Tone

[bass theory]

Tone is that fleeting sensation that all is right with the world. as such by the time you realize you found it, it is already gone.

 

[datasmog]

What is tone ?
Where does the good tone come from .

Not what, who. It’s my old band mate Tony. Good guy, he lived in London last time I saw him.

 

[ctmullins]

Tone is nothing special.

Until one day you find a tone that is special.

Then you think "Wow! That sounds amazing! Now I understand what tone is!"

But still you can never explain it in words to anyone else....

 

[Rib 13]

It also comes in five flavors: Great, crappy, well executed fart, piss, and carrots ---- and fortified with essential vitamins and minerals! Part of a complete and balanced breakfast!

 

[GTx2]

Also, is this at all like asking how the sausage is made?

 

[Bikeguy57]

What is tone ? Is it the tweeking of ots and nots or is the manipulation of voltages or is it mechanical ?
Where does the good tone come from .

What is tone ? Is it the tweeking of ots and nots or is the manipulation of voltages or is it mechanical ?
Where does the good tone come from .

Corona, CA. Also Fullerton of course!

 

[mrcbass]

Tone results from a combination of all things in your signal chain including your fingers/pick.

Yes, any player can generate many tones just from how they approach their attack (better players do this on purpose!). But there are limitations as to what you can achieve based on your set up - for example, I have a hard time getting that smooth warm tone of Jamerson on round wounds and have equal difficulty trying get a real aggressive, "zingy" tone out of flats. Nature of the beasts.

Hands, strings, bass wood, neck wood, bass setup, on board electrics, pedals, preamps, amps and even the room you are playing will all contribute to your tone.

 

[CryingBass]

Tone is the weight of coal I get each year in my Xmas stocking...

 

[Claymore]

Also, you are at the mercy of the conditions you're playing in. A pickup has a different sound when it's cold than it does in the middle of July. This is one of the many reasons why getting (and keeping) your desired tone is so elusive.

 

[rtslinger]

After many years of playing ( and I mean many years of playing) I have come to believe it is in your hands, when the smoke clears the mirrors are all broken you= your tone. Don't believe this, record yourself playing clean, with chorus, with distortion or whatever you want and guess what you will still hear you in it. So learn to love what has been gifted to you because you are unique. I should write that down..........oh wait I just did

 

[Peteyboy]

It doesn't matter what your tone is about if you don't respect the empty space around it. Ease with elements of phrasing ie: sustain, rests, breathing (the things you're NOT playing) can bring you to the place where your tone lies.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Replace the word "LOVE" by "TONE" and you have your answer... John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air (1978) - YouTube

 

[misterCRUSH]

tone is relative. Everyone's is different. Everybody's tone goals are different. Tone is a combination of everything between your fingers and coming back to your ears. Everything. I'm happy to announce that after a long time of searching, I finally am producing the tone I've always heard in my head.

 

[mambo4]

musically speaking, tone = timbre,
any part of a sound that is not precisely described by frequency (pitch) or amplitude (volume)*
timbre comes from the overtones present in the vibration of the air

Englishly speaking, tone is whatever the speaker thinks they mean when they say it

* modulation or changes in the pitch /volume can also effect perceived tone

 

[Frankie Fender]

It's in the fingers and the ears.

Fingers are the medium through which tone is transmitted (lighter touch, position, digging in, smacking it, etc.) and the ears are the gatekeeper that makes everything just right. (fiddlin' and twiddlin' those knobs)

 

[db59]

It's in my head,that sometimes makes it to fingers,

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Can the human brain figure out the human brain? This is a paradox.

 

[OogieWaWa]

Tone is what's left when you take noise and remove most of the bad parts. Good tone is when you've removed the correct bad parts to your liking.

 

[Gsnorgathon]

What is tone ? Is it the tweeking of ots and nots or is the manipulation of voltages or is it mechanical ?
Where does the good tone come from .

Gonna have to go with tweeking of ots and nots here. All these years I've been wondering, and now I know. Arigato gozaimas, sensei-sama!

 

[groove pump]

Dunno about bass ... but on a guitar it comes from the heart thru the fingers. I'd rather hear Billy Gibbons bend one note than watch Joe Bonamassa run up and down the fingerboard all night.

Halleh-frickin'-LOO-yuh!!