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Ridiculous Ways To Describe Tone

mastertemps

mastertemps

Guest
Jan 19, 2015
13
3
37
Springfield, MO
#1
Hey guys. It's been a while since I've posted anything on TB. I had an old account that was so outdated that I just decided to start fresh with a new one. Plus I hated my username...

Anyway, me and a buddy were at GC last week and we were discussing adjectives used when describing tone. I know some words make complete sense- muddy, punchy, bright, warm, etc. But has anybody heard anything that's just completely off the wall when trying to describe the sound of an amp or bass guitar? Anything that made you spew your drink or ROTFL? And if you have any sayings of your own, please share. Think about the scene in Anchorman when the folks in the office are describing what "Sex Panther" smells like...
 
#3
Smoove-Groove said:
Kinda reminds me of the wine snobs describing wine. "I'm tasting some woodsy tones with a fruity nose and a floral finish" lol! So pretentious!

I always thought "tubby" was a silly description for bass. Even though it kinda makes sense.
Oh... and "Slaptastic" was another good one.
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As far as cork-sniffers go, that's pretty tame/generic in all honesty. At least with tubby and slaptastic you get an idea of what that would sound like. What the hell does puffy/boxy/breathy sound like?
 
#5
Here's part of a thread I started at the Fender forums. It's only ridiculous if you think it is.


We often express tone in artistic terms such as an artist's palette. If something sounds hot or is warm it is red, or if it is cool or cold then it is blue. So here we have some temperature descriptors also. If it sounds green it is sick or bad. The colloquialisms of the day can be confusing where if something sounds sick or nasty that means it sounds great. Sometimes if something is said to be bad, it is actually good. In the 1950's if somthing sounded good, it was said to be 'Boss'. In the mid 1960's we became 'Groovy'. It is little wonder we have a difficult time describing tone in terms we can all understand.

Sometimes we use terms of violence like 'Punch', and 'Attack'. I love my hot rod Precision because it has extreme purcussive attack and punch like a heavyweight champ. Your highs may have some 'spank'.

Animal terms are also used, especially in describing jazz bass tone such as 'snarl' in the high-mids and 'growl' in the low-mids. Precisions can also exhibit outrageously great growl. A good sounding jazz bass bridge pick-up will 'bark' out the notes and exhibit highs that spank, or have good 'bite'. My jazz bass custom shop bridge pick-up has all three at once and very well balanced too.

We also use sexual terms to describe the low or 'bottom' end of our tone. I happen to like my lows to be: full, round, and tight. Never flabby. We may like our tone to be thick and rich. Thin may be in for guitars, but most bass players like fat (or phatt
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) bottom tone. If you have huge aggressive tone, you have 'balls'. Your total tone package may present itself with a lot of 'thrust' and be 'in-your-face'.

Most like clarity and definition. Clear tone - never muddy. Well defined - never ambiguous. Although there are some bass players that do like muddy indistinct 'untone' or 'non-tone'.

Sometimes we use other sounds to describe tone. A hallmark of stock Fender split Precision pick-ups is a pronounced mid-range 'honk'. Also 15" woofers can be very 'honky' if the cabinets are unlined. This has led to the 'scooping' of the mid-range to reduce or eliminate 'honkiness'. It has also become way way overdone.

We also describe tone in terms of light. GHS Precision Flats are 'dark' sounding. Your tone may be light and airy. Your highs may be 'crystalline', and 'sparkle'.

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#7
Between burpy basses and farty cabs it's a wonder we don't have more females around here.

I've never dreamed of describing any tone as "burpy" before I started reading these forums and I still have no idea what it's supposed to mean. But the most ridiculous terminology I've heard has been "haunting mids" and "breathy compression," both of which, I believe, originated on TGP.
 
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#18
Smoove-Groove said:
Kinda reminds me of the wine snobs describing wine. "I'm tasting some woodsy tones with a fruity nose and a floral finish" lol! So pretentious!

I always thought "tubby" was a silly description for bass. Even though it kinda makes sense.
Oh... and "Slaptastic" was another good one.
Click to expand...
I will say that Costco Vodka tastes "buttery". I sip it straight.
 

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