Does it REALLY make a difference?

[sedan_dad]

I must be in the minority. When I’m playing in a band setting, I for one, can’t hear the difference between amp brands for the most part. Nor do I hear much of a difference between scale length of basses. I can hear the difference between Rotosounds and Chromes at lower volumes. But when you’re pushing it ,the difference diminishes. Rosewood and Maple boards? You’re joking, right?. Stock picks vs after market? Nope. These all might make a difference if you’re sitting in your bedroom , playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

There is about 99% of truth to that!

 

[AGCurry]

It is true that for many things of all sorts, the "last 5%" of improvement is the most expensive in terms of time and money. Playing in a band at typical volumes, the last 5% in sound, or even 20%, doesn't matter at all. This is why the top tier of classical players will likely spend a ton of money on their instruments as well as practice for hours every day: Because they are in that top 5%. For the rest of us, a rig that we simply like is good enough.

 

[JeroB666]

A lot of it makes a difference in the final mix and how well the bass is balanced with the rest of the band's sound. IMO. I agree that bass specs such as neck type don't make a difference but a good pickup will create more clarity and cut through the mix better.

There are also countless other points to consider too such as type of music, venue, whether there are IEM available, how is the sound guy.... ETC.

In short, you are prob right when you are playing, but I know that when I am playing I can hear the differences when I change basses/strings.

 

[Nashrakh]

So, essentially all amps and basses sound the same?

There are a few things I can pick out, like bridge vs neck pickup, type of strings, etc. But definitely not tone wood.

 

[Passinwind]

I must be in the minority. When I’m playing in a band setting, I for one, can’t hear the difference between amp brands for the most part. Nor do I hear much of a difference between scale length of basses. I can hear the difference between Rotosounds and Chromes at lower volumes. But when you’re pushing it ,the difference diminishes. Rosewood and Maple boards? You’re joking, right?. Stock picks vs after market? Nope. These all might make a difference if you’re sitting in your bedroom , playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

Loud gigs aren't the real world for a whole lot of us. So as usual, I'd say it just depends.

 

[DrMole]

To me there is a difference between what the player vs what the audience perceives.
Being comfortable to the umpteenth degree with your sound, rig and playing allows to optimally perform (potentially)

Nobody in the audience- not even a bass player with his back turned, will know if you are sporting maple or rosewood.

But it might make a difference to the player and I totally get that, suffer from it and really should play more

 

[Pilgrim]

I must be in the minority. When I’m playing in a band setting, I for one, can’t hear the difference between amp brands for the most part. Nor do I hear much of a difference between scale length of basses. I can hear the difference between Rotosounds and Chromes at lower volumes. But when you’re pushing it ,the difference diminishes. Rosewood and Maple boards? You’re joking, right?. Stock picks vs after market? Nope. These all might make a difference if you’re sitting in your bedroom , playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

As far as I'm concerned, this is accurate. I know for a fact that I don't hear a difference in sound quality between 34", 32" and 30" basses because I own examples of all of them. Of course, if every one is a different brand and model of bass, "no difference" means "other than the difference inherent in a different brand and model of bass."

You wouldn't expect my 34" '63 P to sound like my 32" hollowbody Gretsch 5123, and neither would sound like my 30" '64 Gibson EB-0 or my chambered 30" Gretsch Thunderjet. But I defy anyone to identify a difference in scale length based on the sound.

I can hear a difference between old flats of various types and new Chromes, but when the Chromes are 5+ years old, I really don't. I'm not a rounds player, and I don't change strings unless they break. I have put tapewound strings on one modified Gretsch short scale because even flats were too bright...but that was specific to that bass.

Rosewood vs. maple? Agreed. NO difference in sound.

Amps? I don't obsess over amps, I just set them to give me a sound that's pleasing for the environment. For performance I have a Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.2 and a Fender Bassman 100 V3. I like the way each sounds, but I do note that the Bassman combo has a definite "old school" sound bias built in. That's fine with me, as I'm an old school player.

Perhaps I'm in the minority too, but I'm happy about it. I simply set up a bass and amp to sound pleasing to me, and then I play them. Since 1967, no one has ever complained about that approach.

 

[40Hz]

As musicians, we deal with two very different sonic environments.

Live is not studio, and studio is not live. They’re different worlds. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for the other. And many times it simply doesn’t.

The mistake I see many musicians make is approaching the stage as if it’s the studio. So they worry excessively about a bunch of details that will be largely if not completely inaudible. Or they’ll walk into a studio and think it’ll be just like the stage.

 

[Thorny1]

I think everyone so far is overlooking the most important reason why artists and technicians of any type obsess over equipment. DETAILS MATTER. Obviously, no one can discern scale length or fingerboard wood from sound alone. However...bass wood plus neck type plus bridge plus pickups plus amp plus cab plus strings, etc...all ADD UP to your sound. It isnt one of those things individually, it's the whole package.

All of the best artists and craftsmen I have known are extremely detail-oriented. A good painter knows he needs a good brush AND good technique to deliver a pleasing result in a reasonable time frame. By the same token, a bassist (should) understand that they need plenty of practice, AND suitable gear, to make the band sound its best.

Besides that, its important to remember that Talkbass is a gear forum as much as anything else- there are tons of members who are collectors and technicians first, rather than performers. Theres nothing wrong with that, it just helps keep to keep perspective.

