How important is tone to you?

[GLEN18INCHSPICA]

I saw Danzig in NYC around 94,they were probably touring the Lucifuge record? I guess they still had good funding for the tour cause it sounded good & it was the original lineup with Chuck Biscuits on a drum riser that was like 20 feet high. Great show, never liked any Danzig records as much as the Eery, Christ, Biscuits, incarnation.

 

[two fingers]

On Topic - I like to have good tone. I work with the sound guy as much as possible to see to it that I am sending him something that is a) something I like and b) something that sits well in a mix.

Off Topic - I have had the honor of playing hundreds of shows with a drummer named Jason Patterson who did a few short tours with CoC a few years ago (also was the drummer for Cry of Love and Chris Duarte among others). Nicest guy you will ever meet. And MAN does he lay it down on the drums!

 

[Shakin-Slim]

I think most players make way too big a deal about tone. It's good to have good tone, but really, people.

That all depends on what sort of music you're playing. What kind of role your bass is playing in the music.

 

[FretNoMore]

As long as the sound is at least some kind of decent bass sound I'd say maybe it comes in at third place after playing tightly with the drummer and playing the right notes. When playing live making s/he who pays and the audience happy comes before having the best sound as well. Generally speaking most non-musicians in the audience care or know less than you'd think, a lot of the finer tweaking is just for my own fun really.

 

[two fingers]

As long as the sound is at least some kind of decent bass sound I'd say maybe it comes in at third place after playing tightly with the drummer and playing the right notes. When playing live making s/he who pays and the audience happy comes before having the best sound as well. Generally speaking most non-musicians in the audience care or know less than you'd think, a lot of the finer tweaking is just for my own fun really.

Ha! I'm with you except that I would have to rank playing the right notes #1. If you play all the wrong notes in perfect lock step with the drummer you will still sound like crap.

 

[Shakin-Slim]

Ha! I'm with you except that I would have to rank playing the right notes #1. If you play all the wrong notes in perfect lock step with the drummer you will still sound like crap.

But it's probably not as bad as playing the right notes out of time

 

[two fingers]

But it's probably not as bad as playing the right notes out of time

I guess. But, then again, this is like comparing being shot in the left knee to being shot in the right knee. Both suck.

 

[FretNoMore]

Playing out of time seldoms works, but playing the wrong note may at least sometimes add interesting color to the chord.

 

[Shakin-Slim]

I guess. But, then again, this is like comparing being shot in the left knee to being shot in the right knee. Both suck.

Sage words

Playing out of time seldoms works, but playing the wrong note may at least sometimes add interesting color to the chord.

Yeah, just call it jazz

 

[smeet]

How can any musician NOT care about their tone??? Music is more than notes. It's sound, and it can be glorious. Or dull and crappy sounding. If you don't care, maybe you're not really listening.

 

[Shakin-Slim]

How can any musician NOT care about their tone??? Music is more than notes. It's sound, and it can be glorious. Or dull and crappy sounding. If you don't care, maybe you're not really listening.

I tend to agree with this. On the other thread about favourite recorded P bass tone, there are a lot of people with different opinions of different tones from 1 type of bass. I mean, some people may hear, for example, James Jamerson, Carl Radle and Willie Weeks and think they have similar P bass tones. Each is very different, very rich, deep and interesting. I bet they all cared about their tones a hell of a lot.

 

[chaosMK]

I think the essence of being a musician is working with sound... so of course tone is crucial.

If you don't have an ear for tone, you probably have underdeveloped playing since how are you going to be able to tell if you are playing the instrument well if you can't perceive it.

Live bands who dont have good tone are shameful to me.

 

[FretNoMore]

...
Live bands who dont have good tone are shameful to me.

There's a few places we play where I don't think anyone to date has managed to dial in a really great bass sound. Some rooms simply have hopeless acoustics. I'm not going to feel ashamed on their behalf.

Of course sound matters as well as skills, it's not either/or, just as long as the search for tone doesn't get in the way of actually playing and functioning in the band. That's why I placed it a bit down on the list after playing skills. I've played with people who sort of get lost in their own world, tweaking amps and effects, making endless noise between songs at rehearsals and not having time for much else - like remembering the arrangement of the song.

But I admit I'm every now and then guilty of looking for the next holy grail in equipment too, when I really should have been studying music and practicing instead.

 

[jef4490]

Tone is important, but I think there's a such things as workable tone and ideal tone. There are times when we bass players have the luxury of a good sound guy, a great room, and plenty of time to dial in the great tone you may have spent years crafting with all the equipment necessary to achieve it.

