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What makes a bass a "one trick pony"?

#61
bassbenj said:
I couldn't agree more. While I might not call a a P-bass a "one trick pony" I DO certainly call a MM Stingray one. You guys can talk about "it's all in the fingers" and how EQ changes everything, and how the player makes the sound and on and on, but you are probably a bunch of Fender 4 string players who are trying to justify your one trick bass. Sure you can make some variations in tone by how you play, but I put it to you: A stingray always seems to have that certain "stingray sound". That's its "trick". And in case you don't know it's a WONDERFUL trick that some people have built a whole career upon. What is wrong with that? Why is everyone so defensive? Who said my Stingray has to be able to sound like my fretless Alembic 6 string? (or vice versa) It's just dumb to think that because it can't, it is somehow less of a bass.
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There was a joke that sorta kinda went like this:
What does Alphonso Johnson sound like playing a Jazz Bass??? Alphonso Johnson.
What does Alphonso Johnson sound like playing a P- Bass??? Alphonso Johnson.
What does Alphonso Johnson sound like playing a Music Man??? Alphonso Johnson playing a Music Man.

Lets stop splitting hairs, a P-Bass has a P-Bass "sound". And no matter really what you do to it, just by nature of it's design, it's gonna ALWAYS sound like a P-Bass.
Same with a Music Man or really any other one pick-up bass.
Sure, a P-Bass played with a pick sounds like....wait for it..a P-Bass played with a pick.
But it still sounds like a P-Bass at the end of the day.
So, slight variations on a theme IMO doesn't make a P-Bass as versitile as a Jazz. It's a one trick pony.
Now you can take that pony to any race you want. It may win some and lose some.

And here's the biggest kick out of all of it.....
The running joke with a bunch of the guys here that used to hang out at the old Low Down Sound would check each other out. and what would be the first thing we would ask when we walked off stage? How did the bass sound.......my reply........sounded like a bass.

I've used Ken Smith's and Foderas on Country gigs. My Hofner on a rock gig once.

There is the Alman Bros. DVD where Oteil Burbridge switches from his Fodera to his old Jazz Bass, and to be honest, the sound doesn't change really at all.
There was a festival here a few years back where you had basses frome Fenders to Modulus and in the FOH, they really all sounded pretty much the same.

What matters the most is how YOU feel your pony, regardles of the number of tricks, or lack there of does it.

Jaco on a P-Bass will sound like Jaco playing a P-Bass and there really isn't ANYTHING that would make him sound any other way.
Marcus on a Music Man..IMO the same.

Now for me personally, I love that generic one tone of a Jazz Bass with both pick-ups on full and the tone all the way up.
Sure I can tell the difference between some slight things, but give me a two pick-up "Jazz" type bass, and it's gonna in a little bit sound like I like.
I also have a love/hate relationship with Music Man basses.
It's real hard/impossible to get that "MM thing" NOT to come through.
 
#62
nocontrols said:
The thing that gets a bass tagged with "one trick pony" is if it only has one pickup and a limited number of control options. I've actually heard a P-bass called this, if you can even believe it.

In reality, the only thing that makes a bass a "one trick pony" is lack of technique or creativity on the part of the player. Even the simplest of basses can do whatever you need them to, if you're willing to try it.
Click to expand...

Yup, this!
:bassist:
 
#63
MikeBass said:
Jaco on a P-Bass will sound like Jaco playing a P-Bass and there really isn't ANYTHING that would make him sound any other way.
Marcus on a Music Man..IMO the same.

Now for me personally, I love that generic one tone of a Jazz Bass with both pick-ups on full and the tone all the way up.
Sure I can tell the difference between some slight things, but give me a two pick-up "Jazz" type bass, and it's gonna in a little bit sound like I like.
I also have a love/hate relationship with Music Man basses.
It's real hard/impossible to get that "MM thing" NOT to come through.
Click to expand...


Well said.
 
