Chasing tone and killing G.A.S.

[logdrum]

Regarding your sound - Actually they do care band members and audience too, just varying degrees. I may care about neck and setup though myself who is a multi instrumentalist has a way lot more give than the average TB member in this regard.

 

[logdrum]

If you put this on every device you have. hosts file or the equivalent, it MAY solve GAS

talkbass.com 127.0.0.0
sweetwater.com 127.0.0.0
thomann.de 127.0.0.0

etc

 

[Crash 56]

The event that helped kill my GAS was selling my house. I had to down size my stable, because in the new apartment, I only have a coat closet for all my gear. 5 seems to be a good number for me. Well, maybe six......

 

[NKBassman]

(Don't worry. I have very good tastes in basses)

Pics or I don't believe you.

 

[NKBassman]

You know who cares about my sound? Everyone I work with. And me. And the audience cares, too, if it’s bad or isn’t loud enough or if it’s too loud. I’m not saying GAS is a great thing, but this thread makes me sad how so many of you think nothing matters about your role in the bands.

I think the moral of the story is not so much about people not caring, but more that a sufficiently experienced and seasoned bass player will be able to find an appropriately "good" sound on any instrument/rig, with some extreme exceptions of course. Give me a pawn shop Squier Jazz or my Dingwall Super P, and I'm pretty sure I can make it sound good through my Aggie Tonehammer or Verellen Meatsmoke or using some janky house bass amp or just going DI to the PA. It's much more about how you play that what you're playing.

 

[CallMeAl]

It was a slow process, but eventually I grew a distaste for new gear. Every time I brought something new home I spent hours playing with settings instead of playing music. It dawned on me I could never try everything, so I resolved to make the most music out of what I already had.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I've gotten to the point where I am very happy with my tone(s).

Now, anything I buy is because of curiosity or aesthetics or something similar.

As an example: I just bought an RGB300 from my favorite retailer. I won't mention their name, but it rhymes with beatdaughter.

This particular bass is not really to my tastes, but it is the first Ibanez (that I've found, anyway) which actually has "Ibanez" on the head stock and the correct (to my mind) head stock shape (four-in-line as opposed to two-and-two).

I'll be changing just about everything (right down to the finish because it's matte and I don't like matte finishes).

Is this G.A.S.? Maybe but I have never gotten this deep into modding a bass (guitars: yes, but not bass).

 

[Nashrakh]

It's much more about how you play that what you're playing.

I'm absolutely with you. Within a certain range, it's secondary what you play, as long as it's serviceable. How you play will always trump tone. Good tone is icing on the cake. Of course, some will care more than others.

 

[bsquared62]

So much truth to this thread! 99% of the time the audience both (a) doesn't care what bass you play and (b) can't hear (or at least don't notice) the difference between any number of basses.

I had a similar epiphany pre-pandemic. I was constantly twiddling knobs to try to get close to the original bass tone for each tune in a cover band gig. Then one gig a buddy of mine was there, and I asked if he could the difference between my tone on a U2 song vs a Green Day song, for example, and he basically said "Your bass sounds great, but I don't really hear a difference between songs". Hmm. Since then I just use one tone for the set, and play. Sounds good, I spend less time fiddling, win-win.

To me, this all translates to 'play a bass you enjoy playing, and you'll play better and sound fine', because I do firmly believe I play better when I have a bass I enjoy and hear a tone I like. Whether you need a $300 bass or a $5,000 bass to get you there is up to you, but at the end of the day, if you dig the bass you're playing, I think you'll sound fine.

I am going thru this now. When you cover 5-6 genres, trying to emulate the original tone is too cumbersome. I’ve settled in on a couple presets and have a board setup to easily switch. Classic, Overdriven, and Modern, with a couple of effects from there.

 

[JRA]

i'm not too picky about the way my axes sound (they all sound like an EB), but i'm pretty picky about the way they feel (they all feel fine! ).

i haven't chased tones for ~40 years or so --- i stopped when i realized the pursuit had no logical end. somewhere along the line i also realized that for me: the feel of the instrument was way more crucial. so instead of chasing tones, i might be considered a feel chaser instead.

i pick tones that i think are good for the gig (set-it-and-forget-it, more or less) and if my/our audiences are smiling, or dancing, or otherwise engaged = the tone i've landed on is just about right!

but i can imagine finding the right sound (like the OP: "finally") could definitely draw down some GAS, especially if you've made the pursuit a priority.

 

[AGCurry]

I have a Precision and a Jazz, both Fenders, both nice to play, light in weight, and visually pleasing. I can play either one and sound like me, get the job done. I have almost no desire to look further.

Part of the reason for my GASlessness is that I have graduated to DBAS: Double Bass Acquisition Syndrome. In DBAS, the "search for tone" is more worthwhile IMNSHO ... there is no electricity involved, only the vibration of strings transmitted to thin pieces of wood - things which vary much more than P vs. J vs. Stingray or whatever.

DBAS is challenging. The cheapest double bass worth playing is gonna cost what you'd pay for a new USA Fender. Then there are bows. And strings? Cheapest sets are around $200, priciest $800. Furthermore, there are many fewer double basses to choose from, and shipping? Fugeddaboudit.

Right now, I'm set (three DBs, with only one "redundant") ... but that doesn't mean that my eyes aren't open for that wonderful "forever" double bass at a price I could afford.