"It is a poor musician who blames his instrument."

[wrench45us]

I have been pondering this for months as I try and justify what I think woild be an upgrade to a better instrument.

Practice takes a lot of time and dedication and progress is slow and incremental.
Getting better equipment takes a few minutes online.

Establishing and maintaining an identity as a bassist involves a certain amount of equipment and in my case music books/DVDs. etc.
It's much easier to establish credentials as someone who knows equipment than someone who make good use of that equipment.It's unlilkely anyone on this forum will ever hear me play, but I can set up an identity by the equipment I own.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by Factor88

Or perhaps even impossible.

Yes ... if you show up with a crappy amp you may not get the job done ...

[Spectrum]

You don't need super high-end gear, but you do need solid gear that is playable, can take a good setup, is durable, sounds good and does what is required of it. Everything above that is just nice-to-have. A good Squier and a Peavey rig is just fine in most situations.

If you play a junk bass through a junk rig you will not only sound bad, but it makes it harder to play well, and the discomfort and bad sound discourage you from practicing. My nephew wants to learn bass, and I'm not sure he means it, but I'm not going to give him a piece of garbage to play on. Plenty of good instruments can be had for cheap these days.

After time you may decide that you are ready for something nicer like a USA Fender, or a distinctive sound and look like a Ric, and maybe a more powerful rig with a desirable tone.

GAS is something we all get, but I think websites like TB make it worse.

[Din Of Win]

Originally Posted by Spectrum

GAS is something we all get, but I think websites like TB make it worse.

This.

It's indicative of any forum/gathering of people with similar interests that revolve around material things.

Cycling forums made me think i needed a $9000 custom bicycle... But i only use one for commuting and for fun.

Computer forums made me think i needed a $5000 custom PC... but i only play PC games from the 90's.

TB makes me think i need a different $1000+ bass for every possible circumstance... but my Fender P gets me through every gig i've needed a bass for.


Blaming your tools is only half the problem... the other half is knowing which tools you need.

[StyleOverShow]

Agree my previous post was more about farm boy innovation than craftsmanship.

Also think Spectrum nails it with "all you need solid gear that is playable, can take a good setup, is durable, sounds good".

Know players that can make music with spoons and napkins.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by Din Of Win

Blaming your tools is only half the problem... the other half is knowing which tools you need.

And there's also a big difference between "need" and "want". But it's also a professional's job to know what is "needed" to get what is "wanted". You can have ten different pros, each of whom gets the job done, with ten different sounds. It's no good saying, "A Fender is all you need" to a guy who wants to hear what a Fender can't provide (and maybe a Fodera, for example, can).

[bass12]

Originally Posted by StyleOverShow

Agree my previous post was more about farm boy innovation than craftsmanship.

Also think Spectrum nails it with "all you need solid gear that is playable, can take a good setup, is durable, sounds good".

Know players that can make music with spoons and napkins.

But that isn't the point when you get into a high level of music making, or even just passion for the instrument. Bass is often very much about subtlety (especially to the player). And while some folks are happy with pure functionality where an instrument is concerned, a lot of bassists, pro and amateur alike, enjoy the "hobby" aspect of bass.

[Mike M.]

Originally Posted by Ric5

But with bad tools the job is a lot harder.

For me this is very true. When I first got interested in 5 string bass I settled on an MIM Fender Deluxe Active. I've always liked Jazz basses, so I fiured why not? Plus the price was right for the time. Man, I fought and fought with that bass like you wouldn't believe. It sounded okay but it just didn't feel like home. It was also a very heavy bass.

Long story short, I bought a Fender American Standard 5 string Jazz bass. I found that what I couldn't do on the MIM I could do on the Am Std.

It's differant for all. I'm sure there are many who could have played that MIM with no problem and would have sounded great. But in my hands it just wasn't happening.

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by Ric5

But with bad tools the job is a lot harder.

Bingo.

This idea of it being either talent/ability or gear is a false dichotomy. A professional sound requires technique, talent, and ability, as well as tools that meet at least a certain threshold of quality, craftsmanship, and tone. Victor Wooten will always be awesome, but it's going to be a lot easier for him to do two-handed tapped 9th chords on a bass with professional grade electronics and a good fret job than it would on a entry-level Rogue. I always think that the videos of Flea playing his budget signature model exemplify this to a great extent. Flea's playing always sounds awesome demoing that bass, but it's still obvious that it's a cheap bass, even in the hands of Flea. It has that flubby bottom end and harsh honky mid range that's often indicative of cheap, buget-line basses.

[drummer5359]

I've had this discussion on drum forums fifty times. We can wax hyperbole about some over the top bass or ultra super snare drum all we want. The real deal is that the person listening won't know (or care) whether you are playing an instument made of "unobtainium" or something "of the rack" and setup well.

[Freddels]

If you weren't poor, you could buy a better instrument.

[hrodbert696]

In my opinion you don't buy a higher-end instrument because the audience will only like the music played by a higher-end instrument. You buy the higher-end instrument because you like playing it better, whether it's tone or feel or looks. The audience rarely notices and when they do, it's largely subconscious.

But for the OP's saying (I think the "craftsman/tools" version is the original expression, btw), it depends. Poor playing is not the instrument's fault. But if the strings don't stay in tune or the amp farts out, it's not because of my lack of technique or practice. There are some problems that are legit gear problems. For the most part, however, I agree. Tone is in the fingers.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

In my opinion you don't buy a higher-end instrument because the audience will only like the music played by a higher-end instrument. You buy the higher-end instrument because you like playing it better, whether it's tone or feel or looks. The audience rarely notices and when they do, it's largely subconscious.

I agree. I don't buy the basses I do because I think the audience will appreciate them more. I buy them because I like them.

[kozmikyak]

A certain level of crappiness does indeed hinder doing even a competent, passable job. An insrument of exceedingly high quality might not help, and might even hinder if one is nervous about damaging it.

There's a large "middle" in this equation.

I'm exceedingly happy I eventually migrated to an extended range electric cello. My acoustic cello just wasn't cutting it in live situations--feedback problems. Was I a poor musician to move to an instrument designed for amplified playing, after many attempts to remedy the situation with the old instrument? Or was I saving time and money in the long run?

Yet I'm not convinced I need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on some fancy-ass E-cello made of unicorn horn and the blood of newborn babies and the tears of Buddha, either. My Ergo 7-string is wonderful enough for any audience. It's priced in what's considered the "low-medium" range.

Perhaps a better way to look at it is what one does when hindered by a lesser instrument. The key is to not keep blaming it. Try extending your technique. If extending the technique doesn't work, by all means try a better instrument. Better instruments can actually _encourage_ proper technique, preventing struggles that a lesser instrument _requires_ to bring out the best sound.

Strangely enough, both of my electric guitars are low-end. The cheapest dual-humbucker Epiphone, and a Samick Artist Series. I take the logo off the headstock on both of those--not because I'm ashamed, but because I want to trip up snobs. I get asked all the time "What kind of guitar are you using to get that wonderful tone?" Tone is in my amp setup and the way I play. People don't believe me when I tell them what I'm playing.

I've never owned an expensive guitar. Only medium-priced cellos.

[Pilgrim]

Many blues and rock musicians either came up poor or were dealing with very low quality, poorly set up instruments. Many of them played instruments that most musicians today would pronounce unplayable.

And they sounded great!

Why? BECAUSE THE SOUND IS IN THE FINGERS.

The sound depends on you. If you're good, you can make the instrument work as long as it's functional.