Nobody cares about your tone....

[000_Unknown]

Speak for yourselves.. My rig is quantum enabled with tone so sharp it could shave your girlfriends whisker biscuit from 10 feet away..

 

[Joebone]

except for you!

So now that I have your attention, I have come to the realization that people who come to your shows couldnt care less about your bass tone. I have found that if they can hear you, it sounds good. If they can't, they still think it sounds good! Musicians that see your shows are exempt of course.

So why do we spend our lives buying expensive gear that will give you a 400hz notch instead of a 800hz notch on the amp you just sold at a $500 loss to get the amp with the 800hz notch. The people we are playing to realistically have no changes in the experience in the show.

So is it we are doing this to amuse ourselfs? Is this another form of playing with our peckers? Do we try to get better tone then other bass players, Just so you can say "so, how about those new pickups I installed....I bet your jealous, it gives me a crystal clear terrible boost at 6.5khz"?

Really? Give me feedback and hate comments!

I'm not going to wade through this thread, but offer the following responses, which probably are already in the thread.

1. Perfection is it's own reward.

2. The journey is the destination.

3. Because it FEELS good!

 

[hintz]

Like most have said, i also think tone matters, I play better when I hear myself and simply enjoy it more...

I've been playing most of my life(21 years) and doing shows for 16... I have noticed that sound guys are MUCH, MUCH better at venues that cater to original music , whereas it can be hit or miss in cover bands, I've had some dumb**** soundguy hand me a countryman DI and the bass sounded like mud, nothing but kick and the keyboardists left hand with a smidge of me somewhere in there, not very fun or inspiring...

I'm fortunate that in my current gig the sound guy is a fellow bass player, so lately I've been using IEM's, my pedal board(no amp) and my B7K post FX as my the DI/preamp with no issues whatsoever....

so yes, get yourself the best gear you can afford if that's what gets you off, or not, I'm just happy I can make a living off music and still hear "my sound" in my ears and know that others do as well

 

[hintz]

He's certainly the most polite and least insane one I've seen, is it a religion, nah, a giant money making scheme yes. Unfortunately they recruit celebs like Billy because it's good for their image and they get shown a whole different side of the thing, not the reality. But as I said, I dig his music, Mr Big is/was killer. His tone is horrendous though

yeah, I love his playing(especially"eat em and smile"), love dirty rock bass tone(john entwistle)but not his... Not enough bite...

 

[Eschaton]

I just try to get the best possible sound I can. It's my bass, my music (it's coming out of my fingers, anyway.), my feel... etc.

It's like any other form of art. You imagine it, you hear it, and you spend your career trying to match your physical playability to the sound in your head.
If I'm confident enough to go on stage, then I'm confident enough to believe that I have at least a decent ear for a good sound. (At least I hope so)

My theory is, IF I have good taste, and IF I can take that "taste" of a sound in my head and make it into something tangible, like a sound in reality, a tone, a feel. If I thoroughly think it's a great sound, then at least some of my audience should too.

You be the best you can be first, for yourself, and second for anyone who cares to listen.

 

[Slpbass81]

except for you!

So now that I have your attention, I have come to the realization that people who come to your shows couldnt care less about your bass tone. I have found that if they can hear you, it sounds good. If they can't, they still think it sounds good! Musicians that see your shows are exempt of course.

So why do we spend our lives buying expensive gear that will give you a 400hz notch instead of a 800hz notch on the amp you just sold at a $500 loss to get the amp with the 800hz notch. The people we are playing to realistically have no changes in the experience in the show.

So is it we are doing this to amuse ourselfs? Is this another form of playing with our peckers? Do we try to get better tone then other bass players, Just so you can say "so, how about those new pickups I installed....I bet your jealous, it gives me a crystal clear terrible boost at 6.5khz"?

Really? Give me feedback and hate comments!

This past weekend I played a gig and this was my rig and the other bands bass players rig. This,was,at a corporate location with great sound system:

Mine:
Ampeg SVT-CL
Ampeg 2x12 cab

His:
Ampeg pf-500
Ampeg 15 inch fliptop cab

Numerous spectators came up and said my bass rig sounded incredible compared to his. I asked if they played any instruments and every one said no. Before you blame the sound guy or instruments he was a top notch sound guy as this is a corporate theme park and we both used a fender american jazz bass. Regular crowd will not notice the difference between amps that are close to each other. But in this instance it showed that some regular people do notice the difference.

 

[JimmyM]

Did you by any chance do a gig with MPire? Pretty sure their bassist has been using that rig since they came out. He has an SVT and 810, though Love Meredith...we go way back to the early 2000's.

 

[JSandbloom]

Speak for yourselves.. My rig is quantum enabled with tone so sharp it could shave your girlfriends whisker biscuit from 10 feet away..

I'm using whisker biskets! Hahah!

