What does your bass sound like unplugged?

[interp]

I have a general rule of always first playing a bass unplugged before buying it. I broke that rule with my current bass--a Marleaux Contra semi-hollow body Contra--which I bought before ever playing it all. Nonetheless it sounds excellent when played unplugged.

 

[Batmensch]

Vewwy, vewwy quiet. Hehehhehe.

 

[lfmn16]

I don't know and it doesn't matter - unless you plan to play it unplugged. If your goal is to have a good sound in the mix, then THAT is the only sound that matters. Having said that, I've never had a bass that sounded bad unplugged and good plugged in, or vice versa. Worrying about the sound of a bass unplugged is like scratching something that doesn't itch - IMHO.

 

[Nev375]

I'm in the camp that says the acoustic resonance of a bass matters. If you have ever swapped a standard fender or squier bass neck with a quality Moses graphite or Warmoth reinforced style aftermarket neck, you will notice an immediate and profound difference in the acoustic sound of the bass.

It is NOT just about the pickups and electronics.

Oh and mine sounds very bright with a lot of overtones and has a long sustained note decay much like a piano string. If you don't have good muting techniques to control the note you would hate my bass.

 

[jamro217]

How a bass sounds acoutstically IMO does have a relationship to how it sounds plugged in. The information is the same whether acoustic or electromagnetic. I also believe the mass, density, and shape of the bass (i.e. The distribution of mass) all play a part in creating the character or timbre of the instrument. I may be unusual in my view that I feel shape or distribution of mass is a pretty fundamental part of the character.

Stay tuned though. I suspect one or two people might disagree.

I agree with you. The relationship between strings, bridge, nut and frets are an integral part of the instrument's personality. The electronics have the most impact on your overall sound (after all, it is an electric bass), but how the bass sounds acoustically can reveal valuable clues as to the sustain and liveliness of the instrument. You can change pickups and hardware all you want, but you can't improve dead spots.

 

[Janforth]

I feel it does matter, but I also prefer to listen to my basses DI'd (dry) through a nice set of studio headphones since this is most likely how I'll be recording it. Then I eq my amp to get as close to that tone out of my rig (if necessary, effects come in there after for the fantastic obsurdities).

To answer the OP: my jazz sounds like my jazz, ibanez musician like my ibanez musician, rickenbacker like my rickenbacker, and my wal's sound like my wal's.

I think there is truth in the theory that the tone is in your hands.

 

[AudioDwebe]

I don't really care how my electric basses sound unplugged and have never paid any attention to it.

I'm sure they all sound like unplugged basses.

To me, it seems the biggest difference in sound happens when I change the strings, even played unplugged.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Unplug your bass and put a ear against the back of the body, at the neck joint, and pluck a string. Do the same but at the bridge height: you'll hear two similar sounds but with different frequencies emphasized. That's what the magnets pick up according to the location inside the body.

I have my doubt on that as the magnet of a pickup create a magnetic field around the strings and the strings while vibrating disrupt the magnetic field which is translated into the tone we hear. the spot where the pickup is is the importat part as the strings will disrupt the field differently at the bridge than at the heel

 

[Wavy]

I usually practice unplugged, because a) making each note sing without an amp improves my playing and b) my Paul Saunders custom sounds great unplugged, even better than my 64 Precision (which is for sale on here). I'd be very happy if I could get that sound every time I plugged into an amp.

 

[Spidey2112]

The Ric unplugged has a sound similar to that of a railroad spike being driven by an 20 lb sledgehammer, and both Jazz basses unplugged have that 'throaty' growl akin to a Shelby Cobra revving it's engine... Sustain is less with the Ric, as opposed to the JBs (really?), with all 3 utilizing roundwound strings. IMO, I actually think practicing unplugged helps overall technique... always have.

I used to practice quite a bit more than I do now. I can remember taking practice all the way up to family bedtime. Mom nixed the amp @ 10 pm, and then I got the bright idea to use the resonant qualities of drywall to act as my soundboard...

