Jeez, I just left my band on Saturday and now things are slowing down? I'm being guilt-tripped?
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Are things slowing down on TB?
- Thread starter MultiScaleMale
- Start date
per the OP: i'm sure participation and membership waxes and wanes, has phases, but i'm actually thinking that the number of younger players (and older noobs) has been increasing the last several years, IDK. but it bothers me when i see old-members-farts belly-aching out their 'grudges against humanity'...i think it needlessly dampens enthusiasm, generally, and maybe it chases some away from the discussions...
- "all i know is _____" seriously, all you know is all you know = don't commit your ignorance to 'forever' on the internet...you just sound old without any of the wisdom!
- "whatever happened to the good music?" you killed it by never learning anything else, anything new --- you played it out like a bad habit!
- "i've been playing bass for 50 years" yeah well, if you're as old as rocks = that's easy enough to do, big whup!
i joined the grumpy old farts club because i thought it was a fun/funny idea. but it seemed to be a hangout for the tired and weary set...i didn't post there much and i'm glad it's gone. i'm old, but i'm not disconnected.
IMO, too many old folks are using the site to complain about anything new, or even current --- becoming obvious caricatures instead of reliable characters. IME real musicians never quit, they're laying down the boogie and playing that funky music 'til they're dead!
if you want more action on these forums = take an interest in something that scares you, e.g., taylor swift!
(all of the above is an actual rant. it's not a mealy-mouthed, cloaked version.)
happens!
- "all i know is _____" seriously, all you know is all you know = don't commit your ignorance to 'forever' on the internet...you just sound old without any of the wisdom!
- "whatever happened to the good music?" you killed it by never learning anything else, anything new --- you played it out like a bad habit!
- "i've been playing bass for 50 years" yeah well, if you're as old as rocks = that's easy enough to do, big whup!
i joined the grumpy old farts club because i thought it was a fun/funny idea. but it seemed to be a hangout for the tired and weary set...i didn't post there much and i'm glad it's gone. i'm old, but i'm not disconnected.
IMO, too many old folks are using the site to complain about anything new, or even current --- becoming obvious caricatures instead of reliable characters. IME real musicians never quit, they're laying down the boogie and playing that funky music 'til they're dead!
if you want more action on these forums = take an interest in something that scares you, e.g., taylor swift!
(all of the above is an actual rant. it's not a mealy-mouthed, cloaked version.)
happens!
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My favorite posts are those that relate small time gigs, especially if there are photos. Videos are even better.
Based on my 23 years of hanging around here, I'd say at least 30,000. About 1300 a year, almost 4 new ones every day.
Then there’s the posts about young players on new basses…
Jeez, I just left my band on Saturday and now things are slowing down? I'm being guilt-tripped?
So you are the cause for all this malaise?
I read more than post or reply, I'm sure many others do the same. That may have an affect on the numbers.
I find TB is a great source of information for all things Bass related.
With so many contributing members, it's not going away anytime soon.
I find TB is a great source of information for all things Bass related.
With so many contributing members, it's not going away anytime soon.
Ah yes....the one and only Barbara Eden...grew up with her as a hormone charged punk kid.....my friends were watching the Monkees and Johnny Quest. Not me.
I’m 70 and soon to be 71. I became a member in 2008, and have learned quite a bit tuning in, mostly from the the younger demographics, but also from your posts and agedhorse taking me to school.
I’ll be waiting for the “bass player traveling to other countries and informing us about all things bass in the rest of the world” posts @Bunk McNulty. And remember, pics or it didn’t happen!Jeez, I just left my band on Saturday and now things are slowing down? I'm being guilt-tripped?
Asking the same questions over and over is the lifeblood of a forum.
Forums that discourage those questions stop attracting new users and die.
Sometimes the people answering questions are learning more (via researching their answer, or having their answer trashed by others and having to defend it) than those asking.