 

[FretNoMore]

I want to know how to manage my sound and have the gear to do it because
- It makes the whole band sound better
- I have a better chance of dealing with room acoustics
- It is interesting, enjoying and a matter of pride - do good work
- It's a matter of respect towards the band, the audience and those who pay. I just don't get those who take your money, go on stage and don't care
- I'm a tech geek and I like my toys
- Even if I were the only one who cared, I would still try my best. Just standing on stage and not caring what you sound like and having no pride in the job you do is alien to me. I would not feel comfortable doing that, it would not be fun, it would not be interesting, I would not respect myself. I'd rather stay at home and watch reruns on TV.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Just had to hit reply on someone's, nothing personal. I think caca is venue specific. No (or little) way for a player to accurately adjust his tone to make sure it sounds good where you are but from where he is. It seems futile. Though, in your clinic example, it seems like it would be relatively easy.to get a.good tone. But in a.big room and then pile all the other stuff on top.... I think all you can do is make sure you are boosting mids to cut through rather than more bass and making mud.

I recently started boosting mids to positive feedback from both audience and house sound guys. Then I played for the first time ever with a pick(and that just creates all sorts of extra mids) and that brought comments from even more people about how the bass just came through. I'm getting sold on mids for loud clarity.

On the other hand, I saw Andrew W K (by accident) on Friday and the bass was just mud soup with 2 guitars, keys, drums and probably tracks. This was largely beyond the bassists control.... unless he wasn't giving the board enough mids to work. But, yes, nobody else noticed or cared.

I saw, of all folks, Anthony Jackson last year do a set with some folks - his "tone" was *awful*. Nothing but dull a rumble - indistinct notes, just "bass noise". Made me so sad - he's one of "those guys", right? Some nights, it just doesn't work, I guess.

 

[Basshappi]

I care and that's all that matters.

 

[SteveCS]

except for you!

So now that I have your attention, I have come to the realization that people who come to your shows couldnt care less about your bass tone. I have found that if they can hear you, it sounds good. If they can't, they still think it sounds good! Musicians that see your shows are exempt of course.

That might well be true for your audience but I have a little more respect for mine, be there 25 or 2500 of them.

Obviously I'm not saying go out and sound like crap, common. However, will the average listener hear the difference between a Sadowsky Jazz and a USA Fender Active Jazz? Both are great sounding basses, both play great (still prefer Sadowsky) they both sound good to a listener. Good is Good, right? Do the people we play for hear the 2K difference in basses? As a Sadowsky player myself, I can hear the difference. Can the listener? In a good FOH mix, I don't know if I could. I play Aguilar amps, I love their tone. Does a DB750 sound better then a off the shelf hybrid amp like a SVTIII...I think so, but the listener doesn't hear a difference. But both are good amps.

If you can't produce a good tone to send to FOH, how do you propose achieving a good FOH mix? In the words of Joni Mitchell, you don't know what you got till its gone.

 

[JSandbloom]

That might well be true for your audience but I have a little more respect for mine, be there 25 or 2500 of them.



If you can't produce a good tone to send to FOH, how do you propose achieving a good FOH mix? In the words of Joni Mitchell, you don't know what you got till its gone.

So a $1000 svt3 isn't capable of sending a good DI signal to FOH? Only a $2400 amp is?

Also, a lot of your tone believe it or not gets lost in the FOH anyway. Your hifi clackey clackey gets canceled out by guitars/ keys/ what have you. So your tone that's really heard is your mid mids, low mids and bass. So why do you need the 6khz crisp bell like tone from that amp if you don't hear it?

 

[interp]

I play for me, whether I'm playing with my regular band to a packed house or backing up some Stevie Ray Wannabe at a blues jam. I hear me and I always want to get the best possible tone. I don't let other people set my standards.

Perfectly stated. The OP's original premise--that the audience doesn't care so neither should you--is invalid.

 

[JSandbloom]

Perfectly stated. The OP's original premise--that the audience doesn't care so neither should you--is invalid.

The premise wasn't you shouldn't care. It's, why spend 2500 instead of 1000 on a amp/guitar/cab etc if the audience won't notice.

You can send good tone with less expensive amps that would please the masses.

 

[JimmyM]

The premise wasn't you shouldn't care. It's, why spend 2500 instead of 1000 on a amp/guitar/cab etc if the audience won't notice.

You can send good tone with less expensive amps that would please the masses.

Well then do it and quit lecturing us!

 

[JSandbloom]

Well then do it and quit lecturing us!

I don't get on my soap box very often, and I love to bicker!

 

[slapfunk987]

So why do we spend our lives buying expensive gear that will give you a 400hz notch instead of a 800hz notch on the amp you just sold at a $500 loss to get the amp with the 800hz notch. The people we are playing to realistically have no changes in the experience in the show.

So is it we are doing this to amuse ourselfs? Is this another form of playing with our peckers? Do we try to get better tone then other bass players, Just so you can say "so, how about those new pickups I installed....I bet your jealous, it gives me a crystal clear terrible boost at 6.5khz"?

Really? Give me feedback and hate comments!

I think you already answered all of your own questions.. Nobody cares "except for you." If musicians who come to the shows are exempt, then obviously the player is exempt, therefore he buys equipment he wants, so that he will sound good to himself....

End of thread!!

 

[zontar]

I care, therefore I am...

The sound I get affects my mood an playing--if I get a good sound that I can hear--I play better.

 

[StinkFoot]

You've got a false premise: You think serious bass players are playing for the audience. They're not. They're playing for sake of the music and playing bass well. Sure it has to be something the audience can hear and groove to, but that's not what it's really about.