[alanwaston]

When you are looking at or have just received a new bass, what criteria do you use to judge it's tone?

Not talking about fit, finish, comfort, aesthetics, playability, etc....... strictly tone.

For some arbitrary reason, I've always judged a bass's tone by playing it through my amp set completely flat with the bass's volume and tone wide open. Not sure why, but that's what I've always done.

However crazy it may sound, it always made me feel that if I didn't like the tone measured by those standards and if I had to adjust amp eq and or tone control to get a sound I like, then that particular bass's inherent tone didn't measure up and somehow in my mind needed help....

I think I may have sent quite a few really good basses down the road by using these standards......

Is a bass acceptable to you if don't like the sound of it except when you have to add / subtract EQ.....?

What standards do you use?

[thesteve]

I like to start with flat EQ. I'm not necessarily going for "the sound" with that, but I know that if the tone is passable with a flat EQ, then it'll be easy to dial in something I really love.

[The fingers]

The amp is equally responsible for producing the most desired warm tone. Running through the board and out through the PA system with it's subwoofers effectively destroys any semblance of a decent bass guitar tone, IMHO.

[mark in ky]

my way of choosing a bass is probably not anyone else's way, but it's simple and effective.

first, is it a fender precision bass?
second: does it have a working tone knob that i can use to turn off all treble?

if it meets these stringent criteria, it is a good bass with a fine sound and will meet all my needs, in a bass.

sorry.