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Brand snobbery

This is mainly going towards the fellow highschoolers of tb. Have you ever had other people who play bass or guitar blatantly say a bass sucks because it isn't a certain brand or one that isn't that popular with out even trying or hearing it?
No. :hiding:


Although another bassist in my high school once told me I had a nice Schecter.
 
Play what you like and like what you play, and screw the rest of them. I have 3 basses and 6 guitars right now, perhaps none of them with names that people go wild over (and two with nothing on the headstock at all). And you know what, each was chosen for a specific purpose, each makes me very happy, and that is all that matters to me.
 
I've definately seen this happen.

But sometimes it goes both ways. I once played a gig and had the soundman come up to me during the break and complementing me for the great sound I had. He continued to say that he wasn't really that surprised, because that was always the case with Warwicks.

Yeah, I said, it is... but this isn't a Warwick... it's a Peavey.

His jaws dropped as he came closer to look... I think he learned a lesson. :D

EDIT: Just as a note... it was a Peavey Cirrus walnut/bubinga 6-string, so based on the wood, I can see why he thought it was a Warwick.
 
once upon a time i thought a bassist sucked because he was playing a squier. my views are different now though

My guitarist has several high end guitars including a $3000 Martin and several custom electrics. His main axe is a Squier. It sounds and plays amazingly.

Just goes to show that sometimes a particular instrument (or player) can have that mojo factor...
 
Play what you want. Let them play what they want. No bass is totally horrible unless it's a Hondo, and even some of those are OK. Tone is in the hands. Chops are in the hands. Any bass that is set up properly with a good set of strings can sound amazing. I am a gear snob, but only when it comes to me.
 
About a year ago, I met a rather famous bass player and he behaved the same way. He is in his 40s and still acted this way. He asked me what kind of bass I played. I told him I had several. He wanted to know what I had. I told him I had a Steinberger XL2. He said they sucked. I said I liked it and I had had if for about 18 years. He again said it sucked and wanted to know what else I had. I told him I had a Kubicki Ex-Factor. He didn't know what it was. He wanted to know what else. I told him I had an early 80s Aria SB900. Again, he said those sucked. He admitted he used to play them in the early 80s because they gave them to him as an endorsee but still, they "sucked". Told him about my Godin A5. He didn't know about Godin either but it probably sucked. He said, "you saw that bass I played up there today"? I said, "yeah, a Fender". He said that is the best bass he has ever owned, blah, blah, blah. I quit talking about my basses at that point as I don't own a Fender....If I did, I probably wouldn't have owned the "right" kind.

When someone says a bass "sucks," without any further elaboration as to what caused them to reach that conclusion, two things pop into my mind: 1) the person is a moron and 2) I am wasting my time talking to them.

I am the first one to admit that I have far better gear than my meager playing skills "merit," if that concept has any use (of which I am doubful), but I will say that it is FAR more impressive to see someone shredding on a beater than someone struggling on a Sadowsky, etc.. In the end, it's all about your skills (or lack of them), and your playing is the only aspect 95% of the audience will be paying attention to (unless you're playing something that looks strikingly different from a typical bass).

In any event, saying someone's bass "sucks" to their face is beyond rude. I'd expect that kind of nonsense from a grade schooler. :spit:
 
I am a newbie... a high school band teacher... a tuba player... an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, with a crisp, nougat center. I have one Epiphone Viola bass I got cause I like thesound and I like the look. I have a new (to me) Dean EVO on the way (caught up in the snow out east), inexpensive, but I like the looks, and hear good things about it. If YOU like it (the look, the sound, the feel), noone else has to touch it. So there.
 
Always remember that the bassist is the most important thing in the signal chain, you can't get out of a bass what you can't put into a bass, Period!

+1
good music makes any equipment sound good.
as for bad experiences a guitar player asked me why on earth do i want to get a musicman and not go with fender. i ended up with a sterling. but that experience could come because musicmans aren't too familiar in Romania.
 
ignore the jackasses if they give ya crap about your bass, they're probably just insecure about their bass playing so they wanna feel superior in any way they can by saying they spent more for their bass.

and to be honest , im not much of a guitarist but i use one for recording, i have a pos 50 dollar beat to hell electric encore with some seymour duncans in it. the action and sound of it rivals a 1500 dollar les paul and i would play it over one any day. It's all about personal taste and what works for you.
 
This is mainly going towards the fellow highschoolers of tb. Have you ever had other people who play bass or guitar blatantly say a bass sucks because it isn't a certain brand or one that isn't that popular with out even trying or hearing it ie; "You have a peavey i haven't even heard of them they probably, suck go buy a fender" "your not a serious bassist if you don't play a fender, ibanez, dean, warwick or gibson". I say these brands beacause i noticed they are really popular at my age group (dean because they make all those fancy shaped basses and guitars which makes them really popular). This brand popularity is very common in highschools and is mostly made by ignorant kids who usually get their parents to pay for all their expensive goods.

Nothing keeps me more entertained when people pull faces when I say I have a bass made my Christian Celinder. Ho ho ho.
 
As with everything else.. There is good and bad basses..
Brand is no garantee.. and there is this small matter of taste! :rolleyes:

If you whant to flame anyone for not playing a brand new Fender like the one your daddy baught for your 14't birthday.. keep it 2 yourself..

As stated in the "so when did fenders suck" thred..
- Dont expect a good bass from anyware unless youv tried it first.

Id buy a warmoth "DIY" bass anyday over a brand new Fender.. just ain't worth the logo nowadays IMO..

The only time Id listen to a "Buy a fender" brat is if he/she Waved a pre CBS jazz or P in my face..
Then Id ask him/her what F* his/her folks did for a living..
Finaly .. inform the young person that hes/her parents didnt like him/her verry much.. Unless they absolutly thaught that their son/daughter could handle a robbing atempt or 5000..
:scowl: