Why do people like complicated basses?

[M.R. Ogle]

I'm gonna buy Bongo's book... if he ever decides to write one.

(Copied, pasted and should be engraved on a stone tablet).

Hey, I like to fiddle with / work on my basses, too... that's just HALF the fun. Swapping electronics, trying different strings, etc.

However, when playing, I just want to NOT think about settings and stuff... I do as minimal "twiddling" as I can get away with.

 

[Kwesi]

Wow... TB has been awash in dumb threads recently

 

[Korladis]

I like simplicity, really. My main bass has four knobs, but I only use one of those and the pickup selector.

 

[knucklehead G]

Wow... TB has been awash in dumb threads recently

Technically this was a dumb thread from seven months ago, necroposted with a pic of a P bass in case we don't know how many knobs they have.

That said, I often get weird looks playing basses with no knobs on them... I build them without, or take them off. If I have knobs I fiddle too much with them and get distracted. Probably because they're shiney. I EQ my amp, put it behind me, and try to not think about maybe turning that big chrome knob.. just.. a little..... bit more...

 

[nostatic]

I have a bass that I never touch any knobs (even volume), and another that I'm constantly changing during gigs. The reason is that in some cases one basic tone suffices for all the material (with fine tuning done with my fingers), and in the other case one basic tone doesn't really serve the music as well as I'd like it to. So I tweak the sound for different songs.

Neither is better or worse. Knob counting is an interesting concept though, and interesting to see what people chose to focus on for their armchair psychoanalysis...

 

[spade2you]

Knob counting is an interesting concept though, and interesting to see what people chose to focus on for their armchair psychoanalysis...

This bass is fun.

But so is this one

and this one

 

[Kwesi]

Technically this was a dumb thread from seven months ago, necroposted with a pic of a P bass in case we don't know how many knobs they have.

Haha, I just noticed that myself but I was too lazy to go back and delete my post . But, commenting on some more recent threads, I'm seeing a lot of "Why don't people like what I like?" and "Why do people like what I don't like?" type threads a lot. Maybe it's the way that they're written that makes them look ignorant or the fact that that always seem to contain some absolute statement as if to subtly say that there is no better way than their to do something.

A much better way to phrase this question would have been "What does an on-board preamp do for you?" or "How do you use the preamp in your bass?"

 

[Flaked Beans]

I need this: Invalid Link Removed and this:

right now!

 

[Korladis]

K, what do all those knobs actually do? I'm curious.

Is it a passive/active switchable setup with traditional volume + tone for each picku as well as an active three band EQ?

 

[Sifl]

I just have a volume knob. Might get rid of that.

 

[zachoff]

Both of my gigging basses are 1 pickup, 2 knob passive basses.

The most complicated bass I have is a T-40 but once you "get" the controls it's really not that complicated.

Tomorrow though... I'll have a brand new Epi EB-3 and I'm wondering how complicated it will turn out.

 

[darkstorm]

Variety. For messing around. Its not new thing really. Gibson had there 5 position tone selector switch ripper. BC Rich was prob the first to do really elaborate control options back in the late 70's and early 80's. And like others have said, a lot of time you may be playing thru a venues bass rig or better yet the house PA. Onboard options are very nice then. Heck, most of the presets Ive created on my processor are small variations of basic presets I created to allow me options there for what sound best in the mix. Variety is good for experimenting, inspiration, messing around with and etc. Lol.

 

[knucklehead G]

A much better way to phrase this question would have been "What does an on-board preamp do for you?" or "How do you use the preamp in your bass?"

But would that have inspired three pages of arguing?

 

[crack-boom]

It's kinda like the pre / post DI debate I reckon. Especially from a sound engineers perspective. We try our hardest to get a mix that sounds good out the front, it gets kinda hard when you have someone who will mess around with an eq at their end during the show. I suppose you could set and forget at the bass end with all those switches and knobs, but really it does the sound person, you and the gig no favours by messing around with a sound once the show has started.

What sounds good to you might not necessarily sound good to the sound engineer out front. Play the bass and let them worry about making it all sound good

IMO, IME, FWIW and all those things added on the end.

 

[emjazz]

i used to like complicated basses for the same reason i used to like complicated women...the thrill of trying to figure them out.

i later learned that the good part about the less complicated basses and women is that you spend less time figuring them out and more time making sweet music with them.

So true.

 

[Jazzdogg]

<SNIP> Your amp has an EQ - - why does a bass need it too? <SNIP>QUOTE]

FWIW, While playing, I find it easier to reach down and twist an on-board knob than to make the changes on my amp; I usually adjust the EQ on my amp to suit the venue's acoustics during sound check, and use the EQ built into my bass to adjust my tone during the gig.

 

[Kwesi]

But would that have inspired three pages of arguing?

Haha, right you are! I've clearly made a error in my judgement

 

[Nev375]

Most everyone likes versatility in their instruments. Some achieve it with different instruments, some achieve it on different pickups and controls, some achieve it with different pedals or amp settings and some achieve it with just their fingers.

I'm not sure either way is better than any other, but the last one inspires me the most.

 

[chuck3]

I'm no expert, but I put my bass where I like it for the night and don't touch it again. All my changes during the gig are made on the amp head. Then again, all my heads are Genz Benz and I've never seen such a simple and powerful system for tone adjustment. More effective than doing it on the bass.

 

[ubado]

Most everyone likes versatility in their instruments. Some achieve it with different instruments, some achieve it on different pickups and controls, some achieve it with different pedals or amp settings and some achieve it with just their fingers.

I'm not sure either way is better than any other, but the last one inspires me the most.

Pretty much.



Personally, I've widdled down my collection to (2) basses (fretted and fretless 5'vers). With that, I'm in the versatility with my instrument group.

Although both of my basses have 3-band EQ's ... the vast majority of the time I'm using my "blend" control and various switches (ie. mid switch or series/parallel depending on which bass) to change the tone. For the most part, the rest are set and forget, only tweeking them on rare occasion.

Back when I was playing in a funk/blues trio ... a P/J 4-banger (vol/vol/tone) was all I needed or wanted to use.
I guess it's all about what you're digging on at the time.