#64
MikeBass said:
There was a joke that sorta kinda went like this:
What does Alphonso Johnson sound like playing a Jazz Bass??? Alphonso Johnson.
What does Alphonso Johnson sound like playing a P- Bass??? Alphonso Johnson.
What does Alphonso Johnson sound like playing a Music Man??? Alphonso Johnson playing a Music Man.

Lets stop splitting hairs, a P-Bass has a P-Bass "sound". And no matter really what you do to it, just by nature of it's design, it's gonna ALWAYS sound like a P-Bass.
Same with a Music Man or really any other one pick-up bass.
Sure, a P-Bass played with a pick sounds like....wait for it..a P-Bass played with a pick.
But it still sounds like a P-Bass at the end of the day.
So, slight variations on a theme IMO doesn't make a P-Bass as versitile as a Jazz. It's a one trick pony.
Now you can take that pony to any race you want. It may win some and lose some.

And here's the biggest kick out of all of it.....
The running joke with a bunch of the guys here that used to hang out at the old Low Down Sound would check each other out. and what would be the first thing we would ask when we walked off stage? How did the bass sound.......my reply........sounded like a bass.

I've used Ken Smith's and Foderas on Country gigs. My Hofner on a rock gig once.

There is the Alman Bros. DVD where Oteil Burbridge switches from his Fodera to his old Jazz Bass, and to be honest, the sound doesn't change really at all.
There was a festival here a few years back where you had basses frome Fenders to Modulus and in the FOH, they really all sounded pretty much the same.

What matters the most is how YOU feel your pony, regardles of the number of tricks, or lack there of does it.

Jaco on a P-Bass will sound like Jaco playing a P-Bass and there really isn't ANYTHING that would make him sound any other way.
Marcus on a Music Man..IMO the same.

Now for me personally, I love that generic one tone of a Jazz Bass with both pick-ups on full and the tone all the way up.
Sure I can tell the difference between some slight things, but give me a two pick-up "Jazz" type bass, and it's gonna in a little bit sound like I like.
I also have a love/hate relationship with Music Man basses.
It's real hard/impossible to get that "MM thing" NOT to come through.
Click to expand...

Following your logic, all two pickup basses are all three trick ponies. It's just a matter of eq and picking technique to make things interesting.
 
#65
Lets face it, there is no right or wrong answer here, some people that have a passive p bass believe that they can get a variety of sounds out of it and all they need is just the tone knob and amp eq. Another person with a big al that has 3 single coil pickups, 4 band eq, pickup selector, and passive/active switch believes that they need all of the "bells and whistles" to achive their sounds. But when it comes down to it, if your skilled in the three main techniques of bass playing then you will sound great on anything IMO.
 
#66
Are we talking about "tricks" in the bedroom (with the bass of course)...

Or on Stage or tracking.

For me, when I track, or play live....I need one or two tricks to get heard in a musical way and support the band...and get paid for it.

Rays, Ps, Js...all seem to have that sonic footprint 'trick'...after the 2 guitar players start playing, well...you know, other tricks get lost in the sauce, but that's just my gig.
 
#67
In my opinion you can set a bass up to be a OTP, but any bass properly set up and EQ'd should be able to do well in many situations. Both my basses have TI flats on them. They work for the types of music I play (blues, bluesy rock, old school R&B) If I was playing different types of music I might set one up differently or buy another bass to set up differently. I can get a myriad of tones depending on where I pluck, my EQ, my tone settings and pickup selection. Bottom line, it works for me.
 
#68
Even on a bass with one pickup wired straight to the jack, you should be able to coax at least a couple different sounds out of it just by varying right-hand technique.

A bass played lightly with fingers vs. aggressively with a pick (or fingers), sounds different. You can pluck the strings in a different area to get different sounds.

There is not a single bass on the market that has only one sound.
 
#72
butchblack said:
In my opinion you can set a bass up to be a OTP, but any bass properly set up and EQ'd should be able to do well in many situations. Both my basses have TI flats on them. They work for the types of music I play (blues, bluesy rock, old school R&B) If I was playing different types of music I might set one up differently or buy another bass to set up differently. I can get a myriad of tones depending on where I pluck, my EQ, my tone settings and pickup selection. Bottom line, it works for me.
Click to expand...

