If tone really is in the fingers...

Simply put, because they can.

Many of them do in fact play basses or guitars right off the rack at GC. It just so happens that the instrument they grab off the rack has their name on it.

 

Because tone is more than just fingers.

True, the basics are from the fingers, but the rest of the shape comes from the instrument. The same run played by the same bassist on a Fender P, Ric 4003, and Höfner Beatle Bass will sound totally different on each one.

 

Tone is more than just the fingers, but the fingers are one of the biggest factors in having good tone. That being said, nicer basses usually feel better and are easier to play. That impacts the sound because you don't have to fight the instrument.

 

The quality of your equipment gives you POTENTAL to express. Fingers fullfill (or don't) that potential.
That's why mediocre players sound the same on every instrument.
Why do top players sound similar on every instrument? Because they are quick to adopt. Taking lousy instrument in their hands, it takes them seconds to find that one thing that can sound good (fullfilling miserable potential). A listener is fooled, thinking that instrument is as good as better one.
Why top cats never stick with that lousy instrument? Because they always expand and grow, so they need instrument bigger then they are.

 

G.A.S. They're human, too.

 

A player with highly developed technique will always sound better than a player with undeveloped technique on a given instrument. The difference between poor and fine instruments is in how they respond (or not) to the subtleties and nuance in the technique of the developed player. It is true that some 'lesser' instruments turn out well, but these tend to be 'lucky accidents' than by design.

 

Except the greatest ones... They can play $100 Squier and sound good...

 

I play nothing but US Lāklands and Fenders because they feel and look way way better than $300 basses. Yes, they sound better too. When they say "tone is really in your fingers", it has so much more to do than the actual "tone" of any given instrument. Actually the correct phrase is "your SOUND is in your fingers"

 

Tone is in the heart. That’s why sad bassists have tone that is muy jugosa.

 

Because better gear sounds and plays better.
This "finger" thing is a poorly written axiom that needs to be revised or dumped. On its face it is an absurd notion. Your fingers don't create "tone." What the saying is trying to express is if you don't know how to play, the best gear in the world won't make you sound good.
And even that isn't 100% true. If your bass is so poorly designed or ill suited to your body (ergonomics) then it will actually impede your ability to play.

 

No, the tone is in the tort pickguard. and in the flatwound strings too.

 

Because the build quality is usually better on higher-end instruments. I haven't spoken to (m)any top notch bassists, but I'm pretty sure they don't particularly want the instrument to get in the way of their playing (setups not holding for more than a few songs, questionable electronics, dead spots, you name it).

 

Paul McCartney played and still plays what was, in his early days, a low end instrument, a Hofner. Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick played Waterstone 12 string basses for about 10 years (you can get a 12 string from them for about $800) and now he plays a Gretsch 12 string bass (cost is about $12,000) and the sound is pretty much the same. Tone is in the fingers, but also how you use the settings on your amp, the kind of strings you use, and the room.

 

I love the smell of troll threads in the morning.

 

aahhh, it's been a while since we've had a good old false equivalency!

i am looking to discredit a broad statement (tone is all in a person's playing style), so I will claim that if it were true, it would lead to an extreme version of reality that everyone knows is not true (no one plays anything but the cheapest bass that is otherwise functional).

in doing this I will also ignore almost all the subtleties of the situation.

THANKS PROFESSOR NERDLINGER ugh, i need a coffee.

 

forget the 3 color Sunburst finish and a maple board also enhance the tone.

 

For the same reasons everyone else plays the bass that they prefer.

Here's a better question. Why the hell can't people have nice things without someone making a fuss about it?

 

Because people don’t just buy basses for the tone.

If that doesn’t make sense to you, try reading a good book on the psychology behind product marketing, or take a Marketing 101 course somewhere.