Stupid Newbie Thoughts

[ynie92992]

What are some things that you believed when you just started playing bass that you now laugh at?

When I was playing some basses at Sam Ash, I thought the Fender
Jazz and precisions were fake because there were only 20 frets!

And I still don't know what GAS is,will you tell me?

[dcr]

GAS = Gear Acquisition Syndrome! If you stay here long enough, you'll catch it, too. Just like [I dare say] everyone else here.

I can't remember much of anything that I thought when I first started out -- it's been too long! Probably, I guess that it would have to be that Peavey was crap gear. Once I got over that, I've owned (literally!!!) a ton of Peavey gear, including PA gear, power amps, bass amps, practice amps, preamps, and basses. And I still own, for that matter. AAMOF, the bass that's closest at hand to me as I type this is a Peavey USA Millennium 5, that I'd put up against just about any general production bass in the US. Not the boutiques like Sado and Lakland USA, of course.

And for the record, the bass that got me started on five-strings years ago -- and I've never looked back -- was a used Peavey Dyna Bass 5 in pearl white.


dcr

[Gintaras]

i started playing again about 3 years ago after a 20 yrs hiatus. Amazing what I have learned from hanging on this forum. GAS can be lovely or addictive....manage it!!!!

I had no idea what a Modulus was and now I GAS for a Q6

[0175westwood29]

THE GAS WILL GET YOU!!!! if you on tb believe me

[Just J]

Originally Posted by ynie92992

What are some things that you believed when you just started playing bass that you now laugh at?

online tableture.

[Meyatch]

Originally Posted by ynie92992

What are some things that you believed when you just started playing bass that you now laugh at?

Mindless repeating of "commonly held knowledge" by "experts" on internet forums.

I use my own ears and refuse to believe anything that I can't prove with empirical evidence.

I can't think of a whole lot I believed when I first started that I find laughable now.

I used to think that I "need" an expensive bass, and a huge amp. I now know that I just "want" an expensive bass and a huge amp.

[Silas Martinez]

Originally Posted by Just J

online tableture.

That ones true for me as well. I also thought that any purchased transcription book would be totally accurate.

Man, what a difference it makes when you learn to trust your ears.

[Gambisk]

For the first year i played bass I believed that anything with only one pickup was an inferior bass, hence i bought a thunderbird now what i really want is a P bass......Damn GAS

[tZer]

I thought if I got a Rickenbacker 4001 that I would sound like Geddy -
So I got one...

Oh, the ignorance of youth...

[Stuggi]

Originally Posted by Meyatch

I used to think that I "need" an expensive bass, and a huge amp. I now know that I just "want" an expensive bass and a huge amp.

Been there, done the amp-part, haven't really figured out the bass part though

An old teacher of mine (which was a guitarist in an oldtimer band, and a pretty lousy on as well) once told me that you CAN'T play more than one note at a time on a bass, and I belived him for a while. But hh god, was he astonished when he saw me pulling double stops and chords stanly-clarke-style onstage at the town square after 10 years

[Harps]

I used to think that heads and cabs had to be matching

[bassphreak]

I used to think that you needed a really good bass to be a really good bass player..... now I have one and........well.......I still need more lessons......

[alfredpunkjazz]

I laugh everytime I remember how often I broke strings on those first years...

I don't know what happened, but I hasn't happened to me in a long long time...

[absolutezero]

I used to think that I had to get formal lessons to play well. But realized soon enough that self help is best help. Learning on one's own gives you your own style and a sense of satisfaction. And noone can teach you the groove . You need to feel it

[Depth_Charge]

I believed bass was easier to play than guitar, having been told that by many guitarists during my formative years of playing.

[chaosMK]

When I first started, my guitarist friend told me the way to play bass was with each finger of the right hand on a different string (index-g, middle-d, etc). Man, I had a hard time starting out.

[Herrlster]

Originally Posted by chaosMK

When I first started, my guitarist friend told me the way to play bass was with each finger of the right hand on a different string (index-g, middle-d, etc). Man, I had a hard time starting out.

I played like that when I first started...

Thumb on the E
Index on the A
Middle on the D
Ring on the G

It's a great way to learn how to play because you incorporate your thumb and ring finger right from the start.

I still play like that sometimes.

[Kandris]

Originally Posted by chaosMK

When I first started, my guitarist friend told me the way to play bass was with each finger of the right hand on a different string (index-g, middle-d, etc). Man, I had a hard time starting out.

lol

[invader3k]

When a friend suggested that I learn bass so we could start a band together, I barely knew what a bass was. He took me to a music store and we were looking at electric guitars, and I thought they were "six string basses."

Yeah, I like to think I've come a ways since then.

[Fassa Albrecht]

I thought that sheet music for bass didn't exist and alll you could get for bass was tablature. It didn't help the book I was using was tab-only.



I now know better.