Too much tone???

[gtrguy]

I get louder as the night goes on so the drunks can feel my bass in their kiester more. I hate to pay sound folks money to just have them get it all set and then just sit there the rest of the night!
 
I have actually been using a 15 inch EV stuck in the smallest plywood cab around I could find and it rocks! No ports, about a foot deep and two feet long. Of course the bigger venues I have to drag out the heavey stuff, but my back is getting old.
 
I also play with my fingers, thumb, slap, use a pick, whatever. It's amazing what a pick can do to bring you out in the mix sometimes. Just play downstrokes and mute a little with the heel of the palm and it's instant Motown flatwound!
Dave

[bsee]

Everything has a place.  I try to move my tone in the direction of the expected for various cover tunes, but maybe not all the way.  Your drummer, unless playing electronic, has only one kit.  If the other musicians aren't also trying to tone match from song to song, then the sonic spectrum can get screwed up.  If you go to a heavily over-driven tone because the song calls for it, the result may be the bass lost behind the guitar tone.  
 
The bass tone for the various bands you're trying to copy probably doesn't change much from song to song in that band's work.  That's because it is what works in the context of the musical style and the sonic space available in concert with the rest of that band.  If they had a different guitarist or drummer, they might have a different bass tone.
 
So, if you're in a band that is going to try to match tone with covers, then go for it.  If you're not, though, you have to find a great tone that sits right in the mix.  Adding effects or adjusting EQ to more closely match a tune is fine as long as you don't lose the core.  That's especially true in the bar band world.  My job there is to groove so that people bounce around, have fun, and get thirsty.  That's much more important than a perfect rendition of a song, and a meaty core to the tone is one of the keys.
 
I walk a fine line in a three piece band plus vocals.  I like to mix up the tone a bit here and there so all the songs don't sound the same, but you can't go too far afield with no other support.
 
By the way, I generally plug into a Bass Pod XT and use the modeling features.  I don't use heavy effects from the Pod, just a little light chorus on some tones and an external EH POG here and there for octave up effects.
 
-bob

[terryc]

bsee..that is what I was doing, nothing extreme as those crap tunes didn't require it but to give a little authenticity to the song, I re programmed my Zoom unit so it was a 'scene shifter'..used it as a tone changer but he still complained.
To be honest I was past caring after 10 months..maybe he did me a favour!!

[bsee]

We do what we want as far as tone goes, but we all care.  If it sounds good to me in the basement, I then try to listen to the playback with a better mix and see if it still sounds good to me.  If we don't all love it, like it, or at least think it's workable, I'll move toward a more generic good bass tone.  At that point, we're ready to lay it down in public.
 
If all the musicians aren't happy, then you don't have a band and it's time to move on.  No fault, just creative differences.

[gtrguy]

I find bands are just like dating, when it doesn't work out find a better looking one! but then I always was a shallow sort of guy!
 
Bye, Dave

[edwin]

When using tone shaping tools, I find that it really helps to have a sonic goal in your ears before you even touch a knob. Then, the knobs that remain untouched after a few month can be removed from your rig and you won't even miss them!
 
Edwin

[briant]

If you have a set tone in mind and you're not just dicking around constantly (while on stage) there is nothing wrong with changing it up.  Anyone who thinks otherwise has no idea what they are talking about.  That's like demanding the guitar player use only one patch for everything or the keyboard player only using the rock and roll piano for everything... Sure you *could* get away with that all night long if you absolutely *had* to.  But why when you've got the tonal options at your disposal?
 
The stage isn't a place to be searching however.  You need to have the sound in your mind and a pretty good idea how to get it (and then correct for the room) otherwise you are going to annoy your bandmates.  And possibly the audience... but odds are they don't notice and don't care.

[jet_powers]

the audience... but odds are they don't notice and don't care.
 
I've always supected that if they don't know, then you've done your job well. I also suspect that if you weren't there you'd be conspicuous by your absence...
 
