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Let's restir the pot re: Myths


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List your favorite statements about bass guitar that many people consider true or logical, but have yet to be proven in any way. I'll start with a slew of them. And feel free to provide evidence to prove these myths. I would love for some of these to be taken off the table.

 

A heavier bridge increases sustain in a meaningful way.

 

Fretboard wood on a fretted bass changes the tone.

 

String through changes the tone noticeably

 

Length of string past either witness point makes any practical difference.

 

 

"For instance" is not proof.

 

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Old wood has more "mojo" than new wood.

You can stop now -jeremyc

STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring

lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum

I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie

 

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So let's break down the three "old saws" that you gents have presented. They are varied and interesting.

 

Bass Player = Failed Guitarist

So this one is "logical" for a variety of reasons, right? 4 is easier than 6, blah blah. But I think where this stereotype comes into play is when a mediocre guitar player in a pop/rock band switches to bass for any number of reasons and finds it "easier" because he couldn't quite play chords in the first place. Guitar players play chords and single lines, but in that genre, rarely do bass players play chords. So there are a slew of confirmation bias-laden examples to "support" this notion.

 

Of course, it's patently ridiculous. It's as absurd as claiming that a cajon player is a failed trap drummer. While the fundamentals and user interface are similar, the subtleties make all the difference. And once you leave the more harmonically and rhythmically simple genres, this breaks down altogether.

 

Old wood/new wood

This one is interesting as well. I think what people are implying is that DRIER wood, all else being equal, is more musically resonant. But is that true? Is there a materials science engineer in the house?

 

Boutique Power Cables

We've talked about this before. Once you eliminate poor manufacturing variances and level-set in terms of material and shielding, I think most reasonable people would say that different cables introduce the least amount of variation in a system. I think it was an editor in Stereo review that was challenged by James Randi to do a double blind test to identify the more expensive power cable, and offered him one million dollars. The editor never took him up on it even though he had written about the "clearer" sound that those power cables afforded the listener.

 

 

So do you think it would even be worth it to set out to really dispel these types of things with peer-reviewed scientific testing in practical situations? Not the loose mythbuster-type of testing, but rigorous scientific method? Or does fake news and marketing win the day?

"For instance" is not proof.

 

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I don't know about heavier bridges, but sustain is definitely affected by damping. This was the original idea behind the first Steinberger base which was made out of a single piece of composite material. So things like rigidity are a factor. Perhaps that naturally adds more mass, but I don't thing mass is the key component, just a side effect.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Old wood has more "mojo" than new wood.

 

Or that whole "tone wood" thing. It ain't a doghouse.

 

Yeah, that one is fascinating as well. Taylor made a guitar out of pallet wood (and it had a massive forklift inlay) to prove that it wasn't the quality of the wood that was the issue.

 

Article about that guitar.

 

 

"For instance" is not proof.

 

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Real bassists don't use a pick.

You can stop now -jeremyc

STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring

lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum

I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie

 

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my personal favorite myth:

15s have more low end than 10s.

 

response:

the frequency response of a speaker cabinet is a function of system engineering and not cone are. in the olden days people used to believe that because a 15 had a larger cone than a single 10 it had to have lower frequency response than 10s. in the world of real science we know that frequency response is a function of displacement, or the movement of air, which is dependent upon excursion, cone area, and cabinet design, and not simply cone area. this old trope neglected that a 4x10 cabinet has more cone area than a 1x15, and they are typically voiced with a mid scoop, which means more low end response.

 

the cabinet market now prioritizes portability, and has expanded to 12s and 8s, both as woofers.

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Real bassists don't use a pick.

 

And in a related note, if you do use a pick then a tighter string spacing is way cool. I have a couple 4 strings that I rebooted as 5 strings with Schaller roller bridges set to narrow as they'll go. Work very well with a pick (though i seldom pick up a pick).

Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse.

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Real bassists don't use a pick.

