Is it the Bass, or the Player...

[JimiLL]

+1

To be fair, there isnt a whole lotta difference between a Squire and A MIA Fender

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Right. It's all in the fingers.
What are we? Artists or something?
Our instruments are for US not the music.
If we are comfy with "our" bass and "our" sound then that's enough.
What it is doesn't matter. Our fingers make up the difference.

We are musicians. When you hire us, we'll show up with our gear and our sound. You can like it or lump it. We'll try to do our best to have our sound not stick out too badly in your music, but hey, it's OUR fingers and OUR sound. Got it? I play what I play. And if you don't like it then go pound salt. Just look at those symphony dudes. Do they mortage their houses to buy a bass? Of course not. They KNOW "it's all in the fingers". Why spend a fortune when a nice plywood Chinese bass will do just fine?

The problem with that is ... so why many people need a P bass for that, a J bass for that, a Stringray because you know only stringray sound like a stringray, a modern 7 strings bass for that etc ... by your logic you only need a P bass and your finger will let you have all the different tone you could dream of !

If I use a stringray, it will sound like a stringray with my technic, if I use a J bass guess what ... it will sound like a J bass.

I think many people mix things up a little ... sounding good and unique as a lot to do with your note choice, your EQ, your amp, your effects, your bass.

An exemple shall we ? John Myung of Dream Theater had a very different tone when he used the modded Stingray, then another tone with the Spector and then another very different tone with the Yamaha and now with the EBMM Bongo ... but it is always the same guy playing them but the sound recorded is different. How can you explain that the tone is very different but strangly we could tell it is John Myung playing because of his note choice and fetish signature lick ?

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Right. It's all in the fingers.
What are we? Artists or something?
Our instruments are for US not the music.
If we are comfy with "our" bass and "our" sound then that's enough.
What it is doesn't matter. Our fingers make up the difference.

We are musicians. When you hire us, we'll show up with our gear and our sound. You can like it or lump it. We'll try to do our best to have our sound not stick out too badly in your music, but hey, it's OUR fingers and OUR sound. Got it? I play what I play. And if you don't like it then go pound salt. Just look at those symphony dudes. Do they mortage their houses to buy a bass? Of course not. They KNOW "it's all in the fingers". Why spend a fortune when a nice plywood Chinese bass will do just fine?

Also ... I forgot to say ... yes classical Musicans put a lot of money in a very nice instrument. You won't see 200$ instrument in a orchestra ... it is more 10 000$ and up instruments. Why ??? it play better, sound better. No one in an orchestra have an unique sound, all violin have a very similar sound but you have to work hard to be at their technical level.

 

[trkelley]

Some pieces of gear just pull riffs out of you, be it a new favorite axe, pedal, amp.

That's where I'm at with this question. I have "my tone" in my head and can get something like it on most any gear i try. However the Zon/Eden sounds far more dimensional, conversational, alive and sonically sexy better than the SX/Peavey, period. Not to mention the fit and finish and general build quality influences my fun and pride interacting with my gear.... and those things affect mood, which affects the subtle art of musicianship....

OK same basic sound, but better. And then ...
i just bought a short-scale 1969 Harmony for $80 on eBay and defretted it. Ultralightweight resonant little axe. Mahogany body, unknown highly figured neck-wood, 2 humbuckers. It has a pallette of deep dark sweet woody tones that are not in my growly, midrangey, mwah-filled Zon. Completely new to me, and it's bringing new riffs and ideas

60/40 is my answer.

 

[chadds]

I'm split. They say that tone is in the fingers...but to quote Adam Jones of TOOL while referencing his silverburst Les Paul(s), "They say it is the player, but bulls@!t, it is the guitar."

Some pieces of gear just pull riffs out of you, be it a new favorite axe, pedal, amp.

Yet you said some pieces of gear pull riffs out of you....
It's you.
Leave your bass in its case. Real loud and expressive isn't it?

 

[chadds]

This seems to be a thread about does better quality gear enhance your playing.
Of course it does.
Yet, if you have nothing to say through that gear...........

 

[playswhatpays]

100% Players comfort level with their instrument. Unless the bass sounds really bad, what really influences your ability to relax and play a bass the best you can is knowing your bass. Will you feel like a better bass player with a better instrument, and will it play better than your current one? All of these will augment the impact of a better instrument.

 

[David Jayne]

Ok Mr Cool.....

Dude im not going to start slitting hairs herebut there is NO FREAKIN WAY a $200 squire can sound remotely tonally similar to a $10k fodera.

Lol!!! "Mr Cool..." Hey there friend, I never said anything REMOTELY like that.
The OP asked what's more of an influence on a players' sound- the player or the instrument. And I can assure you, no matter WHAT axe Vic picks up, he will instantly be recognized as Vic. Because VIC has a SOUND that comes from VIC.
I have actually played the 10K Fodera Presentation Bass. Wanna know what it sounded like? It sounded like me playing a very nice P bass. Hand it to A.J. and it sounds quite different.

 

[AudioDwebe]

If that was done it would support the idea that tone has more to do with the instrument.

Or the ability of the player to get his tone from a multitude of instruments. Or that instruments have the ability to sound a lot more alike than different, given the choices made by the player.

Or that my brain's fried and I can't make sense of much at the moment.

 

[Iridescentone]

The most distinctive player imaginable will sound sound somewhat different playing different bass/rig combinations. The style of playing or logic of note will probably allow to recognize the player, even if the sound is pretty different.

