Defining the terms

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 5:43 pm

You should not meddle in the affairs of dragons; for you are crunchy and good with ketchup

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 6:35 pm

Actually, I like the "bark". That about describes what I think of when I think Ric. Unless I'm thinking Ric with flats. Then it's definitely a sort of "waowah" sound, like when you fingerpick with the bass turned up and the mid cut a bit. It's weird.

Also, can someone please define "warmth". I've NEVER understood what people talk about when they say something has a "warm sound". I always go, "What, as opposed to a cold sound? And what would that be?"

Also, what is a "sterile" sound? Like, people describe EMG pickups as being sterile (I think they mean with a lack of character), which I disagree with completely. EMGs have a ton of character, which also happens to be their downfall, because they don't really vary enough from that EMG sound.

Also, last thing, why do people always talk about how great it is that some bass pickups bring out the "natural sound" of the wood that a bass is made of (custom bass companies do this especially)? I'd personally rather have a pickup that colors the tone rather than simply reproducing it with as much transparency as possible. Transparent sound is boring. I thought the whole point of an electric bass was that it WASN'T an acoustic bass (whose tone is determined largely by the woods it is made of). I don't want the "natural sound" of my bass. I want the sound that the pickups make.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 7:45 am

Sterile = too clean and no personality

warm = pleasant sounding mids and treble

cold = harsh treble and harsh mids

some basses have a good unplugged sound that the pickups miss ... a natural sound is when that good unplugged sound comes out of the amp ... if you play flats then you may not have a good unplugged sound ... unless you have a hollow body bass ...

quite often active electronics produce an artificial sound ...

ken_swearingen · Post by **ken_swearingen** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 8:01 am

I must say that V63 i ust picked up which is on its way to mike dolin for some work,sounds awesome pickups are very balenced,iwas suprised to find the intonation dead on, but the action a little high.I dont know what sound it makes but its shweeeeeeet.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 8:04 am

"Clang" is the most aggressively profane word one can utter in Bali...I don't know why, and it doesn't have a meaning, but it's used with the same linguistic impact as our "F" word. There must be something about the sound of it to Balinese ears that makes it harsh and brutal...

I've always imagined playing a recording of that Judy Garland song about the trolley in "Meet Me In St. Louis" for some Balinese sometime...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:06 pm

Fender basses are for the most part warm sounding ... Ric basses lean a little towards cold sounding ... just enough to have a distinctive sound ... a cold bite with a warm growl ...

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:12 pm

Wouldn't "coldness" tend to cut through more, though?

clankchris · Post by **clankchris** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:55 pm

Like a Ginsu blade!

clankchris · Post by **clankchris** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:02 pm

But....Ricks definately have enough character and warmth, unlike my active EMG equipped bass, which is cold and sterile.

That is what attracted me to them, the other basses I played had more "false" highs(bolt-on neck).

Ricks have a way of sounding warm and cutting through like no other bass I have played

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 5:44 pm

Ricks sound like you want them to sound IMHO. If they sound cold it's because the player wants them to sound that way. I think they actually have a very warm natural sound if anything, mine are very warm sounding. Tube amps help with that too. I have never liked active pickups, they don't seem to work with you as well as passive's. I like single coils the best, they are very responsive to the way you play.

clankchris · Post by **clankchris** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 7:45 pm

You said it best, Bob

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:25 am

Yeah, every bass I've played with active pickups has always had very little tonal variation whatsoever. Passive basses sound a million times better, in my opinion.

Active electronics are a different matter though. That's mostly a personal preference thing, I guess. Some pickups sound great with active EQ, some don't.

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