... that Christmas, Mom got me headphones, with a built-in amp. Needless to say, it was a good Christmas, for all.

 

[40Hz]

I like a "lively" feeing and acoustically resonant instrument. It's something I look for when buying a new instrument of any kind. I think those that are always sound better than thise that aren't when amplified.

I have absolutely nothing remotely resembling 'proof' that this belief of mine is actually based on any sort of science or fact. But as a rule of thumb (or maybe just working fallacy) it's stood me in good stead whenever I've shopped for a bass.

Like the saying goes: If it works for you, go for it - and don't worry too much about the whys."

YMMV.

 

[Engle]

My 67 EBO has this beautiful rich resonant tone if you put your ear against the body when playing. I wish I could bottle that.
It's a lot different from its fat electric tone.

 

[BlueAliceOasis]

My MTD Kingston Saratoga has pretty great acoustics. Having played both unplugged, I can say that my unplugged Saratoga sounds damn near just as clear as an unplugged Ric.

 

[ofajen]

My avatar Wishbass has a great unplugged tone. When recording, I've even tried miking it, though it's challenging, because the mike has to be so close to capture the radiated tone and it's very sensitive to slight movement. However, as with electric guitar, the added detail from the acoustic sound can add a useful quality to a recorded sound.

Otto

 

[+6dB Dan]

If unplugged tone counted for anything, I certainly wouldn't use flatwounds.

Haha I'm with you! I love flatwounds, but they do sound like a butt acoustically.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

I pay less attention to the unplugged sound than I do to the unplugged feel and the way it vibrates. If the bass has a solid feel and a sustained vibration, that's what I look for. Any real "sound" seems more of a character of the strings than the bass itself.

 

[Will_White]

Lets see,
My hollow body is fairly loud and kind of harsh unplugged, plugged in it's nice and warm and smooth.

My Fretless Box bass has a warm thumpy sound unplugged and a little of that comes through the amp but it's a lot brighter but when I start fiddling with the Fat controls can go from super dubby and indistinct to kind of thin and sterile sounding

My latest build has a very light resonant body and it responds similar to my box bass unplugged but a little brighter because it's fretted. Plugged in it's super bright and grindy, I'm going to get a set of chromes to put on it.

My Double P is thin, anemic, and quiet unplugged, plugged in it can do a fat jazz bridge or a smoothed out P sound

My resonator three string fretless is kind of thin and a little indistinct unplugged and plugged in it's a fat dub machine on the EA strings and the D has a very resophonic sound .

 

[JimmyM]

I have an 09 Precision, a 76 Precision body modded into a PJ with an 83 neck, and a Hammersmith PJ4. All three of these basses sound way different unplugged. But they have the same strings and pickups, and when you turn on the P pickup alone in the PJ's, they all sound identical on a recording. I also have two Guitar Factory basses that are very dissimilar except for the pickups and pickup locations, and one is even a 5-string. Unplugged they couldn't sound more different. Plugged in, they sound identical. But my 95 P Lyte with the same pickups does sound different both unplugged and plugged, however, it's a radical departure build-wise from the GF basses with a basswood body and bolt-on neck, whereas the GF's are neck-thru and have the same mahogany body woods, although different size bodies.

So what does that tell me? It tells me that the build has to be radically different for it to matter, and with similar pickups, similarly built basses will sound sound similar, even if the unplugged sound is different.

 

[lostreality]

My Peavey sounds pretty dull and flat unplugged. The frankenbass I just built still seems to growl a little sans amplification

 

[Raman]

My present G&L L2500 purrs when it's unplugged. One evening, me and the lady were sitting on the couch chatting while I was doodling unplugged, just doing repetitive patterns, and at some point she just stopped and started listening with eyes closed. None of my previous basses had a clear and pleasant enough tone to do this unplugged.
On a more subjective level, I'm addicted to how its body vibrates against my belly. It's a whole new experience for me, compared to my previous Ibanez.