I've been playing bass for about two years, but I just started getting into the specifics of how a bass works and all the technical know how. This has made me realize something. I have no idea what it means! I understand terms like bright, warm, hot, tone and other jargon that comes up in practice but other than that is all greek to me. Can someone help?
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Tech talk virgin
- Thread starter CameronPutnam
- Start date
A warm sound is something like a fretless bass, very smooth sounding with a lot of low end and not very "in-your-face" so to speak. Bright is the opposite. Very attack oriented. Something like a Rickenbacker for instance. If a pickup is "hot" that means that it has a very high output. As in a little volume goes a long way. Hope this helps!
UnfortunateTony said:
Those are the only ones I get hahaha everything else in the whole of music-dom is where I get lost
phillipkregg said:Maybe you should tell us some of the terms that are confusing to you, than we can help.
Like when people talk about pickups and how they work and why one is better than another or why a bridge is affecting the tone. I know enough to maintain my bass but when it comes to customizing it or buying a new one I have issues deciding how to know what to get
I personally wouldn't be too worried about going out to learn all the crazy bass tech jargon out there right away.
If you encounter a problem with your bass or notice something important in your bass that is lacking in another or vice-versa, then I think it would be most helpful to learn about those things on a case-to-case basis.
For example, say you find that you hate something about the tone of your bass, then it would be useful to pinpoint what exactly you don't like about it and then go from there in figuring out what is causing it and how to fix it, or avoid it in a future purchase.A recent example for me is fretboard radius. I had never thought much about it until somewhat recently, when I went from a bass with a very flat radius to one with a higher radius. I learned from that experience that I think I prefer a flatter one.
To me, that's part of the fun, as you progress and try new basses, amps, strings, etc. you learn more and more about what exactly you like and you're one step closer to finding your perfect combination! (if it exists
)
But, that being said, if you have any certain terms or ideas that need explaining, surely one of the tons of knowledgeable members here could help out!
If you encounter a problem with your bass or notice something important in your bass that is lacking in another or vice-versa, then I think it would be most helpful to learn about those things on a case-to-case basis.
For example, say you find that you hate something about the tone of your bass, then it would be useful to pinpoint what exactly you don't like about it and then go from there in figuring out what is causing it and how to fix it, or avoid it in a future purchase.A recent example for me is fretboard radius. I had never thought much about it until somewhat recently, when I went from a bass with a very flat radius to one with a higher radius. I learned from that experience that I think I prefer a flatter one.
To me, that's part of the fun, as you progress and try new basses, amps, strings, etc. you learn more and more about what exactly you like and you're one step closer to finding your perfect combination! (if it exists
)But, that being said, if you have any certain terms or ideas that need explaining, surely one of the tons of knowledgeable members here could help out!
I've been playing bass for three-and-a-half years, and have been a TB member for over a year. And still don't know for certain what the differences are between growl, punch, rumble, thump, etc.
But I occasionally throw those terms around in posts to make it sound like I have a clue. Works for me.
But I occasionally throw those terms around in posts to make it sound like I have a clue. Works for me.
+1000.I personally wouldn't be too worried about going out to learn all the crazy bass tech jargon out there right away.
If you encounter a problem with your bass or notice something important in your bass that is lacking in another or vice-versa, then I think it would be most helpful to learn about those things on a case-to-case basis.
For example, say you find that you hate something about the tone of your bass, then it would be useful to pinpoint what exactly you don't like about it and then go from there in figuring out what is causing it and how to fix it, or avoid it in a future purchase.A recent example for me is fretboard radius. I had never thought much about it until somewhat recently, when I went from a bass with a very flat radius to one with a higher radius. I learned from that experience that I think I prefer a flatter one.
To me, that's part of the fun, as you progress and try new basses, amps, strings, etc. you learn more and more about what exactly you like and you're one step closer to finding your perfect combination! (if it exists
This is also great advice. The best way to understand the "jargon" related to anything you're interested in, is to hang around, talk and listen to those who use it constantly. This is a great place for that. Hang around, participate, and you'll learn. It just takes time.
