Did we ever get an answer about which basses are used on which tracks?
I've played bass off and on since about 1974. I am not the most accomplished bassist in the world, to be sure. Just an amateur. But, I have owned a few basses and done some recording. So...
On a recording, I could probabaly use ten different basses and fool all of you. After a bass recording is compressed into that low thud and decay we hear so much, all chance at discernment is probabaly gone. If an engineer went out of his way to add treble and pluck, you'd probably suspect a Ric was at work, but the post-production adjustments could easily fool almost anyone. I know I am preaching to the choir here. I mean, Chris Squire and Randy Meisner both played Rics and they had wildly different tones. I would've never guessed Meisner played a Ric but for reading about it.
Live, you might have a better chance, but even then, at big arena concerts the bass sound gets pretty generic, at least to me. Shakes the foundations of the building and just rumbles, regardless of what bass is being used.
In a smaller club, at reasonable volume levels, then I might be able to hear real differences in basses, but even then, so much of the sound is caught up in the sound texture of the room, the amp, the eq, the effects, etc.
And as far as the collectability of older instruments, I am sure it has as much (or more) to do with baby-boomer nostalgia and how the instruments make you feel than the actual sound of the instrument. Same thing with the explosion in muscle car prices, as modern cars are generally much faster and better in nearly every way. A 1964 Fender Jazz is a collectible for many reasons other than its sound. I would suspect sound has much more to do with the collectibility of a Loar mandolin or a prewar Martin than it ever would with most amplified instruments, anyway.
So, I have two Fenders and recently got a used SX 5-string MM copy. SX sounds good, plays well, although it does humm quite a bit. Still love my Fenders.
Would love to have the answer from the OP.
I've played bass off and on since about 1974. I am not the most accomplished bassist in the world, to be sure. Just an amateur. But, I have owned a few basses and done some recording. So...
On a recording, I could probabaly use ten different basses and fool all of you. After a bass recording is compressed into that low thud and decay we hear so much, all chance at discernment is probabaly gone. If an engineer went out of his way to add treble and pluck, you'd probably suspect a Ric was at work, but the post-production adjustments could easily fool almost anyone. I know I am preaching to the choir here. I mean, Chris Squire and Randy Meisner both played Rics and they had wildly different tones. I would've never guessed Meisner played a Ric but for reading about it.
Live, you might have a better chance, but even then, at big arena concerts the bass sound gets pretty generic, at least to me. Shakes the foundations of the building and just rumbles, regardless of what bass is being used.
In a smaller club, at reasonable volume levels, then I might be able to hear real differences in basses, but even then, so much of the sound is caught up in the sound texture of the room, the amp, the eq, the effects, etc.
And as far as the collectability of older instruments, I am sure it has as much (or more) to do with baby-boomer nostalgia and how the instruments make you feel than the actual sound of the instrument. Same thing with the explosion in muscle car prices, as modern cars are generally much faster and better in nearly every way. A 1964 Fender Jazz is a collectible for many reasons other than its sound. I would suspect sound has much more to do with the collectibility of a Loar mandolin or a prewar Martin than it ever would with most amplified instruments, anyway.
So, I have two Fenders and recently got a used SX 5-string MM copy. SX sounds good, plays well, although it does humm quite a bit. Still love my Fenders.
Would love to have the answer from the OP.
