I was about to say the same thing, especially how playing unplugged reinforces a heavy touch. Do it enough (just like grooving a tennis stroke or a golf stroke) and you train yourself to consistently have a heavy touch. Not my cup of tea.
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Playing your bass unplugged
- Thread starter brianrost
- Start date
I was about to say the same thing, especially how playing unplugged reinforces a heavy touch. Do it enough (just like grooving a tennis stroke or a golf stroke) and you train yourself to consistently have a heavy touch. Not my cup of tea.
When I test a new instrument, I play it unplugged initially because I'm focused on the ergonomics and feel of the instrument. Then I plug it in and listen. If it feels good and sounds good, great! I really couldn't care less how it sounds unamplified.
My German Warwick Corvette fretless sounded great when not plugged in. Had the ‘mwah’ I like in a fretless. Took some work to get it to that point, but I got it there.... but that sound would just refuse to come out of the pickups. I had that bass for 18 years, and it was gorgeous and played beautifully and sounded wonderful within itself. Awesome instrument.
But when I acquired the Portamento fretless that does everything I want in a fretless, there just wasn’t any room in my studio for the Warwick. Loved it when I had it, but don’t miss it now... especially since I got over $200 more for it than I paid for it. The one thing I do NOT miss about that Warwick is the single-coil hum. I doubt I’ll ever do a bass with single coils again.
But when I acquired the Portamento fretless that does everything I want in a fretless, there just wasn’t any room in my studio for the Warwick. Loved it when I had it, but don’t miss it now... especially since I got over $200 more for it than I paid for it. The one thing I do NOT miss about that Warwick is the single-coil hum. I doubt I’ll ever do a bass with single coils again.
If I have the chance to play something before I buy I always will play it unplugged first.
I do check for fret buzz without the amp, but other than that, I need to hear it plugged in preferably in my rig, or the closest rig possible.
If I’m at GC and see an interesting instrument, I’ll take it down and play it without plugging it in. I do that to evaluate things other than it's sound. 90 percent of the time, that will eliminate it as a viable instrument for me, saving me the hassle of getting a cord and finding a decent amp.
Let's rephrase this so it's accurate: "Do it enough (just like grooving a tennis stroke or a golf stroke) and YOU train yourself to consistently have a heavy touch."
Plenty of us have been playing bass for decades and haven't had this experience. The only thing that has made my touch heavy is playing upright.
I didn't start playing upright until 10 years ago, so no. Nice try, I guess. I've been playing unplugged since I was 14. I'm 50 now. Do the math.
EDIT: Also, I said "HAS made my touch heavy." I corrected that issue, and it was only prevalent when I was heavily gigging in a band where I played both instruments.
Mine sound good, depends on how you have them set up, very low action and they will sound like crap, normal or high and they'll sound good, I've been playing without an amp all my life watching TV etc.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
I hardly ever plug in at home. I wake up early and play before anyone's awake to make sure I get time in on bass no matter what my day is like. I've also been a big proponent of a bass that feels lively in my hands and that also usually means sounds good acoustically. Oddly, I haven't found that sustain is really impacted by a great lively feeling instrument.
When I took one of my Dingwalls and defretted it, I spent a good amount of time and money chasing (customising the electronics) the tone I got unamplified to the point of changing preamps, pickup location and even adding a second preamp and piezo bridge pieces. Still doesn't have quite the magic I hear when I'm not plugged in.
Also, recently Sheldon delivered unto me a new Super-P 5-string. He commented that it was a super lively and acoustically beautiful before sending it...and it is. Just feels great to play without even plugging in. Of course it sounds great plugged in, too.
When I took one of my Dingwalls and defretted it, I spent a good amount of time and money chasing (customising the electronics) the tone I got unamplified to the point of changing preamps, pickup location and even adding a second preamp and piezo bridge pieces. Still doesn't have quite the magic I hear when I'm not plugged in.
Also, recently Sheldon delivered unto me a new Super-P 5-string. He commented that it was a super lively and acoustically beautiful before sending it...and it is. Just feels great to play without even plugging in. Of course it sounds great plugged in, too.
Just to be clear, I have an amp right behind me in my playing room, I play to SiriusXM and Youtube but when I'm watching TV or just sitting around in front of the computer I play unamplified, there is a satisfaction from playing unamplified you don't get playing amplified. I set my basses up to sound good both ways, that means no super low action which cuts bloom anyway. I've been doing this since I was a kid, if I only played with my amp I wouldn't play half as much as I do now. To me there is definitely a correlation to how they sound with and without an amp. If a bass sounds choked up unamplified it's going to sound choked up with an amp.
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My heaviest touch naturally happens when I’m playing with a band. Playing unplugged does nothing to make my touch heavy.
Yep, you can fix electronics but if the sound isn't in the instrument, it's never going to be right.
John
If you go on MTD basses website,they say ; Every bass is acoustic first and foremost,if it don't sound good unplugged plugging it in will only I accentuate it's shortcomings. I myself believe that to be true
I practice unplugged 90% of the time. It hasn't forced me to have a "heavy touch." That's nonsense.
The only downside is that it can make sympathetic ringing a little harder to notice (I play 6 string so more of a concern).
The only downside is that it can make sympathetic ringing a little harder to notice (I play 6 string so more of a concern).
This has be debunked so many times - they even made a guitar from a cinder block and a 2x4 to prove it...
This is why a "High Mass Bridge" can actually hurt the sound of your bass - by blocking the natural vibrations of your body. Someone has developed a super low-mass bridge to allow the maximum amount of body to come through. You can easily hear the difference the wood makes just rapping on the body with your knuckles. The sound difference from one bass to another - even the same model - can be astounding.
I feel that the reason makes put high-mass bridges on is to make their basses sound more uniform, taking the body wood out of the equation.
I feel that the reason makes put high-mass bridges on is to make their basses sound more uniform, taking the body wood out of the equation.
I tend to believe the builders over keyboard warriors. Find the BP article on the motives of the great builders.
It hasn’t been debunked. You can build an electric instrument out of anything. If you like string and pickup sound then that’s your ticket. If your sound is your amps eq then that will suffice. Now if you’re after something else and have the ears to hear....well your results will vary.
Imagine if you added another stage in your signal chain. Your fingers then an instrument that enhanced the pleasing overtones and was sufficient to make music right there. Then amplified any way you want, tubes, output tubes cabs that have pronounced mids and tight limited low end or full spectrum. All of this is available.
