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Are high-end basses, amps and cabs really necessary?
- Thread starter SoulReflection
- Start date
I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos of great bands playing Glastonbury etc in front of massive crowds. I usually have trouble recognizing the brand of bass (Fender, or Squier?) but often see Epiphone guitars. So many great musicians playing the instrument they bought before they made it big - or playing a relatively inexpensive instrument that just works for them. What I rarely see are boutique instruments, or at least I’ve not recognized them (maybe that Epiphone was completely rebuilt by a master luthier?).
none of this falls into the "need" category for me since i do not make my living playing music....
but over the years, for certain items i use to play music, higher-end (quality and price) yield better results for me and folks i play with.
for drums, crappy cymbals sound like crap, and cheap sticks affect my feel and tend to break quickly.
drums and heads can be manipulated to sound good though.
for bass, certain cheap strings feel "off" to me, and certain amps/cabs i've played have caused me more frustration and tweaking time to dial in sounds that are more conducive to a better music experience for all.
none of this is necessary for the end result of making music.
but i believe certain higher-end components do improve the experience for everyone, whether they notice or not.
i think of this topic sometimes when watching the droves of people "peddling" around my home town on their fancy electric bikes.
i think the definition of "necessary" is also highly subjective.
but over the years, for certain items i use to play music, higher-end (quality and price) yield better results for me and folks i play with.
for drums, crappy cymbals sound like crap, and cheap sticks affect my feel and tend to break quickly.
drums and heads can be manipulated to sound good though.
for bass, certain cheap strings feel "off" to me, and certain amps/cabs i've played have caused me more frustration and tweaking time to dial in sounds that are more conducive to a better music experience for all.
none of this is necessary for the end result of making music.
but i believe certain higher-end components do improve the experience for everyone, whether they notice or not.
i think of this topic sometimes when watching the droves of people "peddling" around my home town on their fancy electric bikes.
i think the definition of "necessary" is also highly subjective.
Oh, and there’s an interview with Noel Gallagher somewhere where he talks about the “Oasis sound” that made them such a massive success. He puts it down to them having cheap gear, and they struggled to maintain their sound once they became rich and could afford anything. Maybe that’s folklore, but it’s a great story.
Now that you mention that - over on YouTube, the Guitar (and Bass) department of Andertons sometimes features a blind test. Interesting and amusing!
I don't really recall seeing anyone use a boutique instrument live.
Few years back some young fella had a "White Whale" , friend told me it was an expensive custom build. No idea if his guitar was any good, 30 minutes of watching him struggle and fail to get his gear working was enough so I left
No not necessary. An average bass with new strings & a good setup
is all you need.
is all you need.
For recording, no. Most of my basses at home are inexpensive and my main recording basses are a Squier P, a modded MIM J, and a cheap Yamaha fretless with aftermarket DiMarzios.
For gigging, I felt I was always fighting to get the sounds I wanted and I was always unable to hear myself properly. Nothing worked for me until I bought a bass that did, and that happened to be a higher-end custom bass. I could have probably spent less and gotten something that worked, but I know that this instrument is lightweight, has a stable neck (in two years it hasn't needed any adjustment), has reliable and well-engineered electronics, and has a clean-sounding active EQ with lots of different sounds. Above all, it's fun to play. That really is worth the price.
For gigging, I felt I was always fighting to get the sounds I wanted and I was always unable to hear myself properly. Nothing worked for me until I bought a bass that did, and that happened to be a higher-end custom bass. I could have probably spent less and gotten something that worked, but I know that this instrument is lightweight, has a stable neck (in two years it hasn't needed any adjustment), has reliable and well-engineered electronics, and has a clean-sounding active EQ with lots of different sounds. Above all, it's fun to play. That really is worth the price.
Of course it's all personal preference.
As for IEM's and pro PA's, while I play plenty of gigs where that is the setup, I also play plenty of gigs where it's not. So, for me, having a nice amp & cab that I'm comfortable dialing in, is very worthwhile. For me it's all about having the tools to fit the gig.
As for basses, IMO that's super personal. Do you need a super high $$ boutique bass to play Louie Louie, of course not. Might having that bass make playing more enjoyable to you personally .... ? only the individual player can answer that question.
As for IEM's and pro PA's, while I play plenty of gigs where that is the setup, I also play plenty of gigs where it's not. So, for me, having a nice amp & cab that I'm comfortable dialing in, is very worthwhile. For me it's all about having the tools to fit the gig.
As for basses, IMO that's super personal. Do you need a super high $$ boutique bass to play Louie Louie, of course not. Might having that bass make playing more enjoyable to you personally .... ? only the individual player can answer that question.
.
'High End' gear? No. Decent gear, yes. No need to spend thousands. If you are a 'FULL TIME' professional making the kind of money where you can afford high end gear, go for it. Not required.
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I remember reading an interview with Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, along a slightly different arc. He was saying that coming up, they could barely afford gear and had to make their stuff work. Then they got famous and people/companies started GIVING them guitars and amps and stuff, the irony being that now they could actually afford to buy whatever they wanted...
