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Does your bass sounds better when somebody else is playing it?

#161
Wasnex said:
Something you should be aware of is the way you process sound varies depending upon if you are playing or casually listening. I suggest you record and listen to yourself and maybe you will find that you sound better than you think...or maybe not :nailbiting:.

I have a Boss DD7 digital delay that can save about a 40 second loop, so it's an easy experiment for me.

You have some nice gear!
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I have the same opinion, you should listen to recordings of your playing, you’ll find you play better than you think, My theory is that when we play, we get feedback through our fingers and body that affect or even contradict what you sound like, in my case I felt my basses had no punch and very poor sustain and definition, and that my playing included a lot of unwanted noise, It wasn’t until I listened at recordings of my playing that I was able to validate my sound and tone was very different from what I thought it was, I found out I have very good tone!
 
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#162
m3ruiz said:
I have the same opinion, you should listen to recordings of your playing, you’ll find you play better than you think, My theory is that when we play, we get feedback through our fingers and body that affect or even contradict what you sound like, in my case I felt my basses had no punch and very poor sustain and definition, and that my playing included a lot of unwanted noise, It wasn’t until I listened at recordings of my playing that I was able to validate my sound and tone was very different from what I thought it was, I found out I have very good tone!
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Recording oneself is always a good thing. Especially on a gig. Sometimes that bedroom/woodshed tone that sounds good to us is not cutting it in the real gig world and the tone/sound that works is sometimes surprisingly different :)
 
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#163
m3ruiz said:
I have the same opinion, you should listen to recordings of your playing, you’ll find you play better than you think, My theory is that when we play, we get feedback through our fingers and body that affect or even contradict what you sound like, in my case I felt my basses had no punch and very poor sustain and definition, and that my playing included a lot of unwanted noise, It wasn’t until I listened at recordings of my playing that I was able to validate my sound and tone was very different from what I thought it was, I found out I have very good tone!
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Kinda like, how your speaking voice sounds to you inside yourself and, how it sounds recorded and played back to you as everyone hears you or, how you look to yourself in the mirror and how you look to yourself in a photograph as everyone else sees you :)
 
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#165
I had a birthday party / jam a few weeks ago. A guy came by that I sub for with one band, all those guys were also here. He played with them using my bass and my rig. Sounded amazing. I'm like, darn... why don't I sound that good?
 
#166
bleedingfingers said:
Nope mine are set up low and fast and most people play em too hard .
and not like your speaking voice inside your head cause its not inside your head its coming out of your amp
no matter who's playing it .
Must be 4:20
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But, the simple act of playing and listen to yourself at the same time and then just listen to someone else playing your stuff or playing back a recording/looper of yourself through your amp is different.

I was talking mainly about listening or looking from a different perspective.
If one is listening without being encumbered with the act of playing, more can be revealed.

Much like my example, you took issue with. True your voice sounds different because you are listening from inside your head and the amp is outside all the time but, one who listens to his/her own voice recorded can
begin to hear what others hear outside yourself. The nuances they hear and you begin to pick up on that and the differences can become less. Not so much, "that's not me" type of thing. Because you've taken the time to listen, from a different perspective.

As far as your setup of low and fast. I don't know what you are referencing in my comments.

Perhaps that 420 thing you speak of? :)
 
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#168
Is Someone comes up and wants to Play ect.. Well I don't let anyone Play my Rig at a Gig, but I have in the Past, but I really knew the Person and we sound the same, and it was the last 5 min. end of 4th set, I learned Early in time, I just be kind with a smile, "Sorry I don't do that, were Preforming our Gig the band does not let people play there instruments, between sets, this is a gig, the owner wants us to 'stop playing between sets', cuz they want people to buy more liquor, tone it down between sets and he need's no distractions, most of the time is is a Player that is not in a Band, and or not have much experience, Really, So With Me, I try to get off stage fast, and go out side get some Air, there is always one in the Band who is watching the stage, we rotate, I have a 73 Jazz That I Custom Built, for the Road and to Play, not to leave in a case, or just to look at Bass, If we are at a Gig I want to get back in the club, they or someone, is watching what we are doing, don't want to do anything wrong 'that would make the Owner not want us back, I'm there to be a Pro. and don't need someone to play a bunch of riff's, between sets, so his buddy's can see what he is doing, eh, really get in a band,
 
