what is the point of good gear?

[punchclock]

here's a better thread with similar subject matter:
Do boutique bass racks irritate sound engineers?

[kraigo]

It's all about your pleasure listening to it and playing it. Nothing more.

KO

[hasbeen]

when my bass and rig feel and sound good, it inspires me and they almost "disappear", i.e. I'm not thinking about them.

When they don't feel/sound good, they get "in my way".

[jmbjandfam]

Originally Posted by hasbeen

when my bass and rig feel and sound good, it inspires me and they almost "disappear", i.e. I'm not thinking about them.

When they don't feel/sound good, they get "in my way".

+1

[Floridabwoy]

I agree 100% a great instrument is the key. I use the DI on my shuttle 6.0 (which sounds great IMO) or a Countryman DI that I keep in the bag.

I have an old Peavey 410TX that is plenty loud. I want a new cab, but I don't need a new cab.

[tabdog]

Let me ask you this.

When you get old and you can't get gigs,
are you going to give it up because you
can't be a hot shot any more?

Or do you like playing so much that you
are going to keep playing and buying gear?

I think your answers will show how much
you care about playing bass. Also it will
show if you may keep at it.

If it means that little to you, let it go. I
promise that 99.99 percent of the world
could care less,

Tabdog

[sharpbass]

Its all about what makes you happy. That's it.

[Mr. Foxen]

Talk to the sound men more. bear in mind that 95% of musicians haven't the first clue about tone in the context of a band, so soundmen tend to appreciate having most of the control, or a familiar thing to work from like the BDDI. If you talk to them and they get the impression you aren't a typical wally better change of a micing.

[tabdog]

Why buy new gear?

No need. You can take a Squier Affinity
and a Sans Amp and nobody can tell if
you are playing a $100 or a $1,000 bass.

You are absolutely right. Why?

I would say, that is a question for you to
answer for your self,

Tabdog

[KJung]

Originally Posted by punchclock

I have decent gear. I enjoy it. but is the money well spent when no one hears it?
I play in a few different bands (cover bands & original). I end up working at least one night a weekend. I've played big outdoor (10,000 + people) and little corners of a country club. and 99% of the time, the soundguy will go DI. they try to give me a normal DI & I whip out my tech 21 sans amp bddi (& they are always happy with that - as am I). but they very rarely "bother" to mic my cab. so the crowd never really hears my amp or cab. I get GAS for some new or a different sound. I spend the money. I get all excited at rehearsal. then I go to the gig and they plug into my bddi. most sound companies don't want another open mic on stage & fewer will actually use a DI out off the amp. I'm happy with the sound of the bddi, it just gets frustrating when I get a new amp or cab & Im the only one that hears it. this kinda lowers my GAS. and that's no fun!

Do a search on this one. There is a thread almost weekly about this.

Very simple:

a) Many, many, many players play gigs with no PA support. There are a zillion jazz gigs, small club gigs, freelance gigs, folk gigs, etc., etc. that are either in small rooms or that don't require massive volume/PA support

b) Often, even with PA support, the bassist won't have his/her own monitor mix and/or the monitor system will not produce a pleasing sound for the bassist or the band, requiring backline as a high quality, bass specific stage monitor.

Pretty simple!

[staccatogrowl]

My gear is for me. . . Practice, recording, rehearsals, stage monitoring. . .

My gear is for my bandmates. . . They can feel the music, even though they might be hearing my bass through Avioms . . . Or, maybe they only hear my sound through Avioms because of silent stage requirements. In this case, my gear accommodates amp and speaker sims.

My gear is for those in small rooms, where there is no PA support.

I try to be flexible about sound and sound reinforcement issues. I try to have the right gear for the right job. It is a multidimensional formula. It changes according to gear availabilty, the circumstance, and the demands of the audience, sound folks, and venue.

One size does not fit all.

I will never impose this, because the variety is a positive factor.

[bassgod0dmw]

What is the point in getting good anything?

A nice car? Nobody else gets to drive it.
A nice house? Nobody else gets to live in it.
A nice oven? Nobody else gets to cook on it.
A nice TV? Nobody else gets to watch it.
A nice bed? Nobody else gets to sleep on it.

[THORRR]

You have to do it for yourself and your own pleasure
because most "soundmen" (and I use the term loosely)
don't know their a$$ from a hole in the ground when
it comes to mixing bass. The same can be said for most
self-proclaimed "recording engineers". You work your heart
our trying to get that perfect sound and on the finished mix
they turn you into "background boom" and nobody but you
seems to care one way or another.

My rig is sufficient to handle any venue, indoors or outdoors and
I fight soundmen every step of the way. I don't want their DI box
setup, I don't want to be mic-ed, and I don't need to play through
their PA. Just leave me alone and I'll take care of the bass
needs of the band.

My 800 watts and 2 Avatar B410 Neos will fill any fairgrounds
with deep full bass without them getting in the middle.

Do it for yourself man! Play your sounds!

[tabdog]

This thread really makes me wonder about myself.

When I started, there was no internet and a cheap
bass was the worst piece of **** you could imagine.

I had one good bass and a decent backup. I had
one nice bass amp and a decent backup.

It stayed that way. I still have one of those amps
and both basses.

I never had gas until I got old and couldn't get many
gigs any more.

Now I buy low cost basses and sometimes six strings
just to mod or play and mess around with.

I won't stop until I can't pick up and play a bass.

That's what it's going to take to stop me.

So, like I said, it's a personal decision,

Tabdog

[Sliderbass]

Let's set this straight. Nice gear is great BUT if you're a weekly gigging musician, RELIABLE gear is what you need! Regardless of who makes it, it's gotta work every time you hit that power button. Bases need to play well, stay in tune and not hum or buzz.

[nobodysfool]

Originally Posted by hasbeen

when my bass and rig feel and sound good, it inspires me and they almost "disappear", i.e. I'm not thinking about them.

When they don't feel/sound good, they get "in my way".

++++1

[JxBass]

I've been in love with music gear since 1964. Why stop now?

[Flabass]

Originally Posted by tabdog

This thread really makes me wonder about myself.

When I started, there was no internet and a cheap
bass was the worst piece of **** you could imagine.

I had one good bass and a decent backup. I had
one nice bass amp and a decent backup.

It stayed that way. I still have one of those amps
and both basses.

I never had gas until I got old and couldn't get many
gigs any more.

Now I buy low cost basses and sometimes six strings
just to mod or play and mess around with.

I won't stop until I can't pick up and play a bass.

That's what it's going to take to stop me.

So, like I said, it's a personal decision,

Tabdog

+1 Almost my exact story.

[trevcda]

My favorite and most expensive bass rig is a Bag End stack powered by a couple of Crown XTI amps and the pre amp d'jour, that I've mentioned on here before. Wanna know how many times that thing has hit the stage in the last eight years? Zero! I've got other cabs and racks that are much more portable and see the most use. But that's okay. I put that together for me. Sure I'd hope that I could use it live more than I do, it was basically a dream project and an exercise in excess. It's big, it's stupid and I need a box truck to haul it around, but it sounds sweet. At this point I guess it's my retirement rig. I'll just sit in front of it with a box of Depends, playing to my hearts content, stopping only to put on a fresh pair!

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by punchclock

[...] they very rarely "bother" to mic my cab.

First off, you can't really mic a 2 or 3 way cab live. If I think you aren't going to scoop your mids (or otherwise crappify your tone) and you are running one way cabs I will generally mic a cab. If you have a 2 or 3 way cab I might DI the output of your amp. Using only a DI before a tube amp is blasphemy . I generally don't use an amp when I play out as I use in-ears - added benefit is I know what I'm sending to the board .