Well said.

 

[wolfmancharlie]

I'm going with 40 /40 /20. 40% the player,their individual technique, abilitiy, litttle nuances, emotions thru their being ,what makes their sound theirs.40% Amplifier and chain,for electric bass and or guitar.20% bass guitar.I have 38 year old recordings of me playing a Harmony P-bass that sound just as good as the recent recordings of me playing my Tobias Growler or my Ibanez BTB1000E , both of the later costing 5 times more than the Harmony. However the sound is me.

 

[lucas vigor]

Ok Mr Cool.....

Dude im not going to start slitting hairs herebut there is NO FREAKIN WAY a $200 squire can sound remotely tonally similar to a $10k fodera.

You would be suprised how many people on this forum would disagree. I have had this argument with them many, many times.

It always comes back to the fact that a bunch of internet people think they know better then the top luthiers about tone. Yes, they believe the 200 dollar squire sounds the same as the Fodera RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX! (That's a phrase you will hear over and over on this forum). They go even further. They believe a $129 dollar bass sounds just as good as the Fodera, RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!

Because to them, the TONE IS IN THE HANDS! They joyfully leave their sadowsky's and Mike Lulls home and gig and record with the bargain, beginner's brands instead. Go figure. if I could afford a Mike Lull or Sadoswky, you would bury me with them because they would never leave my hands.

 

[billostech]

Gotta love these noobie questions.

How much of the sound a player gets is from the player himself/herself, and how much is the instrument?

For example: Gary Willis playing anything other than his signature bass, would he still sound like himself through the use of electronics on other basses, or will he sound like someone totally different?

I'm a sax player and even if I were to get the same reed/mouthpiece/ligature/horn combo as Grover Washington, I'll never, ever have the same sound. I might be able to play his licks but would never be mistaken for him. Had he picked up and played a Selmer or Yamaha or whatever, he would still sound like himself.

So I'm guessing it would probably be the same in the wonderful world of the Bass, no?

I guess ultimately, I'm trying to break myself of this habit that I have (as does much of society, in general, I think), where if I really like someone's sound/tone (is there a difference?), I naturally gravitate toward someday getting the same bass to get the same sound.

Intellectually, I understand that Air Jordans will not allow me to ball like Mr. Jordan, but emotionally, it's a totally different ballgame.

So...what say you? The Player or The Bass or a combination? And, if a combination, what percentage would you apply to each?

Thanks for entertaining these childish questions.

Cheers.

Mamoru

I think the best bass/artist scenario comes from gear that does not get in the artist's way of delivering the artists intent. Does it sound the exact way you intended to.

 

[AudioDwebe]

I'm going with 40 /40 /20. 40% the player,their individual technique, abilitiy, litttle nuances, emotions thru their being ,what makes their sound theirs.40% Amplifier and chain,for electric bass and or guitar.20% bass guitar.I have 38 year old recordings of me playing a Harmony P-bass that sound just as good as the recent recordings of me playing my Tobias Growler or my Ibanez BTB1000E , both of the later costing 5 times more than the Harmony. However the sound is me.

Wait a minute...

You haven't improved in 38 years!?!!?!?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[Bassmunnky]

Watch the Billion or so Ed Friedland Videos. He plays similar licks on several basses to hear the comparisons. He's still at it too.

Gives you the answer if you think about it for a while.

 

[carl h.]

No one in an orchestra have an unique sound, all violin have a very similar sound but you have to work hard to be at their technical level.

You've never been in an orchestra, have you?

 

[Clef_de_fa]

You've never been in an orchestra, have you?

I played in one. There wasn't a lot of difference between our tone in the DB section. Of course everyone have a different vibrato but still it isn't enough to say we have different tone going on.

When I was in college, we had a DB class, all the DB section of the college orchestra, we reharsed our part together, we didn,t have a different tone at all. Of course our teacher sounded different ( had a richer tone ) due to his wonderful DB that cost an arm and a leg.

I once played with flute section because they were going to present Air on the G String and needed a DB for the bass part. To me they all had the same tone. Anyway in a orchestra it isn't the place to show your individuality.

 

[Bassmunnky]

I played in one. There wasn't a lot of difference between our tone in the DB section. Of course everyone have a different vibrato but still it isn't enough to say we have different tone going on.

When I was in college, we had a DB class, all the DB section of the college orchestra, we reharsed our part together, we didn,t have a different tone at all. Of course our teacher sounded different ( had a richer tone ) due to his wonderful DB that cost an arm and a leg.

I once played with flute section because they were going to present Air on the G String and needed a DB for the bass part. To me they all had the same tone. Anyway in a orchestra it isn't the place to show your individuality.

Good Lord, Post that in the DB forum. See what happens.

What the hell is your point?

 

[ksandvik]

To be fair, there isnt a whole lotta difference between a Squire and A MIA Fender

Worse fret endings, lesser quality pickups, less stable tuners, worse finish on the fretboard, but yes they are the same. *)

*) yep you could always upgrade those so the total price approximates a MIA.

 

[Flyingfrets]

Eric Clapton came into the public eye playing a Les Paul with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Became rock royalty with Cream playing an SG & a solo superstar on a Strat.

Always sounded like Clapton.

Other side of the coin: Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a helluva guitar player. Plays Strats as well. Sounds NOTHING like Clapton.