Does it REALLY make a difference?

[chiphaleonbass]

I've found that in most occasions the bass sounds like I want it to sound, meaning how I play is reflected coming out of what amp, pre-amp, bass being played etc. The only things that I find that makes the biggest differences to the tonality of my approach is pickups. Playing a Gibson EB-2 sounds substantially different than a P-Bass or solo'ing a Jazz Bridge. I've had Squier basses, and still play them, and people tell me it sounds great and I've had vintage Fenders and Gibsons where people have said the same? A lot of it is in the hands and the approach.. and the compressor...

 

[Nevada Pete]

You will notice quite a bit more subtly of tone between various kinds of strings, bases, amps, etc., listening to a studio recording than you will live.

 

[Kro]

Kro, right on...

Also - if we all sounded exactly the same, bass would be a bit too 'vanilla' of an instrument... I would have pursued something else.

Right, and I realize that like anything, at some point it starts to get into diminishing returns. However, it's up to individual bassists to determine where to stop chasing additional improvements, and to realize the things that they can and can't control during a live performance.

Just because some things may not have as drastic an effect as others, or may be out of our control, isn't a good reason to be apathetic or defeatist.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

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 notice the difference

 

[Sparkl]

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.

It does make a helluva difference when you decide you actually want to record stuff.

 

[mattj1stc]

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 very much agree with the OP. The only thing I'd add to this is, if you're going to use some sort of heavy distortion, drive or fuzz pedal, then pretty much whatever you do will come out sounding more or less the same.

 

[Samatza]

Yes, I agree to a point that when you push the volume on stage you can't really hear much difference. This is because you're in the wrong spot but usually out front is a whole different sound and you can hear the difference.

Now our stage volumes are low and I can hear the difference between amps, basses, strings and pickups and even on board pre-amps. fretboard woods? sure! maple and rosewood have a totally different response, that's why variety exists.

I'll play any equipment that makes me happy and helps me produce the best sound that I possibly can, that's what I get paid to do.

 

[foolforthecity]

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

Came across a very interesting book at the local city library called Decomposition... he states that the number of songs heard at any moment is equal to the number of listeners as well as the number of musicians. Interesting

 

[juancaminos]

IMHO there are so many things that affect sound. Most people only know if they like or dislike a sound, not why. Bar patrons will say "man this band sounds great" or the opposite. No one knows why most of the time. Not being able to get my sound is usually due to an amp I am not familiar with or a room I don't know how to deal with. But I have played Fender amps that I swear cannot get the sound I like. It may have been the particular electronics & speaker combination that killed it for me, not the fact that it was a Fender...IDK.

I will say that I went from a band with top of the line equipment to a group of guys playing $150 guitars, into very cheap amps and singing into $29 mic's. The difference was clear. OTOH, years ago, our guitar player fell on hard times and hocked his strat. So I let him use a $200 cheapie starter guitar that I bought for one of my kids 10 years before. Man did he make that thing sound good (thru his hot rodded Marshall).

I don't notice fretboard material sound, nor scale length difference either. But I will say that going from passive to active electronics really made a difference in my late 70's Jazz bass as did round wounds. I also notice the difference between very powerful amps and those that have to be on 10 to barely get by.

 

[bherman]

As a long-time player, I agree that there's alot of truth to the OP. The biggest difference (ie, where you notice it the most) is the quality of the player. A bass player with great chops will make a basic Squier and modest amp sound great. The same cannot be said for a mediocre player with top grade gear.

Recording is different, but very few musicians are playing/recording at the level where it would be noticed.

 

[Blueinred]

Exactly, all amps sound the same. All basses sound the same. All cabs sound the same. That's why all songs sound the same. Overdue for hearing exam perhaps?

/\
This.

Folks is scarin' me to no end.

 

[sambass0124]

1. My church used SWR and now we use Ampeg. I can hear the difference.

2. In church service if someone is using Stingray, it is very noticeable.

 

[DavC]

i know 'what' or 'how' i want things to sound ... getting 'that' sound in good quality studio headphones is hard enough ...

getting 'that' sound live is rather perplexing ... all the other variables really shape how stuff sounds ... but i still Try to get the sound i want to hear ..! when i do , i relax and enjoy playing a bit more ..!!

 

[Gizmot]

I’m with Jimmy on this subject. I’ve spent decades honing my craft and I’m giving up my valuable time to show up and play, so I try really hard to make my sound the best it can be. I use true professional gear — right down to my instrument cable and the Essential Sound power cord I use. I’m both a brand snob and a discriminating Audio guy, so I listen to every nuance of my sound carefully.

 

[StatesideRambler]

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.

By the time I’m on stage nearly all of those are long since resolved. You don’t need to be a cork sniffer to want the best sound you can conjure up but a happy audience is a lot more valuable than being within an RCH of perfect sound. When you obsess about “my sound” the rest of the band and the whole audience take hind tit. That’s a poor recipe for success.

 

[TIMD]

If your a competent bassist you can dial in “your tone” and make it work with any reasonable bass and amp. I think allot of bass players (myself included) can over think the aspects of playing bass that are least important.

Sure any bass player can tell the difference between a pbass with flats through a tube amp and a stingray with steel rounds through a gk rig but most bass players could make either rig work just fine for them as well.

 

[Mike Sorr]

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.

Exactly. And what’s more, 99.9% of your audience doesn’t care. Sure, there is always the one or two bass players who will come up to you between sets to ask about equipment, but everyone else couldn’t care less if you’re playing a Squier or a Fodera or a 2x4 strung with elastic bands. And your rig matters even less.

 

[N4860]

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 haven't read the thread yet, but my initial response would be more about the feel of a lot of what you had mentionde. Specifically the scale of the bass, the type of strings, the type of pick, the fretboard wood, etc. A lot of that might not affect the sound in the final mix, but as a player those are definitely things that change the way you play.

In regards to amps and cabs, in my experience those can have a drastic impact on the mix. For years I had played a GK 700rb through 2 GK Neo12s and as soon as I got an Eden WT800 the bass sound changed immensely. I've since upgraded to a Mesa M6 Carbine through a Mesa PH610 and again, the tone is so much more powerful and different. With the GK the bass was just kind of there, never really cutting. With the Eden the low end was powerful, warm, and immediately present. The Mesa has the lows, but a nice cutting mid section that works perfectly for what I'm after.

 

[N4860]

Exactly. And what’s more, 99.9% of your audience doesn’t care. Sure, there is always the one or two bass players who will come up to you between sets to ask about equipment, but everyone else couldn’t care less if you’re playing a Squier or a Fodera or a 2x4 strung with elastic bands. And your rig matters even less.

I definitely agree that the average listener won't know or care what equipment you are using, however, in my experience, they will be able to appreciate when the tone is a better fit for the mix within the band. They won't care if you're playing a 2x4 as long as it sounds good. If it sounds like trash they will, though.

 

[BoogieZK]

I saw an Hungarian band with really cheap instruments and gear sounding way better than Iron Maiden the same day with, you guess, huge stage and expensive gear.

Same as everything else, you have money and you like expensive gear? go for it.
You can have the fastest car, the road speed is still limited to 130km/h.

You can have the nicest bass, the sound engineer will mix it like any other bass player he encountered (if he don't care of course).
What makes a difference? mostly you and your band, your technique, pickups and strings.