i’ve been reading. they’re at it again.
bass plays in all weather. tubes, transistors, gibsons, fenders, doesn’t matter. my job is to sit between the kick drum and the chord and make sure those two agree. nobody in the back row of any show we’ve played has ever yelled “those bass overtones really benefit from class A circuitry.” nobody. ever.
i use a squier through an ampeg. it cost less than vicki’s pedalboard. the room hears low end. the dance floor moves or it doesn’t. the rest is decoration.
what’s funny is that they’re both right. humbuckers and transistors are reliable, repeatable, and durable, which matters when you’re loading in at 7 and hoping the room goes well. tubes and single coils are more dynamic and more expressive, which matters when you’re trying to actually say something. so use what fits the gig. or do what i do, which is hold the floor down and let the guitarists fight about transformers.
paul’s right about one thing. nobody asks us.