When you play bass, you sometimes turn the knobs a bit. That's good. If, when you turn the knobs, you sometimes play bass a bit, then you might be off course.
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Concentrating on tone rather than playing...
- Thread starter 4 string mofo
- Start date
90% of tone is touch and feel my friend. And the end of most tone quests are chops quests and vice versa
I did this a few times when I sat down to actually practice. I wasn't chasing tone though, I was figuring out how to simulate Cliff Burton's effects for a Metallica thing I was doing. Once I realized the time I just started playing. But a couple of times I lost all my time to playing with the tone.
I think a temporary side track to perfect tone is perfectly okay. And I emphasize temporary. A great tone can actually go a long way in making you sound like a much better player IMO. But it by no means makes up for lack of skill, practice, effort, etc. Good tone simply makes a good player sound even better. If you've reached a point where you're a decent player, mess with tone a little bit. Have some fun before you get back into the grind. Just make sure you get back
I agree with most about playing over tweaking knobs, but I'm guilty of going through phases where I obsess about different things... All of 2014 I've been getting a awesome pedalboard together, I've spent ungodly hours listening on YouTube, reading here in the FX forum, and flipping pedals to help get the sounds in my head, I finally feel like my chase is over for now(I went through this 10 years ago), I really like having a variety of sounds at my disposal 1.for myself 2.for the variety of styles I cover, so I'm finally really happy with my setup, luckily my chops didn't crap out as I have rehearsals most days, but I didn't progress as a player over the last year either, but now I can focus on woodshedding more!!
I once played in a band with a 2nd guitarist who always sounded exactly like the guitars on the covers we played, with whatever pedals, amps or alternate tunings he needed, but he couldn't play in time to save his life. I guess he chose was what was more important to him, as we all do.
another thing to keep in mind here is that your tone that sounds great at home is likely to be crap with a band. Not worthwhile to find your ideal tone at home, IMO.
Nothing wrong with going on a tone quest, but just don't let it overshadow what's important when it comes to playing bass...meeting cute girls.
there is a fundamental disconnect on what tone means here. when you go into a studio, the first thing you do is called getting your tones...its all about how the amps and bass is set and mic'd/di'd. there will always be some prodigy 7 year old kid that can play technically better than us. in the world of originals, your technical ability and skill level is mostly not all that important. what is crucial then you ask.....creativity and unusual sounds (tone). so if you are pursuing tone for original material, yes...get your bass and amps to sound the way you have it in your head first, then play whatever and however you are inspired to. i have the tone that i want, i got it years ago. i revise it slightly, but i make no exceptions with it as i play originals and its part of the creative process.
It really depends on what tone means. If it's understanding the basics of equalisation and way of playing to have a bass tone that fits well with your band then I think it's valuable. Who cares what you play if nobody can hear you or if your tone totally overwhelms your bandmates ?
But if tone means the little subtilities to get the absolute perfect tone when listening with perfect headphones then I think that, even if it's an interesting quest, it will be far less noticeable to your audience than your technique.
But if tone means the little subtilities to get the absolute perfect tone when listening with perfect headphones then I think that, even if it's an interesting quest, it will be far less noticeable to your audience than your technique.
Dude go for it. If you want all the gigs, you need to pick great notes, with a great groove, with a great sound. But more importantly, you have to be a really cool hang in all honesty. A good sound that makes everyone feel good will go a long way to success though. Don't be happy with good enough in anything if you want to be great.
When you say you that you are concentrating on how your bass sounds in the mix, are you practicing techniques that alter your tone, or is it purely a matter of turning dials? If you are focusing on where you pick the strings, whether you use a pick or your fingers (and which ones), how hard you attack, etc. you are not wasting time. If you are simply trying to dial in a killer tone, you're better off practicing scales. First off, every room has different acoustics, so it's not one size fits all. 2.) There are sound men and mixing boards. Their job is supposedly to give the audience a good sounding show. You have little control over them. 3.) Your band mates also have to tailor their sound to a different room every night. ( Even the same room you played in last night with your equipment in the same spot may sound different because it is 10 degrees cooler and there are 30 more people there.) Maybe the guitarist changed his strings and sounds brighter than he did last night (tone wise, not I.Q.). In order to balance that out you have to make adjustments. Just something to think about. Now about those scales...
I'm really not too concerned with tone, especially live, it's so much more important to know the song structure, to play the right notes and with good time, and maybe to do this while singing too. It's only when those things work well that I use any time on fine tuning sound, until then I'm satisfied with "good enough" tone.
Do you mean you are finding your voice on your bass? That is a very worthy goal. Do you play one instrument or do you have an arsenal of different basses? Trying to sound like you whether you're slinging a Ric or an EB-3 is a challenge.
I work on my technique by playing my bass unplugged. As far as "tone" is concerned, all this talk about the tone being solely a result of your hands is well-intentioned, half-true nonsense. I am playing in a complicated band mix and months in, I am still trying to dial in my settings in order to get an articulate, rich sound across the spectrum. Yes, it is distracting.
Concentrating on chewing rather than swallowing? Tone and sound are a result of your playing, they are essentially the same thing.
For proof, YouTube "joshua young bass". This "kid" plays with the best of the them, with a $300 pos ibanez entry model. His tone would be better with a fodera I'm sure, but that is the 10% difference that keeps the TB classifieds in business.
For proof, YouTube "joshua young bass". This "kid" plays with the best of the them, with a $300 pos ibanez entry model. His tone would be better with a fodera I'm sure, but that is the 10% difference that keeps the TB classifieds in business.
What kind of power tubes do cute girls generally prefer? How many blondes know the difference between an svt vr and a cl?
