It's not the Bass, it's you

[Neveragain55]

To the OP, was your neighbor Ronnie Baker?

No, my friend met Earl Young (who was the original drummer back in 1972) by chance back in the 80's when the Trammps were more-or-less disbanded not doing much and was offered to sit in on there comeback tour.

He traveled with them down to the Caribbean and to Europe along with The Village People on their 70's revival tour.

I'm skittish about mentioning his name because he's been a good friend for a long time and I'm just respecting his privacy, although he probably wouldn't mind at all if I did.

 

[Neveragain55]

Good gear sounds better than crap gear, no matter who is playing on it. Except for non-hearing people, for them there is no difference.

Respectfully I think many that have replied would slightly disagree with you.

I also think that "crap gear" is subjective....

My old 1971 VW Beetle used to get me to all the same places my BMW 635CSI takes me now, and she railed around corners like a Porsche Speedster.....

 

[moody]

That's so true. I play in a band where I'm definitely the best guitarist AND the best bassist in the band, there are three of us, and nobody disputes that I'm the best player in the band. Not only that, I wrote a lot of the parts myself, even the ones others play, and I arranged just about all the songs. Yet, when we're recording, when I play everyone else's parts first to get the basic scratch track, it never sounds like the band. It sounds like a cover of my band's songs by someone who knows the material very well. When we get the other players to play their parts, then it actually sounds like the band.

Whatever the sound of your band is, if you subbed Billy Sheehan in for your bassist, your band would sound different. Even if he did his best to play exactly like you, he'd still be him, and the music would sound different. And for some, it might be better, but for some, it would be worse.

I don't know if this proves or disproves anything. But if you are recording harmony with one voice doing all the parts vs 3 or 4 different voices it sounds completely different. Is this more the instrument or the controllers?

 

[cabcreaser]

All good! Thanks for the explanation

 

[cheechi]

thanks for reminding me : (

 

[Joshua Pickenpaugh]

+1 for professional setups. it's an amazing thing!

 

[pacojas]

i don't sound like me.

 

[bopeuph]

To the OP,

Of course you completely correct except for this, a simple point which will make it so clear to you why this concept is inconsequential here on TB. Everyone here on TB wants to talk about basses, discussing the Holy Grails of tone, why Fodera is the tone monster, why you need this amp, these strings, etc. Truly its because people here enjoy talking about basses and gear.

If they spent their time becoming better players, practicing their craft, expanding their musical vocabulary, it would make a huge difference how any bass they pick up sounds, as you have so articulately pointed out. But that is not why most are here....

This is why I made a recent reappearance on TB. I wanted to fill out my gear, and go to the gearheads.

The new fiver and fretless I needed were going to be used once in a blue moon and I wanted bang for my buck. Once they arrive I'll be back in the woodshed, and I'll be back to asking a question for the gearheads every few months.

 

[IPA]

(after a professional set up)

A setup is invaluable to me. As a regular CL and pawn shopper, the difference an action adjustment and truss rod tweak provide... Night and day on many instruments.

Price aside, I'd play an impeccably set-up $100 bass over a bowed, mile-high $1000 bass any day.

 

[Fatboy 2015]

Many years ago in the early 80’s when I bought my first bass (a black Hondo II, 4 string) I let my next door “professional bassist” neighbor play it to get his opinion.


This guy has played with the Trammps, and many other R&B groups from the 70’s, he’s toured the world, done tons of session music, and still gigs today in a jazz band, and an oldies band where they do 70's covers.


He picked that damn (less than $200.00) bass up and the two of them together sounded like Stanley Clark & his Alembic…..pure magic.


Years later I got a crappy used Yamaha bass that had been ridden hard and put up wet. I let another “supper bass player” buddy of mine play it, and you could almost close your eyes and see & hear Jaco.


My present “pawn shop” ESP LTD B-104 that I got for $100.00 bucks - (after a professional set up), is blowing my freaking mind, and I’m constantly amazed at how it not only sounds in my hands, but also in the hands of others that are so much more experienced & skilled than me.


What am I saying: I’ve read dozens of posts of people comparing different basses, different tones, different everything, and I’ve seen a lot of people get really upset about their bass being harshly critiqued as “junk” or lacking in some way.


I submit to all of you, that ultimately it’s not the bass, although good electronics, exotic woods, good construction, etc. etc. helps…..


Ultimately it’s us, our hands, our skill, our passion, our dedication, and our efforts. The bass is the paintbrush, but your arms, hands, and fingers are Michelangelo………

kodos to you for a great attitude. I'm a guitar player recently converted to the riggors of learning bass, I just allways lik the bass And I grow weary of cording all the time and just want to learn and eventually mast 3 r this amazing intrument.
That being said one of my all time guitar heros Ted Nugent , I think said it best while on th TV show SUPER GROUP,Ted,was scratching his head while Scott Ian Rosenfeld, was having a tissy because his clean channel went dead, when Ted exclaimed, " Ill never understand these new youngster guitar players and all their high tech crap, I can plug my guitar into as dogs ass and still,soun good!"...you gotta love ucca Ted!

 

[JimmyM]

kodos to you for a great attitude. I'm a guitar player recently converted to the riggors of learning bass, I just allways lik the bass And I grow weary of cording all the time and just want to learn and eventually mast 3 r this amazing intrument.
That being said one of my all time guitar heros Ted Nugent , I think said it best while on th TV show SUPER GROUP,Ted,was scratching his head while Scott Ian Rosenfeld, was having a tissy because his clean channel went dead, when Ted exclaimed, " Ill never understand these new youngster guitar players and all their high tech crap, I can plug my guitar into as dogs ass and still,soun good!"...you gotta love ucca Ted!

