If tone really is in the fingers...

[jd56hawk]

...why does most every top notch bassist or guitarist play instruments that cost thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars? Why aren't they just playing $300 basses and guitars off the rack from Guitar Center? I mean, if tone is really in the fingers, it shouldn't matter right?

I'm willing to bet that most top-notch bassists do own a cheap bass or two.

 

[JKos]

If you take the same bass and let five people play it without making any adjustments, by the opposing logic the tone should remain the same. If it is drastically different and NOTHING ELSE HAS CHANGED...

This. Each player will sound different. To me, that's what "tone is in the fingers" means.

As to picking up Richie Blackmore's guitar and playing an E (or Em) chord... No, sorry, you won't sound the same because you won't strike the strings exactly like he does.

- John

 

[JimmyM]

I'm willing to bet that most top-notch bassists do own a cheap bass or two.

Sure they do. It happens a lot more than you would think. For example, Les Claypool owns an Eko 995 violin Bass that he plays with the Claypool Lennon delirium. And pretty much everyone who plays Studio gigs on a regular basis nowadays has some quirky bass like that it wasn't very expensive but really has a vibe that you just can't get elsewhere. And there are a handful who have nothing but cheapos.

 

[BlueTalon]

There is no such thing as good tone or bad tone. Just different sounds.

Disagree. For our purposes, all bass sounds are heard through human ears feeding human brains, all of which process those sounds slightly differently. We may disagree about which tones are good and bad because it's all subjective, but that's exactly what assigns the quality of tones as good or bad.

 

[Iristone]

Because equipments colour the tone from your fingers. Bad equipments colour it in a bad way or mask it altogether.

 

[mr zee]

One bass, for e.g. P bass.
One amp and cab, for e.g. Marshall.
All dials set at a central setting.
Distance from neck to bridge about 9 inch.
Playing at bridge will give different tone to playing at neck.
As mentioned before some one else may play heavier or lighter thus giving different tones.
Some will sound good, others not so good or even crap.

 

[InnerBass]

Here's a video of Chris Squire playing a Fender Jazz on the first song and then playing a Ric on the second song.
A/B comparisons? My phone isn't quite up to the task : )

 

[bluesblaster]

It wasn't the Ric, it was an old Marshall amp head that he used his entire career, that was the beginning of the chain and paramount to the CS sound. Bass went through that Marshall head and then into whatever else they were using at the time. The controls were marked and tape down so they would not be turned. There is a rig run down video out there where this is all explained.

I've seen him use Fender basses and Laklands and they all come out sounding the same.

 

[Marty Forrer]

The tone is not "in your fingers", it's in your head. When I play an instrument I've never played before, I'll have it sounding like the sound in my head within a couple of minutes. At my regular rehearsal I have been trying a different bass out every week to see what suits the band best. My guitarist told me they all sound like me, even though they are all quite different. We've been playing together for 14 years or so, so I guess he knows.

 

[chadds]

...why does most every top notch bassist or guitarist play instruments that cost thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars? Why aren't they just playing $300 basses and guitars off the rack from Guitar Center? I mean, if tone is really in the fingers, it shouldn't matter right?

Because some instruments whether $300 or $3000 get out of the way. They actually sound like your touch. In fact tone is in your fingers but before that it's in your thoughts and feelings.

I've played a lot of Fenders and some are the real musical instruments by luck of the assembly of the parts. Some look exactly the same and are limited in their music making ability.

If tone isn't in the fingers then why don't Geddy and Jaco sound the same?
To be obvious all we should hear is a Jazz Bass.

More chance is taken out of the equation when the builder specifically chooses the components and build to arrive at a particular sounding and feeling instrument.

Musicians have matured so that they can know which instrument is right for them. It may be an off the GC wall bass.