How Picky Are You About Tone?

[lomo]

Pickier than I need to or should be, as much about note definition as tone, even though I'm an amteur hack. If I did any recording I'd drive myself nuts for sure.....but I'd enjoy it

 

[Billnc]

Picky, but like others say, I sound like me whatever I play. The instrument must sound good before it's plugged in. My rig must sound good in the mix. I like what I'm getting now.

 

[vinxbass]

I'm pretty picky about my tone. If I'm playing at a jam, as long as my tone is within the ball park I'm ok with it. But when it's a gig with my regular bands then the tone has got to be right for the occasion.

 

[BarkerBass]

For me I'd say it was 50/50 tone vs playability but if the playability isn't there then it can sound like heaven but it aint getting in my fold. I can use eq to manipulate and comensate for most tones but if I can't play to my potential/comfort then I won't be able to squeeze tones out of technique either, both very important so if the playability is there and the tone is approximate OR good and different enough from the rest of my basses then I might buy it.

I have found basses that played great like an ibanez sr neckthru but it didn't have the punch and midrange I like so I didn't snap it up. I agree that natrual resonance can't be missed, if the bass doesn't have it then it won't sound great and can't be helped unless you swap the body and then it's essentially a different bass lol

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Not very. Tone is largely in the fingers & amp, not the bass.

I choose basses by how well they play. If a bass plays well, I can make it sound good (as can any decent player).

 

[PluckyThump]

I'm pretty picky. One thing I've learned is that if I can't get a good sound out of a bass in about 10 seconds, I'll never get a good sound out of it. Also, if a bass doesn't sound good unplugged, it will never sound good to me. I made the mistake a few times of buying a bass because I liked the look and feel , and thought it sounded OK but not great. I thought I could find a good sound later with EQ, pickup settings, etc. Never happened. To me, a good bass sounds good pretty much no matter what you do with EQ, and vice versa for a bad bass.

This may not apply to anyone else, but it's how I think of things.

I have also learned this lesson. You can change the feel of a bass by changing the setup but you can't change the basic tone no matter how much EQ you throw at it. When I try a bass now I set the tone controls flat on the bass and the amp and if it doesn't make a good sound I put it back on the rack.

I am pretty picky about tone. I generally like it bright and ballsy because I need to cut through with my band. No "supportive pillow" for me!

 

[groooooove]

depends on what gig i have. if im playing jazz / anything where i want a clean sound, everything needs to be perfect.

for rock / soul / funk / dirty-sound-appropriate stuff, anything into a VT bass into any rig will make me happy, as long as its got bottom, wich can come from the VT anyway..

 

[iamlowsound]

I like active basses, passive doesn't cut it for me. Beyond that, it doesn't matter too much. I generally set everything flat, with the pickups balanced. Maybe a slight mid bump on my amp.

lowsound

 

[RickenBoogie]

Good tone is something I always strive for, but my amps and cabs are a bigger influence, I think. Not that I have a bad sounding bass, 2 Rics and a Fender P, but between the bass, my fingers, and amps, I think the amps have the most power.

 

[PBass101]

As long as a bass has an even sound - not muddy or too bright - I could get on just fine with it, so long as it could handle an optimal setup for me. That said, I'm not a gear junky and there's one brand I've definitely found to suit me both tonally and with regards to setup, and I could care less if I ever own, let alone use, another brand of bass.

 

[lonote]

I guess my tone is pretty much the same regardless of bass and/or rig. In the immortal words of Popeye, "I yam what I yam."

 

[Standalone]

Less and less.

 

[XXL]

I found what I like and keeping what I have

Though through the last 15 or so years I found some things out: I like passive basses and not actives
I started out on a P bass but have decided on J's
I dont like humbuckers.

SO end result I started out not picky at all and would play just about anything(and have) but now I know what I like and dont like and have become picky in that sense.

 

[abstractart06]

I must say that when I pickup an instrument, The most important thing to me is how musical it sounds. Does it have a voice that I like? Then does it feel like an instrument I would enjoy playing. Sometimes I just don't like the way it feels, and so there is no reason to try to get a get a good sound from it. Generally, if I like the sound and feel before I plug it in, chances are I'll like it amplified. I do tend to like a bass that is warm and mellow as opposed to dark and edgy.

 

[MNAirHead]

For live playing I don't trust fiddling in front of an amp.. someone has to be back mid room to dial in all the sound layers... any reasonable bass player will note they're not as important as the guitar/keys/vocal layer for tone...

 

[savit260]

I'm exreemly picky in making sure my basses sound the best that they can. That's what band practice is for. That's where the gear gets sorted out, and tweaked on to get it just right.

On a show, I try and get the best sound I can on stage, for my own pleasure, but it's up to the guy on the board to make it sound good in the FOH.

I do know I'm giving the house a high quality P bass sound from the equipment. All things being equal, I'd love to sound great through the stage rig and in the monitors, but as long as I can hear myself I'm happy. At this point, I'm not so fussy about the tone, just that I can hear what I'm playing.
As long as my "trusted ears" out in the room say I sound good in the FOH, I'm happy .

 

[Rockles]

I'm somewhat picky. I try to get as close to "my sound" with whatever bass/setup I'm using. "My sound" changes all the time, though, so I guess I just think of the sound I'm looking for in my head and try to get the bass to sound like it.

 

[Holy War]

If its passive, odds are Ill be cool with it. If it has tubes, atleast in the pre amp, odds are Ill be cool with it. Those are my only two standards really

 

[Kwesi]

I don't think it's that I'm picky, rather I expect too much from a single bass. Simply put I want the Jaco bridge tone and the Marcus Miller slap tone. It's a tougher combination to find that one might think (outside of owning a jazz bass but I'm not sure I want a jazz). After owning quite few basses I'm much closer to knowing exactly what I should look for in a bass. For example, I've learned that soapbar pickups are generally not for me, but MM style humbuckers can work really well, and also that I REALLY like PJ pups. Looking over it my tastes sound pretty accessible but when it comes to a package deal with the looks, wood combo, preamp, # of frets, etc it narrows things down a bit.

Right now, between my Spector and Sandberg I'm loving my tone !! If only I could stick a B stirng on the Spector, then I'd be set... until I decide I really need a fretless... and another 6 string

 

[taygunov]

Im very picky about tone, I'm pretty sure most people on TB are like me as well.