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How long did it take you to find YOUR sound?

#4
RustyAxe said:
I'm only concerned about finding the right sound for the song. Predetermining "my sound" and then imposing it on every song is, IMO, not the way to go.
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Spoken like a true Musician. I applaud your wisdom.

I never really had a "sound" and I don't particularly want one... I'm on on 18 years and counting for the "search for perfect tone." I find it's more in my hands and the song than the gear and knobs. Find the pocket and sit there. If the crowd is dancing you're doing your job and you sound just fine.
 
#7
I have no idea what "my" sound is. I found the right bass, and I found the right strings, but what the soundguy does with the super awesome signal I send him........ I dunno. It tends to move a lot of air. I think that's pretty cool.
 
#9
From 1965 until the early 70's when I got an SVT and used it LOUD.

Similar to the above answers, I'm in a cover and originals band BUT via the magic of Line 6, I can find and save everyone else's sound PLUS have a few of "my sound". After growing up on Beatles, Wishbone Ash, Yes, Rush, etc. etc. AND having owned an SVT with 2 cabinets in the 70's~80's era, "my sound" that comes out solo'd shows those influences.
Those sounds are A LOT like these, separately or mixed:
Rush- Vital Signs Bass Track - YouTube
Yes - Roundabout Isolated Bass Track - YouTube
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Wishbone Ash 1976 Live Argus The King Will Come - YouTube
Wishbone Ash - Handy - YouTube

"My sound" came about from my preferences which includes listening to LOUD pipe organ growing up(Mom & sis) with agressive bass pedal work. Agressive bass even shows up in "country" tunes(hey, I'm in Texas):
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Dwight Yoakum Suspicious Minds cover:


The FOH ALWAYS gets a DI so what is heard on stage is given to the sound engineer to use(or not).
The GREAT crew at San Marcos' Texas Music Theater got it right and left my patches alone. Their cross stage fills were 3 way JBL's that I spent most of the night parked near because they sounded so great(like my headphones on steroids). Other venues sometimes "bury" your sound and make you sound like they think a bass should sound.
 
#12
JoeBuffallo said:
I find it's more in my hands and the song than the gear and knobs.
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True story. My first real bass teacher was David Overthrow. Loved his tone and his playing. So like a typical newbie I had to own the same bass and same amp and cab as him to get "that sound". So spent lots of money but never really sounded like him - how frustrating.

One day a bunch of us are hanging out in the hallways of the practice room area of the music school we were attending and Dave is noodling on a tiny plastic toy guitar. And you know what??? IT SOUNDED LIKE HIM! I was blown away. The tone was in his hands and in his playing and not in the gear.
 
#13
RustyAxe said:
I'm only concerned about finding the right sound for the song. Predetermining "my sound" and then imposing it on every song is, IMO, not the way to go.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, especially for recording, in which I'll experiment with different basses, pickup settings, strings, effects, etc. Live, I tend to plug in, adjust to the room, and go from there without much tweaking. "My sound" has been determined by using stuff I really like, which for rigs has been determined in part by convenience, i.e., I hate shlepping big, heavy cabs. This led me to try G-K Neo112 cabs about seven years ago, and fortunately I love the way they sound, so I ditched everything else. A Jazz bass was my number one before that, but I've bought a couple more (a five and another four) partly because of how well they work with the G-K stuff. So, this evolved over the years, but the J-bass/G-K tandem became the default after four or five years of regular playing.
 
#16
I have been playing for 40+ years and I have no idea what "my sound" would be? What sounds great at home drops out of the live band mix. What sounds amazing in room A sounds muddy in room B what sounded great in the summer in Room C sounds like crap in the winter? What sounded the best I had ever heard with 500 people in the room D is not what I am looking for with 100 people in the same room should i go on? IMO the only "my sound" that I can consistently be happy with is what I've have laid down on recordings.
 

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