Dealing with Gear Nazis

[AntekStalich]

actually. my old band did a gig where we all played squiers
we called it the cheapest gig ever

Well, accidents do happen

Phillipkregg: See my point. A bassist -- is noticeable only in two cases: (1) He is given to play a solo (2) He suddenly stops playing.
Imagine a guitarist: "Oh, man, it was a wonderful solo of yours! By the way, it that a PRS?" Now, can you imagine someone from audience approaching you and telling you "I admire the way you were locking with the kick-drum and pumping rhythm during the whole gig?" I cannot believe that.
Now, I see a bassist with some unusual bass. I approach him and say "What's that? Never seen it before?" and he proudly tells me on his short-scale bass made by some Canadian luthier. Should I approach a guy playing a Squier? To ask what question? How to break ice by talking? Since I think he cannot afford a MIM Fender, I just prefer speaking to guitarist about his new Mesa-Boogie amp or to drummer on wonderful tone of his cymbals. Do you get my point?

 

[johnnydingle]

I personally don't mind the gear nazis/worshippers. When I was younger I was the guy always asking awesome an bass player I saw about gear and technique and now the role is reversed.

 

[Sifl]

Seems every one wants to talk to the drummer in my band.
But that may be because she is a cute woman.

Same here! Had a lady in the audience ask our lead guitar player to move so she could see our drummer!

I like talking gear. Granted, I don't know as much as most, but I know the ins and outs (mostly) of the gear I use. I don't like when people tell me I should use such and such gear because such and such uses it. Or when I can tell they're being condescending because I use a Squier bass or my rig isn't Ampeg.

 

[1stOfficerRiker]

My bass teacher was a chick . . .She'd talk gear all day.

well if you find that hot girl who comes over and wants to talk about your SVT, marry her

 

[Burlington]

I think if people are coming up to you after the show and asking about your gear then you need to work on your playing!

...huh?

 

[puddin tame]

Really? I'd think it'd be a compliment and a way of saying, "I wish I had your tone."

id take "I wish I had your skills" as a better one, any fool can buy a good amp

 

[phillipkregg]

Well, accidents do happen

Phillipkregg: See my point. A bassist -- is noticeable only in two cases: (1) He is given to play a solo (2) He suddenly stops playing.

Watch these:



1) These guys aren't playing solos
2) These guys didn't suddenly stop playing
3) They are VERY noticeable because they kick ass at what they do

Imagine a guitarist: "Oh, man, it was a wonderful solo of yours! By the way, it that a PRS?" Now, can you imagine someone from audience approaching you and telling you "I admire the way you were locking with the kick-drum and pumping rhythm during the whole gig?" I cannot believe that.
Now, I see a bassist with some unusual bass. I approach him and say "What's that? Never seen it before?" and he proudly tells me on his short-scale bass made by some Canadian luthier. Should I approach a guy playing a Squier? To ask what question? How to break ice by talking? Since I think he cannot afford a MIM Fender, I just prefer speaking to guitarist about his new Mesa-Boogie amp or to drummer on wonderful tone of his cymbals. Do you get my point?

I guess that's the difference between us. If I saw a guy playing the hell out of a Squier I would tell him how much I loved his playing and his tone.

I don't feel like you have to break ice with talk about gear. Couldn't you do the same with talk about playing?

And I certainly don't mind if someone wants to talk about a certain amp or bass - it's the ones that are pushing their opinion as fact that annoy me.

 

[puddin tame]

I'm not sure where you are getting the idea that gear-talk evolved from poor musicianship.

I certainly need to work on my playing, but I think that's true of all of us.

I don't mean that you're a bad bass player if that happens. But obviously if all they have to talk about after your gig is your gear then you didn't WOW them enough with your playing.

Not bad musicianship, but a lack of great musicianship

 

[YYZDMV46&2]

How does the saying go?

"Playing guitar will get you chicks. Playing the drums will get you chicks. Singing will get you chicks. Playing the bass will get you guys who want to talk gear."

Somebody on the boards here has something like this as his sig, IIRC.

thats me

 

[AntekStalich]

Watch these:



1) These guys aren't playing solos
2) These guys didn't suddenly stop playing
3) They are VERY noticeable because they kick ass at what they do

Phillip, p l e a s e. Are you telling me that Pino Palladino plays a Squier?

Secondly, both samples are bands with dominating bass. John Mayer Trio - a power trio. In typical band, this level of bass would be described as "too loud".

