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Tone. Really that important?

#124
Stan_da_man said:
Funny how you think Status and Bergantino are cheap...and I own them. So that's your opinion out the window.

Tone is important but not as important as good playing. Because I am a good player I don't need to buy uber expensive gear like you do to sound good. I could buy expensive gear but what's the point when I still sound like me? I love my set-up ATM and I don't need to buy any more gear to sound better - I have found a tone, I am very happy with it and stuck with it. You on the other hand are probably still searching for it.
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You didn't get my meaning, I guess. I don't know you or what equipment you have, or how much it cost you, any more than you know that stuff about me. My gear is very much middle-of-the-road and I am happy with my tone. Very possibly I'm not half the player you are.

I only meant one thing: Gear snobbery cuts both ways. For every player who sneers at high end basses there is another who looks down on SX and Squier players. Put another way, I was just countering your sweeping generalization with one of my own. ;^)

Peace,
 
#126
if you dont think it matters, then it doesnt matter. but if you do think it matters, then by golly, it matters. its all just personal preference but if you're doing a gig, and your tone sucks, people might notice. just so long as they're savvy enough to notice.
 
#127
As far as the sound coming from your bass, of course, tone is everything! Some people will say playability is king. I say they are the same thing provided a good instrument and amplification is handy. In fact, I think exceptional ability to play the instrument will produce good tone. As mentioned above, tone is in the hands.
More below...

Tone is how you would describe your bass sound - how full it is, the frequencies it accentuates, how long it sustains, etc. Of course, it's up to each individual what 'tone' they like.
 
#128
Well i have always known in my experience that rock is 50% music and 50% show. When the crowd sees my 810 on the stage they think "wow.. he's going to play loud tonight..." well people get excided.

Tone is in your hands and in your equipment.. you can't really get humbucker sound out of your sound while playing singlecoil basses? well i can't. and i can't boost up mid with my fingers? can you?

I know what you mean tone is in your hand... and in time your tone will get better becouse you play more and more...

- Diddii
 
#129
Tone is the way something sounds. I can't think of any situation in the entire literature of music where the way something sounds doesn't have EVERYTHING to do with it's musical effect. IT'S MUSIC after all! And you can't have music without sound! So how can sound/tone not be important?!? If a player doesn't care about sound, that becomes their sound. James Jamerson didn't care that his strings were original to the bass. So now guys try to never change their strings to get that sound. It's ALL about sound.
 
#130
If my tone is not there, I'm gonna have a bad night. I've been playing for almost 35 years and in the beginning as long as I had a decent amp and a bass w/4 strings I was happy, but over the years I've gone thru all kinds of tone phases. My first tone was Andy Dewar of Robin Trower, then Chris Squier of Yes (I bought a Ric to get that tone), then the infamous Jaco tone (I had an Acoustic 360 to help with that tone), then I started to develop my own sound, by the end of the 80's I had a great deep low end, lower mid-punch with off the top high end for snap as a tone - that's what I prefer today. My tone is an expression of myself and is very important to the way I sound in a group or just by myself.:smug:
 
#131
Vynns said:
An instrument is a tool to create music, not a lifelong friend or mortgageloan investment.
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Why not?

For most of us musicians (regardless of the instrument), we spend an eternity and a small fortune (usually) just so that we can get "our tone" personalized to say what we want about ourselves.

I figure if you're going to be spending the kind of time with a bass that is required to "make it sing" (so to speak), You just might want to treat it like a "best friend".

Playing music is a choice. It takes a lot of time, energy, and above all, commitment. You'd better be ready to invest in one way or another.

So, I guess it's all about "THE tone".
 
#132
Lemmy
Steve Harris
Geezer Butler
David Ellefson
(...)

Different techinques, different tone. Imagine how Megadeth would have sounded without Ellefson's clean, punchy tone, or Motörhead without Lemmy's signature distorted-rhythm-bass-guitar approach etc.
 
#133
Fuzzbass said:
I can think of several, including:

  • Entertaining the audience
  • Creating groovy music with your bandmates
  • Earning money

All of these factors are more important to me than wonderful tone.
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I must be hallucinating. How the hell are you gonna acomplish any of those things if you don't have a good tone? It's like trying to build a house with no foundations.
 
#134
I can tell you that I get 80% of my gigs because of my tone. Every band that I get calls to sit in with comment on my tone. I play smooth jazz, R&B, Funk, and Rock. Good tone is essential in smooth jazz. Each instrument occupies a tonal spectrum and if your bass has bad tone it will effect the mix. Our audience may not be able to say "the bass sounds bad," but they will say, I don't like the way the band sounds. So maybe the type of music you play equates to the importance of tone. Maybe in a "Punk" context where the music is more energy driven than tone, but in Smooth Jazz, R&B and gospel, the bass is the foundation of the music, so bad tone just won't cut it. IMHO
 
#135
Vynns said:
Evenin' all,

I have been thinking lately about something, which is kinda like this thread: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=456475&

A lot of people here and elsewhere in the music scene are completely obsessed with that elusive quality that is "tone". However, does tone really matter? I am talking about performing and live shows, not studio and recording of course, where tone would indeed be a big factor.