You sound young? Have you ever been to a concert with tens of thousands of people attending?
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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Like many things, I think it's all context. However, I'm also really hesitant to use the term "necessary". High end is also a really vague sorta term. Plenty of musicians have done great things with heavily modified budget instruments. Plenty have also done great things with totally stock unmodified instruments. Could these things have been done with other gear? For the most part, yes.
Sometimes I bring a 400 watt Marshall to a smallish 200 person room size gig. I have had a comment raised on why I brought so much power to a small place and I responded that this Marshall is special, it also works fine when turned down to "1" on the volume. True story.
Never had a bass player ask that though, they ask how I get that sound..........I point at the amp.
Never had a bass player ask that though, they ask how I get that sound..........I point at the amp.
There is no universal answer; each person should decide for him-/her-self.
The quality of gear does have an impact on music production...but ultimately music is a luxury, and thus even crappy gear is not really necessary. Also some people choose gear others may consider crappy, specifically because they like the way it sounds...or for other reasons.
My #1 is a Yamaha TRB6P. This is a solid pro level bass, rather than something extravagant like a Fodera. I bought the bass used in the mid 90s and it showed quite a bit of wear at that time. I own about 9 basses total and have gigged the Ric 4001 (my first bass), the TRB6P (my second bass and #1 since about 1995), and the Tacoma Thunderchief (one or two gigs at most).
I have what I consider to be a fairly large collection amps. Back when I was still a performing musician, the only bass amp I owned was a GK 700RB/112 combo. Again this is a solid pro level piece of kit. Nothing extravagant. Can't say I was totally happy with the 700RB on some gigs, but it got the job done as long as I added an extension cab.
Some of the amps I have collected since retiring do qualify as extravagant. I would say the Matchless ThunderChief and possibly the Reeves 400 would probably be considered boutique. All of my other amps were mass produced to some degree. The ThunderChief is the most expensive amp in my collection, but it is IMHO by no means the best (YMMV).
The second most expensive is probably my Sadowsky SA200s. I paid over list price for both of the SA200s (used)...an no I did not plan to buy two. The second was sort of a rage buy
. I had actually bought this amp first, The seller cancelled the transaction on Ebay and then relisted, sold, and cancelled it several times while raising the price. This went on for about 2 years. Finally he dropped the price because no one was buying anymore. I bought it expecting the transaction to be cancelled again...but this time he actually needed the money; 
oops. Guess I showed him . Eventually I will put KT88s in one of them (just to satisfy my curiousity).
The only amp in my collection that I have gigged is the GK 700RB. The collection is sort of a guilty pleasure...thus totally gratuitous--unnecessary. But I had a lot of fun researching and hunting for my amps. It's also been enjoyable discussing many of my amps with the TB community...and of course TB inspired many of the purchases. So you could say the amps served a non-musical function because they enhanced my sense of belonging and purpose.
The quality of gear does have an impact on music production...but ultimately music is a luxury, and thus even crappy gear is not really necessary. Also some people choose gear others may consider crappy, specifically because they like the way it sounds...or for other reasons.
My #1 is a Yamaha TRB6P. This is a solid pro level bass, rather than something extravagant like a Fodera. I bought the bass used in the mid 90s and it showed quite a bit of wear at that time. I own about 9 basses total and have gigged the Ric 4001 (my first bass), the TRB6P (my second bass and #1 since about 1995), and the Tacoma Thunderchief (one or two gigs at most).
I have what I consider to be a fairly large collection amps. Back when I was still a performing musician, the only bass amp I owned was a GK 700RB/112 combo. Again this is a solid pro level piece of kit. Nothing extravagant. Can't say I was totally happy with the 700RB on some gigs, but it got the job done as long as I added an extension cab.
Some of the amps I have collected since retiring do qualify as extravagant. I would say the Matchless ThunderChief and possibly the Reeves 400 would probably be considered boutique. All of my other amps were mass produced to some degree. The ThunderChief is the most expensive amp in my collection, but it is IMHO by no means the best (YMMV).
The second most expensive is probably my Sadowsky SA200s. I paid over list price for both of the SA200s (used)...an no I did not plan to buy two. The second was sort of a rage buy
. I had actually bought this amp first, The seller cancelled the transaction on Ebay and then relisted, sold, and cancelled it several times while raising the price. This went on for about 2 years. Finally he dropped the price because no one was buying anymore. I bought it expecting the transaction to be cancelled again...but this time he actually needed the money; oops. Guess I showed him . Eventually I will put KT88s in one of them (just to satisfy my curiousity). The only amp in my collection that I have gigged is the GK 700RB. The collection is sort of a guilty pleasure...thus totally gratuitous--unnecessary. But I had a lot of fun researching and hunting for my amps. It's also been enjoyable discussing many of my amps with the TB community...and of course TB inspired many of the purchases. So you could say the amps served a non-musical function because they enhanced my sense of belonging and purpose.
