Not enough information to judge why his tone changed and what his initial tone and circumstance was. A bad sound guy will negate any decent tone.
Some of the iconic bass tones came from unplayable instruments. Funk machine anyone?
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Can I go pro with a Squier Affinity P Bass?
- Thread starter Jhclark
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Some of the iconic bass tones came from unplayable instruments. Funk machine anyone?
Actually, Jhclark, despite the misinformation you've been fed by various hooligans on this board (who WILL be dealt with through official channels) you can't "go pro" with a Squier Affinity P Bass. If you'd bother to read your "Bass Player Declarative Agreement Form" some time you would find, in Section 287, Paragraph 14, Lines 47 & 48:
By signing this Declarative Agreement Form I forfeit the right to play any bass in any professional or semi-professional venue, whether paid or unpaid, that has not been previously sanctioned as Sufficiently Cool by the Official We-Are-So-Hip-We-Drip-Sub-Harmonic-Frequencies Board of Pontificating Fools. You are required to provide the ORIGINAL (NO copies allowed) signed document prior to your public performance. Failure to do so puts you in an extremely precarious position that we are not permitted to extrapolate on at this time. You have been warned!
By signing this Declarative Agreement Form I forfeit the right to play any bass in any professional or semi-professional venue, whether paid or unpaid, that has not been previously sanctioned as Sufficiently Cool by the Official We-Are-So-Hip-We-Drip-Sub-Harmonic-Frequencies Board of Pontificating Fools. You are required to provide the ORIGINAL (NO copies allowed) signed document prior to your public performance. Failure to do so puts you in an extremely precarious position that we are not permitted to extrapolate on at this time. You have been warned!
So you're saying the reason people don't buy $180 basses is due to ego and slavery to brand-fashion?
Hmm...
At some point, yes. Quality is hit or miss on cheaper instruments and as you can find in this thread, some folks hear with their eyes. Any basic instrument, properly set up, can be played by a professional. If a cheap instrument met my needs I'd be thrilled to play one - and I have.
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If you can play well... it doesn't matter if you walk in with a one-string Whamola.
Exactly!
$65 dollar Hofner bass?
Beatles, anyone?
Exactly!
$65 dollar Hofner bass?
Beatles, anyone?
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At what point? What's the magical cutoff between superficial extravagance and sensible practicality? $200? $500? $1000?
Sure, a pro bassist could rock a $200 bass. A pro race car driver could do things with a stock VW Golf you wouldn't believe. A pro tennis player could probably kick my butt using a ping pong paddle. That doesn't mean they choose those tools.
If I were trying to become a professional bassist and I were showing up to an audition, I'd want to exude a sense of professionalism - that I'm a serious musician looking for serious business. That doesn't require a $5,000 Alembic of course. But I think something more than a $200 Affinity would be in order. Used Fender MIA? Sure, why not.
People often talk about how great these cheap Squiers are. Of course they immediately turn around and replace the tuners, the strings, the electronics, the bridge, sometimes even the necks. The rule "You get what you pay for" becomes less relevant as you move up the price scale of course, but I certainly think it applies to a new $180 bass.
Smooth_bass88
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His tone changed because he was able to upgrade his gear for the better. The initial gig was in a club, a packed house and the guy was just burnin'. A ripping soloist. Had his amp up LOUD. And it just did not sound good.
The Funk Machine was an expensive hand made USA Fender P Bass.
You can do it with the starter bass, but it's possible that it will cost you gigs. Showing up with a starter bass may look like you're not taking it seriously to other musicians. Yes, some people do hear with their eyes. If you're really going professional, get some serious gear. You can pick up used gear for not terrible prices. In the long run, I think it will be worth it. JMHO.
Fuzz, I agree with a lot of your points here and also feel its important to keep context in mind. If the OP is joining a fresh out of high school band that intends to go "pro" then the Affinity is probably enough bass in that context. However, if he intends to audition for a pro band that has a tour schedule and maybe even bucks coming in from music releases he needs to have a bass and amp that fits that context or he will likely never make it past the audition. Once in the band there may be more flexibility on what instrument can be played but I wouldn't any more take a Squier to a pro audition than I would a tee shirt to a job interview or a Popeel Pocket Fisherman to a deep sea fishing excursion or a stock Pinto to a drag race or ... well you get the drift. And keep in mind I say all this as a person that did successfully rock a Squier Jazz for years (yep, it played better than my Fender American Deluxe 5 Jazz) but I never used the Squier for auditions. It just wasn't worth taking the chance of running across a gear snob during an audition.
