Importance: Bass vs Amp

[whoneedstherapy]

Hi Guys,
Not sure whether this thread belongs here so mods feel free to move it if required.

Something that has been playing on my mind for a few weeks so i thought i'd open it up to everyone. What is more important to you, your bass or your amp?

Discounting play style/effects/all other external influences which do you believe is more important to you & your sound?

My main reason for this is im split 50/50 on getting another bass or two or getting a new amp/cab setup. I believe it's important to have a good quality amp & cab as after all if no one can hear you it doesn't matter about anything else. If you don't have the tone you like from your amp it's going to affect your playing motivation and the sound of your one or multiple basses.

On the other hand having multiple basses and a mediocre amp/cab setup may allow you to have a greater range of sounds at your disposal.

Opinions guys?

 

[WoodyG3]

Even a great bass will not sound all that good through a so-so amp/cab or combo. A so-so bass can sound pretty good though a great amp/cab or combo. For me, if it sounds better, I play better, practice more and fidgit with the settings a lot less. Just my dos centavos.

 

[rodl2005]

+1 on good amp/cab. As long as U got a decent bass(one that souds good) having quality amplification gives U plenty of tones!

 

[Marill]

in my own opinion this is what I think:

the bass, the instrument, you buy it for the build quality, that the fret work don't' suck, that it's comfortable to play, that the neck is straight, and that the intonations are correct. The thing that affects the sound will be the type of wood used, and the position of the pickups (neck, bridge).

the amp/cab. you buy this for the sound. IMO the amp/cab is the one that will affect your sound the most.

So, buy the bass instrument for the playability, feel and intonation, and buy the amp.cab for the sound.

of course i don't claim to be right, just expressing my opinion on this.

 

[hockey_head]

a good test to see how the bass sounds is to record it straight, and if it sits in a mix with kick drrum and isn't masked by guitar or other low note frequencies, that's one heck of a start.
not recording?, try some basses thru some tyoical 2 x 10 or 4x 10 rigs with the amp set flat, if it can sound good flat, again good start point. then if you actually like the bass, now start checking amps with that bass.
the effect of one on the other is profound but you need to start with the personal feely thing that makes the vibe for you and the signal for the amp.

 

[PWRL]

If I were forced to choose, I would have to say that my bass is slightly more important to me, because without a well-playing instrument, I myself feel like I suffer more. However, I do see it as mostly 50/50. In the case of being forced to choose, it would be 55/45, I suppose.

 

[black_labb]

i agree that the amp/cab can have a bigger effect on sound than the bass.

to expand on what marill said, the bass will effect the playability,feel, tone and of course the looks. the amp will effect the tone and volume (and looks to a smaller extent).

another thing to consider is how much the individual amp will change the tone. some amps will do very little colouring of the sound, and have a flat frequency response that is altered in a very predictable way with the equalisation. other amps will colour the tone hugely.
i was fixing a pot on a peaveyjazz chorus (guitar amp, i know) that had an overdrive channel that sounded the same nomatter what you put into it. i have made a guitar that has some very different tones coming out of it with series/paralell and in and out of phase switches, and they all sounded the same. im sure you could plug a electric violin into that and not realise it.

other amps will do much less to the sound, where they mainly equalise and amplify the signal, where the bass provides a fair chunk of the tone.

i still think that in nearly all cases the amp provides more of the tone.

 

[steveinohio]

Amp. No doubt.

All the tone woods, pickups, and strings in the world cant hide the stink from a garbage amp.

Basses are a lot more fun to buy. But if you are going for value put the money into what moves your sound.

 

[dewbass4]

Amp. No doubt.

All the tone woods, pickups, and strings in the world cant hide the stink from a garbage amp.

Basses are a lot more fun to buy. But if you are going for value put the money into what moves your sound.

+1

How many time do we need to go down this path/thread? Wasn't there a poll and huge discussion just a couple weeks or a month ago on this very same subject?

Look here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399792&highlight=bass+amp+more+important

 

[Valerus]

But if you have a good quality bass and a good quality amp...

 

[whoneedstherapy]

+1

How many time do we need to go down this path/thread? Wasn't there a poll and huge discussion just a couple weeks or a month ago on this very same subject?

Look here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399792&highlight=bass+amp+more+important

Obviously one more time for my benefit dude!

Cheers