Are We Obsessed or Crazy...

[jthisdell]

I mean, do other musicians obsess over every little detail? Bass, pickups, cords, pedals, preamps, amps, speakers, wood, strings, setup, tension, nuts, bridges...The list goes on and on.

A million little details, some huge, some insignificant. Yet I am guessing the average TB'er stresses over many of them. Granted, I feel that reproducing lower frequencies is much harder than say what a guitar player deals with (at least amp-wise).

 

[tangentmusic]

Just be glad you're not a guitarist

 

[Dave W]

Have you ever been to The Gear Page? Some of those guys put most of us to shame.

Do these nickel plated pickguard screws sound different than these gold plated ones? BOOM! 30 page thread discussing sound differences in friggin' pickguard screws.

 

[Unemploid]

i think what seperates us from the rest are no egos and or leading complexes. bassist usually aren't band leaders and are probably the last to leave the band.

 

[Lobster11]

You might be overestimating how many of "us" are obsessive. You'd think we all are by reading posts around here, but keep in mind that it's the obsessive ones who are doing all the posting!

 

[strictlybass_ic]

We are mildly obsessed and this forum allows for mutual indulgence of our addiction.

 

[Gaolee]

Carrots. I have a cord. It is black. Actually, I have several of them, mostly just because. There are a few shiny metal boxes, but they do stuff I don't use much, so I don't use them much. My bass guitars are mostly stock except the fretless 'Bird. TB is good and entertaining. Yep, carrots. I like 'em a lot.

 

[Basshappi]

The correct answer is...YES.
The degree is open for discussion.

 

[fdeck]

All musicians obsess over gear. Have you ever watched an oboist care for their reeds?

 

[RED J]

Marketing, muh boy, marketing. Look at all the junk that has come and gone over the years. The latest widget gidget to put you over the top . Bassists, guitarists, drivers, 4x4'ers, Ar15's, glocks, atv's, phones, computers, blah blah yada yada... drool Hang all this junk on the basic item and you will be king of the world. ( until something else new surfaces ) Media marketing minions and the marketers know it.

 

[AlembicPlayer]

Crazy like a fox.
G.A.S. and online "discussion" forums are a formula for huge profits in every area or speciality.
(look at any hobby forum for example) our obsessions help the economy and keep retailers in business.

The line isn't drawn around bass players, people can be obsessive, and bass players are people, for the most part

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

It's not us, it's *them*... they're the crazy ones. I'm sure of it.

 

[Lobster11]

Exactly what kind of carrots are we talking about? How big are they? How many? Are they wild or domesticated? Orange or some other color? And how fresh are they? It's really important that they be fresh and crisp. Can't stand it when they get soft. Have the tops been trimmed? Sliced? Shredded? Julienne? How are we supposed to help without knowing all these details????!!!!

 

[Slevage]

All musicians obsess over gear. Have you ever watched an oboist care for their reeds?

I was going to post the same thing, but in their defense, without a "proper" reed, the instrument is unplayable.

I've seen clarinetists "keep" 4 reed out of a package of 10, and have another member of the reed section find 3 of the 6 remaining one acceptable for their use.

For me---As basses go--- old P basses are nice, but not $10k nice. I like my high end Elrick, but I find my Squier P5 quite a nice instrument,
especially compared to the Univox Hiflyer I learned on. "Motsumoku Factory" is a marketing pitch, the bass was worth the $100 I paid for it in 1970, but the asking price for the used ones now is .

 

[yodedude2]

Or? OR????!!!!

 

[birminghambass]

Bass nerds are just like any other flavor of nerd. Go check out a magazine rack at your local mega-bookstore to see what I mean.

 

[yodedude2]

All musicians obsess over gear. Have you ever watched an oboist care for their reeds?

okay, yeah, sure. then again, are you sticking your bass in your mouth?

 

[cheapbasslovin]

okay, yeah, sure. then again, are you sticking your bass in your mouth?

I'm gonna plead the 5th on that one.

 

[Unemploid]

All musicians obsess over gear. Have you ever watched an oboist care for their reeds?

why isn't their a reality tv show about it. Tone Kings, Rocksession, Third Example!

 

[Sweet Willie]

We're not alone...

For example, I have conversations with flautists who ruminate about how slight variations in silver content in their instruments affects tone.

We obsess to varying degrees. To each, his or her own...psychoses.

In the end, I think what's important is that the player get to a place where the gear is functional, playable, and gets the tone desired at the volume required. If that's via lots of precise tweaks, decisions, etc. -- cool. If that's by just taking what's in front of you and running with it -- cool. Ya dig?!