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Your Tone
- Thread starter dbamta
- Start date
Hey Dbamta,
I don't really think I'm 'scientific' enough to give you percentages.
But what I firmly believe is that,...
I'll 'sound' like me on any bass I play. Basses don't make any sound on their own.
If you take the most expensive bass ever made and plug it into the best amp on the planet and then set it on a guitar stand,...
It won't make any music.
But if you hand me a $30 bass from a pawn shop,...
People who 'know' my playing will know its me, even from just listening.
I almost never use the EQ on my bass or the EQ on my amp. I set everything flat in every bass I play.
Basses don't make music people do! The same can be said for drums, keyboards, horns and microphones.
But this is my non-scientific understanding of things.
peace,
anthony
I don't really think I'm 'scientific' enough to give you percentages.
But what I firmly believe is that,...
I'll 'sound' like me on any bass I play. Basses don't make any sound on their own.
If you take the most expensive bass ever made and plug it into the best amp on the planet and then set it on a guitar stand,...
It won't make any music.
But if you hand me a $30 bass from a pawn shop,...
People who 'know' my playing will know its me, even from just listening.
I almost never use the EQ on my bass or the EQ on my amp. I set everything flat in every bass I play.
Basses don't make music people do! The same can be said for drums, keyboards, horns and microphones.
But this is my non-scientific understanding of things.
peace,
anthony
Well. I agree With Ant on playing style, but I think the discussion here is about tone. Every thing in the signal chain affects the tone. Of course playing style affects the tone greatly, but strings, instrument, effects, amps and preamps also play a big role on the outcome. But if your playing is crap, all you are going to get out is crap.
I answered the question exactly like I wanted to answer it.
If you play well people will try to copy your tone. They will make it be an important tone. If you play bad with the same tone, people will not like it.
The important thing is to play your ass off and people will decide that it's a good tone.
The great players don't copy others tone. They just play their asses off.
Victor, Marcus, Stanley, Jaco, Jamerson, etc,...
None of them have the same tone but they all play their asses off!!!
True tone is great playing! Because every tone can work if the playing is great!
If that wasn't the case,...
There would only be 1 tone!
peace,
anthony
If you play well people will try to copy your tone. They will make it be an important tone. If you play bad with the same tone, people will not like it.
The important thing is to play your ass off and people will decide that it's a good tone.
The great players don't copy others tone. They just play their asses off.
Victor, Marcus, Stanley, Jaco, Jamerson, etc,...
None of them have the same tone but they all play their asses off!!!
True tone is great playing! Because every tone can work if the playing is great!
If that wasn't the case,...
There would only be 1 tone!
peace,
anthony
Wow, I really never looked at it from that perspective. I think I just had an epiphany after reading this. You make a great point, if Jaco was just some schmo off the street who was a bad player, I'm certain people would have thought his, burpy, soloed bridge pickup tone was awful.
Yeah man. It's all about how and what you play. And when. Took me decades to understand this.
This!!! is definitely the best statement on the subject I have ever come across.
Your music voice is like your speaking voice. You don't have to try to find it. It's already been defined. We only think we have to find it because we compare ourselves to others. But it doesn't take any effort to sound like yourself. You already do! You just have to make peace with the voice that you have.
And it takes 'effort' to sound like someone else. That's what requires work.
Think of your speaking voice.
You ALREADY have a tone. You've made peace with it. We recognize you when you talk. Even if we can't see you. It required NO effort on your part to sound like you. It would take effort and practice to sound like Martin Luther King, jr. And if you only define good tone by other's voices you'll always be searching.
Once someone because famous in Hollywood people begin go impersonate them. No matter how 'majestic' or 'quirky' the voice is. You just have to be 'defined'.
People impersonate James Earl Jones and people impersonate Woody Allen. Neither of those people tried to 'find' their voice. And neither of them 'asked' to be impersonated.
Here's the deal,...
I said it earlier,...
If you do what you do well enough others will define it as a good tone.
It's not even your choice!
peace,
anthony
And it takes 'effort' to sound like someone else. That's what requires work.
Think of your speaking voice.
You ALREADY have a tone. You've made peace with it. We recognize you when you talk. Even if we can't see you. It required NO effort on your part to sound like you. It would take effort and practice to sound like Martin Luther King, jr. And if you only define good tone by other's voices you'll always be searching.
Once someone because famous in Hollywood people begin go impersonate them. No matter how 'majestic' or 'quirky' the voice is. You just have to be 'defined'.
People impersonate James Earl Jones and people impersonate Woody Allen. Neither of those people tried to 'find' their voice. And neither of them 'asked' to be impersonated.
Here's the deal,...
I said it earlier,...
If you do what you do well enough others will define it as a good tone.
It's not even your choice!
peace,
anthony
Anthony -- awesome points. What are your thoughts about various effect pedals such as compression, chrous, fuzz, etc? How do they impact or influence your tone?
100% me is my tone. Doesn't matter if it's an Alembic or a vintage Fender it sounds like me through headphones or tubes it's me.
Here's a good example of what Anthony was saying in his response to the OP. Last year while doing a clinic at SamAsh here in IL, I was blessed to loan my stock Lakland 55-02 to Ant while he jammed with Victor. To this day I can't get the tone from my bass that Master Wellington extracted from it. He made my inexpensive, mass produced beautiful baby sound like a boutique bass and I'm all the better for the lesson. It's not about the gear as much as it is about the musician. Play the music not the bass!