#169
JazzBass1949 said:
Is Someone comes up and wants to Play ect.. Well I don't let anyone Play my Rig at a Gig, but I have in the Past, but I really knew the Person and we sound the same, and it was the last 5 min. end of 4th set, I learned Early in time, I just be kind with a smile, "Sorry I don't do that, were Preforming our Gig the band does not let people play there instruments, between sets, this is a gig, the owner wants us to 'stop playing between sets', cuz they want people to buy more liquor, tone it down between sets and he need's no distractions, most of the time is is a Player that is not in a Band, and or not have much experience, Really, So With Me, I try to get off stage fast, and go out side get some Air, there is always one in the Band who is watching the stage, we rotate, I have a 73 Jazz That I Custom Built, for the Road and to Play, not to leave in a case, or just to look at Bass, If we are at a Gig I want to get back in the club, they or someone, is watching what we are doing, don't want to do anything wrong 'that would make the Owner not want us back, I'm there to be a Pro. and don't need someone to play a bunch of riff's, between sets, so his buddy's can see what he is doing, eh, really get in a band,
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Why are you shouting?
I guess you are not shouting you are just very Bold and Tall

:D
 
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#172
LBS-bass said:
I had a birthday party / jam a few weeks ago. A guy came by that I sub for with one band, all those guys were also here. He played with them using my bass and my rig. Sounded amazing. I'm like, darn... why don't I sound that good?
Click to expand...

Here's the wisdom: When you see someone doing something you can't, but you want to do, simply get them to teach you how to do it.
 
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#173
bassbenj said:
Here's the wisdom: When you see someone doing something you can't, but you want to do, simply get them to teach you how to do it.
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That’s how I met some great players Al Turner, Fred Hammond, Rodney Whitaker, Ralphe Armstrong, Kern Brantley, Buster Williams, Richard Davis, Dan Pliskow, Max Janowsky, Mike Harrington, James Simonson, Lamont Johnson, Jimmy Ali, Paul Keller, Will Austin, Bill Koggenhop, Reggie Hamilton, Brandon Rose, Don Mayberry, Kelly McCree, Jervonney Collier
Kurt Krahnke, Ed Pickens, Ali Mohammed and Ron Carter.
 
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#174
DJ Bebop said:
But, the simple act of playing and listen to yourself at the same time and then just listen to someone else playing your stuff or playing back a recording/looper of yourself through your amp is different.

I was talking mainly about listening or looking from a different perspective.
If one is listening without being encumbered with the act of playing, more can be revealed.

Much like my example, you took issue with. True your voice sounds different because you are listening from inside your head and the amp is outside all the time but, one who listens to his/her own voice recorded can
begin to hear what others hear outside yourself. The nuances they hear and you begin to pick up on that and the differences can become less. Not so much, "that's not me" type of thing. Because you've taken the time to listen, from a different perspective.

As far as your setup of low and fast. I don't know what you are referencing in my comments.

Perhaps that 420 thing you speak of? :)
Click to expand...



I believe the original question was does your bass sound better when somebody else is playing it .
Which I answered .
 
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#175
Here’s a funny story ..... my buddy called me over to his studio to lay some bass tracks but before we got started he played me some tracks so I could get a feel for what he was going for.
I listened then said “who is that , man I love the sound!”
He replied , “ that’s you from our last session!”
So I guess I’m always amazed at how good my gear sounds when someone else is playing it , even if someone else is me.
Lol!
I was playing a Fender Marcus Miller 5 with Lindy Fralins
 
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#177
Acoustic356 said:
I think a lot of it has to do with how close we practice with our amps.

It takes 24 feet for the sine wave of an E string to complete its first cycle. The sound that you hear close to your amp is different than the sound that you hear further away. You tend to get more bottom end when you are closer as well.

I recently rearranged my home studio moving my amps further away and had to re-eq everything.

#thingstoconsider
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This.

The first time I went wireless, and stepped away from the amp, I heard how my sound varied with distance from the speaker, and found out why they were always telling me to turn down.
 
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#179
interp said:
My bass always sounds different when someone else is playing it, but it only sounds better if that someone else is a better player than me.

That said, I’ve had my main bass for four years and I’ve never allowed anyone else to play it.
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Iv had my main bass for over 20 years. I always let people I know sit in with my stuff as I like other mojo to rub off on it. Also a lot of great players in Bay Area where I live (Santa Cruz Ca.)
 

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