NOT a brag: What the heck does this mean?

[tubanh84]

... and why should it be a meaningful compliment?

(Playing bass guitar)

"You've got a great tone!"

Okay. It's an electronic instrument.
I set the knobs on the guitar and the amplifier where I like them.
If something is goofed up on either one of those, I fix it (defective parts, worn out strings, whatever).
I'm still using strings that I put on there a long time ago because they don't have any false vibrations and they still have a reasonable amount of resonance (though I'm thinking about getting some new ones for my birthday (and the date and age are none of y'all's business.
I'm playing with my index and middle fingers like everyone else, and I clip my nails.
Okay. It's a very good guitar and a very good (yet very portable just barely enough wattage) amplifier.
What's so difficult about achieving a "great tone"when playing the bass guitar?

This is just not something I think about it all, and - when I hear that - it's sort of like someone telling me "nice hair" (as I'm pretty good at hiding my comb over in the front and my bald spot in the back. )
---------------------
TUBA: "nice tone":
THAT actually involves some serious effort and some serious homework (as all of us know).

Obviously it's not like tuba where you are producing the tone with your body. But it shows good taste. Whatever amps, pre-amps, pedals, settings on your setup, you have worked to figure out what sounds good. And it does sound good.

You can probably go back and listen to Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Brian Setzer, or any of the others and know who you're listening to, because they adopted a sound.

You could probably easily tell Les Claypool from Jaco from Victor Wooten.

It shows effort and taste.

[iiipopes]

Whatever the instrument, whether tuba, sousaphone, bass guitar, back when I played a double bass in jazz band, bass ukulele, etc., when someone comes up and compliments the band/ensemble generally, I smile, say thank you, and any other small talk the person may initiate, knowing I probably did my job properly to support the band/ensemble. If the person, unless I know they also play in a similar manner on a similar instrument, comes up to me and says that I sounded good, I smile, say thank you, and internally cringe wondering what I really screwed up in the execution, balance, etc., that I stuck out of the mix/balance.

[donn]

I have actually played electric bass in public, but I'm admittedly fairly awful at it for reasons that have little to do with tone.

That said, if I could coax a tone from an electric bass that came anywhere near Jack Casady's, I guess I'd be inclined to leave all my other instruments on the shelf. Bass for Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. He's still alive, and maybe still performing 60 years later, and has taught for years. His story, I have at second or third hand, is that if you want a meaty sound, you use the meaty part of your fingers, not the tip. Of course he's not averse to using good equipment.

[prodigal]

I honestly think developing a tone on bass guitar is tough, so many knobs and dials and electronic thingies..

I'm writing down settings in my method books when I find something I like.

I'm glad I started with a P bass.

[bloke]

I honestly think developing a tone on bass guitar is tough, so many knobs and dials and electronic thingies..

I'm writing down settings in my method books when I find something I like.

I'm glad I started with a P bass.

To me, it's just a matter of starting with all settings in the middle and experimenting with working each one to the left or right
(the same system as when an optician develops an eyeglasses prescription).
Fancy amplifiers even have settings which add or take away articulation, but it's easy enough to add that (you know...) by articulating more or less.

If there's a keyboard and guitar or keyboard and horns, I usually tune c. A=439.
The keyboard's left hand (unisons with the bass guitar) is going to be @439 and flatter.
The guitar is going to be @440
The horns are going to be @442
If the bass playing ends up being louder in certain portions of certain songs (via harder articulations) the attacks are going to be sharp.

[prodigal]

I honestly think developing a tone on bass guitar is tough, so many knobs and dials and electronic thingies..

I'm writing down settings in my method books when I find something I like.

I'm glad I started with a P bass.

My favorite bass has two volume knobs (one for each pickup) and a parametric stacked EQ knob. Dial in the mid range boost you like, and you're good to go. I installed that system when I changed the pickups.

It's been over 10 years since I built this one, and I've never thought about replacing it. That's a record for me

[bloke]

this is what it looked like when it was new. I gave it a coco sunburst and a lacquer shine

[gocsick]

I'll just drop this here

[bloke]

I'm the (when it's actually a "song" - with more than three chords) "better mostly follow Bach chorale writing rules, yet with some style-appropriate stuff" type of guy.

Pop tunes - such as in the "four types of bass players" video you just posted - if I didn't play what the guy played on the recording (whether simple or fancy), I would probably get "the look".