Tone or Technique : most important for you?

[Clemouze]

Salut all

Another silly poll, we all like them

Most important factor for you, bass players : a GREAT TONE or an IMPRESSIVE TECHNIQUE ?

We speak about what can make you like another bass player, or what you work the most, etc

I know the tone is linked to technique and technique linked to tone , but be serious!

Myself I appreciate better a player with super tone, than super technique.
I am also more proud of my tone than my technique and put more effort into it.
As an example :
I prefer spending time and effort crafting a tone through pedals and researchs and way of playing than spending time learning how to noodle as super fast slapitislapito pop or horse run at 180 bpm


And you ?

EDIT :
YES we all know that someone who plays super great in terms of skills can achieve a great tone.
But I can tell you that a lot of people that plays with a good level can sound like s*** and can have a random tone that no one cares.


For me , the tone option means : working your tone, choosing your gear ( pickups preamp pedals strings amp etc ) , searching for a specific tone, working on that and not just some random " plug and play"
For me the technique option means : working on your skill, knowing super secret ninja fingers tricks, be quick to play, having a super groove , showing your death playing


So the question is more :
What interests you more between both ?
What makes you say "wow"
What are you the most proud of?

Do you prefer a basic player who KNOWS how to play but has an identifiable killer tone or a show-off player that kills everything but sounds like everybody random tone ?


C'mon guys not just the basic answer " One leads to the other " because it is not the point and also it is not always true

EDIT 2 :

Well I prefer being a B+ player with a great tone, worked with love and pain to find the perfect alchemy between hands, gear, personality, than being a A+ player ( who can play things considered as harder to play ) with a random OK tone

 

[SteveCS]

Technique begets tone...

 

[two fingers]

Tons of bass players play with (what many consider) "improper technique".

But if it sounds great, I don't care if they hit the bass with a hammer.

 

[Clemouze]

Technique begets tone...

I was waiting this answer
"I know the tone is linked to technique and technique linked to tone , but be serious "

Yes but not at 100%
Tone can came mostly from gear for example
But yeah it could be coming from technique, for sure !

 

[dreamadream99]

Tone is easy. Every instrument has one.

I work on technique.

 

[Jacknotjohnbass]

With good technique comes great tone

 

[Lesfunk]

Tone and Feel.
I don't care if your teqnique is hitting the strings with a dead skunk.
If it sounds and feels good then it is.

 

[cnltb]

Tone comes with technique as in, technique gives one choices to mold ones tone according with ones preferences where as tone removed from control over it...well...it's an accident.
I like choice.( tone being one of these choices)

 

[HolmeBass]

I am more interested in musicality, feel, and groove. Tone is a part of that, but great tone and no groove isn't all that compelling.

 

[Spidey2112]

Technique begets tone...

Agreed.

 

[Spidey2112]

But if it sounds great, I don't care if they hit the bass with a hammer.

If I could only get Bob Vila in a pedal...

 

[McFarlin]

It's a false premise. You should change this to a "Which Pickguard?" poll before it's too late.

 

[sikamikanico]

Define technique. Define tone. Otherwise, we may be talking about different things... the fact that you're asking an either/or question makes me think you see them as separable. I don't.

 

[Clemouze]

Thanks for you answers but apparently you were pretty quick to read my post.

The key point is :
"I know the tone is linked to technique and technique linked to tone , but be serious! "

YES we all know that someone who plays super great in terms of skills can achieve a great tone.
But I can tell you that a lot of people that plays with a good level can sound like poopie and can have a random tone that no one cares.


For me , the tone option means : working your tone, choosing your gear ( pickups preamp pedals strings amp etc ) , searching for a specific tone, working on that and not just some random " plug and play"
For me the technique option means : working on your skill, knowing super secret ninja fingers tricks, be quick to play, having a super groove , showing your death playing


So the question is more :
What interests you more between both ?
What makes you say "wow"
What are you the most proud of?

Do you prefer a basic player who KNOWS how to play but has an identifiable killer tone or a show-off player that kills everything but sounds like everybody random tone ?


C'mon guys not just the basic answer " One leads to the other " because it is not the point and also it is not always true

 

[Medicine Man]

While connected, I do feel they are separate entities. I have heard some very middling players drive a great band because their bass sounds great through a huge svt stack hammering quasi steady 8th notes on the root, and some fancy players with great technique sound like trash because their setup or eq reeks. I would consider both of these situations as "tone." But technique is clearly the winner, as proven to me when I let my singer play my bass rig. Much of tone comes from technique.

 

[Clemouze]

While connected, I do feel they are separate entities. I have heard some very middling players drive a great band because their bass sounds great through a huge svt stack hammering quasi steady 8th notes on the root, and some fancy players with great technique sound like trash because their setup or eq reeks. I would consider both of these situations as "tone." But technique is clearly the winner, as proven to me when I let my singer play my bass rig. Much of tone comes from technique.

Yes you understood that and you are right !

 

[saabfender]

Tone is an aspect of technique. The effort put into technique is done through a conceptual framing of tone. If you can't sing it, it won't come out of your horn.

Tone is the dialect of the musical ideas you have in your head. It's how you hear them in their purest form. You acquire technique to give the ideas voice in your playing. When it comes to instruments, people have different levels of tolerance between the tone in their head and the one coming out of the speakers. It's why some people are always "looking for their sound" and others are not overly concerned as long as it's close enough.

Need more better words for this stuff.

 

[lfmn16]

It's a false dichotomy; you can have both.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone with great technique that had terrible tone, but I've seen many, many players with awful technique that also had awful tone. Not to say you can't have good tone with bad technique, just pointing out which is exponentially more common.

For some reason a lot of people on TB dismiss the importance of good technique. You don't develop good technique for technique's sake. You develop good technique so that you can play effortlessly and concentrate on making music, not figuring out how to get from the A on your E string to the C# on your D string. Great players with poor technique are great despite their poor technique, not because of it.

 

[Clemouze]

Ok I made some edit to clarify what I call tone and what I call technique

The choice is in fact Great tone vs Impressive technique

As an example
I prefer spending time and effort crafting a tone through pedals and researchs and way of playing than spending time learning how to noodle as super fast slapitislapito pop or horse run as 180 bpm

 

[equill]

I don't care if your teqnique is hitting the strings with a dead skunk.

Strongly disagree.

If your technique involves a dead skunk, I want a Youtube link, and I want it now.