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Being embarrassed by basses you love?

#41
First off, no one who works in a music store that I have ever met should be held up as a standard to what is cool. Maybe some dudes from the 70's and 80's but past that forget it.

Secondly those thoughts ran through my mind for a about a nanosecond after I picked up my Schecter. Then I dug in and forgot about it. I hear dudes in doom bands slag Ibanez and other stuff like that. Most of the people that do that, all think they are in some sort of stupid contest and they all lose.
 
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#42
keyofnight said:
, I bought my first bass an Ibanez Acoustic. I loved it because...
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keyofnight said:
I bought a used 5-string Schecter. I really loved this bass, because...
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Ultimately these are the only sentences that matter in your post. If you love those basses and they fit you right now then that’s all that matters. There are plenty of people who will tout their own personal opinions as if they were some sort of fundamental law of nature. And for every person you find with one opinion you’ll find another with the opposite one. P vs Jazz, fingers vs pick, Fender vs other brands, active vs passive, boutique vs off-the-shelf... and so on... all best ignored.

The best bass in the world (for you) is the one that you like the feel, tone and look of - whether it’s a Fodera or a Squier. No need to feel ashamed about playing a bass you love playing. For example, I also love my acoustic bass... is it the best bass for all situations? No. Would I take it to a high volume, rock gig? No. But what it’s great at, it’s great at. And of the six basses I own it’s the one I play most around the house. And for a laid back, coffee house/wine bar acoustic-style setting it looks and sounds great (through a small amp).

keyofnight said:
The instruments that tempt me are things from Wal, Modulus, Mike Lull, etc. Even still, I can't shake the competing feelings that (1) I can do better than my basses, and (2) these are my trusty companions that I shouldn't replace.
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Those are all aspirational, inspiring basses and may be something to aspire to one day but not because you’re ashamed of your current gear but because they provide you with something more or something else... or you just love them too. As a kid I lusted after a Wal and then in 1992 I was lucky enough to get one second hand. However, I still love my old Aria that was my first ever bass or my Frankenjazz project bass and over many years have proudly played them alongside my Wal!

F32AEAF7-B932-4299-B2BE-EB3114E39D72.jpeg


Love what you love and anyone else’s opinion can go hang. There are plenty of 2k+ “dream” basses that I can’t stand playing (Warwicks, Stingrays, Rickys) and many sub-500 buck basses that I think are really cool.
 
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#46
keyofnight said:
When I was 18, I bought my first bass an Ibanez Acoustic. I loved it because I didn't need an amp to play it, had very flat action, and had a tuner built in. But from day 1, I had to defend myself from folks who argue, "acoustic bass is useless." I'm still defending myself. A couple years later, I bought a used 5-string Schecter. I really loved this bass, because it felt like I was getting so much for the price. But Schecter as a brand hasn't really held up. So many folks think of them as the old numetal sponsor or the new djent sponsor. The last time I mentioned that I had a Schecter at a guitar shop, folks laughed and joked about how it must be covered in abalone inlays.

I've thought about replacing both of these basses with more premium basses, but I won't replace them unless the replacements are better quality. It seems, however, like I'd have to pay a great deal of money to get instruments that feel better to me. The Schecter, in particular, came from the Cort factory and was finished in Schecter's shop. It's still feels quite nice in my hands, and I genuinely find it more comfortable than the higher-end Fender, G&Ls, and Gibsons I tried in shops. The instruments that tempt me are things from Wal, Modulus, Mike Lull, etc. Even still, I can't shake the competing feelings that (1) I can do better than my basses, and (2) these are my trusty companions that I shouldn't replace.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this problem. Tell me your stories, and tell me what you do/did in situations like these.
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I could care less about some gear snobs opinion of my gear. I have basses in the moderate price range all the way down to the Chinese built Peavey Millennium 5 AC BXP I picked up for next to nothing a few weeks ago. I gigged it AND my other Peavey I bought new way back when a couple weeks ago. Not exactly high end stuff. If you like you Schecter and your Ibanez and they work for you then it does not matter what other opinions are. Both companies build good gear for good money. And frankly, most in the crowd don't have a clue about it anyway and that is your audience that matters.

If you feel at some point you want to step into a more expensive instrument, that's great. But do it on YOUR terms not because someone is running their mouth.

Anyway, don't let anyone tell you any different.
 