 

And in a related note, if you do use a pick then a tighter string spacing is way cool. I have a couple 4 strings that I rebooted as 5 strings with Schaller roller bridges set to narrow as they'll go. Work very well with a pick (though i seldom pick up a pick).

 

A real bassist wouldn't do that. Maybe a failed guitarist would...â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.

You can stop now -jeremyc

STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring

lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum

I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie

 

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Here's a non-myth. I try to get to the gig before the drummer so I don't have to trip over all their crap. That, and I get to put my amp in the corner before he/she claims that real estate.

Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse.

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Here's a non-myth. I try to get to the gig before the drummer so I don't have to trip over all their crap. That, and I get to put my amp in the corner before he/she claims that real estate.

I try to get to the gig before EVERYONE ELSE for precisely those reasons.

"Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky"
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  • 1 month later...
Bass Player = Failed Guitarist

 

NOT a myth: Guitarist = Lousy Bass Player.

 

Not always the case, but often is. They noodle around like their soloing the whole time, never hitting the root, never locking with the drums. Because "anyone can play bass."

 

As I often say at work (different context, but the principle holds): If anybody could, anybody would. And we see what happens when anybody does.

"Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky"
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...
List your favorite statements about bass guitar that many people consider true or logical, but have yet to be proven in any way. I'll start with a slew of them. And feel free to provide evidence to prove these myths. I would love for some of these to be taken off the table.

 

I'll bite. FWIW I've been a guitar/bass tech for over 4 decades. Primary instrument is electric guitar. I play acoustic guitar and I play bass. I played bass for Bo Diddley for one show, he shook my hand afterward.

Bass IS a completely different instrument than guitar, I play a bass like a bass. Gigged for 3 years as a bassist, kept the groove going.

 

1. A heavier bridge increases sustain in a meaningful way:

This is simply not put correctly. A more rigid bridge will increase sustain in a meaningful way. Weight is often a side effect of increasing rigidity. If there is a path for resonance, allowing the string to transfer energy anywhere, sustain and eveness of response will be compromised. This could happen at the bridge, most bridges are pretty rigid. Put a Kahler vibrato bridge on your bass and suddenly you will notice a disappointing difference in the tone, even if you don't use the whammy bar (which will NOT stay in tune). While I feel bad about the 2-3 basses I've ruined by installing the Kahler, when a customer brings you a bass and a new bridge and asks to have it installed - you do the best you can.

 

2. Fretboard wood on a fretted bass changes the tone:

The differences would be pretty subtle. Ebony or a composite both change the tone on an acoustic guitar beyond any doubt. The neck wood is also a factor.

There are lots of variables. It is rare in my experience to change a fretboard to another wood. Usually new strings would be put on at that point.

I would say the complexity of doing a fair analysis make it justifiable to pout this one to rest.

 

3. String through changes the tone noticeably:

Anchor points do make a difference but you have to do a fair comparison here. Some bridges offer both string through body and string through the bridge with ball ends on top.

My experience is that there is no significant tone change when using the same bass with the same bridge that allows both styles of stringing. Put to rest.

 

4. Length of string past either witness point makes any practical difference:

Most of the time, this means different types of bass. Most solid body basses do not have much string beyond either witness point and the string is rooted to a relatively non-resonant anchor on both ends. So it would be difficult to measure or hear. Clamp a couple of blocks of stiff material on top and below the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece on a Hofner Beatle bass and you will notice a big difference. Easier still, with your amp turned up, play the strings between the tailpiece and the bridge. They will all make a note that you can hear through the amp. That note and it's related octaves/harmonics will drain energy from the part of the string that is played at those frequencies - resulting in an uneven response that is further exacerbated by the resonance of the hollow body. So yes, it can and does make a difference for some basses.

 

There you go, 2 out of 4 explained and the other 2 dismissed. 50%, not a passing grade but "progress" perhaps. Cheers, Kuru

 

 

 

 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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