 years. For much of my resume I've played mostly cheaper, more economical basses. Only recently have I've been in a position to start acquiring more expensive equipment. Initially the new equipment brought about a surge of inspiration, really getting me get back into the "zone" if you will. But as I look through videos and soundclips of performances, I realize in the mix it's me coming through, not the tone or edge of what I happen to be playing that night.

 

[Turtle71]

I'm right there with you, I have more than I few basses, and EVERY ONE was "The Best" at one time or another....I have one bass that I'm currently favoring, but who knows how long that will last.

Interestingly enough, I suffer from the same affliction when it comes to my pedals too....

Now my amp & cab (Gallien Krueger)....those have been the same for years, and I can safely say, I'm way more than happy with them.

 

[hushnel]

When I was really young I used to think I would be a better bass player if I had a better instrument, 54 years latter I get a kick out of playing basses like my home made Home Depot 2” by 8” pine 30” fretless that is stained with a blow torch, which weighs in at 6 lbs, or maybe my Squire Affinity Bronco I dropped a BiSonic pickup into, thinking even crappy basses can’t make me sound bad.

Here ya go, this is a rehersal recording on an old 4 track reel to reel, for the purpose of our own edification, mistakes, slips, weary and insert any other lame excuse that comes to mind but it is the Rosted Bass pictured above, the pickup is a scatter wound single coil 1951 Fender P-bass, wound buy a guy up in Michigan.

https://app.box.com/s/1wvomrv8x84vfzfqkovsx6234lbibyih

 

[ThuzzleFump]

I mix 'em up to keep it lively. But at heart, I like playing any bass as long as it's decent. A hugely warped neck, non-functioning electronics, grossly wrong intonation, or inch-high action are deal breakers, but as long as it's playable and makes sounds, I find something I like about it.

 

[desertrider71]

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 agree. But just like a socket wrench or a car, some tools require more maintenance (and money) than others.

 

[bluesblaster]

its exactly that............a tool, nothing more

 

[Groove Doctor]

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.

I found him.... wasn't what I expected.

My only rationale these days is "because I can". Works for me.

Are you trying to tell me it is about the music but not the instrument??

Then what would be talk about?

 

[Interceptor]

I'm closing in on ten years with my main bass and three or four with my number two.

I do not like changing instruments at all. There are subtleties that are buried in a good instrument that take a tremendous amount of time to master. At least that is the case for me, perhaps I'm a slow learner. I also play mostly small rooms at lower volume, where tone quality really matters. The two basses I have that see the light of day are very different voices and have completely different feels. Between the two I can cover any job I'll work. I also can adjust both basses and my approach to playing them in a well understood manner to make a mix sing in quick order in any room I play. I'm not clever enough to wrap my head that far around more than two instruments.

I could argue that mastery of a small number of instruments will take one further down the road to consistent good sounding performances than fighting with a larger herd.

 

[xnewyorka]

...I get a kick out of playing basses like my home made Home Depot 2” by 8” pine 30” fretless that is stained with a blow torch, which weighs in at 6 lbs...
View attachment 2811256

That is too cool - I have to hear a recording!

 

[SteveC]

Can’t say I don’t care, but I have 1 bass these days. I could play any bass as I sound like me no matter what I play - within reason.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Years and years of cycling through gear and my go to is A beat up japan PJ bass I’ve used for many years and in every recording session since I purchased it.

 

[rumourzbass]

I’ve never really much cared about what bass I’m playing as long as it sounded decent and wasn’t unbearably painful to play. I do have basses I prefer to play. And a couple I actually enjoy playing. But to me, any real magic there is, is to be found in the performance rather than the instrument itself.

Maybe it’s a little bit of arrogance on my part. But I’ve always believed (and by now I have the track record to back it up) that I can wring a decent performance out of virtually any bass that gets handed to me, as long as it can hold its tuning fairly well.

When I first started out, an old jazzer told me; “Don’t ever marry your instrument. If you're smart you won’t even go steady.”

His point was that you’re “The Bass,” not your instrument. He said instruments get stolen, broken, lost, and sometimes have to be sold to get some emergency cash all the time. Life throws a lot of curveballs our way. So if you hang your entire identity as a player on a single instrument, you’re bound to end up being very sorry some day. He said to learn how to get “your sound” out of anything you play. Even learn how to get it out of something you don’t play. That’s what separates a musician from some guy who can just play something.

Wise words. Glad I took them to heart.

 

[rumourzbass]

That is honestly some of the best advice I can remember hearing...so thank you very much. Equipment comes and goes, sometimes to circumstances beyond your control. So keeping in mind that it should be the person playing the instrument, and not the other way around...so thanks again for the words