But there are also times when you need to be able to compromise. If you only get a 5 minute soundcheck, I believe it's your responsibility to dial into something workable very quickly rather than keep the rest of the band and/or audience waiting. There are times when you need to know that the distinction between the tone you can get going quickly and the tone that will take more work gauging the room isn't worth the time lost. Certainly much of nuance will be lost on the audience. I firmly believe that a great bass player should be able plug in to an unfamiliar amp and get a good sound in fewer than 2 minutes. Definitely not the ideal sound and maybe not there sound, but being able to roll with the punches is important.

A lot of people say tone is in your fingers, and I agree with that to an extent, but I would perhaps phrase more along the lines of; Tone is more than your familiar equipment, it's being able to sound decent in the worst of situations.

 

[two fingers]

Tone is important, but I think there's a such things as workable tone and ideal tone. There are times when we bass players have the luxury of a good sound guy, a great room, and plenty of time to dial in the great tone you may have spent years crafting with all the equipment necessary to achieve it.

But there are also times when you need to be able to compromise. If you only get a 5 minute soundcheck, I believe it's your responsibility to dial into something workable very quickly rather than keep the rest of the band and/or audience waiting. There are times when you need to know that the distinction between the tone you can get going quickly and the tone that will take more work gauging the room isn't worth the time lost. Certainly much of nuance will be lost on the audience. I firmly believe that a great bass player should be able plug in to an unfamiliar amp and get a good sound in fewer than 2 minutes. Definitely not the ideal sound and maybe not there sound, but being able to roll with the punches is important.

A lot of people say tone is in your fingers, and I agree with that to an extent, but I would perhaps phrase more along the lines of; Tone is more than your familiar equipment, it's being able to sound decent in the worst of situations.

Other than using "there" instead of "their", this is brilliantly stated.

 

[maxiegrant]

Tone is the sound you make with your instrument. I happen to think it is probably the most critical part of your musical identity. Where the rubber meets the road, where the notes are created that is where your tone is.

I don't rehearse unplugged anymore, because I've realized focusing on what I sound like has enormously improved how well I play. They go hand in hand. And tone is MOSTLY derived from how you do what you do . . . yea, a bad EQ setup can ruin it, but if you are in control of your tone at the fingers, you can overcome a lot. If you are depending on EQ to get "your sound" you will be disappointed more often than not.

 

[EricF]

My tone is important to me. I notice small differences, and a crappy tone will distract me from playing my best.

Other members in my band will notice big differences (like flats vs. rounds), but not small changes in EQ settings.

Most audience members can't even identify the sound of a bass in the mix, let alone have an opinion on its tone quality.

 

[Joe Louvar]

Other than using "there" instead of "their", this is brilliantly stated.

+2. Yeah, it's a good post.

 

[MatticusMania]

No you're not the only one. Plus, no matter how much different gear I buy or go through, I still have been unable to get the EXACT tone I hear in my head. But I'm damn close with my rig now. Live situations are a whole different ball of wax.

Perhaps the exact tone you hear in your head is not possible to acheive.

I think most players make way too big a deal about tone. It's good to have good tone, but really, people.

+1

Good tone is important, but its not some ever elusive concept to chase and never find.
I know how I like my bass to sound. I got myself gear in which that sound is easy to dial in.
Put me in a room with any variable be it room size/shape, musicians, etc. and in less than 2 minutes I will have my bass sounding great.

 

[carlthegroover]

As long as the sound is at least some kind of decent bass sound I'd say maybe it comes in at third place after playing tightly with the drummer and playing the right notes. When playing live making s/he who pays and the audience happy comes before having the best sound as well. Generally speaking most non-musicians in the audience care or know less than you'd think, a lot of the finer tweaking is just for my own fun really.

I'd say, if anything, a ranking of priorities should be like this:

1st - Timing (locking in with the drummer) -
Self-explanatory. No good timing, no good music.

2nd - Feel, groove, dynamics, space -
You can play some wrong notes, but feeling the song and making it dynamic and alive is probably more important. After all, a musician is an artist, not a drone who has to play everything flat and boring.

2nd bis - Having fun -
And showing it onstage.

3rd - Playing the right notes -
Self-explanatory.

4th - Tone and aural mix -
Even if it might not be that important on your own, the band mix is probably one of the most prominent things that changes the "color" of the song. The "color" of metal is not the same as fusion jazz, for instance. You won't play an Ibanez with nickels, a pick and distortion if you try to play a Jaco tune now, would you?

Again, all IMHO and YMMV.