Complex bass and too many tones!

[Peteyboy]

Tortoise pickguard, flats, sunburst finish, tone rolled down, tube amps, vintage speaker and cherry on top, fabric or spiral cords....

DUDE. How far do you wanna stray from the original post to further some odd personal vendetta? Pickguards and spiral cords, really? You must be an unstoppably progressive wizard with your spalted tropical burlywood and a 27 string bass.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

I find having options a good thing; however, after playing for more than 40 years (first guitar, then bass), I personally came to a point that I do not touch the controls on an instrument after I set them to my liking. It turns out that the controls on my basses are there to collect dust!

As a result, my Fodera's do not even have volume controls on them and the EQ's are all in the control cavity which I set when I first received the basses. Similarly, passive Jazz Basses and Precisions are simple designs, and if I need to have a little change I take care of it from the amp.

But again this is just me. Some folks like to fine tune their EQ settings constantly even on the stage, but I am yet to hear a significant difference. So, all good...

OK, I see this pretty often here that people don't want a bass with too many controls and/or pickups because its too complicated to use live. Most recently with the Bongo vs Big Al thread but it comes up a lot in many other comparisons.

My perspective is that with a bass with lots of controls and pickups (such as my Bongo HH) is that I can simply find a great unique sound, adjust my eq to my liking and have it set and forget it. Same with my SR HH. There's no rule that you have to constantly adjust the EQ and pickup settings to try to cover all of the different standard bass sounds. I just don't see how someone can say having too many tonal options is a negative. It's only a negative if you can't settle on it and are constantly changing. I have multiple stingrays so I can have 1 setup just on the bridge pickup, and then use my HH with both pickups and eqed just how I like it and it is a completely different flavour.

Anyone else feel this way? Why the hate for having options?

 

[JRA]

I just don't see how someone can say having too many tonal options is a negative.

i haven't read the thread you referred to, but i agree: tonal options aren't a "negative." i also think that in practice (my experience) a few good options is all that's necessary. when i was younger i wanted a bunch of possibilities. the more i played = i wanted the best possibilities and didn't need the 'meh tones'. so for me, some simplification of options just means getting to the playing way more quickly. it may also mean that i've learned to do more with less. i consider a P-bass as limited. i think 6-8+ knobs to shape a 'perfect tone' is overkill. somewhere in the middle (a PJ?) works for me. if i can find a 'respectable', workable tone in soundcheck, and then a little tweaking in the first set, i end up being a set-it-and-forget-it player. i didn't start that way...i learned that it was all i needed. it evolved. the only tone i chase these days is the one that works best, right now.

different strokes for different folks --- and it's all good! i doubt if anyone cares (has objections) that you're doing what you do! good luck with your axes, "complex" or not!

 

[Funk With Me]

The direction I’m going right now is get my different tones or types of sounds at the source. This guitar is designed with that in mind while this amp has the simplest signal path on the market to organically deliver the sound the bass is putting out.

Just an experiment. Sure would like to play some gigs and enjoy the experiment.

 

[Stewie]

I played a JazzBass for 45 years. Had to change volume at the amp because two knobs takes too long. Finally got a P, one knob is easy. Then I went upright, no knobs. I'm back to changing volume with my fingers, or at the amp again

 

[Smooth_bass88]

OK, I see this pretty often here that people don't want a bass with too many controls and/or pickups because its too complicated to use live. Most recently with the Bongo vs Big Al thread but it comes up a lot in many other comparisons.

My perspective is that with a bass with lots of controls and pickups (such as my Bongo HH) is that I can simply find a great unique sound, adjust my eq to my liking and have it set and forget it. Same with my SR HH. There's no rule that you have to constantly adjust the EQ and pickup settings to try to cover all of the different standard bass sounds. I just don't see how someone can say having too many tonal options is a negative. It's only a negative if you can't settle on it and are constantly changing. I have multiple stingrays so I can have 1 setup just on the bridge pickup, and then use my HH with both pickups and eqed just how I like it and it is a completely different flavour.

Anyone else feel this way? Why the hate for having options?

I find that with having too many options I'm constantly fiddling around with it, always experimenting and spending less time focusing on the performance. Hence I prefer passive basses. Plus I've noticed that passive basses tend to sit much better in the mix.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

What works for me, works for /\/\3.
What works for you, works for you!

