Tone

[gregmon79]

Tone matters - presuming you can be heard in the group and are not just a dull thud and roar. If you can't hear the individual notes, it probably doesn't matter. HOWEVER, I absolutely believe it is necessary to hear it clearly. My gear now is either all Eden or Eden and DNA - all designed by David Nordschow. They do clear and articulate very well. I really like the way my Jazz bass sounds played through them.

I also think that @twofingers is right when he says, "I sure do. I have more fun and play better when I sound great at the same time." If I'm not sounding good on stage, I'll tweak it bit by bit until I do. So yeah, I'm also not happy if I don't sound good.

We did an open-mic night at a venue we want to get booked at a couple of weeks ago (I HATE auditions). The bassist for the house band was using was a sterling bass through an EA head driving an EA 212 cab. It sounded good. It was a bit more low frequency heavy than I go for, but it wasn't muddy - he knew how to get a good sound out of his gear. I set up my Eden WT500/800 and two Eden EX112 cabs. After we played 5 songs and started to break down our gear, the bass player came over and complimented me about my amp and cabs. Called it a "sweet sounding set up" and he wanted to know more about it. So I told him about my set-up and how I ran it.

It's always good to have customers at the club come up and tell us how good we sound, but they often don't know why it sounds good, just that it does. it's another thing entirely when another bassist, who has good gear and a good sound, comes up and compliments me on my sound and wants to find out more about it and how I set it.

It's always good to have customers at the club come up and tell us how good we sound, but they often don't know why it sounds good, just that it does. it's another thing entirely when another bassist, who has good gear and a good sound, comes up and compliments me on my sound and wants to find out more about it and how I set it.
This is huge for me. I love it when I hear people say, "the crowd won't even know what to listen for or hear"....oh but they do. Even if they don't know, they can still hear. Plus I'd know. If people don't care about their tone in any context or situations, they really shouldn't be playing. That's what music is all about to me, tone, composition and melody. There are of course many other factors but those 3 are my top and paramount ones.

 

[twinjet]

How many guys worry about thier Tone when playing out in a bar or a live audience? It seems that unless your audience is quiet and the room is just right, then it doesn't really matter much.

I only "worry" about levels. I'm likely the only guy in the room who cares about my tone, which I obviously tailor to the room.

 

[fishdreams]

I do. I play better, I feel better and I communicate therefore a much better experience towards the audience if I like my tone. To me, it matters, because it is all I can do. If they don't care about my tone, well so be it, they may still have a good time.

 

[grinx]

I carry a case of swap-out fingerboards made of different woods to compensate for a room's negative effects on my tone

 

[Jehos]

There's a difference between professionalism and obsession when it comes to tone.

For sure. It's practically a spectrum with those things on opposite ends. Peak "Professionalism" is running a P-bass straight into a DI box and hiring a really, really good sound guy to handle everything for you. Peak "Obsession" is having like three different amp stacks each mic'd with two different mics, plus your direct signal, plus some modeled something or another, and demanding that the sound guy somehow blend all 8 of your channels into something that sounds like the tone that haunted your dreams last night.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle.

 

[socialleper]

Of course I pay attention to my tone at live shows or at bars. Why wouldn't I? My tone is part of my band's sound. I've crafted it to work with the guitars so we have our distinct sound.
It would be weird not to care.

 

[Greyvagabond]

Nobody in the crowd is going to think "WOW that bass player has great TONE," but they will notice if you sound like butt.

Its a subconscious thing. All the little "tone" adjustments we make as musicians combine to turn into the audience thinking "this band sounds good tonight!"

 

[4001]

Hmmmm... worrying about tone at a bar gig.... with the typical bar soundguy..... naaah.. I'll pass.
Like I'd care if my tone sounded like horse droppings while playing that overplayed, boring, braindead, garbage bar band music....

 

[morgansterne]

Our band really relies on tone. We're not virtuosos. But we play at reasonable volume on great sounding instruments and listen to what we actually sound like together as a band. Just playing the right notes is not enough.

 

[MDBass]

Sure. We can overdo it. We can "sweat the small stuff". Guitarists and drummers do it too. You think any audience member really cares what crash cymbal you drummer has? Nope. But your drummer sure does.

And the audience will most certainly care if they wince every time that crash is hit

 

[mikewalker]

How many guys worry about thier Tone when playing out in a bar or a live audience? It seems that unless your audience is quiet and the room is just right, then it doesn't really matter much.

I worry about my tone every time I play anywhere. The bass has to have the right harmonic content to blend with the drums, underpin the guitars and vocals and still let me hear it clearly. If it doesn't sound right, playing becomes an onerous chore, not a joy...

 

[Pings Bass]

Tone == laying in the mix and still being heard. That is all that matters, and it matters in every situation, live or recorded.

 

[fdeck]

I'm always conscious of tone, technique, intonation, etc. Maybe it comes from my acoustic background. I don't see a reason to have different approaches depending on whether I'm practicing or playing out. The gig is when I get to find out if my practicing has paid off.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

How many guys worry about thier Tone when playing out in a bar or a live audience? It seems that unless your audience is quiet and the room is just right, then it doesn't really matter much.

Pretty much I don’t worry about tone. I have a set EQ I use gig to gig that 99% of the time works very well.

 

[JoshS]

if your sax player suddenly turned up with a clarinet or an oboe?

I can’t stand the texture of saxophone, but love oboe. This hypothetical band would be awesome. I would (sincerely now) be mesmerized by a rock/jazz band showing up with an oboe that works.

 

[Stumbo]

I sure do. I have more fun and play better when I sound great at the same time.

Audience of one or one hundred, I get the best tone for the band and the venue.

 

[ForestFriend]

For the folks that don't care, would you not care if your keyboard player used a piano patch instead of an organ patch, or if your sax player suddenly turned up with a clarinet or an oboe?

On the other hand, would you notice/care if your organist had a different drawbar setting than usual, if your pianist was using a Wurlitzer sound instead of a Rhodes sound, or if your saxophonist started using a different mouthpiece?

I think there's a difference between bringing the right instrument to the gig and obsessing over your tone.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I can’t stand the texture of saxophone, but love oboe. This hypothetical band would be awesome. I would (sincerely now) be mesmerized by a rock/jazz band showing up with an oboe that works.

An old friend of mine had a jazz/rock/folk/classical band that had an oboist; Eric's tone, and circular breathing, sounded great for their music.

 

[pappabass]

Accept this now or learn this over time: 99% of folks in the audience couldn't care less or even begin to evaluate your tone. Just dial up the EQ which is appropriate for the room and also appeals to you.

Yes! Best way to hear how your gear sounds is to let another bass player play your bass the way you have it set. I did that a few weeks ago.

 

[Stumbo]

Yes! Best way to hear how your gear sounds is to let another bass player play your bass the way you have it set. I did that a few weeks ago.

Yep. Going wireless or getting a long cord to use during sound check may work as well.