As far as I'm concerned, I like doing my own setups a lot.
It's imagining future potential tones and the shopping that comes with it that annoys the hell out of me.
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It's imagining future potential tones and the shopping that comes with it that annoys the hell out of me.
There is really no reason to choose given today's build quality. But in a hypothetical situation where there is only one bass in existence and I have to pick between sounding great / playing poorly or playing great / sounding poorly, I would pick playing great. I would then b--ch and complain about how crappy this bass sounds - I'm hitting all the right notes, so it's not my fault. Or my other choice would be to just play guitar.
When I got my first Jazz bass, I really liked the comfy neck, the offset body, the general feel of it and everything. Didn't like the sound very much, and hated the VVt circuit. I changed bridges, strings, and pickups multiple times, finally settling on a series-wiring setup that I really like for live playing. But I love tinkering anyway, none of this was work, it was all a learning experience and very fun.
Heck, I've bought several basses with dead or missing electronics (quite cheap) just because I knew that an hour of time and a soldering gun, I could replace all that stuff and have a nice instrument. Opens up a lot of fun possibilities!
Heck, I've bought several basses with dead or missing electronics (quite cheap) just because I knew that an hour of time and a soldering gun, I could replace all that stuff and have a nice instrument. Opens up a lot of fun possibilities!
Yep. I was just going to say I haven't come across a bass I couldn't setup to feel great, so as long as the tone is great, I'm in! (If for some reason I couldn't set it up right, it would have to go; but I'd never start with one that sounded like crap.)
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
Sound is nothing without playability, just like speed is nothing without control. You can always make a bass sound better, and/or a car run faster.
If the thang ain't built right to begin with, move on!
If the thang ain't built right to begin with, move on!
If you plan and budget for modifying the bass, then go for feel.
If you want to buy the bass and leave it alone, try to find a balance of both. If that doesn't happen, go for sound. Your muscle memory will adapt to the feel of the bass, but (without modification) the inherent sound of the bass will always be there.
If you want to buy the bass and leave it alone, try to find a balance of both. If that doesn't happen, go for sound. Your muscle memory will adapt to the feel of the bass, but (without modification) the inherent sound of the bass will always be there.
True. I used to think i liked thin necks and jumbo frets until i played a fat neck with small frets ...
The thing is...what bass doesn't have "tone"? Even a $150 bass is going to sound pretty good these days. Electronics and pickups are amazing even at lower price points. The real differentiator is playability. Nicer basses are going to have more stable necks that'll get you the action you want, and little quality of life things like rolled fretboard edges. After that you're mainly choosing ergonomics.
I guess if you have a very specific tone in mind you might make certain concessions to ergonomics in order to get it. I've definitely done that, but ergonomics, playability, and just simply weight are becoming considerably more important in my post-30 world.
I guess if you have a very specific tone in mind you might make certain concessions to ergonomics in order to get it. I've definitely done that, but ergonomics, playability, and just simply weight are becoming considerably more important in my post-30 world.
It might be a false dichotomy in most cases.
But I would claim it's still interesting to see how the hypothetical question is answered.
If people really prefer sounding great over playing well.
That is if most people had not answered purely on the basis on weather they are willing or capable of modding their bass or not, as Mr. Ogle pointed out this discussion may really be about.
^this^
It's why i always play a prospective new hire unplugged first.
It's also why i stick to Fender jazz basses. The aftermarket for the j is even deeper than the P so once you find a good playing example, sound can be tweaked in endless ways with onboard components to get exactly the sound you want with no more skills than being able to use a few simple hand tools, a soldering iron, and the ability to do a simple set up.
Although I already threw in with the "playability first" camp, I can easily see how someone paying top-dollar for a pro-grade instrument would be bothered by the inconvenience of having to tweak it further.
[/DEVIL'S ADVOCATE]
I agree. Shouldn't be. Still, I keep seeing basses with terribly thick neck profiles being manufactured. I can't figure out why anybody would do anything that wasn't sharp/modern C, and there's hardly any reason to go thicker than 20mm (front to back) on any neck, but hey, to each their own, some people like to suffer ;-) Neck thickness is THE single thing I link the most to playability. I play 5ers and personally won't touch any neck over 21mm thick. OTOH most people don't care, in fact such thickness data is very unlikely to show up in most manufacturers' specs, much to my dislike. I think it's a VERY BASIC thing to know (along with string spacing at bridge and width at nut -probably the least ommited of these params-), moreso in these times of people sometimes buying online basses they haven't had the chance to try.
