Bass sound dilemma

[Wonks]

And it's a Warwick bass, so Bladder would be happy.

[Sam Inglis]

Errr... Did you listen to that example I posted? How could anyone doubt that's a fantastic bass sound? It's all in the fingers!

It's barely a bass sound at all!

The playing is great but the sound is thin and clanky.

[The Elf]

Errr... Did you listen to that example I posted? How could anyone doubt that's a fantastic bass sound? It's all in the fingers!

It's barely a bass sound at all!

The playing is great but the sound is thin and clanky.

We are listening to two completely different songs!!!

[BigRedX]

TBH I have yet to come across any bass that wan't capable of producing a perfectly good bass guitar sound in the hands of a half-way competent player, and recorded by a decent engineer.

To sort of get back to the OP, what I find with musicians who are chasing a particular sound from a recording (for any instrument) is that they rarely consider the overall musical context. What makes instruments in songs sound great is not the sound of the instrument on its own but how it works with all the others in the arrangement and production. Taken out of context and while you might have nailed the sound exactly it no longer sounds right because it doesn't have the correct sonic space to sit in any more.

I discovered this in my synth playing days back in the 80s when I would hear a fantastic sound on a new record that I wanted to emulate, but by the time I'd made it work for my own music it had undergone so many changes, it bore little resemblance to what had inspired me in the first place.

[Music Wolf]

I'm with The Elf with regard to that bass sound - absolutely gorgeous. I also like basses that go thump, but it's all about context and for that track / playing style the sound fits.

With regard to Rickenbackers I sorely miss my old 4001 (which I sold 35 years ago). I lust after a 4003 but, as I've now moved on to 6 string duties, I'll have to make do with my Ibanez and Tokais. I did purchase the Scarabee Rick VST which I use when I'm arranging stuff for the covers band and the sound is amazing.

[IvanSC]

In other words, it ALL hinges on how good the player is to start with.
My first bass was a 1962 Precision that I bought used in 1963. Next one was a 1972 Rickenbacker 4001 stereo. Following on from that I have been through a ton of weird & wonderful basses. According to friends relatives & engineers I sound pretty much the same on all of them.

Don`t care who you are, if you are a real bass player, your playing style should dictate the overall sound more than anything else. Nowadays I go straight into my computer via a focusrite Octopre LE then either BOD, SSL channel strip or Bass Professor as a plugin. They all work great. Current live rig is a pair of 10" Celestion neos powered by a markbass III but I have also had to use a nasty little Harley Benton a Hartke combo & a bunch of other stuff. It all works.

[adrian_k]

I'm glad the Octopre is still working - assume that's the one you got off eBay a few years ago ?