Good bassist, bad tone

[seang15]

Victor Wooten and Jeff Berlin. Two of the best players in the world, thin tone.

 

[Jbassrockboy]

What a thread peoples ... Lol have we missed anyone ??

But Lemmy for me as already mentioned above ...

 

[Nellarecneps]

I don't like slap tones in general. So most of your famous slap lines.
Geddy Lee. Specifically his tone on yyz. And I'm sorry but he probably couldve been less flashy on that song. Maybe its just me being young and naive but that style of bass playing isn't for me.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't like slap tones in general. So most of your famous slap lines.
Geddy Lee. Specifically his tone on yyz. And I'm sorry but he probably couldve been less flashy on that song. Maybe its just me being young and naive but that style of bass playing isn't for me.

Ya, probably It's now a classic song so ultimately whatever he did worked out. But if it's not your thang, that's cool, too. Everyone needs to find their own voice.

 

[Jebberz]

John Paul Jones, on latest Lez Zep's DVD (except for when he takes his fretless). His mid scooped and modern active tone makes him disseapear behind Jimmy Page's Marshall end Jason Bonham's acrylic drum.

 

[carsonchilders]

How has PINO not been mentioned yet? He is probably my favorite bass player, but his tone is way too dark.

 

[JimmyM]

How has PINO not been mentioned yet? He is probably my favorite bass player, but his tone is way too dark.

I happen to love his tone. See how that works?

 

[carsonchilders]

I happen to love his tone. See how that works?

Fair enough. His phrasing and creative lines are untouchable. But he rolls so much treble off it's crazy (when he's using his p bass with flats).

 

[Bassdude15]

Geddy Lee, especially on "Limelight" and "Spirit of Radio":
Its thin, overly bright, and doesn't cut through at all. Not that those baselines aren't awesome.

 

[Felix Riley]

I love TOOL and Justin's playing but hate his tone most of the time. I wish he just played a passive RIC or Jazz bass.

Not everyone has to use Fender or Rickenbacker, man. Although a Wal costs more than my kidneys, it's a unique sound, unlike the all-too-common Too Much Honk, I mean Jazz bass

 

[Need Gigs]

John Myung sometimes has great tone. then he screws it up like on octavarium. He needs to find a great sound and just leave it alone.

Yeah I get that too, his little solo-ish riff in the title track made me go
I thought his tone was only meant to suck live

 

[Bassdude15]

+1 Love his chops (astonishing at times) but just don't dig that soloed Jazz bass bridge pickup.

For some reason though, the studio version of Continuum has a much fuller tone to it. I LOVE his tone on that version.

+10000000

 

[TN WOODMAN]

Jeff Berlin as most agree is a great player and most agree not the best tone . That said I Iove his Markbass combo set flat with no effects- for my tone.

 

[kohntarkosz]

Nick Oliveri. I was giving Kyuss's Blues for the Red Sun a listen the other day. His lines are great, but his tone is terrible. It sounds like he is using a P bass with flatwounds into some sort of solid state amp that is always on the verge of farty clipping. He has a hard pick technique that seems to use up all the power on the initial attack of the note killing most of the sustain. Maybe his action was way low as well. Each note has that clipped attack followed by a flubby, ugly-sounding 'bloom'. The tone is too dark and too clean for my tastes, and I don't think it suits Kyuss so well.

 

[t77mackie]

Paul McCartney and Duff have bad tone?

Peter Steele had crap tone. That being said, Type O is one of my most favorite bands ever.

 

[ChopperDave]

Paul McCartney and Duff have bad tone?

(not)

That's just, like, your opiiiinion, maaaaan ... Personally, I hated Duff's tone, even before I knew any better. Brittle and honky, if you ask me, at least later. Maybe not so much on Appetite. Throw in the chorus effect (I think) he uses on "You Could Be Mine," and you have a bass tone that needs to call up the Hair Club for Men ...

('Cause it's thinned out ... hey, I'm here all week!)

 

[t77mackie]

Maybe not so much on Appetite. Throw in the chorus effect (I think) he uses on "You Could Be Mine," and you have a bass tone that needs to call up the Hair Club for Men ...

Yeah, totally agree. I like his Appetite tone - after that the whole band sounded thin and digital.

 

[basslifter]

Emma Anzai from sick puppies. Great player and.....well....hot, but that Warwick of hers sounds so lifeless and gets buried under the dowtuned guitar a majority of the time.

 

[Buchada Azeda]

Jeff Berlin, Marcus Miller, Hadrien Feraud, V. Wooten, Stanley Clarke, Cliff Burton, Billy Sheehan and Geezer Butler have (or had) horrible tones.

I used to hate Stewart Zender's tone, to me he rolled the tone off a bit too much, but wow he had some of the best bass lines of the nineties.

Stuart Zender sounds a bit bad on the first 3 Jamiroquai albums because his sound is waaaaaay overcompressed.

 

[kohntarkosz]

Paul McCartney and Duff have bad tone? Peter Steele had crap tone. That being said, Type O is one of my most favorite bands ever.

Peter Steele's distortion tone is one of the worst tones I've ever heard. Bridge humbucker into an unmodded Boss DS-1. yikes! It sounds like he is playing through a guitar rig...

Duff has un-noteworthy tone, rather than terrible tone. He isn't a great player and he doesn't have a great tone.