I carry spare 9Vs and a multi-tool. Oddly enough that takes up less space than a second bass
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Why do people like complicated basses?
- Thread starter mittens89
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I carry spare 9Vs and a multi-tool. Oddly enough that takes up less space than a second bass
Awesome, I did not think of that! Now I can master the Fretless. You win at Talkbass.
Awesome, I did not think of that! Now I can master the Fretless. You win at Talkbass.
no, with hints like that we *all* win at TB!
I always prefer the simplicity of a P or J. I have outed several nice Ibanez basses due to complex controlling. But when you see that signature Fender bass from that untallented bassist that I will not name (what an @$$clown) with only one knob, you have to admit that there is a need for certain amount of control, no matter how basic/raw your sound may be.
That being said, I thought the guitarist and the vocalist were supposed to be the egomaniacs. This thread has degenerated to "VoxTalk" caliber.
That being said, I thought the guitarist and the vocalist were supposed to be the egomaniacs. This thread has degenerated to "VoxTalk" caliber.
Do you really think this is the case? I have run sound for maybe fifty shows, not a lot and never in a well-built and well -tuned rooms, but enough to have never once noticed a bass player making a drastic change in tone that made me have to adjust his mix much (if at all). Perhaps that was my ears, or my mix, but maybe there is plenty of sonic room for the artist to adjust the stage mix a bit. Or not?
I suppose in a ideal context the changes could be a lot more noticeable from the audience, but that would be in a much more hi-fi setting with a band in full control of dynamics and stage volume; that is a small percentage of gigs to my knowledge, and even so if someone is at that level they are hopefully and probably going to make a good tone choice!
Now on the other end, as a bass player, I have often wondered the same thing. If I think about it i'll ask some engineers I work with.
Nothing is complicated if you know how to use it. The main reason for so many knobs and switches is the variety of tones you can get. Having said that, I think many bassists buy them because they think it's cool to have. If you watch famous players, the generally keep it simple, P-Basses, Jazz Basses, Telecasters, Stingrays, etc.
Ah, the never ending debate. I'll cut to the chase: I play a Fender AV '57 P. Through my Mesa/Boogie or Genz-Benz it sounds exactly the way I want it to sound.
Others like variety, and have the chops to produce it. God bless 'em, but that's not me. No crowds will ever surround me, screaming for a bass solo. And that's fine, because I couldn't deliver. To me, that's not what the bass is for. Others, again, have the chops.
But one of my guilty, secret, pleasures, is when an uber-bassist picks up my P: his right hand instinctively starts feeling around for knobs and switches and faders and sliders and all the goodies he's used to, and eventually he will ask me: "How do you get a good sound out of this?" "Plug it into an amp" is my answer.
No offense intended: I love listening to accomplished bass players, but, when I want to express myself, I get out my 335. That suits my talents better.
Others like variety, and have the chops to produce it. God bless 'em, but that's not me. No crowds will ever surround me, screaming for a bass solo. And that's fine, because I couldn't deliver. To me, that's not what the bass is for. Others, again, have the chops.
But one of my guilty, secret, pleasures, is when an uber-bassist picks up my P: his right hand instinctively starts feeling around for knobs and switches and faders and sliders and all the goodies he's used to, and eventually he will ask me: "How do you get a good sound out of this?" "Plug it into an amp" is my answer.
No offense intended: I love listening to accomplished bass players, but, when I want to express myself, I get out my 335. That suits my talents better.
Uh, me. I carry fuses for all my amps. And screwdriver set, and a truss rod wrench for each bass, and spare strings, and spare cords, and spare 9 volt, etc. etc. And my active basses have only once (I've been playing actives since my first StingRay in 1979) given me problems related to the circuits in them- and that was the one time I didn't use a Duracell battery. Nope, I don't worry about batteries going dead in my basses because I change them before they're drained.
The point is that some folks DO care about these things when we're gigging and pay attention to them. But the other point is that batteries are a red herring in this discussion. You could have a passive bass with lots of controls, and some folks would decry it as "complicated". It's just knowing what works and taking the time to learn it.
John
That's exactly the point. Should a bassist be ALLOWED to control his sound? He can't even HEAR what his bass sounds like out in the audience. Why does a bass need ANY controls at all? The perfect "pro" bass is obviously a perfectly smooth Fender. Not a knob in sight. Why do you even need a volume control? What is that soundman for? And he's sitting out there where he can hear exactly what you sound like to the audience. Let him control your EQ too!
