How important is gear to your sound?

[Bassfinger]

Gear is very important to my sound.  Without it I would make no sound.

[ped]

To the sound? It’s nearly everything. My fingers don’t make much nose otherwise.
 

To the way that sound is played? A bit, a lot comes down to feel and inspiration!

[Boodang]

2 hours ago, stewblack said:

I don't search for a specific sound, it's more a case of defaulting to what sounds good to me. 

Over the years I've just found the quickest ways to get there regardless of the gear I use.

Actually, now I think about it, as much as I might have a sound in my head, my sound has more or less found me. My first bass was a s/h fretless because I thought it looked 'sexy'! My first amps I bought because they 'came my way' and were cheap. And bought pedals because I like the artwork on them. 

So to a certain extent the tone I have at any given time happens a bit by chance.

[Boodang]

1 hour ago, ped said:

To the sound? It’s nearly everything. My fingers don’t make much nose otherwise.
 

To the way that sound is played? A bit, a lot comes down to feel and inspiration!

Is that because your fingers are busy picking your nose rather than your bass?!

[ped]

9 minutes ago, Boodang said:

Is that because your fingers are busy picking your nose rather than your bass?!

It helps with dexterity 😂

[lownote]

All my 40+ basses have sounded different unless of exactly the same config. String type makes a massive difference, wood type also. Pickups, active/passive.  And amps and cabs are also different. There is a strong argument in the woodwind world that you will sound like you whatever your horn. I'm not entirely sure that's true, althought there is strong evidence. But I don't see how it can possibly be true with bass, where the quality of the sound wafting into peeps' 'earholes is entirely crafted by a long chain of kit bits actuated by a couple of twiddling fingers.

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Boodang said:

Is that because your fingers are busy picking your nose rather than your bass?!

 

I was kinda wondering where that was coming from?

 

2 hours ago, ped said:

To the sound? It’s nearly everything. My fingers don’t make much nose otherwise.
 

To the way that sound is played? A bit, a lot comes down to feel and inspiration!

 

...but, quite right, it's clearly where our dear leader gets his "feel and inspiration" from.

[Boodang]

57 minutes ago, lownote said:

All my 40+ basses have sounded different unless of exactly the same config. String type makes a massive difference, wood type also. Pickups, active/passive.  And amps and cabs are also different. There is a strong argument in the woodwind world that you will sound like you whatever your horn. I'm not entirely sure that's true, althought there is strong evidence. But I don't see how it can possibly be true with bass, where the quality of the sound wafting into peeps' 'earholes is entirely crafted by a long chain of kit bits actuated by a couple of twiddling fingers.

Ah, the difference between acoustic, woodwind, brass, violin family, compared to a lump of wood with a pickup. 

[ped]

19 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

I was kinda wondering where that was coming from?

 

 

...but, quite right, it's clearly where our dear leader gets his "feel and inspiration" from.

It’s the second biggest part of my body

[Al Krow]

29 minutes ago, ped said:

It’s the second biggest part of my body

Surely not? I mean your left leg has gotta come a close second behind your right leg? 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I'm pretty sure I can get my sound out of any bass & amp, although I'd be a lot happier if the bass is passive and wearing a set of flatwounds.

[Downunderwonder]

3 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

I'm pretty sure I can get my sound out of any bass & amp, although I'd be a lot happier if the bass is passive and wearing a set of flatwounds.

I guarantee I could stump you. I am pretty sure your sound isn't wet fart under a blanket.

 

What is your sound?

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

I guarantee I could stump you. I am pretty sure your sound isn't wet fart under a blanket.

 

What is your sound?

It is usually described as a wet fart under a blanket.

[Downunderwonder]

1 minute ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

It is usually described as a wet fart under a blanket.

I prescribe roughage for that. Leave out broccoli and cabbage. Presume brussels sprouts already off the menu.

[Frank Blank]

How important is gear to your sound?
 

Well, the more you smoke the better you sound…

 

Allegedly. 

[chris_b]

Gear is very important. If I can get a good sound without touching the EQ I'm winning.

 

Good sounding gear is a great safety net.

[SH73]

It's all in the fingers! 

[NJE]

I am always interested when people discuss getting “your tone”, as it’s not something that has ever been a conscious part of my playing life.

 

I have not played in many originals bands which is where I imagine creating a tone is important as part of the bands musical identity? 
 

As I have been mainly in function/covers bands, my tone is generally whatever the song needs. That could be a muted P like tone or full on aggressive Stingray bite and everything in between.

 

In recent years I have just made whatever bass I could afford work for whatever I was playing at the time. I have had a 36” scale Overwater Progress and a £260 Squier as my main instrument, and given the variables of rooms, other band members, audience size etc I can’t say that any one piece of gear sounds any better than the other, just different. And as per another thread, sometimes my rig could be phenomenal and other nights it would be shocking in a band context, purely down to the room.

 

I do admit that I like having my USA Stingray, the neck and comfort is great and there is a tiny illogical part of my brain that likes the romance of the made in USA thing, but honestly a friend pretty much gave me a Harley Benton Jazz and it feels good too, and once the shielding is sorted it will be gigged.

 

Maybe someone might be able to identify my playing by my style, but I certainly don’t think I have a tone.

Edited December 14, 2021 by NJE

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, NJE said:

I am always interested when people discuss getting “your tone”, as it’s not something that has ever been a conscious part of my playing life.

 

I have not played in many originals bands which is where I imagine creating a tone is important as part of the bands musical identity? 
 