YEs, but a P-Bass can get a lot of tones- but again it's just versions of a P-Bass.

ANY bass can work in ANY situation. That's when the player takes over. The bass itself is just that.
If it's "all in the hands" as they say, then everyone should pretty much only have one bass because based on that thought process, any bass can sound like anything.

Sorry, you can have Jaco's hands playing Victor Wootens licks on Stanley Clarks "School Days" on a P-Bass and it's gonna sound like a P-Bass.

Why is it so hard, or people want to argue that a P-Bass (by example) has "so many tones" in it.
The basic over-all sound is a P-Bass (or Music Man or Jazz Bass).
That's not a BAD thing. Not bad at all. A OTP in my mind doesn't exsist.
OTP to me means it works in one situation and does one thing.

Outside of a Roland V-Bass type of deal, the only bass in my mind that covers the most tones is a J/MM ala' Lakland (and a few others).
You can get a P-Bass "ish" sound. A MM. A Jazz. a "hybred" as I call it that smacks of a real modern sound.
To say a MM or the like can do thet is really a stretch.

OTP applies more to a "player" more than a bass. A bass can fit in to pretty much any style given the player is competent enough to adjust HOW they play.
 
#73
MikeBass said:
YEs, but a P-Bass can get a lot of tones- but again it's just versions of a P-Bass.

ANY bass can work in ANY situation. That's when the player takes over. The bass itself is just that.
If it's "all in the hands" as they say, then everyone should pretty much only have one bass because based on that thought process, any bass can sound like anything.

Sorry, you can have Jaco's hands playing Victor Wootens licks on Stanley Clarks "School Days" on a P-Bass and it's gonna sound like a P-Bass.

Why is it so hard, or people want to argue that a P-Bass (by example) has "so many tones" in it.
The basic over-all sound is a P-Bass (or Music Man or Jazz Bass).
That's not a BAD thing. Not bad at all. A OTP in my mind doesn't exsist.
OTP to me means it works in one situation and does one thing.

Outside of a Roland V-Bass type of deal, the only bass in my mind that covers the most tones is a J/MM ala' Lakland (and a few others).
You can get a P-Bass "ish" sound. A MM. A Jazz. a "hybred" as I call it that smacks of a real modern sound.
To say a MM or the like can do thet is really a stretch.

OTP applies more to a "player" more than a bass. A bass can fit in to pretty much any style given the player is competent enough to adjust HOW they play.
Click to expand...

Pretty much what I think.

Also, I think many people here mixed up different tone and nuance.

I listened to the Warwick bus jam yesterday and at one point in the vid many players played a lick in a mini studio in the bus and ... PAM !!! they all sounded the same :bassist: Of course if they played in their own amp or one bass with flat the other with roundwound it will sound different but otherwise everything sounded the same. It sounded like a Warwick.

So in all, I think a P, a J or anything else will always have his caracteristics sound to it no matter if you use flat,round,pick,slap,no mid on your amp etc it still sound like a P, a J or anything else.

Otherwise ... every bass player our guitar player should have only one bass/guitar.
 
#74
mstott25 said:
Why should people be careful with their terminology or gather experience before they express an opinion about an instrument they've tried?
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Well...you're much less likely to look silly, I suppose :hiding:

As stated...it's a good way to approach life in general...2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 mouth...the ratio speaks for itself :smug:
 
#75
BigOldHarry said:
Well, Geddy/Squier used rounds; I'll be willing to be Sir Paul used flats... And they all EQed their basses quite differently.
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True.

McCartney, Geddy, and youtube slap player all sound VERY different on the same bass. If we are going to limit players to their eq and strings, what's the point in this discussion? I think we need to provide some leeway for individual player style, pick vs. fingers, strings, eq, etc.

I'd draw the line at effects.
 

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