the future of bass

[roscopeco2000]

i have a long drive from work and i had watched the ed f preview of the big al at lunch time which i was very inpressed with.It got me thinking, are basses becoming so versitile that their losing there distinction?rewind back 30 years maybe more if you wanted a musicman sound you bought a musicman if you wanted a fender sound ....... and so on.What worries me and i dont think we too far from is an age where one bass will do every sound?I would like to know what you old timers bass players feel about this and new basses in general? and to big poppa do you think the one bass, everysound day will ever come?and also have you thought along the lines i have, about will verserlity maybe one day will kill the originality that made musicman what its is,i have just wrote this as a thought prevoking piece to hear peoples thoughts, no hate to me please

 

[Mayers]

I'm not a long timer , but I play since I'm 16 and right now I'm 26. So hi-fi basses have that cameleon ability but lack of caracter like you said. I prefer to have one sound, but one that is my own than having the possibility to get any sound but how many tweaking and fine tuning you'll have to do to get the sound for that particular cover.

It makes me think about the variax bass. you know the bass that as somekind of midi module to sound like many different basses.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I do not think that basses are become so versatile that they are losing their distinction. I think that basses that are more versatile in terms of sounds are often overlapping what some other basses do, but most have a unique character all of their own. And don't forget that sound is just one of the aspects of making a good instrument. Feel, playability, ergonomics, balance and aesthetics also play important roles in the design of an instrument (as well as price). Each individual will have certain criteria that will vary in importance and ultimately sway their bass buying decision.

I think that newer, more versatile designs will coexist with the tried and true traditional models of the past. There is no right or wrong and it's an exciting time to be a musician and have so many choices especially while many companies are coming up with new and improved ideas.

 

[five7]

A great bass is more than tone. It is the feeling of the neck, the balance when on a strap, the look of the body and the overall feeling of what music it pulls from your soul. Musicman is numero uno in all those aspects and then the killer tone pushes it way over the top. Having any tone at your fingertips will be cool, but it still the feeling of the bass in both hands. Otherwise keyboard basses would have taken over along time ago. I have only been playing for 37 years and I am no expert but when I play my stingray it is an extension of my soul and that's what does it for me.

 

[MrMusashi]

options are never wrong. you will still sound like yourself

MrM

 

[TheAntMan]

There is a reason that no Model T's are being made. It is called advancement. More options allow for more not less. That is like saying that playing styles of bass have taken away from the bass since it is not what is was. You can always play old style that does not mean newer styles are wrong or take away. It just lets those whose musical expression is able to come out with the additional options.

Notice that the Stingray 4H has not been removed from the market, just additional options are available. Funny how one of the 'complaints' from the outside world was that a Musicman only had 'one' sound. Now with Stingray, Sterling, and Bongos in H, HH, HS with various EQs. Not to mention the 25th, Big AL. Musicman is now about more choices. You can stick with the Standard Stingray H or pick what gives you the ability to express yourself.

-- Ant

-- Ant

 

[Kristopher]

Regardless of electronic innovations, most instruments are still being carved out of trees. It will be pretty interesting when instrument manufacturers can make instruments out of man-made materials that can be tuned for maximum resonance (like what EB initially tried to do with the Bongo).

I'm looking forward to hearing "the gamechanger" in action, something that sounds pretty futuristic to me!

 

[adouglas]

There will never be a one-size-fits-all bass that will obliterate all others. While it may be technically possible to get an incredible variety of tone out of a single instrument, not everybody wants that.

The X factor is human preference and aesthetics.

Not everyone carries a Swiss Army knife for that reason. Not everybody wants one. There is a place for a simple blade.

Same with instruments.

Look at the overly complex high end instruments from the 70s... the BC Rich and Alembics come to mind. Acres of switches and all kinds of control. They were innovative, but they didn't make the basic instrument go away. Neither will the 25th or Big Al.

EBMM is definitely advancing the state of the art, and that's a good thing. But these innovations will not, IMHO, replace all that came before any more than earlier innovations did.

Variety is a wonderful thing. There is a place for 1953-style instruments and I think there should be. But there is also a place for the kind of advanced thinking that exemplifies EBMM.

