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Cost vs Common Sense?

#67
InhumanResource said:
Scott's all about the promotion. He usually spends most of the video talking about how much time he spends making videos, then gets to whatever the content is (usually not much). People will watch anything I guess.
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That's because most of the actual content is found in his subscription service videos and not the free Youtube videos. YT is what he uses to drive people to his subscription service. I'll say Scott is as good an advertiser and businessman as he is a Bassist. And he's a fantastic Bassist who's spent a significant part of his life studying with great teachers all over the world. But being a good bassist doesn't equate to making a good living, so he's found a way to build a business that does make a good living. Living the American Dream - in the UK.
 
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#68
scuzzy said:
Strangely enough, Scott never uses $80 basses on any of his instructional vids.....wonder why?
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lowfreqgeek said:
That's because most of the actual content is found in his subscription service videos and not the free Youtube videos. YT is what he uses to drive people to his subscription service. I'll say Scott is as good an advertiser and businessman as he is a Bassist. And he's a fantastic Bassist who's spent a significant part of his life studying with great teachers all over the world. But being a good bassist doesn't equate to making a good living, so he's found a way to build a business that does make a good living. Living the American Dream - in the UK.
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Ok.
 
#72
BigBasserino said:
So I just watched this guy's video

And I'm left kind of befuddled. Maybe it's because I've seen a dozen or so "we bought the cheapest instrument we could find on Amazon and we're going to compare to our sweet gear!" Videos but this one was a dead giveaway to me. You can make different sounds with a good amp or not so good amp, but this want the case. It wasn't the paint or the visual or the number of strings that gave it away to me. It was simply the two kinds of pickups. Jazz (single coil) or humbuckers (dual coil, not MM style). I think people are starting to lose grip of fundamentals in videos like this because you're comparing two totally different pictures, never mind the fact that one picture is 110 times as expensive by the way it was engineered, not the pickups chosen. You simply can't take 3 passive humbuckers and expect them to have the same buzzing zing as a pair of jazz pickups. You can take the expensive built in pre-amp and get closer, but one instrument sounded like a jazzy sock and the other sounded like a formula of simplicity people have heard before.

Is it me? Is this common knowledge? Or do people really believe this?
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to me its like comparing apples and oranges! & lets all keep in mind of the musician doing the demo on this video! "Scott Devine " is no joke!!
This guy can make any bass sound amazing! Depending on your level it Doesn't mean the cheaper bass will sound that good in any body's hands! in my opinion, Common sense should always be priority over price !
 
#73
For whatever is worth I stopped watching that youtube channel. Nothing wrong with it, but generally i am looking for information and a lot of people making a living posting videos are creating entertainment and just trying to promote their channel even if they don't have anything very relevant to post. some of the subjects on these videos titles can be shown in a couple of minutes but some videos are easily 10 minutes and longer. I wish the format was more info oriented.
 
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#74
Joe Nerve said:
Do we believe what? I'm not sure what you're asking?

FWIW, I got them wrong :). I thought the first was the Fodera, but regardless, I believe a really good player can make any bass work and sound great. To me it's like buying a car. You can drive a Hyundai or a Lamborghini. Both will get you where you're going. The Lamborghini is so much more fun though.
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There is a marked difference in Lambo tone vs. Hundy tone. Hands won't fix that! Neither will changing mufflers!
 
#75
Bijoux said:
For whatever is worth I stopped watching that youtube channel. Nothing wrong with it, but generally i am looking for information and a lot of people making a living posting videos are creating entertainment and just trying to promote their channel even if they don't have anything very relevant to post. some of the subjects on these videos titles can be shown in a couple of minutes but some videos are easily 10 minutes and longer. I wish the format was more info oriented.
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In the old days, Scott's YT videos were pretty content-heavy. They usually had some good meat and were worth the time to watch and learn from. However, I think Scott wised up to YT's ways and realized that YT alone was not a sustainable source of revenue, so he built up his website and subscription service to generate income, rather than YT. He still posts good content on YT on occasion, but the majority of his worthwhile stuff isn't free anymore.

As such, I rarely watch his videos, and I do not subscribe to his website. I have massive respect for what he's doing and his success, but I guess not enough to pay for his content. I enjoy his style and will watch for entertainment, but that's about it.

