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Something I've Learned.... Agreed?

::::BASSIST::::

::::BASSIST::::

Progress Not Perfection.
Sep 2, 2004
12,524
291
Vancouver, BC Canada
#1
I've come to realize that amps and cabs sound best when they are closest to their designed state. In other words, when you buy a pedal to make an amp sound better, it usually doesnt. Of course, if you are using a cheap amp and a good pedal that doesnt fly. But generally, if you alter the tone of a good amp to a significant degree, it starts to sound 'forced'.

The same is true for cabs. I prefer the natural tone of the cab versus using eq to get a sound you want. The schroe 1212 nails it for me.
 
#3
+1 all the way. EQ is best used to keep your tone relatively constant from gig to gig and context to context, not to muscle a cab or head to sound different than its inherent tone when set relatively 'neutral' (i.e. tone controls to their 'flat' position). IMO!

However, the downside to this is that it takes a lot of trial and error to find a complete rig that inherently matches the 'sound in your head' that you are trying to achieve. Since you can really only determine if a rig delivers this (IMO) after a lot of gigging, many are stuck 'twisting knobs':hmm: to try to make their rig work when the 'on gig/in context' performance and tone ends up being quite different than what they heard in the store when purchasing.
 
#5
I agree too. I have also found that certain amps and basses sound better matched with the gear they were intended to complement. For axample, a '70's vintage SVT sounds better with a P or J bass than a really modern active bass. I've also found that Ernie Ball Stingrays sound best with Ernie Ball Strings. Imagine that.
 
#6
::::BASSIST:::: said:
I've come to realize that amps and cabs sound best when they are closest to their designed state.
Click to expand...

<Devil's Advocate mode>
Yep. All the knobs are there for a reason on a well designed amp, and there's no reason whatsoever not to use 'em if you like how it sounds.</Devil's Advocate mode>

:hiding:
 
#10
Passinwind said:
<Devil's Advocate mode>
Yep. All the knobs are there for a reason on a well designed amp, and there's no reason whatsoever not to use 'em if you like how it sounds.</Devil's Advocate mode>

:hiding:
Click to expand...
Good point. However, I think manufacturers intended the eq control knobs to be used in moderation for tweaks. If one turns the knobs drastically its likely to have a drastic effect on the tone and my guess is that designers were happy with the basic tone of the amp....

I'm not saying the knobs dont have a purpose and indeed at times its useful to turn them dramatically. For example, if you have a brand new set of strings you might want to turn the treble completely off.
 
#12
::::BASSIST:::: said:
Good point. However, I think manufacturers intended the eq control knobs to be used in moderation for tweaks. If one turns the knobs drastically its likely to have a drastic effect on the tone and my guess is that designers were happy with the basic tone of the amp....
Click to expand...

One of my tenets of a well designed piece is that it should be capable of sounding really bad. Then you just don't use those settings, unless you want to sound really bad. Not all designers agree with that though, by any means.;)

In any case, I don't care at all where the knobs are pointed if I like the results.
 
#14
My only complaint is most amps and cabinets (all the ones I have played) sound different at store / bedroom volume than they do at gig volume. Sometimes something sounds killer in the store but the gig later that night it just doesn't have "it" or it looses "it" at high volume.
 
#15
::::BASSIST:::: said:
I've come to realize that amps and cabs sound best when they are closest to their designed state. In other words, when you buy a pedal to make an amp sound better, it usually doesnt. Of course, if you are using a cheap amp and a good pedal that doesnt fly. But generally, if you alter the tone of a good amp to a significant degree, it starts to sound 'forced'.

The same is true for cabs. I prefer the natural tone of the cab versus using eq to get a sound you want. The schroe 1212 nails it for me.
Click to expand...

Tone is subjective.

What you may find the most obnoxious sound imaginable may be the "holy grail" tone for someone else.
 
#19
For what it's worth, I agree with everyone. When it comes to sound, there is no absolute - right or wrong!

Situationally, if you're trying to 'copy' the sound in a cover band, then equalize away to get what YOU perceive is the best match! But there's also nothing wrong with making a change to what's expected - like singers who in the normal course of making something "their own" - interpreting a song/sound differently.

My grandfather said it best - What YOU like is the BEST!

Do I hear an "Amen!"?????
 

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