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Do you LOVE your bass tone?

#121
Yes, or at least most of the time.

What I use to get the tone I want is basic; an amp with plenty of headroom and more than one cabinet. I start most gigs with the bridge pickup favored over the neck pickup and some bass boost to replace the fullness lost, especially if I'm playing an active bass.

The reason I said "most of the time", is because there are rooms where I've been unable to dial in the tone I want no matter how long I fiddle with my gear. I know my various rigs are capable of producing a tone I love, but when I hit a road block to achieving that tone, I don't have a magic wand to resolve the issue.

That being said, I have become much better at mentally overcoming a bad tone night as my years of playing have stacked up. I don't like it when It happens, but I get through it.

Some years ago I read an interview with Joe Satriani where he was asked if he's always pleased with his tone, and he said pretty much the same thing I have experienced; Joe said, "not in all rooms". When the interviewer asked what he did in those situations, Joe said, "I play my planned show. Nobody bought a ticket to come see me fiddle with my gear, they came to see me play, so I play".

I figure this is the right attitude to have whether playing to an arena full of music fans or a club full of dancers. Neither group would be interested in watching me twist tone controls.
 
#122
dab12ax7ef said:
To me, it's a valuable exercise to chase and hone tone. Putting in the time and effort and some dollars to achieve this is good. That way one can have a sense to easily dial in a good tone. However, when it comes down to it, knowing the tunes and having a great feel is more important. Also, having good musical awareness is important. There are a lot of outside factors like a bad mix from a mediocre sound person that can negate thousands of dollars worth of amps and pedals.
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I agree it a good lesson to chase tone...but it's also a good lesson to learn when to say enough is enough. Other band members want you to get a sound quickly, so everyone can get to the business of making music. They don't want to sit around and watch you tweak endlessly in pursuit of your vision of the perfect tone.

Also if you are really locked into the idea of having the perfect tone, you will tend to be distracted rather than focused on making music.

Even worse...my idea of perfect tone varies with each song. I think we can all agree it's totally unrealistic to have the expectation that you will be able to dial in your sound for every song, so this is something I had to learn to let go of a long time ago.
 
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#123
I've spent YEARS refining my tone...amps, cabs, pedals, strings, pickups....little by little. The past 10 years or so I've had THAT sound. I still try new stuff but I haven't found much in the past decade that has earned a place in my gear...so I'd say that my tone has been MINE for quite some time. Every time I plug in, I can just focus on my playing and it makes life GRAND!
 
#124
Bent77 said:
SVT. So yes
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Yes, especially when it is:
Helix > SansAmp RBI > dbx 166xL > QSC 2402 > ACME B2's with the Helix using my SVT patch.

The BOSE have to be flogged to get the proper sound although replacing the B1's with the BOSE 2x10's helped a lot(40hZ to 140Hz or so). BOSE 2x10 is in no way flat response and having a lot of the higher register notes going thru the vertical array is in no way like an 8x10, 4x10, or even a 2x10 FR cab.
 
#125
Depends on which tone. My tone I set up for playing by myself? Yes, love it. My tone for playing in a couple of rock cover bands? It's a little less trebly, still like it but not love. My tone playing in metal bands? It's kinda clanky to me on it's own but sits really well playing with two 7 string guitars.
I've never been a nut about maintaining my tone live, the engineer knows, or at least should, what is needed to make the band sound good. I'd rather sacrifice my tone if it helps the overall sound.
 
#128
superheavydeathmetal said:
Do you LOVE your bass tone? Do you feel joy, elation, or bliss due to the voice of the notes as you lay down a sweet groove?

Or do you not really care? Maybe it's the notes, not the tone that matters.

Or maybe you aren't happy with your tone, and you can't find that tone in your head that you are yearning for.
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Since I put together my rig (see avatar), while the sound does give me joy, I also love the fact that it is modular. I can handle anything from a tea and crumpet library gig to a stadium concert without altering the tonal quality and hauling unnecessary equipment. Lest I forget to mention it, My PJ and Warwick Corvette with Roundwounds strings sound awesome with it.
 
#133
Killed_by_Death said:
I plugged in to play some Royal Blood this arvo & I was so happy with how 'raunchy' I sounded!
NuTube preamp for the win!

Oh yeah, those Nordstrand Big Singles help a LOT, as well.
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I'm all over the Vox Nu Tube stuff too. I like to use the Vox Pathfinder as a preamp into a Vox MV50, but I also have a VX50BA. I use the VX50BA to bi-amp my set up: one clean and one dirty. Works well since the line out from the VX50BA is transparent.
 
#135
You betcha'! My Epi EB-0 playing through the Fender Rumble 100 Combo.

mTWedp4.jpg
 
#136
I've never really thought of tone in terms of love. I tend to think of good tone as acceptable for the situation I'm in at the moment. Different rooms and rigs make it more trouble than it's worth to get too emotionally attached to a so called signature sound, at least for me so i strive to be the best possible fit (within the limitations of gear and space) with whatever group i'm working with at that moment.
 

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