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Fact: It's not the bass

#42
It's worth noting that a lot of people judge instruments in this way simply because of setup. Some will simply get their first bass, not learn how to set it up properly or learn the importance of a set up in general, and then they lust after the 2000-5000 dollar bass they just played because it was 'the best player ever', when it simply had a ten-trillion-times better setup.

Tone is your fingers, but it's also in the setup, the strings and the pickups. No opinion on tone woods, but there's more to account for than simply the player. I'm not going to touch a bass that has the action set 2-3cm off the fingerboard.
 
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#47
AudioDwebe said:
Okay, so it's my opinion. But my opinion is that the thread title is, in fact, a fact.

I've heard too many basses played by a as many bassists, ranging from a Squier to a Fodera and everything in between, that sounded both fantastic and awful. It's the player, period.

The better the player, the more he or she will be able to draw the quality out of the higher end basses. But that same person will still be able to bring a subpar bass to life. Either will sound fantastic.

Anything in the hands of someone like myself will all sound pretty much the same. Yes, a turd.

Can I get an Amen!
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This is why I often buy basses for their aesthetic qualities. I figure if I'm stuck sounding like me, I may as well try to look good doing it.
 
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#52
Agreed!

The Stig would still be a great driver driving a Chevette, might even get a better lap time than I would in the same car. I saw might, because I'm a fairly hot shoe when it comes to making the most out of a car- racing lines, trail braking, double clutch downshifting, etc.
 
#53
kohanmike said:
Just this week I took in my Gold Tone GT MicroBass because the A string just wasn't as loud as the other strings amplified. But after the repair guy did a few runs on it through his amp with all the strings sounding out equally, it became very obvious that it's my technique (or lack of) that's the problem. Not so surprising since I've only been playing about a year.

To address the gear discussion, I recently bought a $150 mini P-bass from SmallGuitars.com that I really liked. It's good sound was confirmed the other night when I brought it to a lesson and my teacher, Denny Croy played then praised it and even wants to sell them in his shop (McCabe's) for his younger players.
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Your story reminded me of mine.

I started playing the sax in 7th grade. There was an 8th grader (damn, Jay Williams - I still remember his name) who was a killer player (he played 1st alto and I coasted on his tails playing 2nd) who one day brought into the band room this amazing looking straight sax! A soprano. I was totally in love with that thing and told myself that before I kick the bucket, I would have one of those things. This was the late 70's so there weren't as many choices for a soprano as there is nowadays, meaning they were EXPENSIVE!!!

As the years went by the soprano sax continued to be a dream.

When I was about 23, my then girlfriend (later wife, then ex-wife) persuaded me to get one with my tax return. I did it! $1300 bucks or so in the mid 80's.

At that point in my life, I hadn't touched a sax in several years and had never even played a soprano. I did, however, buy a soprano mouthpiece (a Selmer C star) because that's the mouthpiece used by one of my favorites at that time, George Howard, a year or two before I even thought about buying the actual horn. Seems like quite a dumb move in hindsight.

So I buy this dream horn, a Selmer 80 Super Action Series II, take it home, wet a reed, place it on my previously purchased mouthpiece, place that onto my brand new sax, bring it to my mouth, took a deep breath, blew through the mouthpiece and got nothing but squeaks and squacks.

Talk about disappointed! I had waited so long...wanted for so long...and ended up with a defective horn. How was that even possible!??!?! I told my girlfriend, who had just sat through the worst sound someone could possibly make on a soprano sax, that I was going to have to return the damn thing since it was broken.

So we both go back to the music store and it just so happened that the guy working at the counter was a sax player. I told him that I had just bought this sax, a Selmer no less, and it was defective. He said hmm, let me see.

He picked out a reed and mouthpiece, put the horn to his mouth, and made some very beautiful music. I was shocked and so totally embarrassed.

I nudged my girlfriend and said, "See, that's how it's supposed to sound."
 
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#56
Mantis Tobaggan said:
If you are saying that skill is more important than the quality of the bass guitar, i agree. If you are saying the quality of the bass guitar is not important at all, then i have to disagree.
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I agree different qualities within any instrument will make a difference.

What I disagree with is the idea you can arbitrarily, objectively quantify what is "better" with regards to this.

What I mean is, "quality" is in the eyes of the individual player and ultimately has nothing to do with what the bass is made of, how much it cost, what brand name is on the headstock, where it was made, how old it is, etc.

Quality really comes down to the tastes, experiences and goals of the player.

A high-end, boutique active 7 string fretless bass with a whammy bar handcrafted by an excellent luthier from fine woods will likely be of high quality, but it will also likely lack the qualities in a bass sought by someone knocking out blues in dive bars or spitting out punk rock in a dive basement.

We could agree that overall Rickenbacker makes a quality bass, yet some swear by them and some loathe them. Does this mean Rics are objectively better or worse than "Bass X?"

Taking the micro-view, bridges, for example. An expensive high mass bridge made of the "finest" materials may be thought of as better-made and higher quality than a bent steel plate bridge ala vintage Fenders, but many swear by the cheaper ones.

It all depends on what your muse and music is. It's completely subjective. There are all kinds of legitimate reasons why a player might prefer a cheap Asian P-bass knockoff over a Fodera and why their music might be better sounding, or more appropriate sounding, on the former.

The idea that "this bass was made in America"or "this bass is 40 years hold and has mojo" or "this bass was made out of magical tonewoods by Company X and cost $2000, therefore it is better and higher quality across the board and music made on it will sound better than a less expensive bass made from different materials" is nothing but nonsense. Complete rubbish.

pcake said:
...while i love my squier short scale jaguar, it really isn't going to compare to a fodera or an ibanez SR1800e (among many others) tonewise when using the same amp.
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Sure, it'll sound different. Different: that's all. Whether it sounds "better" is completely subjective and that will vary from individual player and listener to individual player and listener.

...so no matter how well someone plays my jag, if they play the same thing on the same amp with a bass with really great pickups, their music is gonna sound better.
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Totally (but respectfully) disagree, for all the reasons above and many more. It may well sound different. "Better" is an altogether different thing, and it is impossible to make that statement as if it were some kind of fact. It couldn't be further from being a fact.

Gizmot said:
...what type of bass and amp you use does make a difference. Certainly the touch and skill of the player has a lot to do with the sound, but equipment makes a difference.
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Yes, ANY two basses will have variables that make them sound different, even if they are essentially identical. But there's nothing you can point to in one bass and make the claim that it is objectively "better" in any absolute sense from any other bass.
 
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#58
I agree with the fingers and i think it's also what's in my head. i have a couple of basses and there is a tonal variation between them but still sounds like me, when i eq the bass there is a certain way i want it to sound it doesn't matter what bass i play i tend to gravitate to a certain type of sound, that's me and every one is different and will sound different. Obviously bad technique where open strings are left ringing and all the rest will sound bad no matter what the bass, could even be worse with a high end bass.
I think something that has really closed the gap is that the entry level market it so competitive, companies seem to be offering more and more in the lower prices, a cheap instrument can sound good and be perfectly useable for many situations. I bought my first bass in the mid eighties, the difference between that entry bass and something decent was huge.
Thanks for a great thread.
 

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