Vintage Versus Modern

I was in Songbird today checking out some stuff. They had a super old (1960s) Traynor Bass Mate. This this has only one volume and one tone knob, it's speaker is of the type that one might use on a PA system and the back of the cabinet wasn't even sealed. In other words, I suppose it's what you might expect barely a decade after the first viable electric bass design came to market. The effect of this design, combined with the maple-fretboard Precision I played through it was one of a lot of treble and high-mids. I only had the tone control at 50% but that sound was incredibly pronounced. But what a sound it was. There is nothing else quite like this amp's tone - the wonderful tubey high growl. It is of course impractical by today's standards. Insufficient equalisation, no XLR output, not enough power (maybe 85 watts, tops), and it was kind of bulky for all of that too.

But listen to it. Wow. Nothing today sounds like that. No amount of twiddling with a graphic EQ will give you that kind of character in your tone. Nothing modern can ape that sound.

Don't get me wrong, modern amps are wonderful in so many respects. They have all the appropriate inputs and outputs. You can set up the EQ for just about any bass in any situation. They have gobs of power - and often in small packages. Companies like Markbass are doing genius things with super-powerful 1x12 combos. Lighter and more powerful amps are coming in all the time. They generate a huge presence from a tiny box, wonders of technology they are.

But, but, listen to that Bass Mate. It does one thing, but that one thing is sooooo magnificent, sooooo unique.

Vintage?

Modern?

You tell me.