Do what the Pros do. They hire a sound man to control their tone, and level. They hire a luthier to repair and setup the instrument. They hire a bass tech to tune and change strings on their bass(es). They hire roadies to carry the basses around for them. AND they hire accountants to count their money so they don't have to. The only thing a "pro" needs to concentrate on is playing music.
Obviously ONE knob on your bass is WAY too many.
Delegate.
(I'm sure you guys know that even though what I'm saying sort of makes sense, I personally don't believe a word of it)
if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, what a sweet world this would be...
Delegation is great when a) there is someone to delegate to, and b) that someone is competent. Most times a and b are not in play.
Since far too many have types words we need more pictures.
one volume - simple
one volume, bass and treble - still simple
vol/vol/tone - still simple (except for that pesky second pickup)
vol/blend/stacked bass/treble cut/boost, mid boost/cut with pull switch frequency selection - that dreaded "complicated!"
All used for different gigs that need different sounds and approaches. Can I force one to play a "wrong" gig? Yup - have done it. No one in their right mind would play a Deep 5 fretless at a funk gig. Well, 'cept me. But the PJ or the Roscoe fits better for most the tunes. Actually the Roscoe fretless will be first call for that gig as I think it'll kill. The PJ will be first call for the Steely Dan thing. In general the more complicated the soundscape, the more flexibility I need, either coming from the on-board electronics or my fingers and amp twiddling.
Delegation is great when a) there is someone to delegate to, and b) that someone is competent. Most times a and b are not in play.
Since far too many have types words we need more pictures.
one volume - simple
one volume, bass and treble - still simple
vol/vol/tone - still simple (except for that pesky second pickup)
vol/blend/stacked bass/treble cut/boost, mid boost/cut with pull switch frequency selection - that dreaded "complicated!"
All used for different gigs that need different sounds and approaches. Can I force one to play a "wrong" gig? Yup - have done it. No one in their right mind would play a Deep 5 fretless at a funk gig. Well, 'cept me. But the PJ or the Roscoe fits better for most the tunes. Actually the Roscoe fretless will be first call for that gig as I think it'll kill. The PJ will be first call for the Steely Dan thing. In general the more complicated the soundscape, the more flexibility I need, either coming from the on-board electronics or my fingers and amp twiddling.
That's why I LOVE the fact that two of my "go to" basses have outboard power supplies. I have active circuits without worrying about batteries. I have sound unless there's a power out. And then it would be moot, 'cause the amp would drop out too.
And they both have more knobs and switches than a lot of folks on this thread can bear. Oh well. It's not like I tweak all the knobs all the time.
I've modded my Rics and Fenders in the past to be active and have all those extra features and I always went back to passive, I preferred the sound and the configuration.
I have a Squier Standard Precision V (5-string, passive, Jazz electronics, rounds) and a Squier Affinity P-Bass (passive, 4-string, flats) and they cover the gamut for me. However, I do 90% of my playing in a church, all of that going direct to the board, so I think I'd like a nice active 5er to do the job for me.
That said, I'd love a MusicMan SR5 HH: 3-band EQ, 5-way coil switch, 5-strings, and I'm all set for every gig.
That said, I'd love a MusicMan SR5 HH: 3-band EQ, 5-way coil switch, 5-strings, and I'm all set for every gig.
if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, what a sweet world this would be...
Delegation is great when a) there is someone to delegate to, and b) that someone is competent. Most times a and b are not in play.
one volume, bass and treble - still simple
So negative. Are delegatees really that bad? ... oh yeah. Nevermind.
And what is that bass? I think I'm in LOVE! And it's a real* bass too! Rip the knobs off of it and it'd be perfect! It's the same knobs as my Carvin AC50 (fretless), but I'd still like these better with a neck magnetic pickup to mix in! And you know that means <gasp> more knobs!
* all "real" basses have 5 or more strings...
Not a problem if you have an active bass capable of switching to passive. My F Basses, Laklands, Sadowskys, and Fodera all do that. No fear.
Well, if I need all of those tone options in one set, I'm going to have a lot of bass changes, and it's not like I'm in the Eagles, where the guitar tech brings me a different guitar for every song. I'd rather turn a couple knobs and play the next song. I also don't want to be walking back to my amp every time I need an EQ adjustment.
Nope, I want my knobs and switches. Lots and lots of knobs and switches. I am in control! I will decide what the tone shall be! I will turn the knobs! I will throw the switches!