Most of the smart "professional YouTubers" have moved on from YT being their product. Instead, they create a brand, service, or product and use YT as a platform to engage the public and drive sales/subscriptions. It's a really interesting business model to watch evolve and emerge as YT matures.
 
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#77
Wow, the perfect TB thread...arguing about whether expensive basses are worth and get the Scott backlash into high gear.

Doh, it's all promo for his online school but many of his vids have real meat when you just fast forward through the introduction. I really liked his recent vid about melodic minor substitutions, which gave me something new to work on and add to my toolbox. Hey, what do you expect for free anyway? :roflmao:
 
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#78
BigBasserino said:
So I just watched this guy's video

And I'm left kind of befuddled. Maybe it's because I've seen a dozen or so "we bought the cheapest instrument we could find on Amazon and we're going to compare to our sweet gear!" Videos but this one was a dead giveaway to me. You can make different sounds with a good amp or not so good amp, but this want the case. It wasn't the paint or the visual or the number of strings that gave it away to me. It was simply the two kinds of pickups. Jazz (single coil) or humbuckers (dual coil, not MM style). I think people are starting to lose grip of fundamentals in videos like this because you're comparing two totally different pictures, never mind the fact that one picture is 110 times as expensive by the way it was engineered, not the pickups chosen. You simply can't take 3 passive humbuckers and expect them to have the same buzzing zing as a pair of jazz pickups. You can take the expensive built in pre-amp and get closer, but one instrument sounded like a jazzy sock and the other sounded like a formula of simplicity people have heard before.

Is it me? Is this common knowledge? Or do people really believe this?
Click to expand...

Not sure what your point is. He is promoting his website (it is a good site, I'm a member), and is basically trying to show that if you learn how to play well, you can sound good on an affordable instrument that is setup. He's right. Guys like Scott will sound better on any bass that most of us on talkbass.com will sound on the world's best gear. X's and O's vs. Jimmies and Joes kind of thing.
 
#79
Nephilymbass said:
As someone who's owned what I consider expensive basses (no Foderas or Ritter or anything that crazy but multiple top of the line Warwick's) I personally think there's a few interesting pricepoints where you get a better bang for your money. But really $2k is my limit these days for a main player, $500 for a used beater for a backup or "different tool in the shed" I just feel like there are plenty of basses under $2k that sound great. Ive yet to play any bass I likes more than my dingwall. And I've played high end Warwicks, Roscoes, you name it. A lot of what you're paying for above that is higher labor cost, a name, bigger profits, at the 2k range a lot of the little details like fretwork, the nut cut properly and stuff like that is already good. At the $2k price range no ones using cheap parts. For example the pickups in my ng2 are from dingwall in Canada, Darkglass preamp is no slouch, the hardware isn't great also. Lot of the time you can buy cheap instruments and with a little work and cash improve the sound and feel. You can't polish a turd so to speak, I wouldn't recommends buying basses made out of plywood for example but These days i think a lot of companies have run out of their really old wood. People are willing to spend multiple times as much on an older fender made of wood that's a hundred years old than a new fender or musicman even if they are put the wood through additional drying treatments like musicman does in their factory. Obviously there is a point where craftsmanship and parts take a huge nose dive. But nowadays with most mass produced basses being mostly built by machines the issue with cheap basses is mostly less than stellar wood or cheap parts
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The value for me, in an expensive instrument, is the durability of the workmanship and the ability to be setup to play easy. Most definitely is not in the sound. Lots of cheap basses sound great, especially with pickup upgrades. What some of them won't do is setup with really low, effortless action without fretwork.
 
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#80
chris_b said:
Scott Devine has his own, rather expensive, signature bass made for him by Overwater. It's not cheap and it is a very nice instrument.

I see no merit in the, "This bass is cheaper than that bass and I can get a great sound out of it", style of comparisons. Personally I've tried for several years to find a cheaper bass that sounds and plays as good as the basses I've got now, and I haven't found one yet. Either there is a magic bass sitting somewhere, undiscovered by me or the champions of cheap basses are judging their instruments to a different set of criteria to mine.
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I'm about to start some trouble. My Squier VM Jazz V plays better (lower easier) action that I've ever been able to get out of either of my MIA jazz's. It is punchier and growlier too, even with pickup swaps in the other two.
 
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