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Looks over tone?

Sacrifice tone for looks?

  • Guilty

    Votes: 54 29.3%

  • Not guilty

    Votes: 130 70.7%
  • Total voters
    184
#61
I will probably will never own instrument that has non-traditional design even if it sounds great. It's like buying a car that has great specs, but you hate how it looks. Humans are visually oriented species - just take a look at fashion, tech, or even music! It's all about how it looks :) if it's not pleasing to look at it triggers your brain to feel discomfort. It's actually a psychological issue. That's why "to each their own".
 
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#63
my gecko NAILS some precision sounds with the delano pups switched to offset coils- but is sure doesn't look vintage....

i'm a big fan of versatility in sound and am willing to sacrifice looks.

There are so many ways to get the sounds you want in this golden age of bass guitars.

My heart goes out to the generation of players who routed pre-CBS fenders for EMG pups and assorted madness of that ilk.

*observes a moment of silence*
 
#68
That's hardly a sacrifice in tone between these two, imo. One is a four string and the other is a fiver ? Either way you go , you're good. If you need a fiver, there's really no choice.
 
#71
For me it is
1) Playability and comfort. Specially the neck radius -SR type over P- and high frets reachability.
2810-A.jpg

This body probably would be an example of a big no for me. If BTBs had a narrower neck and string spacing they'd be perfect for me as I love their bodies. Weight is not much of an issue as I can't play standing up. My thighs could get used to less weight, though I haven't reached that point yet.
2) Tone. Darker, warmer and thicker over bright and thin. It will depend on whether I'm looking at a expensive bass or not whether this will be more or less important. If I'll be buying a $1000+ bass, I want it to be as close to perfect as it is as it possibly can. I mean who would want to spend money on pickups and electronics on an expensive bass.
3) Looks if two or more basses are tied. I want to be able to watch it resting in its stand when it's not in my hands.
I'll take a natural finish or stained visible grains over solid colors a la P and Js any day for example.
 
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#74
Algo said:
For me it is
1) Playability and comfort. Specially the neck radius -SR type over P- and high frets reachability.
2810-A.jpg

This body probably would be an example of a big no for me. If BTBs had a narrower neck and string spacing they'd be perfect for me as I love their bodies. Weight is not much of an issue as I can't play standing up. My thighs could get used to less weight, though I haven't reached that point yet.
2) Tone. Darker, warmer and thicker over bright and thin. It will depend on whether I'm looking at a expensive bass or not whether this will be more or less important. If I'll be buying a $1000+ bass, I want it to be as close to perfect as it is as it possibly can. I mean who would want to spend money on pickups and electronics on an expensive bass.
3) Looks if two or more basses are tied. I want to be able to watch it resting in its stand when it's not in my hands.
I'll take a natural finish or stained visible grains over solid colors a la P and Js any day for example.
Click to expand...
Ergonomics are ever so important. I should have included that in the OP! But I really haven't played a bass that didn't fit well with me.
 
#77
Playability > Looks > Tone.

Tone is so subjective and can be altered by many factors (string, pickups, preamp, amp, cabs, DI vs microphone, etc) but, as a player, you're essentially stuck with the playability. If it feels good and plays smoothly, everything else should fall into place. The bass' aesthetics should inspire one to want to pick it up over other basses but really is no where near as important as playability.
 
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#78
I prefer the jazz tone so it's a no-brainer for me, but I have a P too. I've found that the change in tone really only matters to me in the first 5 minutes of swapping. After about that long, the difference wears off for my ears and it just sounds like me (with a hint of the bass itself I guess) ; in any case, I like having options.
 
#79
foolforthecity said:
How's this beast for neck dive? Never played one
Click to expand...

I relocated the strap button to the underside of the neck at the 17th fret and the balance is perfect, no dive. It really sounds better than it looks. There are some regular 6 string versions around as well. AND,it does thrill the ladies!
 
#80
static0verdrive said:
I prefer the jazz tone so it's a no-brainer for me, but I have a P too. I've found that the change in tone really only matters to me in the first 5 minutes of swapping. After about that long, the difference wears off for my ears and it just sounds like me (with a hint of the bass itself I guess) ; in any case, I like having options.
Click to expand...
Interesting take. I hear different versions of me on different basses, but there is a central element that I hear no matter what I play on. Played my P bass today - I hear me. Played my G&L a week back. Still heard me.
 
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