• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

The truth about your tone and what affects it.

#42
I did my own experiments and found out that cat hair gives it a fantastic brighter tone. Dog hair, on the other hand, kind of muffles it. Rodent hair makes it so that treble is emphasised.

For metal, I'd recommend a mixture of cat hair and hummingbird feathers. It gives it that edge you need. Boosts your mids to help you cut through and even increases sustain (for all you drone lovers out there)!

I also found out that bass sounds substantially better in a slightly greenish light. See, white light increases rotational velocidensity (a basic property of physics, the same one which makes your mp3 files lose quality after a while). This actually makes your amp's tone deteriorate over time, making it muffled and cutting important mids and bass frequencies.
I've found, however, that if your light is even a LITTLE BIT green, rotational velocidensity is, effectively, reversed; your tone will IMPROVE over time! So, after hours of playing at a time, you, too, can sound great.

I will add a warning, however: too much green for prolonged periods of time will have a negative effect on your treble.
 
#47
Kirk P Brosius said:
I've heard that the absolute BEST BASS TONE can be achieved in a total vacuum!!!

Kirk
Click to expand...

Absolute bally nonsense! A vacuum has nothing in it and sound needs a medium! No, one needs heavy, dense air for that heavy dense sound. I prefer fog, myself. Gives it a thicker feeling, see? Add in a little more oxygen and a tiny bit (just a very small bit) of an 80 year old Uzbek woman's flatulence mixed with rose oil and you've got the perfect air for bass.
 
#48
Everything and anything can effect tone. Your amp, cabs, speakers, bass, cables, strings, age of your gear, the size of the room, number of people in the room, fixtures in the room, type of building materials the room is made, atmospheric conditions, your fingers, your ability etc. I'm sure there are many others.
 
#49
Rockmusician said:
Everything and anything can effect tone. Your amp, cabs, speakers, bass, cables, strings, age of your gear, the size of the room, number of people in the room, fixtures in the room, type of building materials the room is made, atmospheric conditions, your fingers, your ability etc. I'm sure there are many others.
Click to expand...

Don't forget the presence of people. I don't mean bodies, which you did mention. I mean certain specific people.

Nothing changes tone as much as the presence of a person you are trying to impress. (i.e. family, hot chick, band auditioning you, record label representative, etc...)
 
#54
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS6RQdrMF3KJBADfTsm-omCtbCtvrWTRvg4UP1objLTIZsK-GEu.jpg
 
#58
Edward G. said:
The principal factor in my perception of my tone is ear fatigue. The rig and bass sound entirely differently at the end of the gig than at the beginning. Ears acclimate and become desensitized. I do not change ANY setting after the inevitable trim that occurs during the first set. Otherwise everything gets too loud and not an ounce better.

So as long as the relative amount of cat hair in the local air remains the same, the main things that affect my tone are the aforementioned ear fatigue and the amount of alcohol present in my circulation, which cleverly mimics ear fatigue.
Click to expand...

^ I'm with this guy....

also

I'm both a scientist (chemist) and a player of bass. Some of the things you post, Kwesi, are quite entertaining, but this is not one of them. Well maybe the attempted suicide by Carbon Monoxide (CO for you dirty nerdies).:hmm:

For your next experimental thesis, I suggest "The variation of bass tonal characterization when subjected on both hallowed ground and the seediest of bars".:D
 
#59
I believe having two lovely, curvey women of the wonderfully well-endowed variety, strategically placed next to the bass cab; results in amazing tone and and overall warmth.

I have no measurable scientific proof of this, only real world application:D
 
#60
TMart99 said:
I believe having two lovely, curvey women of the wonderfully well-endowed variety, strategically placed next to the bass cab; results in amazing tone and and overall warmth.

I have no measurable scientific proof of this, only real world application:D
Click to expand...

This is very well described application of Longwood's Theory of Long Wood wherein essentially all of a male's skills and abilities increase in potency in direct proportion to the size of their boner in close proximity to someone they fine attractive.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back