And if you only like one thing--- COOL

I worked with a guy that only ate meat and potatoes with bread for EVERY meal. *shrug*

If all you have or want is a 59 P with tort n flats, an SVT w/810 and that works for you!? More power to you!
(I mean that, not a dig)

** I use wireless 99.999999 percent of the time, but I do own and use a Vox curly cord**

I like a little more flavor, tonally and visually.
At the end of the day, it is for MY enjoyment.

To further indulge my personal journey to fall in love and be adept at a variety of paint brushes to express my own personal art, I built a few basses from parts and raw wood (except the necks)
Passive, Active, Wild, Mild : All Simple VVT
The two wildest LOOKING are passive
The others contain the first EMG's I have used since the 80's (hated them then) love them now.
Still VVT for the EMG basses: P/P (brown) and P/J (Blue) dummy (producer) knob on Blue
Covid Made me do it.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

OK, I see this pretty often here that people don't want a bass with too many controls and/or pickups because its too complicated to use live. Most recently with the Bongo vs Big Al thread but it comes up a lot in many other comparisons.

My perspective is that with a bass with lots of controls and pickups (such as my Bongo HH) is that I can simply find a great unique sound, adjust my eq to my liking and have it set and forget it. Same with my SR HH. There's no rule that you have to constantly adjust the EQ and pickup settings to try to cover all of the different standard bass sounds. I just don't see how someone can say having too many tonal options is a negative. It's only a negative if you can't settle on it and are constantly changing. I have multiple stingrays so I can have 1 setup just on the bridge pickup, and then use my HH with both pickups and eqed just how I like it and it is a completely different flavour.

Anyone else feel this way? Why the hate for having options?

Too many options = constantly fiddling with knobs, and never really being happy with my tone.

Passive instruments always sound good. Tone up, tone off, neither changes that. They always sound good. Plus, without the active eq, you get more tone from the wood and pickups. Your bass doesn't sound like it's already been processed (synthetic)

 

[dalkowski]

My experience as a proud (but former) Bongo 4HH owner confirmed that I like simple better.

And let me be clear: If I were a better player, I might be more into a bass with more available tonal variations. Owning a Bongo was for me proof that I need to pay more attention to developing as a player than to twiddling knobs. Accuracy and groove > tone. Since then, it's never been anything more complicated than V/V/T for me. And no batteries!

 

[Rib 13]

Almost every bass I own is active with multiple pickups.....It works for me because I like dialing as many tones as required out of one bass....I got this way from doing lots of studiowork (mainly in the 90s) and elected to bring a few instruments that can Swiss Army as opposed to bringing a bunch of basses, and I still have this mindset as a live player

But thats me for my history and needs. Everybody has a different story, different situations, and writes a different book. There is no law saying you have to use the spoon and fork on a Swiss Army knife. If keeping it set-it-and-forget-it makes you happy then you have done the right thing. $.02

 

[FirewalZ]

Im one of those that prefers as few knobs as possible to get the sound i want. I have different bass's and amps for different sounds/flexability, as i don't find i need a variety of tones on a given gig. With dark stages, late setups, etc, I like a quick and easy, plug in and go set up. With too many knobs, options or overly sensitive controls, I find myself fiddling with knobs too much

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I find that when playing gigs, there is very little time to adjust knob settings during a song.

I prefer guitars with one pickup, but when I am putzing around at home I find I like to have another pickup.

So if you have several controls on your bass and your amp plus some pedals, is it possible some people may be subtracting frequencies only to add them back later in the chain?

But I guess if you like the way it all sounds and don’t mind the setup...then you do you.

I just see knobs as dust collectors.

 

[mambo4]

For me , It it the number of useful tones available that matters.
I once tried a series of high end 5 strings back in the Bass Northwest days.
The alembic took plenty of fiddling to find a tone I liked: Many tones, not all useful
The G&L L 2500, on the other hand, had great tones no mater what I did to the controls.

Admittedly this was a'in store' test, not a live gigging situation, which would change everything.

 

[chris_b]

I'm a "set and forget" guy. Buy gear with a good core sound, match well, then forget.

A great sound might generate a few appreciative comments, but good playing will keep the phone calls and the gigs coming in.

 

[mongo2]

I prefer simple.

I've modded several basses over the decades to wire a single pickup straight to the jack.

