Make YOUR own "bass tone" pie chart!

[blindrabbit]

Do you think TB can create the most accurate bass tone pie chart?

No, because opinions and personal experiences are not science.

If someone wanted to commission a study, perhaps *then* we could start taking steps towards approximating an accurate chart.

But unblinded, bias-laded personal opinions are useless in this regard.

 

[LanOsb133]

You left out the player. The player should get a bigger slice than any other factor assuming a bass is in good working order. It's not a matter of technique, p bass or not.

I dont agree. The player contributes to the players tone. The player doesnt contribute to the bass's tone. The bass has a tone that is not factored by a human. Same player, same technique different basses yield different tones and I dont think the OP was talking about player tone because thats obviously a big factor no matter what bass it is

 

[joebar]

its in the hands for the umpteenth time.

quit chasing that elusive f*****g unicorn and realize you could be the unicorn-if you put the time in.

 

[Rib 13]

The player doesnt contribute to the bass's tone.

Youre speaking from a point of view that the bass itself is static.... not true: Pole-pieces can be set different, string height/action, etc.... a lot can come into play to make the bass itself not static....then, of course, there is the string variable: One player may favor using nylon tapewound strings and finger at the neck while another may favor roundwounds and slap bass.

 

[Quentin Hunt]

It really depends on the kind of bass you have, but strings and pickups are the ultimate factors in sound. I was more thinking of a "basic" 4-string fretted bass.

 

[elgecko]

I went to a pizzeria, I ordered a slice of pizza, the ****er gave me the smallest slice possible. If the pizza was a pie chart for what people would do if they found a million dollars, the ****er gave me the "donate it to charity" slice. I would like to exchange this for the "keep it!"

- Mitch Hedberg -

 

[Logic_11]

Can we do the same for TB acronyms? WHAT THE HELL DOES YMMV MEAN!!??!!??

Your Mileage May Vary

 

[eyeballkid]

 

[basschanges]

its in the hands for the umpteenth time.

quit chasing that elusive f*****g unicorn and realize you could be the unicorn-if you put the time in.

For the most part, but not always. I've seen some combos that would do a number on even the best players. Also, sometimes there is a tone we hear on a record that we reaaaaalllly want to get.

 

[ofajen]

Let's all have some pie!

 

[Jughead6]

I suspect that this thread isn't going to resolve anything, so I may as well post my favourite pie chart.

 

[Nev375]

Tone is in all in the fingers and then it is all in my belly.

 

[GretschWretch]

Your mileage may vary

I thought it was "Yogurt makes me vomit."

 

[Kirk Bryant]

This dog won't hunt.

 

[chris_b]

Can we do the same for TB acronyms? WHAT THE HELL DOES YMMV MEAN!!??!!??

Google and all shall be revealed.

 

[chris_b]

I'm a bass player.

How would any pie chart I can come up with mean anything when it's just full of guesses.

 

[dincz]

View attachment 781878

It always astonishes me that neck material and construction are usually ignored. Body and fretboard are insignificant factors compared to the neck. It's a thin, highly stressed part of the structure and inevitably its resonance colours the tone of a bass.

 

[beaglesandbass]

I'm dating myself on this website with this joke but it's the first thing I thought of.

 

[ChefKen]

Does my breath effect the way my harmonica sounds???? I swear it sounds different when I eat carrots.....

 

[SteveCS]

Disregarding technique, which really is IMO a massive factor, SETUP is massive. String type, action, relief, fingerboard profile and saddle break angles all contribute to the overall tone. The same bass with a slightly higher action and a little more neck relief will sound different to a low/straight setup.

The pickups and electronics can only capture what is there to begin with and cannot put back what is not there, so they are next in line. I guess some pickups are so bad that they cannot even capture what is there (and that is a whole different hill of pain) but correct positioning and balancing is essential to get the best out of any pickup set.

After this I think everything else is a matter of taste. YMMV, of course.