 

[Big Poppa]

I dont think that the big al or the 25th are generic...I think that there are new tones available and as long as you still have to opportunity to buy the older stuff everybody wins

 

[Basscake]

I trust that BP and his lads make sure that in the future every MusicMan will have a certain MusicMan-Vibe. Soundwise as visually.
These days they certainly have.

The same is of course true for passive P and J basses.

When it comes to simulations like the Variax I always felt that those simulations are overdone/overproduced. Certainly quite deliberately to make sure that everybody can tell them apart. After all people pay money to get destinct different sounds.
But if you compare these version to its original you'll find out that no Stingray is as "smacky" as the simulation,. Nor is any P bass as "honky" or any j bass that "gnarly" or any Ric as "twangy".

I think each of these established "classics" is already more of a allrounder than its simulation suggests.
Thats why you basically find all of those basses in all styles of music.

And if I wake up some morning and my Stingray sounds like a P-Bass I'd sell it straight away!

Greets
his basscakeness

 

[TheAntMan]

I dont think that the big al or the 25th are generic...I think that there are new tones available and as long as you still have to opportunity to buy the older stuff everybody wins

+1

My future purchases include a Stirling 4HS even though I have a 25th.

-- Ant

 

[shakinbacon]

interesting topic

Remember when the Line6 pod and Variax stuff came out? Has that rendered all basses and amps useless?

My job here is done

he he he

 

[syciprider]

The classics will never go away. People will always want the features that made the classics what they are. So while most of us may keep a couple of newfangled basses in our stable, quite a few will always have the old guard standing by.

 

[roscopeco2000]

wow thanks for all the replys certainly got some pulses racing!!i was on about the sound of the instrument more then anything but yes i agree the playablity will never be to everyone tastes unless they invite a t1000 shape shifting bass,like someone said as long as you can still buy your single h 2/3 band eq rays everyone will be happy.i do think its inportant that companies keep in sight their orgins but also dont let this stand in way of inovation this can be a tricky balance.Take ferrari, the car has evoled techincally loads but it doesnt look that dis-simliar that you couldnty tell its still a ferrari, its still red!!anyway keep up the good work bp, just out interest is the 2 band ray a big seller?

 

[strummer]

options are never wrong. You will still sound like yourself

mrm

+1

 

[adouglas]

I dont think that the big al or the 25th are generic...I think that there are new tones available and as long as you still have to opportunity to buy the older stuff everybody wins

By "one size fits all" I didn't intend to say generic. I meant able to do it all for everyone by offering a massive amount of control.

My point is that I think a lot of people don't necessarily want or need that kind of versatility. Like the BP Bongo vs. the dual-pickup versions... it's simpler and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[bovinehost]

just out of interest is the 2 band ray a big seller?

I'm not BP, I don't play him on TV, don't speak "for him" on Talkbass, but we've had this discussion before and the answer is "not really". You'll find diehard 2-band fans here and there, but there's a reason why it's a special order and not standard equipment.

Jack

 

[Big Poppa]

two band sales are as common as me winning a bikini contest....why? because the three band gives you more options and can get really close to the two band with the mid set flat.

For years the Germans would only buy two band. Im not saying that Germans are resistant to change...Ok Im hinting at it.

When we have these moments of overthinking and from there deciding that we have a revelation lets make sure that we start with good data. By that I mean that the original poster is assuming that there are no new sounds and that the sounds we add are just are rehashing a bass into generic-land. Thats the problem with starting with bad data...you end up with a bad result. Lets start that process with the basic concept that there are sonic possibilities left for the bass....long drive deep thinking...this is cool these new basses are expanding the bass world.....See the difference

If the bass was done and we could only repackage the past then Im on a beach searching for interesting shells. If my job was to dilute the bass and guitar and make em all Vanilla some one knee me in the groin

 

[Duarte]

I trust that BP and his lads make sure that in the future every MusicMan will have a certain MusicMan-Vibe. Soundwise as visually.

That's an interesting point actually...BP, do you consciously think about creating that Music Man vibe, or does it just 'happen' as a result of the consistantly good design team?

Obviously I have no idea how the basses are concieved (well, a small insight thanks to your posts here) but it would be interesting to know what comes first...

 

[Big Poppa]

Yes we know what it is that makes our sound and we never forget when designing a new bass or guitar