sound vs feel

[dougjwray]

For me, it's the sound. I've had basses that sounded dead no matter what I did-- changed the bridge, changed the pickups, changed the strings, changed the EQ on the amp, changed the set-up, turned knobs... still dead.
I've also had basses that sounded fantastic, but were uncomfortable at first... usually because of the neck width or radius. This kind of stuff can be overcome with proper technique and plenty of practice. It's worth it. It's called "mastering an instrument."
Now I have a few different basses that all sound good, in different ways, and have different types of strings, different action heights and different necks. Every time I pick one up it feels different, but still comfortable, because I've put in so much time with all of them.

 

[Muttleybass]

Gotta have both.

If I can't play what I want because my hand cramps and if the sound doesn't inspire me I don't want it.

 

[Jefff]

Ok. ya got me with the Kramer.

MOST basses can be made to play well.....

 

[meegoodel]

Sound. If it doesn't sound good, it isn't worth playing.

+1

 

[Abaroa]

Been reading this for a while.. I am alone in thinking both are related?.. I mean, when a bass feels good it is because I can get the sound I need out of it with ease.. meaning it feels good because it sounds good without effort..
Maybe I am just not a good enough player to pick up small details in feel or sound..

 

[Fuzzbass]

Agree 100%. Sound can be modded many ways. Feel & comfort, not so much.

+1

 

[bassbully]

So if it feels great, and has great playability but sounds like a dog's fart its good? You lost me here. The sound is where its at. I had a awesome Carvin 5 string years ago that played like a dream but sounded bad....off it went. I had a heavy clunky necked 74' P that sounded like bass heaven and I kept it for quite awhile.

 

[Fuzzbass]

In 30+ years, I've been able to get acceptable tone out of pretty much every bass I've ever played. And in that time I've rarely had anyone but other bassists comment on my tone, positively or negatively. (Aside from bandmates complimenting a new bass, and in that case it's mostly just simple politeness). Sure, tone matters to me, but for 99.9% of the rest of the planet, all that matters is that my instrument delivers a nice round thump. I love my Sadowskys, but for tone alone (not appearance), nobody else would care if I used a Squier.

What the rest of the world DOES care about is that you put the right notes in the right places. That's why playability is more important. If my hands aren't comfortable, I'm not going to play my best, and that's true regardless of how wonderful the instrument sounds to my ears. I've sold many killer instruments because they were less than comfortable. On the flip side, I've held on to some instruments that didn't have the best tone, but played beautifully. Sure, I'm happier when I get the tone I'm looking for... but if I can't, I don't let it affect my performance. Inferior playability WILL affect my performance.




P.S. Of course we all want instruments that have both great tone and great feel... that kinda goes without saying, dontcha think?

 

[Gaolee]

Every bass feels a little different and sounds a little different. That's why you need more than one. Sometimes you feel like a P, sometimes you feel like an EB, sometimes you feel like a Ric. Sometimes you don't.

 

[JTE]

There's a certain aspect of the sound of an electric instrument that's inherent in the instrument. You can tweak that with changing hardware, but you can't make fundamental changes to the nature of how the strings interact with the body, bridge, and neck. A heavy early '70s Precision that's all attack and sustain will not sound bloomy and billowy like Jamerson's alder/rosewood P. And the Funk machine will never sound like Paul Simonon's Precision either. I tried to make that change to a '73 ash/maple Precision in '76 through about '79 when I gave up trying to "fix" that bass. No matter what pickups, bridges, or strings I used, it always was in-your-face attack. No big deal except that's not what I wanted from a P bass.

So, that's why sound trumps feel. Again, there's enough instruments that sound good and are comfortable enough to play that it's seldom a clear cut choice. In my case, the Geddy Lee Jazz I had sounded a bit too twangy bright without enough body in the bottom. In addition the neck was impossibly skinny. If it had sounded better I would have adapted to the feel, but it just wasn't worth investing any more resources (time, money, energy) into altering. Around the same time I bought a MIM Classic Series '60s Strat. It felt like home, but the natural sound of the guitar was exactly what I want from a Strat. Amplified the basic character was there, but the sound was a little too edgy. So, I dropped a set of Duncan Alnico Pro pickups in there and it's been the go-to electric for me since 2001. My Starfire is a much different feeling instrument- longer scale, flatter board, bigger frets, different balance, etc. And, the Starfire sounds best with heavier strings than the Strart- it sounds limp and lifeless with 10, so I use 11's on it. Sure it's not as comfortable as the Strat, but it sounds great that way, and that's what's important. It's not like it's a pig to play, just requires a little more effort on my part.