See, I'm in a place in my musical career where I have never recorded in a studio and it's not in my immediate future. Also, I have no money. That counts. Anyhoo, my gear is cryworthy: I own a Yamaha "cheapass bass" I think the term is, and I do not have my own amp. It sounds like... I don't know. When I play it, I'm not missing anything in my sound or whatever. It's not great, but good enough, know what I mean?

But in spite of that, I've done quite a few shows as a guitarist, and about 3 or 4 since I became a bassist, all with crappy gear, and all with complete conviction and energy. I think what people take away from a gig is the energy, the atmosphere and the fun they had, not what tone the bass or the guitar has, especially non musicians. Doesn't it, when doing shows, all come down to that? The songs you've written, the message, the energy you're trying to get across to the audience?

Now, what I'm wondering, is if a more highend bass or even a midrange "workhorse" kinda bass, like a MIM jazz for example would really be so much better? I am comfortable playing my agathis body, held-together-by-ducttape-and-chewing-gum, even-hobos-make-fun-of-me, cheapass Yamaha. And if I can "make it" with this thing, well, that would be a thing of pure punkrock poetry methinks. Or am I missing out on something? Am I making this harder for me than it should be? Am I just dodging the "a more expensive bass is automatically better" pitfall, or am I being a poor naive sap who is denying himself the pleasure of playing a $3000,- custom made bass?

And that's another thing. I don't know how you highend bass people do it. If I had an Alembic or whatever, I would be afraid to play it or scratch it. With an $80,- beauty, I save myself the worry of "omg, hope nuttin' happens to my bass". An instrument is a tool to create music, not a lifelong friend or mortgageloan investment.

Any thoughts?
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Tone is everything but most of it comes from your fingers and technique, find a bass and amp combo you really like and stick with it, I do believe in playing good instruments and using good amps however, but if you're happy with a duct-taped Yamaha go for it, but just remember there's such a thing as reverse snobbery which can hold you back too.
 
#136
From my experience gigging, 99% of your audience won't be able to tell the difference between your J and your P, your zingy/trebly active bass and your old school workhorse strung with flats, or between any other two pieces of equipment you switch between.

That said, what I do percieve to be important is equipment that you are comfortable using/performing with. As long as your equipment isn't inhibiting your ability to make music or perform it, you have no reason other than "I want it," to buy new gear. This is why I'm selling off all but one bass. If it ever gives me problems performing live, maybe then I'll buy a cheap backup. But not before.

But that's just me.

EDIT: BTW, tone is not all in your fingers. Nor is it all in your equipment. You, your bass, your effects (if you have them) your amp, etc. are ONE INSTRUMENT. It ALL comes into play. All links in a long chain that is your instrument.
 
#137
superfunk47 said:
From my experience gigging, 99% of your audience won't be able to tell the difference between your J and your P, your zingy/trebly active bass and your old school workhorse strung with flats, or between any other two pieces of equipment you switch between.
Click to expand...

Non musicians won't usually be able to tell a strat from a lespaul either, besides their look.

The most important thing is the overall sound of the band, You can two bands play the exact same setlist, if one sounds way better than the other, that's the one people will go back to see play.

The general tone of the band depends on the individual tones of the instrument and their ability to sound good in a band context. Sure, one member of the band can just don't care about his/her tone without ruining the rest of the band, especially with bass guitar, but if everyone in the band was in the same state of mind it would sound like crap.

This pertain not only to bass guitar but to all other instrument as well. Sure if a lead guitarist is taking solos all night then the audience will notice it more, but I don't think the audience is more prone to not being able to tell a bad bass tone from a bad rythm guitar tone.
 
#139
That was the question i asked myself when my guitarist decided he wanted to buy an uber-expensive tube amp with his paper round...

...actually, on second thoughts, the other guitarists tone hurts the audiences ears. Then they do notice :(

I allowed myself to buy an electric double bass, on the logicc that the audience WILL notice :P
 
#140
I think every bass player comes with his/her own tone. It's the sound that you generate based on your playing style and the sound you like to generate. If you like how you sound, that's your "tone".

That said, I think searching for tone is a waste of time. Set things up so you like the sound, than PLAY. Being compulsive about tone and searching for it is a waste of time and energy. You already have a "tone", so get on with playing.
 

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