Does this make me any less of a bassist?

[AaronD]

I didn't really know where to put this.

I was just wondering if I don't know anything about amps, effects, electronics, hardware or anything like that does it make me any less of a bassist?

I get good reviews of my bass playing and all I really do is keep my bass in standard tune and play. I don't use no effects or I don't replace or change anything on my bass except strings

[standupright]

sounds to me like you have the most important part covered.

[dmusic148]

If you can make it work, you may know enough. If you wish to advance you may wish to learn more. Doesn't make you 'less' of anything.

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by standupright

sounds to me like you have the most important part covered.

+1, but knowing your gear is important. You don't have to go crazy like some of us here, but getting a solid understanding of what gear is good for whatever purpose, and a solid understanding of how to use that gear will only help you out in the long run. This knowledge will come in time, just from reading about stuff here, and trying different equipment out on your own.

[Mazatleco17]

Omg dude don't even call yourself a bass player!!! What a disgrace.

[two fingers]

Getting too caught up in gear has wasted more time than most of us would like to admit. Just play and don't worry about it.

[sawgydawg]

just give up now and send me your equipment, i'll make sure it gets a nice home.

[AaronD]

No hard feelings if anyone should think I shouldn't play bass

[dmusic148]

Dude, it's fine, don't worry about it. Play your bass, be happy.

[5string5fingers]

Well you should know some sort of basic knowledge of electronics and hardware incase something breaks,you're not totally clueless, and anytime you can do something yourself,it saves you a lot of money. I myself dont know much about effects,but thats because I never use them. I also think you should know a little about amps in case you ever want to upgrade (I.E. Small practice amp to a real rig),you know what to look for. All of these things on a basic level are a good thing to know,but none of it's a must. But not knowing doesn't make you any less of a bassist. As long as you know the music,who cares?

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by two fingers

Getting too caught up in gear has wasted more time than most of us would like to admit. Just play and don't worry about it.

+1

[AaronD]

I have a basic knowledge of amps and gear

[sawgydawg]

Originally Posted by AaronD

No hard feelings if anyone should think I shouldn't play bass

lol, if anyone on here thinks you seriously shouldn't play bass they are breaking some moral and ethical conduct.

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by AaronD

I was just wondering if I don't know anything about amps, effects, electronics, hardware or anything like that does it make me any less of a bassist?

Originally Posted by AaronD

I have a basic knowledge of amps and gear

So, I don't get it. Do you have any knowledge about amps, or don't you?

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by AaronD

I was just wondering if I don't know anything about amps, effects, electronics, hardware or anything like that does it make me any less of a bassist?

Uh, you're only 15 years old. Have you considered taking a little time to start actually learning about gear?

Or are you asking - indirectly - whether it would somehow be OK for you to remain uninformed about gear?

MM

[jfh2424]

Aaron, you shouldn't feel bad if you have concentrated on making music. In theory, that's what we should all be doing.

I'm always amazed about how little is said about music here.

John

[dmrogers]

Originally Posted by two fingers

Getting too caught up in gear has wasted more time than most of us would like to admit. Just play and don't worry about it.

+1 again!

Just play and enjoy it. You will learn more as the need arises.

[lousybassplayer]

It might make you a less knowledgable bassist, but if you are diggin what you do than who cares. I use one pedal (very rarely), I have two basses and I plug right into a basic 4x10 and svt-3 pro rig. I use whatever cable I can find. I prefer elixer strings, but I'll play what I can afford that is similar when I need new strings for the most part. I don't feel like that is why I am less of a bassist than anyone else.

I think that about myself because I suck. None of that crap, either owning it or being able to spout off 400 pages of facts about that stuff is going to change the fact that I am not all that good.

[atheos]

If you play bass you're a bassist. There are no ranks. The only thing that matters is that your playing style and your tone works with the music you play. Besides, some people can make $200 gear sing and growl while others can't get a decent tone out of $20,000 gear so your gear doesn't really matter as long as it gets the job done well.

Knowing about your gear does help a lot, though. The more you know, the better you can fine tune your tone and you're less likely to break something by accident (e.g. over/underpowering your amp/cab). And knowing about electronics and hardware usually saves a lot of money if something breaks or needs replacing unless it's covered by warranty. Instruments usually have ridiculous warranties if compared to their expected life. But – that all just helps along the way. It has got nothing to do with status or "street cred".

[5string5fingers]

Originally Posted by Tony G

So, I don't get it. Do you have any knowledge about amps, or don't you?

+1