So, one cannot simply change the essential character of an instrument's sound simply by altering hardware, any more than you can alter the fundamental feel. They both are important, but the first choice for me is sound. If it sounds great, I can adapt to almost any reasonably playable instrument. But a gorgeous playing instrument that never sounds right will always annoy me no matter how supple it is.

John

 

[MVE]

SOUND

A good set-up tech can make almost any instrument "feel" the way you want - with the exception of those aspects that can not be adjusted, weight & balance, neck width, string spacing, etc...

Also, instruments that don't "feel" right are often like a new pair of shoes that you can get used to with time.

 

[Sav'nBass]

Bear in mind that the question is What is most important to you so there are no right or wrong answers but considering the options available for making the same bass sound different and the options available for making the same bass feel and play different it seems to me that one of those being easier to manipulate and rectify if it was unsatisfactory than the other would make the one easiest to change for the better the least important.

 

[sotua]

SOUND

A good set-up tech can make almost any instrument "feel" the way you want - with the exception of those aspects that can not be adjusted, weight & balance, neck width, string spacing, etc...

Also, instruments that don't "feel" right are often like a new pair of shoes that you can get used to with time.

Or like those shoes that never really settle/break in, and cause you pain and even injury. (Yes, cts-inducing Thumb bass, you!)

 

[GIBrat51]

I said 'feel', but obviously it has to be both. I'm not trying to make a living playing bass, or even in a band (any more), so for me, feel and playability trump tone. If a bass is an unpleasant chore to play, I won't play it; at least for very long. My Kramer 450B falls into that category (yes, it's wicked neck-heavy, but the tone ...), and my Thunderbird does, too. I could live with the T-Bird if I had to play it for a living, I suppose; the Kramer? Maybe 30 years ago, but not now. The rest of my basses are fine; easy to play (even the Ricks; I seem to have the body type Rick designed them around) and have the tone I want. Oddly enough, my nicest feeling basses have the "worst" tone. The Danelectros play like a dream, but the tone is.. well, pure Dano. I love them anyway, and I like that '60s Garage Band sound.

 

[cv115505]

I've been in that situation, and went with feel. Why? It's much easier to change the sound of a bass than to change the feel.

YUP

 

[Lownote38]

I couldn't vote because both are equally important to me.

 

[drTSTingray]

Me too - they're both important to me. But you also have to bear in mind that it is the player and the players skill which is responsible for a portion of the sound. To use an old adage - it's all in the fingers.

 

[CM63]

I just removed some TI Jazz flats, which felt great and were super easy on the hands, which is very important to me, and my old tendons. They just did not have enough thump and depth, nor the solid fundimental I have found in tapewounds. The Daddario tapes I have replaced them with have a bit more tension and thicker gauge than the TIs, still easy to play compared to other flats I've tried,
So for me sound is at the top of my priorities.

 

[kcole4001]

Both, plus looks.
I'm not willing to compromise on any of those.

If an instrument is lacking in any one, then it's not right for me, time to move along to the next.

Fortunately I am well aware of what I like in all three categories, not searching for my thing.
Best of luck to those that are searching, I know it can be frustrating.

 

[Korladis]

Both. If it can't achieve the sound I want*, I don't want it. And if I don't like playing it because of feel, no amount of great tone is going to make me keep it (I'm looking at you guys, Warwick Thumb and Rickenbacker 4003!). The only thing I could sacrifice is looks, if the bass sounds and plays like a dream.

* sometimes you hear something unplugged that isn't coming through amplified, and you can tweak this by changing strings/pickups/whatever, but there's a base sound in there that has to be pleasing to me.

Hmmm... feel is actually the main reason I play a Rickenbacker...