ATTENTION : re: "what bass should i buy" threads

I second that, with the exception of when people have it narrowed down.

 

i understand what you're saying John, but i'm afraid i disagree with you on this issue. i think that the message boards on this site are a great place for people to get together and discuss different things about basses - and sometimes, someone may not have formulated 'specific questions' about a given bass, which is why they are here in the first place - to get advice from other bass players. you, John, obviously have more experience and knowledge about bass gear than the people who are asking these 'trivial' questions about 'which bass should i buy'. these people are newbies and they don't know what questions to ask or what to look for, and that's why we're here.. to help them. <br><br>now, with that said, i will agree with you that there is a wealth of information already contained in the database here which can be searched by anyone looking for info on a particular bass. i've used this feature from time to time and have found it to be more informative than posting my own message on the board!

 

John,
you got a good point but I think you could have presented it in a more delicate manner.

I too think that these threads are more a pain in the arse than actually helpful to any of the parties involved in them.
but, I also think that a complete newbie cant tell a good instrument from a bad one by playing it so he or she (or it in some cases) might need a little steering toward what will present the best bang for bucks in terms of reliability, quality, resale value etc. etc. which people with low bass mileage ussually aren't familiar with and need a little guiding from the gurus and intermidiates (and charletans) that hang on the forum.

 

i agree that there should be more than a 'what bass should i buy' type of thing, but i will give an example of what i meant in my previous post. let's say there's a great site out there with a happening message board for bowlers - people who bowl at the bowling alley. i just started to bowl a month ago with my friends, and now i am interested in buying a bowling ball. what question am i going to ask on the bowling message board? what kind of bowling ball should i buy, i'm a newbie!!! heh. the experienced bowlers on the message board will flame me and tell me to 'go away you newbie bowler, we only take educated questions here', and i will say 'man this bowling crowd is tuff, maybe i should try something else', or 'i can't ask intelligent questions about bowling balls because i'm a newbie'. <br><br>just my 2 cents, but who am i to say, i'm not the moderator

 

i agree that there are waaaay too many of those threads. the olp, the fieldy, the hoppus threads are really annoying.

i also agree that when that its ok if theyve even put in any effort to research the product he wants.

 

I'm a newbie and I posted a "What Kind of Bass Of Bass Should I Buy" type of message prior to purchasing my first bass. I just want to say that I'm thankful that the response to my post was encouraging and helpful. That's what a forum should be about, helping each other. If my first experience had not been positive, I might not have continued the pursuit.

Granted, I think I asked a bit more specific questions than simply what should I buy. I kind of knew that I wanted a Fender Jazz. I just needed to hear some different opinions about what was available. The information that I got from those first few posts helped me to understand some of the things that I should look for in a bass. I really think I was able to make a better decision because of it.

I knew nothing of the search engine on the first few visits that I paid to the forum. Since that time, I've discovered it and found it to be very helpful. Someone that visits the site for the first time might not be aware of a lot of what Talk Bass has to offer.

John, I understand your frustration but thanks for not deleting my first post. I'm kind of in agreement with air_leech and cephas45 on this point. The focus should be on welcoming that newbie and helping them to have some success. At some point we've all had to ask that "what should I buy" question. It just may not have taken place in a setting such as this. Those are just my thoughts but hey, I'm just a newbie.

 

uhh... John,

I spent several years working as an admin / moderator on a discussion board much larger than TB - called Great Lakes Free-Net. Internet connectivity plus 24 dedicated dialup lines for folks who didn't have Internet access. GLFN had over 900 forums and probably 50 chat rooms. There were seven admins plus about 20 moderators.

You know as well as I there are no inherent First Amendment rights on TB - between Paul and the moderators they pretty much call the shots, and as with any private enterprise that's the law.

But - when you tell someone through words or actions that their thoughts are not fit for inclusion in this community some folks may react rather strongly to that idea.

True, there is a bunch of extraneous chatter in TB - and I manage to skip through most of it - thankfully *I* don't have to moderate the forum. Been there, did that

Sometimes people are just trying to fit in, some may have real questions and some are just making conversation. In any community there are going to be people who some folks think just add noise to the conversation - but you know what? That's how they <b>learn</b> to communicate.

I know you have to read the threads and perhaps that causes some irritation and I guess that's an issue between you, the other moderators and Paul - but killing threads because they're a pain in the ass to read doesn't strike me as real fair.

One cool thing about TB is that everyhone has a voice - sometimes the voices don't make much sense to me, but then I'm over 40 and a lot of what people half my age do doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But they're learning. They're learning to play bass, they're learning how to make smart hardware purchases and most important of all, they're learning to <b>communicate</b>.

I've had my say, so I guess things are up to y'all now.

allan

 

John is right folks. I really feel that there is just too much of that. I too was guilty of posting without searching for sometime. If you are a moderator it can be a pain and can be rather tedious if you are looking for informative threads to read. All new folks should feel welcome and not offended when asked to just be courteous and follow the suggestions of the topic moderator. Now, what kind of bass do you guys think I sould buy. I have naoorowed it down to a wooden one with metal strings. ;>)

 

ebozzz, I doubt John is targeting the "Which bass should I get for a first bass?" threads.

IMO, if you come to TB, you come to learn things you don't know, regarding purchases and playing.

If you know nothing about anything, you should simply sit back and read threads for a while. There's been a significant amount of people who've just sat there and road a month out coming here and reading, and finally joined.

Using an example, you don't write a book before you've read anything on the topic, do you?

You learn to read before you write.
You don't jump in the water before you learn how to swim.

 

I agree whole-heartedly! Every time I log on there seems to be yet another "what kind of bass should I buy," "which bass do you prefer," "which bass is best for _______ type of music," or "what's your favorite bass?" thread or poll. I mean, come on people! I find these posts very uninteresting and extremely tired. What happened to the intelligent posts I was used to experiencing 200 posts ago? Have we run out of intelligent things to say and thought-provoking questions to ask? I think some of you are just trying to boost your post counts.

 

Is there any possibility that TalkBass could be set up so that a "what bass should I buy" thread title, would bring up an immediate search? For example, a new poster would title his post "Help! Tell me what bass I should buy!" and TalkBass would do an immediate search of all recent thread titles, find one that matches the words "bass" and "buy," and prompts the poster with something like the following: "There are ___ number of threads (posts) referring to "which bass should I buy?" Would you like to view these threads (posts), or continue on with your post?"

I realize that this could be very difficult to set up, but theoretically, it could be done -- right?

 

Very true. However, we DO know what kind of STRINGS you should buy.

Just ask...

Go ahead...

I dare ya...



BTW, good post, John. Maybe there should be a "beginner's guide" in the FAQ? Or, ideas on how to how to research a particular bass purchase?

Jeff

 

You go John !!!!

I agree whole heartedly. Use the search engine.

And newbies, do yourselves and all of us a favor. Spend a few hours JUST READING before you post even one question. It will help you in more ways than you could imagine. You will learn alot, and you will also learn what is and is not acceptable before you make an @ss of yourself.

Dave

 

I think that it is perfectly acceptable to ask what bass a person should get providing they have laid down a list of criteria. I think if its between specific basses is stupid because surly its al;l down to personal taste. But as for you saying they havn't researched it enough, well... isnt asking the experts a form of research?

 

A couple of years ago, a "newbie FAQ" was discussed, but never got anywhere.

If anybody else would be interested in jointly working up something like that, I would be glad to work on it.

And yes, it is okay to ask what bass to buy, but for cryin' out loud, tell us how much you want to spend, pickup configuration, type of music, etc.

Dave