If he'd shut up and just play guitar I would Let me tell you something...Ted has had amp failures. Don't let anyone fool you. Besides, if he's against high tech, why isn't he playing an acoustic?

 

[Fatboy 2015]

If he'd shut up and just play guitar I would Let me tell you something...Ted has had amp failures. Don't let anyone fool you. Besides, if he's against high tech, why isn't he playing an acoustic?

Gibson Byrdland and a marshall amp, once an analog delay and once in awhile a manual wha pedal....for rock n rock outside the two pedals, it dont get more low tech than that....and until strangle hold he just overdrove the crap outta that Brydland bone stock and let that hollowbody feedback work its magic....same wy he did it at 14 ayoa with the amyboy dukes. allthought I believe he used peavey amps as well. everyone else was either stuffing rags into their hollow bodies to kill the natural sound..or went to strats...the one time a fender rep handed. Ted a new strat to try @ a Chicago gig, Ted played a couple bars of "baby please dont go" and was so disgusted with the strats lack of tone and charicter, he trough it through the side wall of the stage....then realized his was in a concert, jumped through the hole the strat made pi ked it up
and finished the sone,in the the boiler room,it went sailing into....fans ten started calling him the motor city madman...after the song he returned the guitar to the rep along with a few explatives, grabbed his byrdland and finnished the show........I love Fender basses and amps to death, but honnestly their guitars suck donkey balls, soleless chunks on wood that sound like crap unless hooked to tons of peadals...my old les paul with burstbuckers through my 72 fender twin reverb, (Origonal not a RI,,buought it used in 74 @ 14yoa), cranked a bit naked kicks ass all day long..I had an 84 strat I bought as a backup fooled with it for about 6 months and gave it away to a friends kids who wanted to learn to play....the thing sounded so dead and lifeless I felt ripped off and wasnt going to pawn it off on someone else to recoup my cash for fear Id feel like a crook.......yup i connect real well with Ted pluss he gives a,lot to vets like me, mY brother in law got to hang out with him talking hunhuntingwhen my bil, was base comander at keywest navel air statio, and Ted came and did a free show for all the military folks, got me some cool . pics of the two of them together and ted autogrphed my bro in laws mountain goat skull for him

 

[osonu]

I believe the OP is absolutely correct, it is the player, nit the instrument. I also know that, even with my fumbly fingers, my P bass sounds like a P bass and my Ibanez sounds like an Ibanez. I'd also feel safe saying that, while a great player can sound great on cheap equipment, they will still sound better on better equipment.

 

[osonu]

That's quite true. Some of the greats sound like themselves no matter what. Van Halen has said in interviews his style is partially the result of his inability to sound like the records he was trying to copy in the beginning. SRV sounds like himself, even when playing David Bowie tunes. I imagine if he played Iron Maiden covers it would sound like SRV playing Maiden.

No disrespect to these great players, but I couldn't help but think that when you have a name, it's "He still sounds like SRV", if it was me (or you?), it would be "you need to practice more and learn the song better!"

 

[Mattrill]

Sure.View attachment 585279

nice bass my favourite - love fender jazz's!

 

[Sorefinger]

... Chris Squire playing a Squire instead of his Ric. Nope.

I´m sure if Squier was spelled Squire, Squire would play a Squier.

 

[Kmonk]

Many years ago in the early 80’s when I bought my first bass (a black Hondo II, 4 string) I let my next door “professional bassist” neighbor play it to get his opinion.


This guy has played with the Trammps, and many other R&B groups from the 70’s, he’s toured the world, done tons of session music, and still gigs today in a jazz band, and an oldies band where they do 70's covers.


He picked that damn (less than $200.00) bass up and the two of them together sounded like Stanley Clark & his Alembic…..pure magic.


Years later I got a crappy used Yamaha bass that had been ridden hard and put up wet. I let another “supper bass player” buddy of mine play it, and you could almost close your eyes and see & hear Jaco.


My present “pawn shop” ESP LTD B-104 that I got for $100.00 bucks - (after a professional set up), is blowing my freaking mind, and I’m constantly amazed at how it not only sounds in my hands, but also in the hands of others that are so much more experienced & skilled than me.


What am I saying: I’ve read dozens of posts of people comparing different basses, different tones, different everything, and I’ve seen a lot of people get really upset about their bass being harshly critiqued as “junk” or lacking in some way.


I submit to all of you, that ultimately it’s not the bass, although good electronics, exotic woods, good construction, etc. etc. helps…..


Ultimately it’s us, our hands, our skill, our passion, our dedication, and our efforts. The bass is the paintbrush, but your arms, hands, and fingers are Michelangelo………

Its a combination of everything, the bass, strings, amp and the player, but I also believe that a great musician can make poor quality instrument sound decent but a bad musician will never make the best instrument sound good.

 

[radioface]

I've seen it happen, when a great player straps on a cheap bass and magic happens and or, the opposite. It's almost always the player and not the instrument that makes music sound good or, bad

 

[Smooth_bass88]

A crappy bass in the hands of a great player will sound good. A great bass in the hands of a great player will sound even better- absolutely, without a doubt.

 

[TripleDouble]

But..but...you take that back! I want to buy more stuff in the delusional hope that it will be a substitute for practice and experience!

Love always,
Sarcasmatron