Does it REALLY make a difference?

[Mannyinnewyork]

I've had good conversations with non-musician audience members who actually ask more incisive questions than many musicians. They might notice when I soloed the bridge pickup, did a palm mute, etc. Underestimating your audience is a sucker's bet. ijs

I thinks it’s nice that you’ve come across audiences that are curious about those things. I haven’t ever. Maybe it’s a different type of audience. I always played bars, colleges and house parties and the most often asked question was “can I get you a beer”.

 

[Ewo]

Eh, I can hear subtle differences. I notice them when I take different basses to my gigs, or try different brands of strings. I notice the difference in tone when I use my Mesa D-800+ head instead of my usual WD-800.

And I hear differences when I watch other bands play.

Agreed, though, that these days you can get a _lot_ of tone quality for a modest price.

 

[Muttleybass]

I kinda think people really overthink this stuff... To me it's not about "the difference" or silly little details like rosewood vs maple, it's about what each player perceives as a good sound for their situation. If you're playing black metal in a Downtown East-Side dump you might be slightly less concerned with throwing money at your tone than the tux wearing high end jazz guy in an exclusive club.

Could I tell an Ampeg from a GK? A Fender Pre from a Musicman Stingray? In a side by side comparison, probably. But if I'm listening to a band, those details don't really matter as long as they sound good. And good is subjective.

Good players never blame their gear... However, good players always have good gear.

 

[lomo]

I enjoy tweaking / obsessing over my gear, but am not deluded enough to think anyone else cares much about it as long as it sounds like bass and hits/grooves. On a related note, when I hear people waxing poetic about the intrinsic tonal properties of ash vs mahogany, I've gotta laugh......I have yet to see someone tell the difference between body wood types without knowing what he's playing. Every piece of wood sounds like itself, and the variations in density and resonance between different pieces of the same species of wood are just as minimally influential as differences between species....so ordering a bass made of such and such wood with the fantasy that one knows in advance how that slab will sound is......worthy of an eye roll. Strings and pickups are so much more influential on tone that navel-gazing over the wood (apart from its' beauty) is like worrying about how wind drag from the mirrors on a pickup truck are gonna affect acceleration.....yeah....it matters on paper, LOL. As far as scale length goes....it matters enormously when playing chords/ double stops down low (which few play much)....otherwise not so much.

 

[generalduncan]

If I'm not hearing any difference between basses then I might be sounding too low. I need to crank up volume more. This is what happens at the gigs I played. Usually there are stage monitors instead of amps and sound guys are college students working night time jobs. For this I always leave headroom in volume knobs during soundcheck. Being heard is more important than tonewood nuances, I think.

 

[Afc70]

I’m a very detailed oriented person, especially with my gear. I definitely can hear big differences in amps & basses onstage (although many times I go ampless)
My Ebs hd350 sounds very different than my Wayne Jones rig. My Eden/Demeter /Glockenklang rig also has a different flavor, they all sound great. I’ve been playing long enough to hear the differences in fingerboard material, (for example- I vastly prefer a maple board to rosewood on a Musicman Stingray, or jazz bass, I like the extra bite & top end the maple brings). On the gigs that I play ampless, I can still easily distinguish my different basses in our mix- My Modulus Quantum 5 is very distinctive & sounds different from my Curbow Petite 5. My Music man Stingray 5 has its own sound. Instantly recognizable. Also, the stage volumes that I’m accustomed to playing are very reasonable, & not excessive. That might be the reason I hear all the different nuances... Some people probably play at tremendous volumes & have hearing loss, that might be a factor in not being able to discern anything onstage.

 

[chaosMK]

If you are playing run of the mill covers where everything is supposed to sound as generic as possible, low key muddy tone for hiding mistakes... yeah.

I put a lot of thought into assembling my rig, been using same general platform since like 2005. Whatever genre I play in, it sounds like me. There is a little definition, edge, and growl. I want people to hear what I am doing but still be kinda balanced in the mix. I used to play in a 3 piece prog metal band and would throw in every technique I could think of... metal slapping, tapping, percussive fingerstyle, harmonics. To get all of those sounds to sound pretty good and cut through high gain and double bass is a feat and my gearz been an indispensable part of it.

Link Removed

 

[mellowgerman]

A live mix is kind of like pizza. You can use saltine crackers, ketchup, and american singles... or you can make the dough and sauce from scratch, use a blend of premium cheeses, and load it with the freshest, finest veggies, meats, and herbs.
Some might prefer the former, most will prefer the latter, some won't want either, and a few might be completely indifferent. Caveat: the best pizza won't taste good underwater, on top of a putrid landfill, while free-falling from an airplane or cliff without a chute, or while you are sick and completely congested.

All silly analogies aside, nothing else sounds like a nice set of flatwounds, strung on a solid, resonant compendium of tonewoods, paired with bisonic pickups, an Alembic Superfilter, a reliable amp with plenty of headroom, all through a pair of Eminence Legend CA1059's in a sturdy box. (just my opinion)

 

[BergerHead]

...playing along at low volume to your favorite tunes but not in the real world. Not to me anyways.

Without being partial (or just a little perhaps), me & my foh-tech do absolutely hear the difference of a Steinberger or not, these guys have an ultimate cut trough in the band's sound on which none of my other gear ever achieved.
To be(rger) or not to be(rger) is none of a question!

 

[MegaSwing]

It probably does make a difference, but I’ve given up caring about it. If I can feel it the right way, that’s enough for me.

 

[Kro]

I think the tone knob on my Jack Casady bass takes care of any tone changes I will need.