And what do you base the idea of his improved tone being attributed to different equipment? Was the bass the improvement" Was the amplifier the improvement? Was the cabinet the improvement? Was he on a digital wireless? Analog? Monster cable? Maybe his tonal concept had changed? You have no idea what was under the surface of the tonal change to attribute it solely to more expensive equipment. Maybe he was like me and replaced his equipment because it was too heavy and light costs more than heavy. There are plenty of fabulous bassists out there - who are regarded as being at the top of the professional field - who have tones that some people hate. YOu don't really know why the sound was different and cannot state difinitively that it was exclusively due to an equipment change.
And horribly out of adjustment - FAMOUSLY out of adjustment.
I worked sound for a few years in a previous life in a concert hall. We had a massive JBL center cluster that hung prominently above the stage - but was never used because it wasn't very good. Our sound came from a discrete MEYER system that was very good. Whenever we'd ask for audience feedback about an event or production we'd get the typical range of "too loud" "not loud enough" "Needs more bass" "Too much bass" - the same junk every sound guy gets on every day of his working life. Occasionally some guy would comment "Outstanding JBL sound!!" Name recognition and eyes at work. Most folks have never heard of MEYER and looked askance at the system as being a budget bargain barrel sort of cheap thing.
Close your eyes and use your ears when evaluating a rig you want to use.
Smooth_bass88
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Dude, his tone wasn't good. He was a great player. He got better gear, and his tone improved, it's really that simple. I believe since I'm a working professional musician that I am qualified to make this assessment. The same exact thing happened to me...as my career progressed, I upgraded my gear and thus, my tone improved. Better/different gear can be inspiring. That's part of getting good gigs...having a reputation for consistently getting a good tone. If you take a Squire P Bass and swap out the stock pickup for a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II (as an example) it will sound better.
The Funk Machine was a high quality bass (the opposite of a Squire Affinity) and most players would agree that high action can actually make a bass sound BETTER in the studio.
at the end of the day it's just hardware wood and electronics.. the rest is player, amp and understanding of how to get your voice out there....
Equipment is PART of the equation..
Equipment is PART of the equation..
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I agree...I don't know if I would trust it in a touring situation without a backup. If something were to happen it would limit your options really quick, Come to think of it, I would never tour without a backup bass. Too much can happen the day of a gig that would leave you in a real bind. Not saying you need to take 20 basses or anything. I do believe that if you are looking to play on the level of which you speak, you will be required to put in an initial investment for gear that can handle the type of workload you're talking about. This can be done on the cheap. For $200-ish you can get a late 80s Peavey Fury that's built like a tank and use your Squier as a back up. Depending on the output of your amp you may want to re-examine that or get an extension cab as well. It doesn;t sound like you're in a time crunch, but if you're going on the road I think you should at least consider it.
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It's not the Bass it's the player and his or her attitude. Of course if there are issues like noisy circuitry or terrible fret buzz, then no you should not use it on a professional gig. But if it is OK in those respects and if you sound good on it just imagine how good you'd sound on a high end bass 
On the contrary sometimes high end basses can have problems too....I remember having to play a gig on a cheap Peavey bass because the Yamaha JP I had started humming like crazy under the lighting. (tsssssk Yamaha!) the Peavey sounded fine and was pretty comfy to play actually, luckily the venue had back up instrument Cheap does not necessarily mean nasty
On the contrary sometimes high end basses can have problems too....I remember having to play a gig on a cheap Peavey bass because the Yamaha JP I had started humming like crazy under the lighting. (tsssssk Yamaha!) the Peavey sounded fine and was pretty comfy to play actually, luckily the venue had back up instrument Cheap does not necessarily mean nasty
A Squier P or J should resemble the Fender counterpart because they are manufactured by pros following the original designs. What is really important here is that Asian wood is not bad at all and the electrical components are sourced from reputable vendors.
Moreover, Squier's follow the geometric shapes of the more expensive Fenders so the sound should be pretty close.
At the end of the day, it's your skill that determines if the instrument can cut it, gear snobs notwithstanding.
Moreover, Squier's follow the geometric shapes of the more expensive Fenders so the sound should be pretty close.
At the end of the day, it's your skill that determines if the instrument can cut it, gear snobs notwithstanding.
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