 

[sotua]

I must be in the minority. When I’m playing in a band setting, I for one, can’t hear the difference between amp brands for the most part. Nor do I hear much of a difference between scale length of basses. I can hear the difference between Rotosounds and Chromes at lower volumes. But when you’re pushing it ,the difference diminishes. Rosewood and Maple boards? You’re joking, right?. Stock picks vs after market? Nope. These all might make a difference if you’re sitting in your bedroom , playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

I disagree.

I could tell between my amp (shuttle 600) and other borrowed amps in band settings. Sometimes more headroom allowing me to play with better dynamics, bright and clear tones vs "there's a blanket covering my cab" feeling.

Rosewood vs maple nope, can't tell in the band setting. Can tell when playing, because I've played dark fingerboards for most of my bass playing life, so I got a little lost when the contrast of the fretboards and the strings has inverted.

Stock pickups vs aftermarket, depending on the pickups, I've had results where even the guitar players notice! But's that's usually between cheap pickups and good pickups. Swapping between good pickups probably is harder to tell.

Scale length changes more the feel than the sound. For example, playing drop D in a medium scale bass gets noticeably floppier than in a long scale bass, unless using thick or drop-specialty strings.

 

[JimmyM]

I treat every gig I do like I'm playing with the greatest musicians in the world, I work hard to give the greatest sounds I possibly can for the best possible listening experience, I don't do lowest common denominators, and even if I use something cheap, it's excellent cheap. That said, there are times I can't have everything, but I try, and IMHO not trying is weak sauce.

 

[Helix]

I must be in the minority. When I’m playing in a band setting, I for one, can’t hear the difference between amp brands for the most part. Nor do I hear much of a difference between scale length of basses. I can hear the difference between Rotosounds and Chromes at lower volumes. But when you’re pushing it ,the difference diminishes. Rosewood and Maple boards? You’re joking, right?. Stock picks vs after market? Nope. These all might make a difference if you’re sitting in your bedroom , playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

Thanks for this

Im going to go sell all my gear now and buy that bass and amp I seen at a garage sale for $10.00

 

[Kukulkan61]

I think your right and I also think that all those little changes would be noticed in a studio recording ...

 

[Kro]

Aside from scale length and “tone woods”, we’ll just have to agree to disagree. My ear is trained enough now that I can definitely tell the difference between certain amp brands and especially drastically different strings – even at full rock-volume.

Now, if you have sound guys that are just giving you mush, or if you only play through cruddy FOH systems… than yeah, you’re going to sound like no matter what. These nuances are hardly only noticeable in the bedroom though.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

So, essentially all amps and basses sound the same?

There are a few things I can pick out, like bridge vs neck pickup, type of strings, etc. But definitely not tone wood.

^ Same with me

I like maple fretboards because of the feel, I prefer it over rosewood. Fingers vs pick is a VERY big difference and when playing with a pick, the difference between flats and bright rounds also becomes very apparent.

While different basses may have more unique "tones" at lower volumes, when we start talking high volume and full-band settings it's more about what gets through the mix. P-basses sit well and have a present tone, J-basses can get lost with the wrong settings but in the right mix they can have decent presence and work better for slap. I would have to agree about tonewoods, in a band setting that is getting straight-up lost.

With amps I would go back to my comment about P vs. J, it's about what gets through and not necessarily the tonal subtleties. One amp might let your fuzz or OD cut through the mix better, as opposed to another where it gets lost in the mix. For effects, I tend to favor my GK 700RB-II paired with an Avatar neo 2x12 cabinet (or 2x10 for smaller gigs). Very beefy and present

 

[interp]

I must be in the minority. When I’m playing in a band setting, I for one, can’t hear the difference between amp brands for the most part. Nor do I hear much of a difference between scale length of basses. I can hear the difference between Rotosounds and Chromes at lower volumes. But when you’re pushing it ,the difference diminishes. Rosewood and Maple boards? You’re joking, right?. Stock picks vs after market? Nope. These all might make a difference if you’re sitting in your bedroom , playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

I don’t give a rat’s behind whether any one else can hear—or cares about—any tweaks I may make to my gear (and there are a LOT of them). I can hear and I care.

 

[stretch80]

I've found that some basses do a better job of fitting in a certain band's mix than others, and it definitely makes a difference. But I'm only showing up with the bass that works!

 

[mrcbass]

I must be in the minority. When I’m playing in a band setting, I for one, can’t hear the difference between amp brands for the most part. Nor do I hear much of a difference between scale length of basses. I can hear the difference between Rotosounds and Chromes at lower volumes. But when you’re pushing it ,the difference diminishes. Rosewood and Maple boards? You’re joking, right?. Stock picks vs after market? Nope. These all might make a difference if you’re sitting in your bedroom , playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

There are exceptions when certain tone choices are made, but as a rule I'm with you. But I am also noticing that as I age as a bassist, different subtleties have found my ear. In the last year, I finally discovered the big deal about a P bass (especially with flats) and have recently discovered the crunchy SVT/Mesa Boogie tone (they both sound similar to me). I suspect that more of the little things will poke through as I continue to grow, but generally speaking, I think we collectively spend way more time and money dialing in our stage tone than is really prudent.

 

[CallMeAl]

I’m gigging with a $200 parts bass (complete with Affinity P pickup) and a used Rumble 100. Sure, I can hear a difference in “nicer” pickups and amps. Heck, even comparable amps from GK or Ampeg sound different. But, it’s never been a big enough difference to make me go out and buy anything else. I’m set.