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whats important to you? tone or feel?
- Thread starter cliff em all
- Start date
Tone.
I watched a recording of a bass clinic Bob Babbitt did a few years ago and he was talking about the importance of tone and how he couldn't relax properly if he wasn't happy with it. His view was the the more relaxed you are the better you play. Ergo, better tone - better playing.
At the gig last Friday I really understood this. I'm really happy with my current tone and it was working well on the night. I played probably better than I ever have. Having great tone for me brings confidence with no distractions and that's what it's all about
I watched a recording of a bass clinic Bob Babbitt did a few years ago and he was talking about the importance of tone and how he couldn't relax properly if he wasn't happy with it. His view was the the more relaxed you are the better you play. Ergo, better tone - better playing.
At the gig last Friday I really understood this. I'm really happy with my current tone and it was working well on the night. I played probably better than I ever have. Having great tone for me brings confidence with no distractions and that's what it's all about
Feel is very important. Tone can be adjusted more easily.
As it is the sound we're after, both feel and tone are important. However, the main purchasing decision is usually feel first, for me at least. Although I have purchased most of the last 10 years worth of instruments without having heard or played them... Hhhmmm... A bit contradictory... Most of those instruments are gone now. I've kept a couple that feel and sound good.
As it is the sound we're after, both feel and tone are important. However, the main purchasing decision is usually feel first, for me at least. Although I have purchased most of the last 10 years worth of instruments without having heard or played them... Hhhmmm... A bit contradictory... Most of those instruments are gone now. I've kept a couple that feel and sound good.
- Jul 7, 2010
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- Endorsing Artist for: Duncan Pickups; Line6, Hipshot, GHS Strings, Somnium Guitars
Feel first.....if you feel comfortable and it is enjoyable to play....then you can always make the changes to get the TONE you want.....may not always be easy, BUT you can do it. (Sometimes you need to just look around a bit to fine the RIGHT bass that feels and has the tone you are wanting to hear, just take your time and don't rush looking for it though)
No contest: feel. If my hands are not comfortable, then I am probably going to be frustrated because I'm not playing my best.
As for tone: nobody else really cares, so why should I be so fussy? A Modulus Quantum sounds radically different than a Fender to my ears, but I've played a Quantum at country gigs and the few comments I got were related to its appearance.
And yes, I care about tone to some extent, but if the bass has a P-bass pickup then there's a 90% chance I'll be happy with it regardless of other factors. Assuming it feels right, of course!
As for tone: nobody else really cares, so why should I be so fussy? A Modulus Quantum sounds radically different than a Fender to my ears, but I've played a Quantum at country gigs and the few comments I got were related to its appearance.
And yes, I care about tone to some extent, but if the bass has a P-bass pickup then there's a 90% chance I'll be happy with it regardless of other factors. Assuming it feels right, of course!
When buying a new bass, I consider both points to be equally important. If the tone isn't there, it's a deal breaker. If the feel isn't right, and it doesnt seem like something that can be fixed with a proper set up, it's a deal breaker. Fortunately these days you can get great sounding and great playing basses relatively cheap.
While I prefer both tone and feel in equal measures, I've always felt that I shouldn't let minor things like tonal issues define how good I play on any given night. It's my job to play my best no matter what.
If you replaced "tone" with "feel", then I would agree with you and Bob completely.
I guess it also depends on what you mean by "tone". I doubt Bob was talking about timbre: i.e. the tonal difference between a P-bass and a J-bass. He was probably referring to a sound that sits well in the mix, with proper dynamics. An example of bad tone in this case would be blurred notes from boomy room acoustics or a crappy amplifier.
Feel.
I can do a dozen adjustments (both on the bass and the amp) to shape the tone, but can't fix the neck shape or body shape on an uncomfortable bass.
I can do a dozen adjustments (both on the bass and the amp) to shape the tone, but can't fix the neck shape or body shape on an uncomfortable bass.
bongomania
Commercial User
Tone is key but feel and other factors come into play.
Example: I bought a USA Spector and the tone was amazing. I had to sell it as it was almost 12lbs and the neck was like a baseball bat.
Example: I bought a USA Spector and the tone was amazing. I had to sell it as it was almost 12lbs and the neck was like a baseball bat.
Vintagefiend
I don't care for 410 cabinets at all.
yeah, I'm down with both.
If a bass doesn't feel good to me, it's usually because it needs some flats and a setup.
If it doesn't sound good to me...then it needs a different owner.
They are both important, IMO. I'll agree you can affect tone to some degree, certainly more so than an inherent feel to a particular instrument. And I also agree to whoever it was that said that (good) tone is, for the most part, very subjective. I suppose that's true for feel too, perhaps not quite as much? That said, I'll go for feel first. The tone would have to be pretty bad to not play it, if the feel was great.
- Oct 3, 2004
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I'd rather have the feel be the better of the 2...the majority of the tone actually comes from the player and not the instrument.I can't tell you how many times I've let people sit in on my gigs and when they play my bass,it still sounds like the bass they own.
Feel.
I have almost always been able to transform the tone of any electric bass by good choices in strings, hardware, electronics, and set up method.
But if she doesn't feel right, that's very difficult to remedy and pretty much a deal breaker for me.
(I assume by "feel" we're talking about matters of dimensions, scale, neck thickness, body style, ergonomics, etc.--more or less permanent features)
I have almost always been able to transform the tone of any electric bass by good choices in strings, hardware, electronics, and set up method.
But if she doesn't feel right, that's very difficult to remedy and pretty much a deal breaker for me.
(I assume by "feel" we're talking about matters of dimensions, scale, neck thickness, body style, ergonomics, etc.--more or less permanent features)
Tone. As a tech, I know that I can make moderate improvements to an instrument if it has the fundamentals (even sustain, no dead spots, etc.), but I can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. If it's dead and lifeless, a pickup swap and a setup ain't going to fix it.
That said, to some extent the importance of feel depends on where you are with technique.
I've been playing a long time on a lot of different basses. I prefer an instrument that plays like butter, but I can adapt to just about anything from a DeArmond rubber bass to an ABG. Of course, when I was still struggling to get by with beginner skills, feel was everything. If you can only just barely play a part, then anything that holds you back, even something as inconsequential as a bit of neck dive, becomes a major problem.
That said, to some extent the importance of feel depends on where you are with technique.
I've been playing a long time on a lot of different basses. I prefer an instrument that plays like butter, but I can adapt to just about anything from a DeArmond rubber bass to an ABG. Of course, when I was still struggling to get by with beginner skills, feel was everything. If you can only just barely play a part, then anything that holds you back, even something as inconsequential as a bit of neck dive, becomes a major problem.
I have a peavey grind. I wired in an active preamp from an old rbx 374 I have, and now it's my favorite bass, in both feel and tone.
