More important - bass or amp?

[Doner Designs]

Let's assume that you're in a gig where you need both a bass and an amp - no going direct or supplied backline. Which is more important? I say the amp, even though I've obsessed over basses for the longest time. I came to the realization that a $300 bass through a $2000 amp is going to sound better than a $2000 bass through a $300 amp. Now, in a perfect world where you can have the best of everything, a $2000 bass through a $2000 amp will sound the best. But when you're starting out, I think it's more important to put the money into the amp if you have a bass that isn't getting in the way of your playing. Maybe this is more of a acknowledgement that cheap basses are infinitely better than 20 years ago.

I tend to agree with your assessment in general. Beyond pickups (and preamp if there is one) a nicer bass mostly improves playability and allows you to play as well as you can at the top of your game. Then at the boutique level you also get fancy woods and amazing workmanship.

 

[Saratogacv60]

I have found that once I got a good amp and cab rig my gas for amps and cabs went down to almost nil. But there are always different basses that are different enough to pique my interest. Though I might be interested in a berg b amp when they get a little cheaper on the used market to match my berg cab.

 

[Systolic]

I think it's relevant to be concerned with the law of diminishing returns. IME, that's about $500 for an amp, $500 for a cab, $800-$1000 for a bass. In general....anything thereabouts will be well made and sound good. Anything above that line is personal preferance. Anything below that rough line is two hit and miss to really make broad generalizations on.

Under that line you can have a shoddy Squier Affinity (not saying they're all bad or can't be made to be nice,) playing through a Behringer amp and Behringer cab or you can snag a Sire bass and play through Fender's Rumble line or the Ampeg Portaflex series. Givin' the same player...c'mon, we all know which will sound better. The variables are too great at the lower price points to generalize.

And of course...as stated above. It depends on your application. Plenty of PA support? Your amp and cab don't really matter much, the audience is hearing you, your bass, your strings, your DI, the mixer and the mains. Carrying the room all by yourself? so long as you have enough SPL/speaker surface area to push that kind of air, and enough amp to push said speakers, the audience is truly hearing a mixture of all of the above...the bass/strings/fingers gives the tone, the amp/cab is moving the air and either is or is not able to be clear.

So....I don't have a point I don't think. Just don't buy cheap/crap gear....inexpensive gear is fine, but don't bother with garbage.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

Getting a really cool bass will make bass playing more fun but you need a good rig too. Once you have both, you can build a nice little arsenal of awesome bass guitars.

 

[Altitude]

It's the player, for sure.

I heard Sting play that '51 of his a few years ago, isolated through the board before a show. I'd been spending my whole life avoiding tone like he gets from that thing; I think you could put strings and a pickup on a boat oar and it would sound no worse.

And yet he's Sting and I'm me. Could be the tantra, I suppose.

 

[JW56789]

You have to think of it as 'your instrument=[bass guitar + amp]'.

An unplugged bass is essentially silent, as is an amp without anything plugged in.

Having said that, in my experience a good bass that feels right to you (weight, neck profile, how it hangs on the strap) that is properly fit for playing (quiet pickups/electronics, good action, proper keys and bridge) is a given.

And a bigger amp (rather than smaller) is the way to go, I'm definitely a 'BIG amp turned up to 3' kind of guy, as I've been the 'barely big enough turned up to 10' more often than I was comfortable with. Especially in these multi-string bass days, you've GOT to have power in reserve for those depth-charge D's and C's, or you need as much backup for slapping and popping for four-strings as well. When you think of bass amps vs. guitar amps, think Peterbilt vs. Chevy Silverado, you need power and beef to do your work.

To me, once you've satisfied those conditions, then it's a matter of taste as to what your ears want to hear.

 

[bassbrad]

For me it is bass.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I'd go bass because 99 out of 100 shows that no running direct stipulation isn't realistic.

 

[jwilson67]

I'd go bass because 99 out of 100 shows that no running direct stipulation isn't realistic.

Many of you are missing the point of the OP's post. Of course most shows you play you will have the ability to run direct. BUT if you were in a situation where you had to use your amp to provide all your volume from the stage then without a doubt it would be the most important component.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

I voted amp, but I would suggest that if you are just starting out, don't go to extremes on either. With the $2300, you can split that in half and buy a decent bass and amp that will sound good and play well. You might even have some money left over.

 

[J-Bassomatic]

I have found that once I got a good amp and cab rig my gas for amps and cabs went down to almost nil. But there are always different basses that are different enough to pique my interest. Though I might be interested in a berg b amp when they get a little cheaper on the used market to match my berg cab.

To paraphrase Neil Young, GAS never sleeps.

 

[Kukulkan61]

Both, each is useless without the other...ok start throwing tomatoes...

 

[buldog5151bass]

Amp will do more for your tone, bass makes a bigger difference for playing - something can sound wonderful, but if you have a neck so twisted you can't play, it doesn't matter.

 

[cv115505]

I think one can go the inexpensive route on a bass with a lot less risk than on an amp. Some of the new, less expensive options offer everything that the more expensive instruments offer. This is not the case with most amplification companies.

 

[jwilson67]

My main bass is a Carvin LB75. It's an awesome bass. I also have a $150 Epiphone Accubass. Actually I got it for free. I had to use the Epi for an entire 4 hour gig when the battery compartment went wonky on my Carvin and you know what? It sounded fine - different, but fine. That being said I was running it through my Ashdown ABM 500 DRY - no DI into a board.

I'd feel far more confident in that particular situation than I would feel running my Carvin (or the Epi for that matter) through a 200 watt Crate combo amp.

 

[jwilson67]

If you are a player halfway worth your salt, you can make even a cheap bass sound OK. You cannot, on the other hand make a bad amp sound good.

 

[johnson79]

I think both are equally important.

 

[bassbully]

Of the two? Amp. I have made some cheap basses sound great with a good amp but I can say the opposite.

 

[RickyWoo]

Cheap basses don't always equal bad basses. I've played great cheap basses. That said, I've played great cheap basses through terrible amps and they sounded just that... Terrible. Find what works together as a combo. More importantly find the sound you're looking for in the combo. One or the other won't give you both. So my original post of "both" stands.

 

[Worldeeeter]

There are $300 basses that sound great through $500 amps; if you play one through a $2000 amp, you're definitely good to go. The amp is, by far, more important in the overall equation. You can stack oodles of pre-amp sound-shaping between your fingers and the speakers.
Lots of people are gigging $299 basses these days; I don't know how they do it!