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Too Many Knobs vs. Not Enough Knobs
- Thread starter ebozzz
- Start date
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
- 12,122
- 16,793
- Disclosures
- have been on nationally released albums, charting on the Billboard 200
2 Jazz pickups, 3 knobs on J bass. Then lots of pedals with lots of switches and knobs and an amp with buttons and knobs and GBs of amp/speaker sim software.
A while back on one of these pages, I posted a pic of my Sunday morning setup with my Lull Jazz bass (6-knob, 2 stacked) and my minuscule pedal board, which is only a StroboStomp tuner and a Khan Tube DI.
Someone made a sideways-to-me comment about a bass that had more knobs than my pedalboard.
I deleted my post. Won't do that again.....
But that’s just you. My new bass has 5 knobs, one of them with two concentric controls, another with push/pull, and two switches, and I still believe the talent is in my fingers. But I love having a bass with lots of different really useful voices.Yeah, but that's just, like your opinion, man.
Absolutely no offense meant, by the way...just pointing out the irony of your post.
On topic, I feel part of that response (and I'll admit I'm guilty of it, being a simple soul) comes from a belief that the talent is in the fingers, not the bass.
I personally have briefly owned a couple of basses more complicated than the humble Precision, and have found I spent more time messing around trying to find a 'perfect' tone than actually playing.
..except when putting all the knobs at noon....isn't actually flat, which happens a surprising percentage of the time.
They’re so much easier to reach while you’re playing on your bass than on the pedal board. Makes a lot of sense to me.A while back on one of these pages, I posted a pic of my Sunday morning setup with my Lull Jazz bass (6-knob, 2 stacked) and my minuscule pedal board, which is only a StroboStomp tuner and a Khan Tube DI.
Someone made a sideways-to-me comment about a bass that had more knobs than my pedalboard.
I deleted my post. Won't do that again.....
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
- 6,649
- 2
- 16,417
- Disclosures
- I privately own and operate a local musical instument repair shop.
I like to mess with them. I'll usually post a picture of an Alembic Series bass covered with knobs/switches and doodads, practically a mixing board channel on the face of it, next to a Turner Renaissance bass, with two side-mounted wood knobs. In true Talkbass spirit, hijack the thread and make it a picture post all in one go. Maybe get in a little Gibson/RIC-bash on the side.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,054
- 45,948
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- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Yep, just need to include "Leo never got it right" for the full effect.
Which is why I never understood this obsession with “flat”. How boring anyway, and also, no amp, stage, venue is the same.
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For me it has to have a volume control. Anything beyond that is a bonus. If it sounds good then good to go. I prefer quality over quantity usually and for live purposes the less to fiddle with all the better. ymmv
I’m not talking about threads that are specifically discussing the topic. I’m talking about a thread where someone post a picture of a bass that they recently acquired or own. It’s inevitable that someone will add a “too many knobs for me” type statement to the post…
Hee hee, you said "knobs"
Well that’s exactly what those whose make the posts say, isn’t it?
