Whoa buddy! Calm down. (Referring to other parts of your post.) In my experience, one good trick really is all people are looking for... non-bassists that is. Hence, to get work and be paid to play, you really only need to be really good at that thing, not marginally good at a variety of things. But you don't agree? That's fine. Cheers!
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"Bells and whistles" vs. "one trick pony"
- Thread starter Dark Horse
- Start date
Whoa buddy! Calm down. (Referring to other parts of your post.) In my experience, one good trick really is all people are looking for... non-bassists that is. Hence, to get work and be paid to play, you really only need to be really good at that thing, not marginally good at a variety of things. But you don't agree? That's fine. Cheers!
I have 2 P's and 2 J's, play the p's 10 to one over the J'S. Sure it's a one trick pony,(comparatively) but it's a REAL good trick.
No bass is a one-trick pony that I've encountered, not even the Ashbory bass. It's really the player. But I do like a bass that is easier to dial in, and that usually means simpler.
It ain't the plane; it's the pilot who gets you landed safely. The plane can be a Cessna 172 (Pbass) or a 787 Dreamliner (exotic wood, 1 of a kind, massive active circuitry, etc).
But that wasn't the question. The question is "which do you prefer ... Something basic or something more elaborate ? "
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
TalkBass' resident Bongo + cowbell player
I like bells and whistles. My custom Stambaugh has lots of them. As I've said before, I'm not afraid of driving a space shuttle if necessary.
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.
TalkBass' resident Bongo + cowbell player
With all the due respect, I want to say that this kind of reply has always been a pet peeve of mine. I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that a good player can get many different tones from an instrument, But when someone asks/comments about the versatility of an instrument (or lack thereof), I understand that the question/comment points to the capabilities of the electronics package inside an instrument. A P bass by itself (I mean, leaving the player out of the equation) is able to provide one basic kind of tone that can be altered to a certaint extent with the tone knob. On the other hand, a Jazz bass can give you several different tones depending on how you blend the pickups. A Jazz bass is way more versatile than a Precision from that standpoint (and again, that's mine when someone talks about this subject). Now, can a Jazz bass cop the tone of a Precision? That's a different question.
Depends on the gig. When I can only bring one I bring the ASAT, when I can bring 'em all I prefer the "pony" approach. Plus I like switching instruments as often as my guitarist!
Maybe I don't hang around enough places here some of you Talkbass junkies play, but for my part, every live bass tone that has ever made me go "Yes." has been on a P or a J shaped bass. Laklands and Sadowskys and stuff are included in this, not exclusively the Fenders, but in each case the actual electronic structure of the bass was tried and true.
The more you fiddle, the more chances your tone has to suffer. Give me a Jazz bass and a big ol' cab any day.
The more you fiddle, the more chances your tone has to suffer. Give me a Jazz bass and a big ol' cab any day.
But that wasn't the question. The question is "which do you prefer ... Something basic or something more elaborate ? "
Engage Leo Getz mode...
Ok, ok, ok, ok.......basic.
Disengage Leo Getz mode.
Alvaro Martín Gómez A.;12321235 said:
lol, I can't make anyone happy. I must be doing something right.
I like a built in preamp, I like an EQ right where I can get to it quickly. For my ear, I also prefer the tone of most basses through an active EQ. The best of all worlds, to me, is an active bass with a passive tone control included. So, I guess I like a few bells and whistles. Still, my passive Jazz basses get play time, too!
If the P-bass is a one trick pony, it's a really good trick because it's been with us for six decades now and countless companies are still imitating it.
Anyway, I love P-basses, but my Big Al definitely falls on the "bells and whistles" side, and I got it just for that reason. I can do more different tonal things with it than I could with all of my other basses together.
Anyway, I love P-basses, but my Big Al definitely falls on the "bells and whistles" side, and I got it just for that reason. I can do more different tonal things with it than I could with all of my other basses together.
Hmm. I find its better to have horses for courses (which of course gives an excuse for more of them - "well I need this because I can't get that particular sound out of what I have already")
I have a Deluxe P bass special strung with flats. Fade to the front pick-up. Leave the EQ flat and its a P bass but, when you need something different it will do it. So not really a one trick pony at all.
I also have a Squier 50s P strung with tapewounds. Wind the treble up all the way and you get almost a Ric type twang (even more so with roundwounds, but a bit too squeally for me), roll it off and its a good earthy sound.
And the Westone Thunder 1 with roundwounds is more of a one trick pony but it does the growly P bass sound so well.
I have a Deluxe P bass special strung with flats. Fade to the front pick-up. Leave the EQ flat and its a P bass but, when you need something different it will do it. So not really a one trick pony at all.
I also have a Squier 50s P strung with tapewounds. Wind the treble up all the way and you get almost a Ric type twang (even more so with roundwounds, but a bit too squeally for me), roll it off and its a good earthy sound.
And the Westone Thunder 1 with roundwounds is more of a one trick pony but it does the growly P bass sound so well.
I can't vote in this poll...because while in the abstract sense I definitely have more use for a "one trick pony" than a "bells & whistles" bass, there's no way in hell I'd chose a Fender P-Bass over an Alembic!
Okay, wait, that's not entirely true. There's no way in hell I'd chose a Fender P-Bass over an Alembic Series I or Series II. But there's a good chance I'd rather have a Fender P than, say, an Alembic Essence or Elan.
Bottom line: For me, I want neither a "one trick pony" nor a "bells & whistles" bass; what I really want is a Jack Of All Trades bass, which in most cases means a Two- or Three-Trick Pony without too many bells & whistles.
Okay, wait, that's not entirely true. There's no way in hell I'd chose a Fender P-Bass over an Alembic Series I or Series II. But there's a good chance I'd rather have a Fender P than, say, an Alembic Essence or Elan.
Bottom line: For me, I want neither a "one trick pony" nor a "bells & whistles" bass; what I really want is a Jack Of All Trades bass, which in most cases means a Two- or Three-Trick Pony without too many bells & whistles.
I voted for one trick pony. Like several others, once I have the basic tone I'm looking for, I'm done.
I rely on my fingers to change my sound.
I have nothing against active basses. I just don't need one for the sounds I want.
I do like having two pickups though...
I rely on my fingers to change my sound.
I have nothing against active basses. I just don't need one for the sounds I want.
I do like having two pickups though...
But that wasn't the question. The question is "which do you prefer ... Something basic or something more elaborate ? "
Yes, it's like asking a pilot whether they want the Cessna or the 787. Ego may dictate the latter, but a sense of responsibility, or simply meeting one's needs may dictate the former.
For the record, I like the 1-trick pony, and use variations of the right hand, and passive EQ to get my tone. Of course, I happen to prefer J-basses, so that's still a lot of tonal room. I tend to be conservative with my Warwick, which has active 3-band EQ, with sweepable mids.
