I'm just hanging out listening to some Hall & Oates, a new song comes on and it coincides perfectly with this loudass car going by. 

At first I thought the sound of the car was just the bass on the stereo and I was like DAMN that sounds good as hell, GO BASS!?!

It just kinda lead to me wonder why lots of bass just makes music so much better.

Obviously the speakers pegging out is shit, we don't want that, it's too much bass.

But whether it's a slappy funk bass, or a comfortable bass boost on the stereo...

I don't think anyone can deny it makes everything way better.

So why is that?? Does it have something to do with being in the womb?

You feel the "bass" in your "ass".

Or, "You feel the "base" in your "ace".

I do love the vibration...

You can only get that with a really wicked stereo setup though.

Sometimes I have that in my life, sometimes I don't.

Right now I just have a more basic setup.

LOL. "Ace in the hole", is "Asshole".

It's one half of the rhythm section, for sure, traditionally. I think it depends on what the song is asking for. Some songs don't have guitar; some don't have drums; some don't have bass; some don't have vocals, etc. 

I've always wondered what some of the bass-less White Stripes songs would sound like with a traditional bass. Jack uses a whammy pedal to shift into those bassy octaves on his guitar. I think his songs have a lot of breathing room without the bass; he has the drums be steadier and more primal to fill that depth, and his hooks are so beefy, it might be overkill to have the bass. I like the "empty space" in his songs; it's refreshing, and it works with his weird, sinister, beautiful voice. 

Strong bass songs: 

This is how great the guitarist, singer and drummer of Led Zeppelin are: they have one of THE absolute best bass players in the history of rock, and casual rock fans couldn't tell you his name, even though it's three easy-to-recall single-syllable words.

Jack fucking White bro...

The way he MADE THE SPEAKERS VIBRATE using just a guitar and a pedal as a bass...

FUCKING INSANE.

Holy shit, I feel like I just LAUNCHED.

Is my coffee spiked?!

Well he prolly used like 3 pedals, I actually looked into HOW he did it a few years back, there's a site that lists all the instruments these famous musicians used.

Bob Dylan used a Yamaha guitar, and he had some Washburn action up in there for a while too I'm pretty sure.

I love it when someone that wildly successful and rich uses cheaper shit...

Jack White has talked about limitation as a driving force of creativity.

(09-24-2025, 11:15 AM)Mister Obvious Wrote: I love it when someone that wildly successful and rich uses cheaper shit...

This is really common. Gear is about vibe/feel and sound and the player all merged, and when someone finds a sound they vibe with they'll never fully let it go, regardless of meteoric rise, etc. It greatly effects how you play or emote. Same with mics. Some singers swear by a certain cheap mic. If they get that right feel, they can emote with so much more energy. Great producers will have a mix of gear they pull from based on what they think the song needs. Some of it is obscure, or stuff you can't buy anymore, and, even though it may have been dirt cheap when released, it becomes invaluable. Generally, the older stuff is warmer --  Tubes > solid state. I think the key word is 'invaluable'. Money isn't even relevant. 

Weren't you saying something recently about enjoying how something has been worn in over time? Guitars are like that, where the wood settles and so forth. I once had an SG break its neck on stage, and had it repaired, and after that fell in love with it even more. It had a slightly more buzzing sound to it that worked. It was almost like a natural, super-subtle distortion. It was the neck itself vibrating due to the crack. Gear goes through shit and gains character and experience over time, like us.

Yes, I love everything worn in.

I buy my books used, I like second-hand clothing, I want the "antiqued" look all over everything.

All the experience that these items go through 'seasons' them and makes the output all the more unique, gives it a 'fingerprint' that is instantly recognizable.

I feel like a lot of the great thrift stores are gone. I remember a period in the early 90's where every saturday we (whomever) would start the day hitting all the yard sales, estate sales, and then hit all the thrift stores. It was like a weekly THING, non negotiable. Had to do it. And super fun. 

A lot of stuff we used to do is gone now. We used to 'get ready' for TV pilot season. In the Fall, we would all read the TV Guide to see what sort of new shows were coming. It was a big deal. Families gathered and shit. That is SO dead now. Not a huge loss, really. Just interesting to note.

I liked Roger Waters' bass playing for Pink Floyd. It's understated but does the job wonderfully. Adds a lot of ambiance and depth. He mostly used a Fender Precision, which is easily my favorite bass. Give me that, and a Gibson SG for guitar, and I'm good. Those are examples of gear that is NOT cheap, but worth every penny.