Not only that, but there will be 2 more threads bashing boutiques within a week's time.
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Boutique Basses are Better: Get Over It!
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
Not only that, but there will be 2 more threads bashing boutiques within a week's time.
I don't know how you see this thread as boutique bashing. I know I said that I feel boutiques are generally better made than production basses. That does not souond like bashing to me.
Any thread discussing boutiques will have the inevitable nuh-uh attitude, as well as the same arguments for and against it. Hell, I could start another thread and the same people will say the same things. Forgive my negativity, but I've lost faith in these threads. Besides, you can get any production bass to play like a Fodera...........
Perhaps recent threads have reached my over-saturation point.
Expensive or found in a dumpster, I don't like the idea of bassists having to justify their gear. Guitards throw enough at us as is, it always amazes how critical bassists have been towards other bassists.
Preferences are always subjective as are ears and technique. Pardon my background in the sciences, but this alone removes a lot of factual beef from these debates. Bias towards one's gear contributes as well, but the general lack of experience despite a strong opinion.
Personal bias aside, lower action and a more consistent low B has been luthiers' bread and butter. A professional setup can help with any bass, but it's very difficult to match something with a perfectly planed fingerboard and a meticulous fret job. The important thing to remember with this debate is that most bassists don't use low action, so the idea that ANY bass is capable is a bit of a stretch. Luthiers also employ several tricks to make for a nice B. A B string with a thicker core can help, but it will most certainly lead to more overtones as you climb the fingerboard. When it's done right, you can use thinner core strings and have a clear B up to the 12th position and uber clarity in the lower register.
Bryan R. Tyler
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B string? Dude, basses are supposed to have FOUR strings. And they're supposed to be EADG. I know because that's what's written in the tab line in this month's Guitar World.
Well, I don't own a boutique, But I've been around people playing them since I pretty much started (same for ERB's), Atm I'm trying to save and get good grades in order to get a used roscoe 6er.
So those thread cannot offend me, as I'm never the target, but I find it really funny to see people spreading stupidities out of their poo-hole about basses they never tried, never owned and basically know nothing of but the name. And I enjoy taking the boutique/custom side..alot
So those thread cannot offend me, as I'm never the target, but I find it really funny to see people spreading stupidities out of their poo-hole about basses they never tried, never owned and basically know nothing of but the name. And I enjoy taking the boutique/custom side..alot
Are you saying that some fingerboards can't be planed perfectly flat, and have a meticulous fret job done to it?
Do some luthiers have a magical plane and level that's more level than other fine luthiers?
Does some magic wood plane flatter than others?
If your luthier of choice can plane a neck perfectly flat and do a meticulous fret job, I'm sure there are others capable of doing the same to a non custom made bass, given some time, care and money.
Expecting that kind of performance out of the box from a mass produced bass would be a bit of a stretch, I'll give you that, but they are all made out of wood and wire. Sure some wood is better than others, but (insert your favorite luthier here) level isn't any more level than my guys.
I'll stay out of the B string argument, as I don't play 5'ers, nor do I care to, but I can't imagine that there's anything you can do to one basic style bolt neck 5'er than you can't do to another.... again, given enough time care and money.
How would you define low action? How about some measurements?
I'd call low action 3/64" -2/32" at the 12th fret. Using words like "low action" without any numbers as a referance doesn't seem too scientific.
I'd love a boutique bass - when I've got the cash!
I'm going to admit a guilty secret here, and perhaps reveal too much of my inner dark side. When I go to see some players at a jam or similar, when I see a boutique bass coming out of a case, my heart sinks just a little. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it's got something to do with the knowledge that I'm going to be listening to a player for the next hour or so who is more interested in themselves and their thing and their gear than in playing with the other musicians as a bass player. I'm sometimes proved wrong...but not often!
Maybe I'm a bad person...sorry to you guys who are about to take offense...I didn't mean you!
I'm going to admit a guilty secret here, and perhaps reveal too much of my inner dark side. When I go to see some players at a jam or similar, when I see a boutique bass coming out of a case, my heart sinks just a little. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it's got something to do with the knowledge that I'm going to be listening to a player for the next hour or so who is more interested in themselves and their thing and their gear than in playing with the other musicians as a bass player. I'm sometimes proved wrong...but not often!
Maybe I'm a bad person...sorry to you guys who are about to take offense...I didn't mean you!
Sounds like you need to choose a different jam. I know a few guys who own high-end basses, and none of them fit the description you gave.
How true. Especially a rock gig, showing up with a fancy bass usually will get some funny looks unless you know the guys/gals well.
So you can peg a player's personality to a tee exclusively on their instrument of choice?
So you can peg a player's personality to a tee exclusively on their instrument of choice?
Yup. Man, I miss getting the stink eye before plugging in!
On the contrary, it will make it sound worse and a bassist of the same caliber will be better than you if he has cheaper gear.
Nice to see there's some thoughtful discussion out there -
I agree with lots of it. ANY instrument - a bass, a guitar, a flute, doesn't matter - is a tool. I have a high end boutique bass (and a second one on the way
), a couple of Brices (a little higher quality that the SX) for bar gigs, and several guitars. Here's what my 43 years of playing experience has taught me....
