You're right, this does get brought up a lot. I actually understand everything you are saying and agree with it to a large extent but what I would love to hear, have asked for many times and have never seen is a fact-based, evidence-supported answer to the question:
How is it that the above mentioned scenario does not apply to guitar as well?
In fact if not moreso since the guitarist is drastically coloring his sound and it therefore in all likelihood would be even less transferable to FOH.
While we're at it, an even better one IMO is this:
If the argument is that the soundman is best equipped to determine what "works" in terms of bass tone out front...that he should have the bass tone without any electrical modifications to the tone that will make it more difficult to "work"....that he should have the ultimate say in crafting my sound...
Shouldn't that extend further? Why should he not then have at least some say in my choice of pickups? Or strings? Or hand position and technique?
In fact any of those factors could make a huge difference in tone and could muddy things up and/or make the bass tone "un-workable". Indeed, mechanical adjustments can impact the tone nearly as much as electronic ones so it seems reasonable that if the soundman gets to decide what my tone starts with from an electronic standpoint, why should he not have at least some say (if not all...he does from an electronic standpoint, generally) in the mechanics of the tone being generated?
Oh, sure; I've heard the "That's ridiculous/not the same thing" response, but never really had anyone explain specifically why.
Easy example:
Soundman says "Hey man, the signal from the mic is muddy. I need to run a DI."
OK, so I hear the sound coming through the mains and it's nothing but click and clack. We're playing a tune where I want a fat bass tone that's dark....it's what suits the tune. I pluck very lightly by the neck, yielding a very different tone that what he was getting from me a moment ago when I was playing hard over the bridge. Otherwise I have made no electrical adjustments of any kind.
If I had made an electrical adjustment to get that different tone (tone control, active EQ, pickup blending...whatever) most would feel the soundman would have within his purview to say "Hey, don't do that, it's not "working" out front"
If that is the reasoning should it not also be within his purview to nix any mechanical adjustments to tone as well? Their impact on the tone....determining whether it "works" are just as substantial....why would that be different?
Just some thoughts....
