are you to good to play a squier?

[Surprise Panda!]

Playing ability doesn't have to do with what kind of bass you have.

There's just stupid people

 

[iridiumrocks]

When I was in High School, I would have been VERY happy with one of todays Squiers. Let your bass do the talkin and don't worry about the naysayers

I agree 100%. "Let your bass do the talkin". The coolest and most expensive bass on the planet won't make you a good player unless you practice and work at it. I've seen crappy players with a great instrument and vice versa. There is an old saying that goes something like "It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools"

 

[crazy_bassist]

No I'm not too 'good' to play a Squier, but it is incredibly hard to sell them in a small town where what name on the headstock you have is how awesome of a guitarist or bassist you are. VM and CV Squiers are awesome, as are the packages at the prices they offer. My favourite thing to do is the blind tone test and people comment on the Squiers and how good they sound when they aren't looking at the headstock. Your ears should form the opinion, not your eyes.

 

[El Barbero]

Yes. I am too good to play a Squire. Unfortunately, that is the musical world I live in.
I will be 100% honest here. When I am depending on callbacks or scouts, the last thing I want to be seen with is a budget axe. That does not mean that I don't believe that 'chops' is what it's all about, to hell with gear, but I live in a VERY knowledgable musical community with waaay too many old school cats, session guys and studio owners to be showing up to a date with a Squire and a Line6. It is not that I think otherwise, it's just the way it is.
The last thing I wanted this to sound like was arrogant, but that's how it sounds.

I know what music should be about and I know what the biz IS about. That's all. If tha's all you have to rock with, do it to the fullest, my experience is not the way it is everywhere for everyone, so take it with a grain of salt. But take it none the less.

I have thought for a couple of days before responding to this. Firstly this "VERY knowledgable musical commmmunity" sounds to me to be more opinionated than knowledgable.

The session guys and studio owners you refer to should and probably would know, as you claim to do, that its really about the sound (consider lip syncing here) and not the gear, and that my friend really IS the biz.

To put this another way... get out the sanding paper, buy a $2 headstock sticker and some lacquer then you'll find out how knowledgable these cats really are.

And just for the record several yous ago a new band started on the island. The first time I saw the live the bass was head and shoulders above the rest of the band. I was amazed after the show to find he was playing a Squier.... it took me less than .5 of a second to realise that I hade without thinking become a gear bitch.... and another .5 to stop it.

 

[rhapbus]

My take:
An BAD player could need a GOOD bass to attain GOOD sound.
A GOOD player could take a BAD bass and get a GOOD sound.
A BAD player, with a BAD bass, gets a BAD sound.
A GOOD player, with a GOOD bass, will definitely get a GOOD sound.

I think he's too BAD to play a Squier.

i dont think a bad player could use any bass and sound good.

Ive seen terrible guys say "maybe if i didnt use this squier and bought a rick id be better" he still sucked after he bought the super expensive and beautiful rick

 

[probert]

Ha! I was once at a concert, watching the next set after my band's set was over. A guy next to me - in good old gear snobery manner - said "look at this guitarist, he's only playing a Fender Mexico, what a ****" (or something like that). That comment amazed me pretty much, because that guy wasn't even a musician himself I replied something like "well, I bet most people won't hear the difference between the MIM and the MIA version..." (I hope the irony came through and he understood "you're a jerk, you can't even hear the difference between a strat and a les paul, not speak of such a delicate difference like the one between MIA and MIM - so shut up")

 

[12stringbassist]

A good bass is a good bass, no matter who makes it.
I own 3 Squiers (have had 5) and there are some very good ones out there.

 

[thehangingmist]

i just went to all the stores in the city and played basses as expensive as ibanez prestige and high end esp basses, mim fenders and everything i could find
and honestly there was no bass which sounded or played better than my squier! i had some money in my pocket and a credit card but no bass gave me any tiny little GAS

 

[emor]

I have two Fenders, a Lakland, and a Squier.
Guess which one gets played the most.


This reminds me of something that happened to me a while back.
I went to a jam where the host bass player noticed that I had flats. He proceeded to berate me for not having rounds. I tried to brush it off with a "to each his own" attitude, but this guy was a little nuts. I almost had to promise that I'd go out the next day and buy a set of rounds before he'd drop it.


I'm really a pretty average player, and these days I play mostly at jams, which means I'm using a variety of rigs; that said, I do frequently get complimented on my tone, and I'm usually playing my Squier Jazz w/ flats.

 

[BassyBill]

I guarantee most of the good players on this board could turn up with a Squier at their next gig, sound just great and hardly anybody would even notice what bass they were playing.

We all have our likes and dislikes, but anyone who says he or she is "way beyond" playing a particular instrument is just demonstrating how little they understand about being a musician, imo.

 

[NickBass81]

Nobody's too good (or too bad...) to play anything...that said I consider Squier excellent basses, many of my students have them, and sometimes they're better than other famed and more expensive basses...judging a player by his/her gear is one of the biggest bulls### in the world!!

 

[bassplayeroreo]

Wow what a d-bag! And so wrong too, honestly MIMs are probably equal to squires

 

[zeppelinbass95]

I would take a cv over a mim anyday

 

[Bass Viking]

Good point-Jaco's basses were pretty much junk.

I don't think so. They might have looked that way from heavy use.

 

[cassanova]

Playing ability doesn't have to do with what kind of bass you have.

There's just stupid people

Both of these statements are very true but, a good bass and amp can make even the worst player sound somewhat decent where as a crap bass and amp will make a bad player sound even worse. I also think a better bass is conducive to making one a better player as it inspires you to want to play it.

 

[millerfreak]

Huh? I dont even think im good enough for my squier vm jazz. Ive got my video on youtube and this guy said that my squier beats lots of fenders.. Hell, when i heard that i was like huh? I wanted fender so badly before, but then im starting to feel very very comfortable with my VM Jazz.

 

[JimmyM]

I'll go you one better...I have shown up to play gigs in arenas with Bowzer using an SX. Yeah, the more expensive basses are a little better feeling, and they have a few more creature comforts and better made parts (sometimes, not always), but what matters is how you play, not what you play. Yeah, an Alleva Coppolo or Sadowsky sounds and feels amazing, but if you can't get the job done with a well set up Squier, a Sadowsky won't help.

 

[ashtray9]

if you can't get the job done with a well set up Squier, a Sadowsky won't help.

Well set-up is key. I find myself in a dilemma in that the more technical, faster, and lyrical my playing becomes (on a good bass), the harder it becomes for me to sit-in on a lot of the basses out there. I guess this only really matters for jazz and fusion, though.

 

[LCW]

oh my post is back.

well i think its funny i have played for 6 years everyday its not like i am a noob and i think my skill level allows me to be comfortable with whatever i play.

i actually got tired of the squier sold it for what i paid and got a used sx jazz for 80$ its just as good

 

[vin*tone]

i dunno man, i hear those upgraded pearloid pickguards make all the difference. you should probably think about getting one.

Ha!

Yeah. The guy was a douche bag. </thread>