I've had my Ibanez Roadstar Strat copy (that I can buy on ebay for under $200) for so long that I can make it sound like anything. I love its playability - to the point that I pick up a Fender Tele or a Gibson Les Paul and they feel like crap - and I really don't want spend a grand and then have to get used to a whole new tool.
I searched for a LONG time for a big box jazz guitar that I could afford and found a Washburn J-6 (which aren't made anymore). AWESOME playability and sound, and a nice 25 1/2 inch scale rather than the typical 24+ inch scale that is customary with consumer-grade jazz axes. Feels great, sounds great, and I only spent $500 for it - rather than $5000 on a Gibson.
As for basses, I've had to do something to all my Brices to make them "perfect" for me - change out the pre-amp, move the bridge back 1/2 inch to make intonation easier to adjust, etc.
Stock basses (the Fenders, Ibanezs, etc.) are great "off the shelf" stuff - find the feel, the woods and the weight to get the basiscs of what you want in terms of sound and play ability, and then tweak it and make it your own for your own expression of music. (HELPFUL HINT - If you're really serious about buying a bass from a Guitar Center, take your own rig in. Otherwise, what you hear in the store isn't going to sound like what you hear when you get it home. Also, it'll let the Guitar Center staff know you're serious about buying, and they may be willing to deal a little more.)
I will say, however, that custom-made luthiers or boutique basses are like getting a tool that is particularly made to suit you. My Adler has a nice thin body profile, and is a neck thru that starts out at a comfortable thin profile at the lower frets, then gets progressively thinner as you get close to the body for an unparalleled playing experience in the higher register! No other bass (stock nor boutique) does that. I lament the fact that Mike Adler isn't making them anymore.
As for choice of instrument, it's not just limited to members of the lute family - I'll just add an "f" to that as my daughter plays flute. She sounds pretty good on her Yamaha, which she uses for marching season, but sounds SO much better (tonality, ease of playing, etc.) on her concert B-foot Gemeinhardt (see, even flutes need a low B).
If you're a good player, a higher-end instrument will heighten your playing experience, and make it more of a joy to play. If you're an OK player, a higher-end instrument may give you some motivation to take it to the next level with additional practice, listening to new styles, and a desire to improve your skills and technique. If you tell everyone you play bass, but aren't very good at it, then it doesn't matter what the hell you play - go into accounting.
Z
I agree with lots of it. ANY instrument - a bass, a guitar, a flute, doesn't matter - is a tool. I have a high end boutique bass (and a second one on the way
), a couple of Brices (a little higher quality that the SX) for bar gigs, and several guitars. Here's what my 43 years of playing experience has taught me....I've had my Ibanez Roadstar Strat copy (that I can buy on ebay for under $200) for so long that I can make it sound like anything. I love its playability - to the point that I pick up a Fender Tele or a Gibson Les Paul and they feel like crap - and I really don't want spend a grand and then have to get used to a whole new tool.
I searched for a LONG time for a big box jazz guitar that I could afford and found a Washburn J-6 (which aren't made anymore). AWESOME playability and sound, and a nice 25 1/2 inch scale rather than the typical 24+ inch scale that is customary with consumer-grade jazz axes. Feels great, sounds great, and I only spent $500 for it - rather than $5000 on a Gibson.
As for basses, I've had to do something to all my Brices to make them "perfect" for me - change out the pre-amp, move the bridge back 1/2 inch to make intonation easier to adjust, etc.
Stock basses (the Fenders, Ibanezs, etc.) are great "off the shelf" stuff - find the feel, the woods and the weight to get the basiscs of what you want in terms of sound and play ability, and then tweak it and make it your own for your own expression of music. (HELPFUL HINT - If you're really serious about buying a bass from a Guitar Center, take your own rig in. Otherwise, what you hear in the store isn't going to sound like what you hear when you get it home. Also, it'll let the Guitar Center staff know you're serious about buying, and they may be willing to deal a little more.)
I will say, however, that custom-made luthiers or boutique basses are like getting a tool that is particularly made to suit you. My Adler has a nice thin body profile, and is a neck thru that starts out at a comfortable thin profile at the lower frets, then gets progressively thinner as you get close to the body for an unparalleled playing experience in the higher register! No other bass (stock nor boutique) does that. I lament the fact that Mike Adler isn't making them anymore.
As for choice of instrument, it's not just limited to members of the lute family - I'll just add an "f" to that as my daughter plays flute. She sounds pretty good on her Yamaha, which she uses for marching season, but sounds SO much better (tonality, ease of playing, etc.) on her concert B-foot Gemeinhardt (see, even flutes need a low B).
If you're a good player, a higher-end instrument will heighten your playing experience, and make it more of a joy to play. If you're an OK player, a higher-end instrument may give you some motivation to take it to the next level with additional practice, listening to new styles, and a desire to improve your skills and technique. If you tell everyone you play bass, but aren't very good at it, then it doesn't matter what the hell you play - go into accounting.
Z
Everyone knows boutique basses are crafted by magical elves. How can you contend with that. If your real lucky and have the scratch, they will use a rare unicorns horn and a charmed vintage Stanley plane to make you the flattest fingerboard in Mordor. One bass to rule them all.
