• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

cheap bass=no respect

#41
I use a Squier Precision 5 as well as my Dean B2-5, and even my homemade fretless Jazz clone. I've had quite a few bass players come up to me on break or after a gig and ask what that gold Fender was. I tell them it's a Squier, and they all say the same thing- "You're kidding me, right? I thought it was a Fender with some fancy electronics to get that sound! I gotta get me one of those!" So, if it feels good, sounds good, and looks presentable, it is good.

Had a student a few years back show up with a brand new Alembic. Nice bass, but he thought it would make him sound better. I made him bring both basses (his other was a Squier Jazz- the Affinity plywood one, not the better solid one). The next lesson, I proceeded to emulate a fretless on his old beater, then emulated an upright, then did some slap stuff for him, then some fingerstyle. All on the same bass. Not to say I'm great or anything, but it showed him that tone is all in the hands. I took the cheapest bass off the wall and repeated it, then took his Alembic and did it again. All the same riffs, the same tones, the same attitudes came across very nearly the same. He was stunned. "You mean you can play all that on my old bass, on that Indonesian POS, and my Alembic? Whoa...." And it all basically sounded the same (I set the eq flat on the Alembic, which helped). It's not necessarily WHAT you play, but HOW you play that matters. I saw a similar demonstration by Jeff Berlin when I studied with him for a while- that's where I got the idea. He did the same to me when I was telling him about my decision to further modify my bass. He told me that the most important EQ you'll ever put on ANY bass is already built in, and is transferrable to ANY other bass you play. It is in your hands!
 
#44
I've played alot more gigs with my MIM Fenders or a Squier than I have with my MIA Fenders. Main reason for that is theft. Call me paranoid, but I know too many people that have had nice stuff stolen, and I'd rather not join that list.

But I'm not going to judge someone if the walk into a gig with a Rogue.
Let the music do the talking.
 
#45
My first show ever was a christmas show a few weeks ago. I walk into the place all nervous. I go back stage and everyone is staring at me. When I say me, I really mean my fender gig bag. I pull out my old squier and everyone looked disappointed. The the hole 45 mins I running around looking for a tuner. I'm getting no respect from anyone. I know its because I running around like a chicken with its head cut off but still. I smack my bass the wall once and the door frame like 3 times.
The looks I got from people were so dirty. So I'm going to the stage everyone is saying good luck to evryone but me. So during the 5 min unperpared time we had I was fooling around on my bass trying to get comfortable. I look to the door way, where I smack my bass off of and the same people are staring at me in pure amazment. After the show everyone was like "man your so good" "you play that on that"

The moral: Its not what you play, Its how you play to make the haters realize they were wrong. :D
 
#46
I think that respect comes from how you play, not what you play.

I think if I went to see some cat who positively killed and just happened to do it on some obscure pawnshop-looking bass, I'd probably think for sure that he knew something I didn't know, and I might even go looking for that instrument, thinking that there must be something to it!

Don't be afraid to play something different, as long as it serves your needs. Don't be afraid to be judged by others for being different. Start trends - don't follow them.

People are sheep. My creedo? Be unique. If I see the masses headed in one direction, I usually dismiss it as total utter crap, seek avoid it at all costs, and head diametrically in the other direction. I'm usually right.
 
#47
MichaelVee said:
The fit and finish quality of inexpensive basses is so much better than in decades past.
Click to expand...
When I started playing, Squiers were garbage. Not just the image of Squier, those low budget Japanese made guitars were crap.* The necks were often warped, the tuners broke, the pots broke, the pickups stopped working- they were hell to play. If you were playing one you were a beginner and didn't know about playable guitars.

Somewhere along the line, cheap guitars got better, and then cheap guitars got good.



*the low budget Japanese guitars should not be confused with the better quality Japanese guitars, the Yamaha stuff, some of the Ibanez stuff and Tokai stuff were and still are regarded as fine instruments.
 