False. You don't need any tone changes at-volume because it all sounds the same.*

*Disclaimer: the above post was a poor attempt at humor. Take seriously at your own risk.

 

[kittywithabanjo]

It matters to the player if your sound is good you will not worry about it and play better.
Done alot of sound gigs with same bass same amp different player.

That makes a huge difference.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I thinks it’s nice that you’ve come across audiences that are curious about those things. I haven’t ever. Maybe it’s a different type of audience. I always played bars, colleges and house parties and the most often asked question was “can I get you a beer”.

I've played most any venue imaginable below stadiums. I've had conversations like I described in bars, grocery stores, private residences and up.

Bottom line, I care about my overall performance and I'm pretty sure that comes through. And when people notice something out of the ordinary, they notice. Many here seem to need to think that they don't.

I did a trio lunchtime gig for the DC Board of Education years ago. Completely spontaneous. No structure... we literally played whatever we wanted. Supposed to be bass, drums and guitar. The guitarist didn't show.


The soundman had a melodica in his vehicle and offered to play. So there we were, me on a fretless six, the drummer and now our lead, a melodica. We did straight ahead jazz, Nirvana, classic rock, whatever... and received what we though was a nice, polite response. After we finished several folks came up and engaged in several conversations. The one that caught me by surprise was the question of did we do private functions. People wanted to hire us for gigs.

You never know. And that's how I perform. It might surprise people how much work I've picked up from uncaring audience members. In many cases much better financially than the gig I was on.

 

[Brad Johnson]

If I'm not hearing any difference between basses then I might be sounding too low. I need to crank up volume more. This is what happens at the gigs I played. Usually there are stage monitors instead of amps and sound guys are college students working night time jobs. For this I always leave headroom in volume knobs during soundcheck. Being heard is more important than tonewood nuances, I think.

Or you could have both. It doesn't have to be either or.


With my stable of basses tonewood differences can be miles away from nuanced. They're blatant.

 

[JimmyM]

Maybe. I saw a band this weekend at a local beach bar playing popular covers and they were TERRIBLE! The bass players tone was really harsh, and he didn't even bother to learn the bass lines on a lot of the songs. In this case it wasn't a matter of equipment. His gear was top of the line. But the point is that the audience didn't care. They were singing and dancing and having a great time because they knew the songs. As long as the band and the singer were in tune, it almost didn't matter...except to the one bass player in the crowd, me, who couldn't believe they were getting away with it.

And now if someone asks you about him, or if you need to recommend someone, you won't be recommending him, lest he make you look bad. And that's why audience reaction should never be a gauge for what standard we play to. Playing like that will cost him future work.

 

[Brad Johnson]

The blanket dismissal of tonewoods continues. So what else is new?

I have a weekly gig where I bring a revolving door of basses. I have a few Mahogany bodied basses that coincidentally share a naturally compressed top end. Different brands, similar electronics to many of my other basses. Same rig, same player. People in the audience have commented on it. So does the sound crew. And bandmates. It's obvious. My other basses don't naturally sound like that.

But that can't be true because the audience doesn't care, can't hear and wood can't matter. As it should be. Some of you have no idea what you might be missing. But you don't care so it all works out in the end.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

You never know. And that's how I perform. It might surprise people how much work I've picked up from uncaring audience members. In many cases much better financially than the gig I was on.

I didn’t say the audiences were uncaring. They certainly care about having fun, enjoying the music and being entertained, but I’ve never had anyone ask about palm muting, pickup selection etc. as you have. Like I said, that’s nice.

 

[Gizmot]

Should we take that to mean you’re not getting paid?

If you’re getting paid you’re not “giving up” anything. You’re providing a service and being financially compensated for it. It’s not like you’re not doing anybody a favor.

In my opinion, whether I get paid or not is irrelevant. My time is my most precious commodity and I give that up to show up and play. For the record, I play every week at a house of worship. I got paid for playing at church for over 10 years, but right now, I don't get a dime. I play several other gigs, some of which pay me and others that don't.

Making good music is my reward - and I try to do my part to insure that it happens. When I play well and our orchestra sounds good, that feels good.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

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.

Brand awareness,& getting the most for your buck is what really matters. no one wants to try something new and have it Fail "out of the box". I think we become brand loyal, because we trust a brand to be reliable "they make good stuff"(think Apple), From Amps to picks. We want to avoid Fails, and getting burned by a manufacturer, especially if its for the big bucks! we develop close relationships with certain brands and they become Our pereferences. we learn to trust & respect their decisions in manufacturing, and thus, become "brand Loyal". and all it takes is for it to fail us once at crucial time for us to abandon all hope for that brand (think Gibson).

 

[Ewo]

The blanket dismissal of tonewoods continues. So what else is new?

I have a weekly gig where I bring a revolving door of basses. I have a few Mahogany bodied basses that coincidentally share a naturally compressed top end. Different brands, similar electronics to many of my other basses. Same rig, same player. People in the audience have commented on it. So does the sound crew. And bandmates. It's obvious. My other basses don't naturally sound like that.

I'm in the "wood makes a difference" camp, too.

Three times I've owned a pair of basses of the same model, built with different woods. A couple years ago it was a pair of Sadowsky Vintage five-string Metros (one ash/maple, the other alder/rosewood). Several months ago it was a pair of Xotic XJ-1Ts (likewise ash/maple, and alder/rosewood). Just lately it's a pair of Sandberg VM-5s (one alder/steamed oak, the other ash/pau ferro). The pickups were the same in each pair, the hardware the same, the body and neck shape the same, and the overall weights close. That is to say, the wood was the only variable.

Each time, the paired instruments had noticeably different voices in my hands--in the practice room and on the gig.