As someone who has made a commitment to shorter scale instruments my whole life,. I have prioritized playability over tone consistently. For a few reasons. A playable instrument is good for motivation, particularly if you are practicing even an electric bass unplugged at home when you don't have much tone to worry about. This means I can really burn on the instrument, and the gain in chops seems to eclipse the sound issue.
Second, I find there are ways of making even a bad sounding instrument sound better. New pickups, trying it through different amplification systems, and learning where to play on the neck for certain tones, how often to replace strings, and where not to play on the neck for certain tones. I bought a 1/4 size upright and yes, it was quiet, but I found that with a Big Twin amplification system, I can make it as loud as a 3/4 instrument loud enough through a combo amp.
Third, if you can get your chops up on a playable instrument, larger, less playable instruments become more playable. It's an easy way of easing yourself into playing with a high action, for example. Get the chops and muscle strength on a low action, and then you are closer to perfection when you have to adjust to a high action.
So far, I favor 30" scale electrics and 35" scale upright basses, I have learned that on the 34" electrics, I can play just as well as on the 30" basses now. Easing oneself into the hard stuff seems to accelerate personal progress, which is what it's all about. The fact that I was able to gig within a week or two of picking up a 1/4 size upright was a huge boost to my motivation to learn that instrument. So. for me, playability is the absolute king because of how it impacts motivation.
Second, I find there are ways of making even a bad sounding instrument sound better. New pickups, trying it through different amplification systems, and learning where to play on the neck for certain tones, how often to replace strings, and where not to play on the neck for certain tones. I bought a 1/4 size upright and yes, it was quiet, but I found that with a Big Twin amplification system, I can make it as loud as a 3/4 instrument loud enough through a combo amp.
Third, if you can get your chops up on a playable instrument, larger, less playable instruments become more playable. It's an easy way of easing yourself into playing with a high action, for example. Get the chops and muscle strength on a low action, and then you are closer to perfection when you have to adjust to a high action.
So far, I favor 30" scale electrics and 35" scale upright basses, I have learned that on the 34" electrics, I can play just as well as on the 30" basses now. Easing oneself into the hard stuff seems to accelerate personal progress, which is what it's all about. The fact that I was able to gig within a week or two of picking up a 1/4 size upright was a huge boost to my motivation to learn that instrument. So. for me, playability is the absolute king because of how it impacts motivation.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I am not a modder - in over 35 years of playing, all I have ever done is:
- replace an aftermarket bridge with a stock bridge (BadAss II to standard Fender),
- refinish a body back to original natural clear poly;
- add Hipshot De-tuners to all my basses.
But if something doesn't play right, because it is too heavy or poorly designed, there is nothing you can do to make it a good instrument. For instance, I have an Epiphone Viola bass. I just am not comfortable with the thin neck, having played P width necks for decades. If it sounded like McCartney at his finest, I just would not enjoy playing it as much as my usual 2 basses.
- replace an aftermarket bridge with a stock bridge (BadAss II to standard Fender),
- refinish a body back to original natural clear poly;
- add Hipshot De-tuners to all my basses.
But if something doesn't play right, because it is too heavy or poorly designed, there is nothing you can do to make it a good instrument. For instance, I have an Epiphone Viola bass. I just am not comfortable with the thin neck, having played P width necks for decades. If it sounded like McCartney at his finest, I just would not enjoy playing it as much as my usual 2 basses.
You can change the pickup and strings easily. You can't just change ergonomics.
Playabilty or Sound Quality
If it's a choice between the two I won't buy the bass.
I don't think one should have to decide between these two.
Both need to fit.
If it's a choice between the two I won't buy the bass.
I don't think one should have to decide between these two.
Both need to fit.
If it plays well and sounds good unplugged, it is a keeper. Some basses are just dead sounding without amplification, and all of the upgrades in the world won't help with missing subtle harmonics and the natural resonance of the wood.