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#48
OK, guitar, not bass, but still...early 90's: I used to own a Silverface Vibrolux guitar amp that I really liked (later had to sell it to make a house payment, but that is a different story.) But the band I was in at the time, playing lead guitar, (had not switched totally to bass at that point) hated it. After a year or so, we had made some $$$ gigging. So I went to a local shop which was known for stocking massive amounts of really cool used gear, which the owner was a tech and made sure everything was at its best. After spending the day trying all manner of head/cabinet combinations, I purchased a 1975, first-year issue, Marshall 2203 (4 power tubes, 100 watts, preamp control), had the tubes re-biased from 6550's to EL34/6CA7's to get tone instead of just metal clang, and a tall 4X12 Fender Bassman enclosure with the angled baffles, stuffed the ports and installed Jensens, and brought it to rehearsal early and got it set up so they didn't know I got it. Well, you should have seen the look on their faces! I promptly cranked it until they begged for mercy.
 
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#50
keyofnight said:
.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this problem. Tell me your stories, and tell me what you do/did in situations like these.
Click to expand...

Here in Kenya, for many people, music is the only way out of unemployment. They love the lifestyle, most are VERY talented and good at what they do but most would rather get a regular job than live from day to day as gigs and pay become available, or not.

Of all the bass players i met here over time, a remarkable number have to borrow or sometimes hire a bass for the gig or to practise because they cannot afford one. But every single one of them made me feel inadequate as a bass player, without exception they all played circles around me.

If you enjoy the instruments you have and they sound normal, be happy with what you have;)
 
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#51
I love Status basses and always have. I came up idolizing Mark King and drooled over a $2500 Series 2 that hung on the wall of Guitar Resurrection in Austin for probably three years in the late 80s before someone finally bought it.

Mark King, great though he is, isn't exactly a bass player. And the signature Status tone (very active, refined high end, not super beefy) isn't often useful in current musical situations. Plus, Status Series basses are really pointy. They just don't make sense right now.

I'd still love to have one, but it would mostly hang on the wall if I did.

1-1-72-jpg.jpg
 
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#53
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#55
keyofnight said:
When I was 18, I bought my first bass an Ibanez Acoustic. I loved it because I didn't need an amp to play it, had very flat action, and had a tuner built in. But from day 1, I had to defend myself from folks who argue, "acoustic bass is useless." I'm still defending myself. A couple years later, I bought a used 5-string Schecter. I really loved this bass, because it felt like I was getting so much for the price. But Schecter as a brand hasn't really held up. So many folks think of them as the old numetal sponsor or the new djent sponsor. The last time I mentioned that I had a Schecter at a guitar shop, folks laughed and joked about how it must be covered in abalone inlays.

I've thought about replacing both of these basses with more premium basses, but I won't replace them unless the replacements are better quality. It seems, however, like I'd have to pay a great deal of money to get instruments that feel better to me. The Schecter, in particular, came from the Cort factory and was finished in Schecter's shop. It's still feels quite nice in my hands, and I genuinely find it more comfortable than the higher-end Fender, G&Ls, and Gibsons I tried in shops. The instruments that tempt me are things from Wal, Modulus, Mike Lull, etc. Even still, I can't shake the competing feelings that (1) I can do better than my basses, and (2) these are my trusty companions that I shouldn't replace.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this problem. Tell me your stories, and tell me what you do/did in situations like these.
Click to expand...
keep what you like and add if you feel like it..
 
#56
the first bass i owned was a squier pro tone P/J bass. i played about a million basses under $500 and chose that one because i loved how it sounded, felt and looked. one of the first auditions i went to with it, the drummer in the band said "we just bought that bass for my 14 year old nephew". inside i cringed - i had a bass only good enough for a 14 year old. oh, no :(

Entirebass.jpg


i got over it a few more auditions in, but as you can see, i still remember that internal cringe. but i chose that bass after trying easily 40 different basses and even buying and returning another one first and going back to get that one. and to be fair, the guy who said that was a super nice guy - he didn't say that to embarrass me. heck, he and his bandmate even invited me to join their band.
 

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#58
This web site, in addition to being a font of valuable bass-related information, is a haven for people who obsess over gear (myself included).

I own three fender bass guitars, plus a Tribute and a Sterling. Guess which ones I play the most? The cheapos. Once a drummer asked me about my Tribute, but I'm fairly certain nobody in an audience has ever noticed or cared.

Play what you like and upgrade if and when you need to (not because you think you should). Play your butt off and don't be embarrassed by nothin.
 
#59
I've never been embarrassed, but have had the occasional gear snob question why I play my "cheap" Peaveys instead of my "good" basses. (Because every musician that's not a bassist "knows" peavey is junk)

I tell them I do it cause I can.
Admittedly I've been keeping an eye out for a Salmon (pink) foundation. I'd love to play that at an outdoor festival to really have a good time.
 
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