JP

[terryc]

I have (along with many of us here)experienced two types of audience.
The first..they don't care what sound is there because they are out on a Friday/Saturday night, to have a few beers, maybe get drunk and party/dance to a band then fall asleep in the chair when they get home.
The second..the musos gig, usually mid week, where other musicians go to hear something more credible and see what the band are playing, what gear they have, how good they are and finally enjoy what is being done and maybe do some of the songs they have seen performed in their own band.
For the first..the perfect tone is not important, maybe neither is super accurate playing either.
The second..well that can be quite unnerving but if you sound great, play great then you usually get some very nice comments about the gig.

[oujeebass]

There is a thing I call inspiring tone. I tend to stumble across it. It depends on things I can't identify. The instrument seems to lock in with the amplification and kind of plays itself. I have been called loud before. I figure that is just me trying find that tone. It ends up just trying hear what's going on.

[white_cloud]

This thread sums up my philosophy - how many different sounds does a bassist need live?? (at volume) and how many of these HI-FI tones actually really work well??
 
Thats why I use my Fender Precision all the time nowadays. Combined with a good amp/pre-amp it fits my every need for gigging/rehearsal!
 
John.

[jacko]

how many different sounds does a bassist need live?? (at volume) and how many of these HI-FI tones actually really work well??  
 
In my case, lots. That's why I haven't used my fender precision for gigging or rehearsing since I got my first alembic in 1996. I think, as Alembic players we're very lucky to have a huge tone palette at our fingertips. Every time I've seen Yes, Chris squire changed basses frequently through his set whenever he wanted a markedly different tone, as did Hutch Hutchinson when I saw Bonnie Raitt in Glasgow a few years ago. Maybe if they played Alembics their techs wouldn't be so busy ;-)
 
Graeme.

[georgie_boy]

Well.........I haven't used my Series bass live for a while.
I used my Curbows...great for the places we play (dangerous!)
As from Saturday past, I took my 75 P bass out for the first time.
4 very usable sounds......all great!!!
A joy to play that bass.
For what we play, I don't need anymore than that....at the moment.
Oh........and that wonderful Fender P bass sound.
G

[georgie_boy]

So,
I have to agree with gtrguy and white cloud.
My Curbows have more treble/bass etc, but IMHO, unless you play jazz/fusion/solo stuff, 4 or so tones are enough to play cover material.
Don't get me wrong!.......if I could take my Series to every gig, then I would.it's just that at some gigs we play, you'd end up bringing her home in pieces.
I'm a believer in the fact that, if you drop a Series on the floor, then you end up with the headstock removed.
With a P bass.you can play cricket with it before the gig....bat beer bottles during the gig, and crush heads after the gig.......if need be..and it still sounds great
After all that......I miss my Series at gigs!

[bassilisk]

Every time I've seen Yes, Chris squire changed basses frequently through his set whenever he wanted a markedly different tone, as did Hutch Hutchinson when I saw Bonnie Raitt in Glasgow a few years ago. Maybe if they played Alembics their techs wouldn't be so busy  
 
It's much easier to pick up another bass with the tone you want out of it all set up than to twiddle around recalibrating parameters between songs. Unless you have presets in your amp with a controller (like a footswitch) it can be a real pain to do it in a timely way. It's that very reason I own a number of different basses - they each have something I want already cooking with minimal tweaks. Now, I can't afford to have a tech handing me one of a dozen different basses, but if I could that's the way to go IMO.  
So, I take whatever I bring and get the best tone in my head approximation and usually leave it alone other than minor adjustments. We do all covers, but nothing requiring extreme tone changes. Solid and tight makes it for me because I feel I'm presenting my version of the tune - we're not a tribute band requiring an exact replica.
 
I've also found that it's a combination of factors that determine your tone for the night. My constant is the amp - otherwise it's bass and venue that drive the tone I'll get. I definitely have my favorite rooms that always sound good regardless of what I bring. But in some places, particularly catering halls that are full of marble and/or mirrors and/or high ceilings a lot of the control I'd like to maintain goes out the window. It can be a real bear just staying out of the mud and boom at a volume that doesn't kill the audience and still sound musical. We don't reinforce so it's stage volume only. A combination that sounded like bass manna one night can be unrecognizable the next - it's just the way it is.