The guilt! The guilt! It burns!Based on my 23 years of hanging around here, I'd say at least 30,000. About 1300 a year, almost 4 new ones every day.
Then there’s the posts about young players on new basses…
So you are the cause for all this malaise?
Multi-instrumentalist. When I'm gigging on bass I'm here. When not, I'm usually up on Rig Talk or sometimes The Gear Page (nasty place).
Sometimes I'm not here for long stretches. Not cause I don't love this place. It's the best forum on the inter-webz.
Sometimes I'm not here for long stretches. Not cause I don't love this place. It's the best forum on the inter-webz.
Seems to be pretty steady from my perspective... lots of interesting content, things to learn, things to pay forward
For that matter, "What [piece of equipment] should I buy?" is a perennial question because everybody has different needs. And sometimes the poster has already decided what to buy, they're posting because they're anxious about making a big purchase and need some encouragement.
When the questions start to sound the same, maybe it's because the only answer some people are willing to give is "Precision bass". Which, don't get me wrong, is a pretty great instrument, but people want different things, and there are a lot of other pretty great instruments too.
Answering questions isn't mandatory. When the only answer somebody can make is "Who?" or "I don't care", it's time to step away from the keyboard to make room for those who can help.
I agree dbs - I just turned 66, been playing for 50 years - there are some interesting members on this site, Wasnex with his math/formula brain - half of the time, I don't understand what he's saying, but that makes me want to do the research, to TRY and understand it. Aged Horse - well, we all know about the legendary AH, and guys like Dr. Cheese, who've been around forever - always enjoy his honest, heartfelt posts. I've always enjoyed looking at some of the TB members pics of vintage equipment, guitars, amps, etc.
I suspect that a lot of that is Google hits. People reading the answers but not participating in the forum.
That said, I think covid produced an uptick in participation from younger players. I'm just not sure it shows since there isn't a massive movement like there would've been in the past (NWOBHM, Hair, Grunge, Nu, NWOAHM, etc), closest we have is Charles Berthoud and that "this bassist must be stopped" guy.
One of my early posts;
How Old Are You? / Where Have All The Young People Gone? | TalkBass.com
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My activity (and bass purchases) def went up during COVID and then have dropped a bit.
I don’t see the bass world as stagnant. There has been a renaissance in short scale basses. Class D Amps and lightweight cabs. I discovered I could create a battery powered rig for camping/park jams that can last 6+ hours.
That’s the stuff I’ve come to TB for since 2008 and what I keep coming back for. I’ll go a year or two without checking in regularly and then spot a wild piece of gear somewhere and come here to research.
Where else can I post where the engineer who designed my amp will chime in on one thread, and then Mike Watt will respond on another?
One thing to keep in mind if you don’t like repeat threads or NBD posts - if people stop posting the site dies.
I don’t see the bass world as stagnant. There has been a renaissance in short scale basses. Class D Amps and lightweight cabs. I discovered I could create a battery powered rig for camping/park jams that can last 6+ hours.
That’s the stuff I’ve come to TB for since 2008 and what I keep coming back for. I’ll go a year or two without checking in regularly and then spot a wild piece of gear somewhere and come here to research.
Where else can I post where the engineer who designed my amp will chime in on one thread, and then Mike Watt will respond on another?
One thing to keep in mind if you don’t like repeat threads or NBD posts - if people stop posting the site dies.
Seem about the same on here to me from the past few years.
All the complaints about redundant topics could be part of the reason why there may be less activity. No one wants to be told that Google is their friend. The poster just wants to interact with other people. That's the whole point of the website and a generic conversation can lead somewhere interesting.
All the complaints about redundant topics could be part of the reason why there may be less activity. No one wants to be told that Google is their friend. The poster just wants to interact with other people. That's the whole point of the website and a generic conversation can lead somewhere interesting.
I care about all the piddly Podunk gigs. Makes me feel less alone in the piddly Podunk world.
