How has your gear influenced your playing?

St Drogo · #1 06-11-2011, 06:30 PM

How has your gear influenced your playing?

I very heavily use an OC-2, it really changed the way I play, as it can only track single notes.

Also, I started out on a 24 fret bass, and I got used to that number of frets for higher octave work. a 20 fret bass always misses some notes for me.

So how about you?

Skitch it! · #2 06-11-2011, 06:39 PM

Moving back to a four after years on fives only was a v.good move for me in term's of the way I play now.

**Faderoktopus** · #3 06-11-2011, 06:45 PM

Having a good preamp has definitely made me more comfortable when playing with a lighter touch. And having a bass that stays in tune well has allowed me to concentrate on my playing and performance with fewer worries. There are probably a lot more ways in which my gear has had an impact. Just think of the difference in attack when playing amplified or acoustic.

MuzikMan · #4 06-11-2011, 06:46 PM

Getting rid of compression has forced me to play with better dynamic control.

JimmyM · #5 06-11-2011, 11:14 PM

My gear really doesn't influence the way I play. I have preferences, but I can get a sound on anything and make pretty much any bass and amp rig work as long as it's in working order.

Stilettoprefer · #6 06-11-2011, 11:28 PM

Having an active onboard EQ has definitely made me more picky about my sound:P It's nice to have it though, less running back to the amp to change sounds, so I can focus on stage presence and my playing more than little tweaks to the amp.

Having 24 frets has spoiled me haha. I can't play a regular fender without running off the fretboard a couple times at first.

Playing with flats has let me incorporate more slides into my playing and let me be less conscious about picking my fingers up when changing frets, since there isn't any string noise to worry about with flats. The higher tension has really strengthened my left hand fingers:P

TOOL460002 · #7 06-11-2011, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuzikMan

Getting rid of compression has forced me to play with better dynamic control.

And getting a good compressor has let me slack a little! Not too much though... its handy for digging in really hard or playing over the neck, as that'll be at least a little clacky no matter what you do. Its last in my chain and always on.

When I upgraded from a mexican fender to a music man it just played so much better. It got me playing a lot more. Practice makes perfect. I also learned a lot about setup when I got a nice bass. That also just makes everything that much easier.

Then there's effects and that wonderful money pit.

IronLung1986 · #8 06-11-2011, 11:58 PM

i think my gear has had quite a big impact on my playing.

my first "real" bass was a lined fretless jazz bass. it helped me to develop some good left hand habits early on, and facilitated a melodic style of playing. and it's cool because i'm still pretty comfortable on a fretless even though i now play fretted for the most part.

next i switched to rickenbacker, which could not have been more different. this bass forced me to have strong, versatile right hand skills. it was so tonally limited that the only way to make it work in different contexts was through technique. i got pretty good with a pick because, as everyone knows, ricks sound great pickstyle. playing this bass was physically demanding as well, since i only liked the sound when i was really digging into it. but i could get the nastiest entwistle sound with this thing...none of my other basses come close for just sheer aggression.

after 6 years on the rick, i got a warwick $$. whereas the rick had always sort of fought against me, the warwick seemed ready and willing to do anything i wanted. at the risk of sounding pretentious, i was able to start working on a more sophisticated, nuanced style simply because this bass required so much less physical effort to play. i got into doing a lot of harmonics, chords, tapping, and other fancy junk that my rick could never have handled.

along with the warwick, my other main bass now is a good old P bass. i can already tell that this bass is helping me to further develop my right hand technique, although i don't know exactly how yet...time will tell!

at this point as a musician, i like to reinvent myself as often as possible. but i still have all my basses and they're all special because i can go back to them and play the way i used to. it's sort of like a weird time travel thing.

PBnJBassist · #9 06-14-2011, 03:04 PM

I (like Muzikman) learned to play with more dynamics since I sold my compressor pedal. I'm also prone to playing strictly finger-style since I attach covers to every bass that comes to my possession. My P-bass has forced me to use my pinky when playing at the top of the neck and getting rid of my Boss pedals helped me realize what the hell was sucking out all of my tone. Now, I plug my bass right into my amp without any effects - sweet, simple sounds.

Russell L · #10 06-14-2011, 08:51 PM

I suppose the best thing my gear has done for me is to make me enjoy what I'm playing. I've always had good stuff, for the most part. I don't know that it's influenced my playing, though, unless a good sound has taken me deeper into the music.

GladToBeBack · #11 06-14-2011, 09:01 PM

Playing my Jazz bass on a 2x12 SWR (Pre Fender) has brought a brightness out that I wasn't getting before. Hearing myself as more of an addition to the melody instead of just a guitar thickener has made me work harder at playing more interesting bass lines. I love seeing the guitarists faces too when I do something unexpected that works that adds more depth to the songs... and live I always go sans compressor, I actually run no pedals at all. I use the vol & tone knobs on the bass and the EQ & aural enhancer on the amp.

MysticMichael · #12 06-14-2011, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by St Drogo

So how about you?

There's always some degree of influence in either direction. But I prefer for my style of playing to influence my choices of gear - rather than the other way around...

MM

SteveC · #13 06-14-2011, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

My gear really doesn't influence the way I play. I have preferences, but I can get a sound on anything and make pretty much any bass and amp rig work as long as it's in working order.

I would generally agree. I sound like me no matter what I'm playing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

There's always some degree of influence in either direction. But I prefer for my style of playing to influence my choices of gear - rather than the other way around...

MM

I agree with this as well. I'd like to think I choose gear to fit my needs.

I have recently gone from a 24 fret 5 to a 22 fret 4 string. It has certainly influenced my playing by "restricting" my note and position options, but I made that choice.

funkinbottom · #14 06-14-2011, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

My gear really doesn't influence the way I play. I have preferences, but I can get a sound on anything and make pretty much any bass and amp rig work as long as it's in working order.

+1

ShredderMaximus · #15 06-14-2011, 10:23 PM

My Destroyer II refuses to play anything but the metal.

D.A.R.K. · #16 06-15-2011, 12:10 AM

From 4 to 5 to 6 to 7 string, fretless, fretted, upright, arco, plectrum, short scale, medium scale, sub tunings, piccolo tunings, open and alternate tunings, flat wound and round wound strings, effects and amplification, have all been a great education and have taught me that each instrument and setup is unique and has it's strengths and weaknesses, and how to recognize and play to those characteristics.
More importantly, trying all these different things allows me to grow and expand the safety zone of what i've figured out thus far.