 

[phillipkregg]

I don't mean that you're a bad bass player if that happens. But obviously if all they have to talk about after your gig is your gear then you didn't WOW them enough with your playing.

Not bad musicianship, but a lack of great musicianship

Hmmm...

Someone shows a prejudice against the type of bass equipment that I use, so therefore my musicianship is lacking.

Are you sure you want to stick with that argument? First of all, it doesn't make any sense. Secondly, you can't judge musicianship that you haven't even heard.

 

[Bean639]

Yeah, I almost always get compliments on my tone. I think that's great and all... I really do! It just gets me wondering. Hmmmm, I wonder how my playing came across. SO. I run this through a few friends/fellow bass players. They usually respond that Im a great bass player, yada, yada. NOW Im wondering if I just fished a compliment.

Its a sick evil circle.

Im going to practice now

 

[puddin tame]

Hmmm...

Someone shows a prejudice against the type of bass equipment that I use, so therefore my musicianship is lacking.

Are you sure you want to stick with that argument? First of all, it doesn't make any sense. Secondly, you can't judge musicianship that you haven't even heard.

what the hell are you talking about?

methinks someone sounds a little insecure. I stand by what I say, if you're a truly great player no one's going to be tryin to talk shop with you after the show, and certainly not in a derrogatory fashion.

i'm not really trying to argue or contradict anything you're saying. yeah it would be annoying if someone started talking smack about gear. no ****

 

[phillipkregg]

Phillip, p l e a s e. Are you telling me that Pino Palladino plays a Squier?

Are you saying that Pino would no longer be a good player if he picked up a Squier?

Secondly, both samples are bands with dominating bass. John Mayer Trio - a power trio. In typical band, this level of bass would be described as "too loud".

What does it matter? You made a sweeping statement that the bass is never noticeable unless it is soloing - or stops playing entirely.

Do you still believe that to be true? I'm sure we could start a thread with thousands of posts of songs - of every style of music - where the bass is "noticeable" without soloing.

"Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. "Come Together" by the Beatles. This can go on, and on, and on, .....

I'm not sure what you are trying to prove, but your argument is false. Plus it's taking the thread WAY off topic.

 

[JimiLL]

How does the saying go?

"Playing guitar will get you chicks. Playing the drums will get you chicks. Singing will get you chicks. Playing the bass will get you guys who want to talk gear."

Somebody on the boards here has something like this as his sig, IIRC.

That would be I

 

[Hector_G]

It's only happened a handful of times. Ends up being I'm the one that starts going off about the gear and having more knowledge (thanks to all the endless information here on TB) and they end up getting bored and ending the conversation. I start asking them questions about their gear that they don't even know.

Something simple like: "Oh cool you have the 410HLF?"
Other guy: "Uh... I don't know, it's just an Ampeg."

In my town it's really really really rare you can talk gear with people who can sorta keep up. Not bass players anyway.

 

[newbold]

It's generally a gear neRd instead of a gear NAZI.

Gear Nazis are generally the ones mixing FoH

 

[stratovani]

It doesn't bother me when they want to talk gear. But if they put me down for playing a Squier I have two stock answers - "You got a problem with that?", or "Great! You're gonna buy me a Rick!". Of course, I may have to back it up with my fists, but I don't mind. Hasn't happened yet, though, people have been really nice to me - so far.

 

[bassplayer8953]

I think a bassist is perfectly capable of making a great impression with a Squier. I love those Classic Vibe P-basses.

I've been to a bunch of gigs lately, & seen Squiers, instead of Fenders, Epiphones instead of Gibsons, and this weekend, the bass player in a well-established Chicago hard rock band played an LTD instead of ESP. My Epi Pro Tbird has become my main gigging axe also:

...even though I have several top name brand basses to choose from.

 

[Sifl]

It's only happened a handful of times. Ends up being I'm the one that starts going off about the gear and having more knowledge (thanks to all the endless information here on TB) and they end up getting bored and ending the conversation. I start asking them questions about their gear that they don't even know.

Something simple like: "Oh cool you have the 410HLF?"
Other guy: "Uh... I don't know, it's just an Ampeg."

In my town it's really really really rare you can talk gear with people who can sorta keep up. Not bass players anyway.

This is the case a lot of the time for me as well. Some people don't know about stuff that anybody with an amp and cab should know, like ohms and watts.