As I have been mainly in function/covers bands, my tone is generally whatever the song needs. That could be a muted P like tone or full on aggressive Stingray bite and everything in between.

 

In recent years I have just made whatever bass I could afford work for whatever I was playing at the time. I have had a 36” scale Overwater Progress and a £260 Squier as my main instrument, and given the variables of rooms, other band members, audience size etc I can’t say that any one piece of gear sounds any better than the other, just different. And as per another thread, sometimes my rig could be phenomenal and other nights it would be shocking in a band context, purely down to the room.

 

I do admit that I like having my USA Stingray, the neck and comfort is great and there is a tiny illogical part of my brain that likes the romance of the made in USA thing, but honestly a friend pretty much gave me a Harley Benton Jazz and it feels good too, and once the shielding is sorted it will be gigged.

 

Maybe someone might be able to identify my playing by my style, but I certainly don’t think I have a tone.

 

I have played almost exclusively in originals bands since I started and I can tell you that no, in my experience it has not been a big deal for me to use whatever bass I like, whenever I like.  When you record I guess you commit to a certain sound, but what's the point in being slavish to it?  Listen to any live album by any band - do the performances sound like carbon copies of the recorded originals?  Nah, it's probably not even physically possible with all the studio embellishments like double tracking so don't worry about it.  As long as the correct playing technique or correct effect applied at the right time (a cheeky pop here, some palm muted thumbing there, overdrive, whatever) then it'll be ok.

[neepheid]

Additional - I guess it depends upon how front facing the bass is and ergo how confident the bass player is to be heard.  Some bands have a distinctive and recognisable bass sound - say The Stranglers, and some don't - could you really say there was a particular Oasis bass sound?  I couldn't - could it be because Oasis was 2 non-bass playing egomaniacs and some other guys?

 

I'm still pretty new to recording so when I do, I'm just happy to get it right - because boy do you hear those mistakes for the rest of your days, even if no-one else knows they're mistakes in the first place.  As a result, I think I sound tamer on record than I do when I'm playing live.  So I'm not even being "me" when I record - whatever "me" is.

[Doddy]

1 hour ago, NJE said:

I am always interested when people discuss getting “your tone”, as it’s not something that has ever been a conscious part of my playing life.

 

I have not played in many originals bands which is where I imagine creating a tone is important as part of the bands musical identity? 
 

As I have been mainly in function/covers bands, my tone is generally whatever the song needs. That could be a muted P like tone or full on aggressive Stingray bite and everything in between.

 

Everyone has their own tone. Even if you're trying to replicate sounds in a cover band, you will still sound like you.

I think the 'tone is in the hands' line is heavily misunderstood. It doesn't mean that you will sound exactly the same on every instrument, but that you will sound like you on whatever you play.  That's why everyone who plays a Precision doesn't sound like Jamerson, or every Jazz player doesn't sound like Jaco.

Look at the long running debates on what bass Geddy plays on what songs. It doesn't matter if he plays his Jazz or his Ric, it still sounds like him.

[Lozz196]

7 minutes ago, Doddy said:

Everyone has their own tone. Even if you're trying to replicate sounds in a cover band, you will still sound like you.

I think the 'tone is in the hands' line is heavily misunderstood. It doesn't mean that you will sound exactly the same on every instrument, but that you will sound like you on whatever you play.  That's why everyone who plays a Precision doesn't sound like Jamerson, or every Jazz player doesn't sound like Jaco.

Look at the long running debates on what bass Geddy plays on what songs. It doesn't matter if he plays his Jazz or his Ric, it still sounds like him.

Great post @Doddy, really spot on.

[Muzz]

I've got basses running from the luthier-made £2k+ range (and I've owned S/H ones that were originally more expensive than that) to a £32-delivered Harley Benton, and I sound generally like me on all of them*.

 

The three defining factors are the ease with which I can get 'my sound', how the instruments themselves look (I'm on record as being as shallow as a puddle in this regard), and how I feel when I play them.

 

Similar with amps, but the biggies on that front are the practicalities of fitness for purpose, in terms of volume and portability. Since going partly Digital (Stomp)/IEM, the tones themselves are taken care of in the small black floor box...

 

 

* It helps I'm a simple animal; P-Bass with rounds and a pick...

[Rayman]

On 12/12/2021 at 19:45, ped said:

To the sound? It’s nearly everything. My fingers don’t make much nose otherwise.
 

To the way that sound is played? A bit, a lot comes down to feel and inspiration!

Yes, I agree Chris, but I guess what I'm asking is, is "your tone", in your head...  The sound you like to find, regardless of the gear.... whether you're playing an Ibanez,  Fodera, Fender whatever? Obviously the gear provides the actual "sound", but do you dial in YOUR tone, regardless of the gear?

[Ed_S]

I would say that the thing which makes me sound 'like me' on most instruments is my playing style rather than an innate tone, and if I sound fundamentally different on a given instrument it's because it actively forces me to modify my playing style, usually by feeling physically awkward in some way. If somebody associates me - as our lead guitarist does - with a specific tone, I'm inclined to believe it's because that's what they generally hear in combination with my playing style at the point where they're best placed to recall it. Years of rehearsals playing the same genre of songs on broadly the same bass and amp in the same corner of the same room with the same number of people in it who are also playing broadly the same instruments and standing in the same places, for instance.

 

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

do you dial in YOUR tone, regardless of the gear?

 

I dial in a suitable tone for the room and genre within the bounds dictated by the gear. The ideal is that I leave the settings mostly flat, bring up the master until the sound tech tells me to stop, then play.