versatile tones vs. signature tone

[fermata]

I was reading an interview with Jack Casady, and it got me thinking: There's a lot of talk about versatile instruments/dialing a wide range of sounds, but Casady seems to be pushing for a bassist to develop a signature sound. (Disclaimer: I don't think this means never varying one's tone--pick/fingers, playing closer to the neck or the bridge, playing lightly/digging in, and making some electronic adjustments no doubt remain on the table.) Anyway, here's what Jack says:

What do you think is the top responsibility for bass players?
"Well I think tone is essential. I think tone is your signature as to who you are. Before you get to the notes, and your style and the kind of riffs you like to do or your influences, I think you have to develop and pay attention to the way you make the tone on your instrument and what pleases you. The music builds around the tone. It isn’t just a series of notes or the articulation or the technique. The signature sound of a great musician is his tone and that sets him apart from others, and I think that is essential. That’s the beginning place to start from." Rocking Steady: An Interview with Jack Casady (Part 1)

So I wonder, are we overstating the value of 'versatile' basses and varying the instrument's tone (or even the instrument itself) from song to song, or does it make sense to step back and find the essential/core/signature tone that expresses me or you as a musician (possibly on just one instrument)?

 

[DigitalMan]

A versatile bass may be the key to dialing in that one tone...

 

[fermata]

A very zen response! And rather along the lines of what Casady says about his instrument in another interview:

"My job--and what I want my legacy to be--is to make something with universal appeal. I wanted to get the instrument to where a jazz player or a pop player or a folk player or a rock player could find that instrument and work inside the instrument with their own technique. It's my feeling that having that single pickup in the sweet spot allows you to then move your hands dynamically over the 'speaking' length of the strings. And through various techniques, a player can pull out the different sounds. But at the same time, it's a true, real sound. It has a transformer with an impedance selector. One of the things I started to shy away from in all the early developments of bass electronics in the 60s is back then we were trying to make the instruments more hi-fidelity. We were able to extend the dynamic range but then I found out that the preamp limits you somewhat. You might find an instrument that has an unusual sound but then you’re stuck with that sound all night long.

So, I wanted to have an instrument where the individual player could with the density, the meat in their hands or how they approached the instrument--get something different. It's the player, it's not the instrument. But at the same time, you want an instrument that will respond to different directions that you discover and hopefully this instrument does that." Jack Casady at 70

 

[mindwell]

I do agree that the way you manually interact with the instrument (hand placement, pressure, finger meat vs. bone, plucking location) translates into your approach and voice. But that said, unless we're talking about a single Musicman-style humbucker, I don't like instruments with one pickup in the "sweet spot." Coil position is a variable I'm not willing to give up in the pursuit of "my" sound.

 

[lz4005]

So I wonder, are we overstating the value of 'versatile' basses and varying the instrument's tone (or even the instrument itself) from song to song, or does it make sense to step back and find the essential/core/signature tone that expresses me or you as a musician (possibly on just one instrument)?

It depends entirely on whether you're making original music or playing covers where you're getting paid to sound like the recording.

It's also the age old dilemma of bass manufacturing. An instrument that can appeal to everyone, tone-wise, will in theory sell more units because it will have a broad customer base. Whereas a specialized instrument, like a one-off created exactly to one player's spec may only appeal to that one person. And in manufacturing specialization costs.

It's a lot like multi-effects vs single-function pedals. Do you want one box that can do 99 things pretty well, or one that does a single thing exactly right?