Bigger weight = Bigger sound?

[johnk_10]

Huh??? - he's been quoted as saying that it created more tension on his E string - which is absolute BS... - georgestrings

EDIT>

i don't mean to argue with you but a reverse headstock actually does make a differenc, but it creates less tension on the low E and more tension on the G string. it's barely noticeable, but it does make a very slight difference.

it's kind of the same concept of the earlier stud tailpiece 335's vs the trapeze tailpiece ones, or a strat vs a jazzmaster (and that's with both the strat and jazzmaster's tremolo disabled/locked) .

the longer the distance behind the bridge or nut's witness point creates less tension.

 

[cdef]

... a reverse headstock does create more tension on the low E and less tension on the G string...

... the longer the distance behind the bridge or nut's witness point creates less tension.

Sorry, but I can't quite make sense of this. The statements seem contradictory. A reverse Fender-style hs would make a longer distance behind the nut for the E string. So, more or less tension?

 

[lug]

A string's frequency responseis determined by several things. It's overall thickness, it's core thickness, how the core is shaped, how it's wrapped, etc. That given, any particular string is going to have to be at one tension at one length to get a certain frequency. What happens outside the nut and the saddle shouldn't effect this at all.

 

[lomo]

A string's frequency responseis determined by several things. It's overall thickness, it's core thickness, how the core is shaped, how it's wrapped, etc. That given, any particular string is going to have to be at one tension at one length to get a certain frequency. What happens outside the nut and the saddle shouldn't effect this at all.

+1. That's why anyone who claims through bridge stringing adds tension (or anything else) is mistaken. You can measure the tension of the same string through body or just bridge, and it will be the same at a given pitch, period. Obviously, this assumes the bridge is properly installed and doesn't move.

 

[johnk_10]

Sorry, but I can't quite make sense of this. The statements seem contradictory. A reverse Fender-style hs would make a longer distance behind the nut for the E string. So, more or less tension?

oops. yes, you're right. the low E would actually have less tension on a rev headstock than on a standard one.

 

[afzoomie67]

Paul Simonon said otherwise when he smashed the bass for London Calling.

 

[SolarMan]

The tension must be the same if you have 1 inch past the nut or 1 foot.

The note that you can pluck between your nut and tuning peg will be different, but the Tension Must be the same.

 

[powmetalbassist]

I used to think this was true...until I played an Ibanez SR500. Lightest bass I've ever played and sounded fatter than any full-bodied Jazz bass I played prior. My only issue with it was the ungodly thin neck which was murder on my freakishly large hands. But tone-wise, it was right in your face.

+1

 

[johnk_10]

The tension must be the same if you have 1 inch past the nut or 1 foot.

The note that you can pluck between your nut and tuning peg will be different, but the Tension Must be the same.

well, that hasn't been my experience, and Leo Fender agreed with me.

 

[sratas]

+ 1
In my humble mind, I find rather intuitive that, for example, a 35 or higher scale bass will require more tension compared, for instance, to a 32 scale.
Maybe I'm totally wrong but I have the feeling that the longer the string, the stronger you have to pull it in order to obtain a pitch.
I'm not sure, to be honest, just an intuition thing.
curious about where the truth resides....

well, that hasn't been my experience, and Leo Fender agreed with me.

 

[anonymous111813]

Well, not necessarily a bigger sound, just more... ballsy. I remember noticing this myself, and then reading a Timmy C interview where he says the exact thing. I can't imagine why, perhaps the wood? Or just coincidence. Stingray, ATK, Wal, Thunderbird.

Heavy basses tend to have a more compressed tone than lighter basses. It is clear if you compare a 60s Jazz Bass with a light alder body with a 70s Jazz Bass with an esh body.

 

[lomo]

+ 1
In my humble mind, I find rather intuitive that, for example, a 35 or higher scale bass will require more tension compared, for instance, to a 32 scale.
Maybe I'm totally wrong but I have the feeling that the longer the string, the stronger you have to pull it in order to obtain a pitch.
I'm not sure, to be honest, just an intuition thing.
curious about where the truth resides....

This is entirely correct, and is measurable and a matter of fact, assuming other factors are constant (which they seldom are). The same bass in 35 scale will have more string tension than at 34 inches when using the same strings. That's one reason why fanned fret basses have incredibly uniform tension across all strings, since the higher pitch strings have shorter effective scale length than the lower pitch strings. This is also measurable and feels great to the player IME.

 

[genericusername]

No. My bass is heavy (15 lbs.) and while it has a very clear tone, I wouldn't call it 'big'.

 

[DWBass]

correlation between bass weight and sound = zero

Exactly. More so electronics and strings, IMO!

 

[FaithNoMan]

I attribute the tone mostly to the pickups and pre amp, but it is possible that the resonance gives it more sustain and maybe even changes the tone.


I view this the same as the tonewood argument. Yes, it probably does make a difference, but the difference is going to be different in each instrument, and I doubt if the change would be repeatable. It's just part of what makes each instrument slightly different.


Two basses of the exact same build and quality with different body weights will probably have different tones.

I think the difference becomes more apparent with very hard dry(non oily) woods vs very soft woods. Also, IME, I feel woods make just as much or sometimes more of a difference in tone than electronics.

Take a thin-bodied, set-neck or thru-neck hard maple bass that's put together well, strung with SS rounds, and put against another one made the same or similar way from a different company, and their tonal footprint will be very similar.(Rick 4003 vs Gibson Ripper).

You can always add stronger electronics to a warmer or duller sounding bass and have a lot of treble, but the difference isn't in how much treble there is, but in how hard and brittle the note attack is.

 

[Tupac]

This is entirely correct, and is measurable and a matter of fact, assuming other factors are constant (which they seldom are). The same bass in 35 scale will have more string tension than at 34 inches when using the same strings. That's one reason why fanned fret basses have incredibly uniform tension across all strings, since the higher pitch strings have shorter effective scale length than the lower pitch strings. This is also measurable and feels great to the player IME.

So that's why they have those frets...