#48
Mon Rominee said:
someone was saying that your ability to learn on the instrument was proportionate to the dollar spent on it.
Click to expand...
Presumably we've all had times in our learning where we "hit a wall". No matter how hard you try you just can't seem to get past it. I know that I've had more than my share of times like these, at least when it came to applying myself to my instrument and to my own satisfaction. Then one day you wake up and it's behind you; you're moving forward again. A lot of people get themselves "over the hump" by buying a new bass, or amp, or pedal or other motivator to entice themselves through these times.

I spent a lot of my younger years believing that if only my bass was just a little better I would be too. But the years have told me that this is utter nonsense. Still, there's no question that an "aid" can help you through these times, and for some folks it's a more expensive or many-stringed or more unusually-shaped axe. Whatever it takes that works for you and gets you "over the hump"...

But at the end of the day, all you really needed was to give yourself a little push.
 
#49
I played a show once where my band was on the bill with several other bands, all of which were older than us. I was warming up on my Streamer LX 5 backstage and this guy (probably in his 50s) came up and asked what kind of bass it was with a curious look on his face. I told him it was a Warwick. He looked a little more and said "Where are those made?" I told him Germany, and he proceeded to give me a snobby "The Fenders I play are made in the USA. Keep at it kid" as though I was at a disadvantage for not playing an American-made bass.

I thought that was mildly amusing. The moral of the story is that no one should dog on someone else's equipment, because it may not be as bad as it seems. I heard a Squier jazz with EMGs once played back to back with a Fender MIA Jazz and the squier smoked it in tone IMO. The name on the headstock isn't everything.

I got my fiance a Starsun jazz copy for Christmas, and I've been playing it a lot! It plays well, and sounds good. I got it for $85 new. The $400 Fender MIM Jazz sounded and played about the same. I guess it costs them about $315 to put that little decal on the headstock. :)
 
#50
I currently use a Modulus Flea that I picked up (off of talkbass) for $900. Now, to some that might be a cheap bass, to others it might be an expensive one. For me, however, it was the bass that "fit". I could care less if somebody doesn't respect me because it doesn't say Fender or Alembic on the headstock. It says Modulus on the headstock, that's what I like, that's what I play, that's how I give myself respect.

The other thing to consider is that in a crowd of 100 people watching you play there is probably only going to be 1, maybe 2 other people who can call themselves bassists. Those 2 people are going to be the only ones who will know the difference, and in some cases, even hear what you're playing. That's pure speculation, but has seemed to be pretty consistant in my experience.
 
#51
WickdMOnkey said:
Well I don't know how well I play but I think I do decent especially for how long I have been playing. I think my best complement came a month or so ago when my band opened up at Blueberry Hill for Monte Montgomery (probably don't know them) but anyway the bass player Dave who is one of my favorite bassist says to me after we finish our set "man you were smokin up there. I thought when you pulled out that Squire you were gonna suck.......my first impression was totally wrong. I really enjoyed listening to you" Then later after telling him I had only been playing since early 2000 he really commened me on my playing and said he thought I had been playing for atleast 10 years or so. He also said I had a great warm tone. It made me feel good that someone I really look up too gave me a complement like that.
Click to expand...

You opened for Monte Montgomery? Thats awesome!! I dont know who dave is but I LOVE the stuff Chris Maresh played with him. Chris is a huge influence for me!!! :D
 
#52
Kim Deal of the Pixies played most of her Basslines on a cheap Aria Pro 2 Cardinal Bass but when the Pixies entered the studio to record "Surfer rosa" the producer saw her bass and said "No way I'm gonna record the sound of that piece of firewood." And he kept to his word until Kim bought herself a Fender Precision Bass so she could at least lay down her basslines and make the producer happy.

I think that's messed up when a producer says that an artist needs to buy a new instrument because he doesn't think much of the instrument that artist is familiar with.

My own stage basses are two cheap Fender Precision basses copies, a squier and an Aslin Dane. And I don't regret buying them at all.
 
