Where Does Tone Come From? A fun exercise

[BurtMacklinFBI]

The length and hair color of the player, duh. Also how aggressive the leopard print is on their headband.

I can see how hair color can be important, but the length of the bass player shouldn't matter unless they're playing for Dethklok. I hope it doesn't matter, anyway.

 

[primusfan1989]

Fingers

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Strings, pickups & player. Wasn't surprised to see those options leading the poll once I'd voted, either.

 

[JW56789]

It's you. Some basses will certainly sound different one to the next, amps, etc., but give me five minutes and any bass/amp combo you can come up with, and . . . . . . . I will sound like me. Their must be some primordially baked-in EQ curve in my DNA, it WILL happen. Granted, I sounded like a better me on the Alembics than the Squiers, but it's still me.

 

[lfmn16]

IMHO tone comes from the player, the bass and the amp. I pretty much sound like me no matter what I play, but there just is no question that I sound better on quality equipment.

We see all these threads about it being the fingers, but I've noticed that most of the players recognized as "the best" play on quality equipment.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Well after going through about 20 different amps in the last 2 years and using the same bass and strings, I'd have to say the amp. The only ones that gave me "my tone" were Eden and Genz Benz. There were others that were close, but not quite there. So I guess I'll vote "other".

 

[Eminor3rd]

1. Tort
2. Carrots
3. Fire the drummer

 

[RichardW]

Considering how many posts on TB are devoted to color (of bodies and pick guards), I'm amazed that no one has (yet) voted for "Paint/finishing method."

 

[Bass V]

nobody mentions the weather when in fact IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WEATHER cos tone changes.

 

[micguy]

Another vote for pickup location(s) as the biggest factor in what the bass contributes. As to the sound coming out of the bass/player combo, though, the player's technique trumps even that.

 

[zubrycky]

YMMV, but, IMHO, pickup placement should be on the list as a separated item. The same pickup can sound very different when installed in a different spot on the bass, after all.

 

[Systolic]

Strings, Pickups (and their placement) & Other (Setup)

 

[tpaul]

I chose strings, pickups and player. Turns out so did almost everyone else.

 

[Schmo_bass]

The obvious ...

Preamp/DI/tone shaping controls

Amp and cab choice (or Direct)

To me these these are as much part of the instrument as the BG itself...

 

[mattj1stc]

I went with technique (I included pick, fingers, thumb and slap as well as where these were done), pickups (including type, location, but also active and passive) and strings (some differences between different brands, but the most pronounced was flats vs. rounds). Several years ago, I was able to test this out by playing 14 different basses directly into a board that was recorded. These were the 3 that came out every time.

 

[Ric5]

Tone comes from carrots

Link Removed

 

[BD Jones]

Ears

 

[Rib 13]

beer guts and saggy moobs

 

[BOOG]

Tone wood, obviously. It's science.

lol
Where are these tone trees you speak of? Hmmm?

 

[darwin-bass]

Tone (or timbre) is certainly affected by the player but I'm putting the player in a 4th place behind Pickups / Controls / Strings.

Take your favorite bass. Change from SS to flats. Now use any technique you can to reproduce the sound of rounds. Can't be done. Strings > player.

The player can't make a J soloed bridge sound like a P. Pickups > player

Use the preamp in your active J to crank the lows and cut the highs. Now play your passive J any way you want and duplicate the sound from the active J. Won't work. Electronics > player.

Of course the music, the groove, the feel - all the stuff that REALLY matters comes from the player which is why, at the end of it all...

Player > instrument.