If tone really is in the fingers...

[dbsfgyd1]

No, it means that your tone is only half good.

Spoken like a true pessimist....lol!

 

[xnewyorka]

If this bass appeared on eBay or Reverb without any background information, I bet it would not bring more than $150. It might not even sell at all:

 

[rufus.K]

If this bass appeared on eBay or Reverb without any background information, I bet it would not bring more than $150. It might not even sell at all:

If it were a lefty, I'd be all over it.

 

[sambass0124]

Again

 

[Moose22]

No, it means that your tone is only half good.

What if he switched to half rounds?

 

[Tad]

What if he switched to half rounds?

Maybe he would be 3/4 good or only 1/4 bad.

 

[Stranger Danger]

When someone can make phaser, delay, envelope filter, fuzz and chorus with their fingers then I’ll believe that nonsense. Hands and heart are a big part of it but there’s a whole lot more to it.

 

[sawzalot]

I don't buy all of the "it's all in the fingers" argument. A master player can coax things out of a great instrument that lesser instruments simply aren't capable of. Will a master player still sound good on a lesser instrument? Sure, but there are things that they can't do on that lesser instrument because it can't do those things.

The converse is always true btw, a lousy player will still sound lousy regardless of the quality of instrument they are playing.

 

[GreyBeard]

They play expensive instruments because they can.

 

[zubrycky]

Well, it takes time to be able to make any instrument sound good. Some people die without having this hability.

 

[zubrycky]

This guy is playing his $200 dollar pawn shop bass - he seems to do alright with it.

Believe it or not, Fender may do a sig bass based on this bass one of these days.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

If tone is in the fingers why aren't there fingers in tone?

 

[Chickenwheels]

Tone is just one part of the job.
Compared to classical instruments, all our instruments are cheap.
If Pino started using a Series 2 Alembic we’d all be in big trouble...

 

[osonu]

My fingers got so much better when I got my Stingray!

But seriously, my "guess" is that each instrument has its potential range of sounds or tones, and the player's fingers or technique decides which ones you get to hear.

How's that?

 

[JimmyM]

When someone can make phaser, delay, envelope filter, fuzz and chorus with their fingers then I’ll believe that nonsense. Hands and heart are a big part of it but there’s a whole lot more to it.

Come now, bro That's not what the phrase means and you know it.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

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

Absolutely!lol! A co-worker cut his finger off at work! I asked him if he was going to keep it! He said I could have it! Installed the finger in my bass and the Tone was to die for!!

 

[HelpImaRock]

Why do you call them fingers if you never see them fing? Oh wait, there they go...

 

[EatS1stBassist]

Why do you call them fingers if you never see them fing? Oh wait, there they go...

Lol!

 

[mbell75]

This guy is playing his $200 dollar pawn shop bass - he seems to do alright with it.

Just because some idiot at a pawnshop didnt know how to price a '72 Fender Jazz bass doesn't make it a "cheap" bass. Thats like finding a unicorn. Besides, that bass was "tweaked" as he says. Which means his top notch bass tech modded it. So yea...

 

[five7]

What about people missing fingers, some of them get great tone.