Questions for a bassist

[iwantdigimon]

Dear all,

I'm more of a guitar player, but I just like to learn more things, including how to tell if a Bass's tone is good, etc etc.

Anyone can recommend examples of a good bass tone and not so acceptable bass tone? I know tone is a subjective issue, but there are surely there are examples of not so complimentive ones?

Does the wood used in making the bass vary with tone just like the guitar? or is the amplifier a more deciding factor?

Thank you guys!

 

[b33r]

i think everyone would agree that a bad tone would be one that gets completely lost in the mix.

good tone is too subjective, IMO.

the wood used affects tone to a certain extent. http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_guitar_buying_guide/tone_woods.html

not as much as amps, though.

 

[rottenramone]

seasoned guitarists and bassists are basically the same, concerned about tone, wood, effects, shoulder strap, hair gel and makeup.

but can't really "learn" what's good tone and what's not. gotta develop your ear over time.

here's a good place to start: http://www.basstasters.com/

 

[shinobi]

both the tone and the amp will play a part. however, the kind of wood used to make the bass, as well as the electronics/pickups, are a more clear-cut way of determining the kind of sound it is likely to produce.

as for amps, it is not as straightforward. different amps have different voicing. its hard to determine this by looking at specs, you will need to basically know the amp. i use a markbass amp which is voiced transparently, for example.

so i guess it's the same for guitar as well. i don't know if there is alot of emphasis on speaker size for guitar amps, but smaller speakers are more defined, bigger speakers move more air.

i think by and large most things are the same with guitar. however, your tonal preference for basses may be different than for a guitar cos you will be playing a different role in the band. a mahogany guitar would really fatten up those solos, but perhaps for a bass you might want something brighter like ash or maple to cut through

 

[iwantdigimon]

I see!thank you guys! what about pickups? anything I should know or avoid?

 

[Nisazif]

i would think the pickups of a bass would affect tone more so than an amp would. please correct me if i'm wrong though..
pickups are GENERALLY divided into vintage, modern and shitty. and they can be passive or active, wired parallel or in series. both of which apparently affect tone. i think the whole active or passive pickups thing is a more prevalent thing when it comes to bass as compared to guitars..
then comes the Jazz single-coil pups and the Precision split-coil pups. then you have your humbuckers too. thats just a taste of it..

 

[lordie]

just play and experiment, if it sounds good and sits with the band well go for it. or else keep changing until u think u got it ;p

 

[warwickw]

Personally I feel that new strings and amp matters the most, followed by the preamp and then pickups.

 

[g13nn]

[=iwantdigimon

From my research (i could also be wrong), there are more variety and choices of tone wood compared to the guitar. The type of wood will really affect the tone.

Check this out:
http://www.warmoth.com/Bass/Options/WoodDescriptions.aspx

For me, aside from my fingers and plucking/picking position, the strings and wood of the bass will affect the tone of bass the most. Think of it the Wood and the Strings is the Singer and the Pickups will be the microphone. If the singer is really good, a good microphone will be beneficial to pickup more details of his voice. But if the singer is lousy/lame, even the best microphone wont make him sound good (that is if there is no effects, just clean). That's just my comparison. The preamps and amplifier will also be a factor. Some preamps and amplifier add color to the tone... again very subjective if you like the color or not.

For a good tone and bad tone... this is very subjective coz there are people who like the mid scooped and some like the midrangey growl for the finger style funk.

Mid scooped example will me Marcus Miller on this tune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXSPNDQVc3A

Midrangey growl will be like Jaco http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jr3x4oJrDs

Some like overdriven like Billy Sheehan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z4NciOWiyY

Hope I helped

 

[iwantdigimon]

excellent. Thank you for the effort! I really appreciate it