#53
When I started playing bass in the early 80's cheap basses were horrible. My first bass was a Hondo II and was a total turd. I finally traded it in on a great Aria Pro II which I then played for the next 11 years even though I could have bought a "better" bass. Now the lower priced basses from manufactorers like Rondo, Peavey and Brice are really well made and sound good. If some pinhead thinks he is superior to you because you play a Squire and he plays a Ric that is his problem. He probably has a small dick as well.

Just one other thought. I bought a custom Alembic Mark King 5 string this year. I play it at any gig that I get. Do I worry that it will be stolen? No, thats what insurance is for. If it gets dings so what, I bought it to be played not to hang on a wall like art. Its no fun to have a nice instrument that you are afraid to play.
 
#54
hands5 said:
Well I was just in Sam Ash music store here in tampa looking for a real inexpensive 6 -string under $700.00 and they had a Korean made Ap Tune 6-string(an Alembic copy,and damn good one at that) for $599.00 and I be damned if it didn't sound/felt as good as some of these high dollar "joints.I mean string spacing was nice,electronics was superb,not to mention this thing was made of Paduk/koa !.I know you get what you pay for,but it's been my experience that I've payed more for less,and less for more. :o
Click to expand...


neat, i was just there too and i saw someone playing the tune, maybe it was you


i didn't like it myself, i picked up the ibanez sr506 they had there, now that's a damned nice bass
 
#55
You should never base musical talent off of the gear they play on. I know some people that have some really crappy gear... and they really suck, but some people i've seen are really good, they just dont have the money to afford a good set up.

Coming from myself, i've been involved in music for practically all my life, and at the beginning i had trouble getting good gear, but now my gear kinda matches my skill level which is great for me :D
 
#57
The Hammer said:
Just one other thought. I bought a custom Alembic Mark King 5 string this year. I play it at any gig that I get. Do I worry that it will be stolen? No, thats what insurance is for. If it gets dings so what, I bought it to be played not to hang on a wall like art. Its no fun to have a nice instrument that you are afraid to play.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. Many props for that statement. :bassist:
 
#58
I can totally relate because I play an old, beat up Peavey Fury. I always get "man that's not even a fender." I love my bass to death and I've put many hours into working on it, defretting and electronics rebuilds. I've put it up against Smith's and Pedullas and Warwick and I have yet to be convinced to buy a different bass.

Just because a bass is cheap doesn't mean it's bad. The next time some bassist comes up to you at a gig and disses your bass, just ask "Why don't you have a gig tonight?"
 
#59
The Hammer said:
Just one other thought. I bought a custom Alembic Mark King 5 string this year. I play it at any gig that I get. Do I worry that it will be stolen? No, thats what insurance is for. If it gets dings so what, I bought it to be played not to hang on a wall like art. Its no fun to have a nice instrument that you are afraid to play.
Click to expand...


I have a boutique bass in the works because it is a work of art. i know that i would never take into some environment where i would have to worry about it. thats what my two SX and my Carvin basses are for.

the work of art will be reserved for recording, controlled environments, and playing in the Monsters Of Rock stadiums LOL
 
#60
I have never judged another player negatively because of his or her choice of gear. In fact, some of the most impressive players I have ever seen used inexpensive basses. My problem was always that I somehow felt that I needed another bass even if the one I had was just fine. The result is that I have been through dozens of basses, often feeling that the bass I just got rid of was really the one I should have kept. Judging by what some of you guys post, I don't think that I'm alone in this mindset. Looking back, I wish that I had just said, "this bass gives me my sound, and I'm sticking with it." Afterall, many of the most distinctive bassists like Marcus Miller and Jaco ppicked their instruments and kept playing them even when they could have had numerous endorsements for other instruments, or designed one to their liking. To make a long story short, I admire players who know their sound and stick to what works for them instead of bending like a weed in the wind every time a new style comes out.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back