do we focus too much on gear?

Jimbo · #1 10-09-2006, 09:49 PM

NOTE: the follow is merely a musing on a thought i had

so do we focus too much on what we're playing and not on what we're playing?

speaking from my own experience, of course. but i feel that sometimes we bass players really care about our gear too much. i'll be the first to admit to getting GAS after seeing/reading about/hearing some of the instruments folks here on TB own and build. i've had the chance to hold some real nice and expensive basses in my hands and i can feel what others do and i understand the love people have for these instruments. and i guarantee that next time i buy a bass i will post it here with pics and a complete description of the make/model. i have a wishlist of certain brands of bass i hope to one day own. heck, i even have the fact that i'm a member of the MIM club in my signature! it seems like whenever i meet another bass player our conversation is primarily about the gear we play.

now i'll contradict that with my other musical interst, sitar. when i meet other sitarists the questions usually center around style of play and knowledge of raagas. no one has ever asked me what kind of sitar i play, nor have i aksed anyone. i couldn't even guess at what brands of instrument my favorite sitarists play. i also frequent the indian music forums at http://chandrakantha.com/ and i don't remember ever seeing a "show your sitars!" or "what kind of sitars to do you play?" thread.

i can't help but think of the clinic victor wooten gave at the Bass Specialties shop around here in philly. he kept making the point that we're playing music, and bass is just the instrument we choose to express ourselves with. i mean at the end of the day, we're all playing music no matter which brand is displayed on our headstocks, right?

could it be because there are so many options to the bass? more choices in wood, active vs passive, 4 or 5 string, ERB, fretted vs fretless, and all the different types of pickups there are. not to mention all the options available with amps, strings, effects, etc. i mean there are very few options comparitively for a sitar. not too mention the number of bass manufacters dwindles the number of sitar makers. but could this be the only reason?

i apologize if this has been discussed at length in the past. i did a quick search and didn't come up with anything. i know there have been discussions on "bass players being more gear oriented than guitarists" but i'm talking about all musicians in general.

and if i have missed such a thread, i will delete this one

Dash Rantic · #2 10-09-2006, 10:34 PM

I know I've spent way too much time and money playing with effects pedals than it was actually worth... Now I've got a huge pedalboard, am out a fair amount of money, and my playing is actually worse off

So I've been in recent months trying to pull away from that.

Oh well, it's not like I was going to major in music, and am not in a band currently... I have fun with what I do. Effects are fun, buying new gear is fun (though why, I don't know...) Long term, not the best thing to do, but provides short-term enjoyment.

Meh.

-Dash

Munjibunga · #3 10-09-2006, 10:36 PM

Dude. It's all about the gear.

brothernewt · #4 10-09-2006, 10:44 PM

I do for sure... but I personally recognize gear buying/selling/trading as a seperate hobby from playing... greatly helps me justify having more than I need!

Kronos · #5 10-09-2006, 10:55 PM

It's like the difference between a 66 Mustang and Hyundai.

They both get you from point A to point B, but no one brags about the Hyundai, nor does it make sense to talk about modding it.

James Hart · #6 10-09-2006, 10:57 PM

I don't (no really!)... I have killer stuff that I have specified for specific needs/wants. I GAS for this and that... but to do what I want music wise, I'm pretty set.

Blues Basser · #7 10-09-2006, 11:08 PM

Yes, but I am glad that talkbass does. When I have a gear question, the subject has usually been covered exhaustively, or will be, once the appropriate question is asked.

Dr. Cheese · #8 10-09-2006, 11:10 PM

I GAS way too much, but I have slowed down alot. Responsibilities can do that to you.

tplyons · #9 10-09-2006, 11:12 PM

Yes, we do. I'm trying to figure out a way to reroute bass related money to other stuff, i.e. a bit of repair work on my car, new digital SLR and a motorcycle...

Jimbo · #10 10-10-2006, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kronos

It's like the difference between a 66 Mustang and Hyundai.

They both get you from point A to point B, but no one brags about the Hyundai, nor does it make sense to talk about modding it.

i like this analogy

**Vorago** · #11 10-10-2006, 06:55 AM

On TB? Yes.

bigfatbass · #12 10-10-2006, 07:09 AM

It is far easier to buy new gear and pretend you are a better sounding player than it is to practice and actually get to be a better musician.

In defense of the GAS whores here, the changes in bass gear in the last 5 years have been radical and then some. Never has a bass cat had more options for gear in every price range. This has resulted in a worldwide bass GAS frenzy of comparing gear. I think this will settle over the next few years as digital power amps and neo speakers become more and more common.

Until that time have at it! I love reading all the reviews of different stuff here.

**baba** · #13 10-10-2006, 07:15 AM

Yes, I think TB'ers focus WAY too much on gear. It is completely out of wack with the musicians I deal with in the real world.

It works out well for me since I can filter the opinions of others and narrow down what I'm looking for before I even plug it in. All the impulse and trend buyers also flood the market with cheap used gear so I'm happy!

Aussiephoenix · #14 10-10-2006, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kronos

It's like the difference between a 66 Mustang and Hyundai.

They both get you from point A to point B, but no one brags about the Hyundai, nor does it make sense to talk about modding it.

WHAT!?!?!! Why I ought to... (Hyundai Tiburon Owner)

Still, you got good taste... Old Mustangs are dope.

As for the topic...

I feel the same way... I was a guitarrist for 8 years, and I simply had 2 guitars and an amp... it wasnt about the brands... I was just a guitarrist...

Somehow, it changed radically when I became a bassplayer...
to me, its not the brand... thats something more of a quality guideline to me... Its really about the sound.

I've owned a lot of diferent basses, always buying and selling...