I went through a phase in the early '90s of active onboard preamps or active pickups with onboard preamps having V/B/T and mid freq. select/level but found it to be more daunting to find the tone I wanted so I abandoned that idea and went to a MIJ Fender '51 P RI that I used for a long time with the controls full on.

More recently I converted my Hofner Ignition Club bass to V/V/T but with only the neck pickup connected and one volume/tone which I inevitably keep both wide open. Same with all my single pickup basses.

I kept my Mustang P/J stock since it has a switch and I never use bridge pickups.

 

[bassdude51]

The temptation is to "fiddle about" with the knobs and switches. Some of us have no self-control. It's excellent that you do! And good for you!

I have an old Carvin LB50 with 12 different pickup options (passive) + blending + dual output jacks. I bought it brand new back in 1983. Now, I am an old man and my favorite selection on that Carvin is simply the neck pickup in single coil. The LB50 has major over kill. But, it's there if I want to "play with it".

 

[40Hz]

Anyone else feel this way? Why the hate for having options?

Hate is an awfully strong emotion to waste on something as insignificant as whether or not a bass has numerous control options. Just because someone expresses an opinion about not liking something doesn't mean they “hate” it.

 

[eddododo]

OK, I see this pretty often here that people don't want a bass with too many controls and/or pickups because its too complicated to use live. Most recently with the Bongo vs Big Al thread but it comes up a lot in many other comparisons.

My perspective is that with a bass with lots of controls and pickups (such as my Bongo HH) is that I can simply find a great unique sound, adjust my eq to my liking and have it set and forget it. Same with my SR HH. There's no rule that you have to constantly adjust the EQ and pickup settings to try to cover all of the different standard bass sounds. I just don't see how someone can say having too many tonal options is a negative. It's only a negative if you can't settle on it and are constantly changing. I have multiple stingrays so I can have 1 setup just on the bridge pickup, and then use my HH with both pickups and eqed just how I like it and it is a completely different flavour.

Anyone else feel this way? Why the hate for having options?

I know what you mean, for sure... BUT

I agree that part of the issue is simply whether or not you can resist the temptation to constantly adjust, but here’s the big caveat to all of that- electronics don’t always play nice, and the options you want to change don’t always quite do what you think they’ll do, sonically- with a hugely tweakable EQ and a thousand pickup/coil options, THERE ARE MORE BAD SOUNDS THAN GOOD SOUNDS .
Now you may ask : “Well still, you can just find a good sound in there then park it” which is true, but then comes marketing. I didn’t follow the Big Al thread, but I bet this applies- then something is overly customizable, when there isn’t a very clear sound/product being offered, how do you market what it IS? For a P bass, he found a really good sound, and stuck with it. It’s super obvious, there’s no mystery how to pull out the sound- you just play. If you watch a video of a P bass and say “wow that sounds amazing” you can then go and buy it.
When some thing is too tweakable to say WHAT it sounds like at its core, you can’t really advertise how good it sounds.. Are you can advertise it because it has 1000 options, so then you’re limited to a market of people who really really want 1000 knobs, more than they want a bass with a really really nice sound. And then you slice that market smaller again, limited to people who can pay over a grand for an instrument (or whatever price and product)

I think the very question that big al/ bongo thread asked is the very answer to this question

And this is coming from someone who spend a lot of time designing circuits for pedals and preamps- I ALWAYS WANTED 1000 PARAMETERS to be controllable by knob. Eventually I realized that it’s way better to actually have a sound in mind, then find some musical ranges for some essential parameters.

 

[jfh2424]

These threads are funny to me.

Most basses, in the mix, sound very similar. Whether they have 12 knobs or 1. There really are only a few really usable tones if you are playing with others.

How you get to these tones can differ. This is true. But sometimes when I read these threads it sounds like we are doing brain surgery. We aren’t! It is relatively easy to get a bass to produce a great sound which will work well in a mix. The rest is really first world problems.

Not worth getting our panties in a wad.

 

[chazolson]

Hmmm. Most of the responses favor a bass with one signature tone. So I’m assuming that, if you’re playing a song that requires a different tone than the last song, you need to change instruments?

I prefer basses that can cover multiple bases (no pun intended). I have a P bass, and it sounds great, but it’s number 3 for me, because numbers 1 and 2 can do more.