Now, the 3 basses that I have are completely diferent beasts...
the Jazz, my "real" starting bass... the most versatile I have. un-intrusive sound, fits in nicely anywhere. mods real nice with a sadowsky preamp, etc.
My Rickenbacker... lots of growl, a bit more limited, but a blast to play. Lots of Mojo.
My Esh Stinger. Active/Passive, 5 String, this is my Any-Band bass.

The amplification is EBS, to my ears, its the amp that lets out most of my bass' natural sound, uncoloured.
Small, portable little combo with a lot of bite... got it in a trade for a cheaper warwick/trace elliot stack that was a major bummer to cart around.

Lets be honest... Gear isnt everything, but playing a 60's Jazz bass or a Squier Jazz bass doesnt sound quite the same does it?

brianrost · #15 10-10-2006, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo

could it be because there are so many options to the bass?

It's because of clever marketing.

Until the 1980s your only choice in a P or J bass was what color it was and whether it had a rosewood or maple fingerboard. Until the 1980s when there were vintage dealers whose livelihood depended on it noone gave a crap about what year your P-bass was. Until DiMarzio and Leo Quan came on the scene selling aftermarket parts in the mid 70s few people ever did mods to their basses. Until Aspen Pittman came along with Groove Tubes nobody cared about the brand of tubes in their amps and they didn't have an "amp tech" rebias the amp every time they swapped a tube. Until GC you never saw a music store in a mall unless they were selling pianos. Until last year I never saw a Gibson ad on TV suggesting you buy your husband a Les Paul for Valentine's Day.

In other words there's a huge industry now where none existed 25 years ago whose entire goal is to make you so obsessed with gear that you'll part with your dough.

BTW, it seems to be working really, really well.

BassChuck · #16 10-10-2006, 08:48 AM

We probably do spend more time thinking about gear than we should.... but who cares?

As I read this thread I could help but think about all the times I've read, "The tone is in the hands (fingers)". If that's really true, why do many of use own several basses? If fact if it's really true that tone is in the hands, then why are there so many basses to pick from?

Every time I think that I might need another bass, I buy new strings, and if I still think I need a new bass, then I buy a new bass. It's only a sickness if you can't afford it.

Diggler · #17 10-10-2006, 09:28 AM

Me, no.

I have what I need, even a little more than what I need.

I won't buy anything else unless it makes me/the band sound better and I can demonstrate a NEED to myself.

Michael Jewels · #18 10-10-2006, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfatbass

It is far easier to buy new gear and pretend you are a better sounding player than it is to practice and actually get to be a better musician.

Quote of the week!

I think there's a bit of the "Keeping Up With The Jones'" mentality which pervades the BG side of Talkbass, but not so much on the DB side.

I've never heard any of my friends come back from a wedding and say, "Man, the band they had at so & sos wedding was great, but the bass player was using a cabinet with 15s, and well, the highs were just too muddy, so my wife and I sat down, because we can't stand dancing to muddy highs."

On the other hand, what people do with their disposable income is their business, and TB wouldn't be as lively a place if it wasn't for the enthusiastic stories told by those who have just spent as much on a new bass as some of us spend on a car.

Speaking for myself, I'm concentrating more on getting better as a player these days than on buying new gear.

To each his own.

Mike

Matthew Bryson · #19 10-10-2006, 10:56 AM

I don't focus too much on gear. My gear is pretty humble and it all serves a purpose. I do spend some time reading threads on TB about gear, but I do 98% of my reading on Talkbass during my down time at work - so it's not as if the time could be spent improving other areas of my bass playing.

I feel that gear discussions here at Talkbass have been a HUGE help to me. I haven't been playing that long really. I'm coming up on 6 years. I'm absolutely sure that I have WAY more usable knowledge about what gear to use and how to get good tone than I would if it wasn't for this place. I've also read plenty on Talkbass about inexpensive gear that works and sounds great. I learned to buy used to get higher quality at a lower price.

I do not believe that gear discussions at Talkbass are all about keeping up with the Joneses, or buying and showing of the fanciest thing possible, or even about drooling over gear that you can't afford when you should be practicing. I can see how people could get too caught up in it all and be influenced to waste their time or money. I don't think that's the case for most people though. Certainly not for me. I think that the free flow of information about all types of bass gear is one of the things that makes this site truly great. People just need to remember not to get too caught up in it all.

poptart · #20 10-10-2006, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianrost

It's because of clever marketing.

Until the 1980s your only choice in a P or J bass was what color it was and whether it had a rosewood or maple fingerboard. Until the 1980s when there were vintage dealers whose livelihood depended on it noone gave a crap about what year your P-bass was. Until DiMarzio and Leo Quan came on the scene selling aftermarket parts in the mid 70s few people ever did mods to their basses. Until Aspen Pittman came along with Groove Tubes nobody cared about the brand of tubes in their amps and they didn't have an "amp tech" rebias the amp every time they swapped a tube. Until GC you never saw a music store in a mall unless they were selling pianos. Until last year I never saw a Gibson ad on TV suggesting you buy your husband a Les Paul for Valentine's Day.

In other words there's a huge industry now where none existed 25 years ago whose entire goal is to make you so obsessed with gear that you'll part with your dough.

BTW, it seems to be working really, really well.

I find TB fascinating - there are some real "gear heads" on the forum, and to be honest I have a couple of expensive basses myself and regularly drool over the beautiful hand crafted basses posted on TB.

When I started out, the music business and instruments seemed to be a real mystery and the first time I went in to a proper music shop was amazing. I think today there are a lot more people feeding off the music industry and it benefits them to create desire amongst musicians to buy equipment.

The internet has allowed more players on the field, this competition is great and I am constantly impressed with the high quality basses and equipment that exists today. But I do believe that the equipment avaiable today has almost gone past what you actually need to be the bass player in a band - it's great fun though