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does a better bass make a better player?

#101
steve_rolfeca said:
This.

And the cool thing about electric bass, is that pricing is so much more budget friendly, compared to classical instruments. I love the handmade custom in my avatar, but I've played quite a few sub-$1,000 basses that had me smiling from ear to ear.

Good luck finding that with a violin, flute, clarinet, piano, etc...
Click to expand...

Very true.

That's because solid-body-electric-bass-guitars are very simple instruments. They are actually over-priced. Give me wholesale prices and a simple factory, and I could make an excellent bass for less than $500.

It would only come in one version (no choices of different colors and stuff like that, and there'd be no inlays on the fingerboard) but it would play and sound as good as any bass in existence.

And all that petty cosmetic stuff is how the big companies justify the prices they charge.

You don't see a lot of violins being offered in a hundred different color
schemes....And one acoustic guitar looks pretty much like another...

Bruce
 
#102
Will a better bass make you a better player, probably not much if any, but it won't make you a worse player either. Buy what you like, what you can afford, what interests you, what inspires you and tell the naysayers to shove off. Time and experience will make a better player and yes I think it is possible for a craftsman in any trade to be potentially limited by his or her tools, so buy the best you can afford and give it your all.
 
#104
IMO a better bass will allow you to play better. I do think playability has a lot to do with it however. Any bass can be set up to play well. After that it comes down to preference(as had been said earlier). Neck profile, scale, nut width, etc. Another thing that really helps is how responsive the bass is. I know that on my USA Musicman Sterling the notes really pop and speak incredibly quickly and evenly. I can play lines on that bass with complete ease. It allows me to focus on the music more than fighting on getting a good sound.
 
#105
BruceForrest said:
It would only come in one version (no choices of different colors and stuff like that, and there'd be no inlays on the fingerboard) but it would play and sound as good as any bass in existence.

Bruce
Click to expand...

If you can make a bass that would play and sound as good as any in existence, why don't you find a venture capitalist and go into business as a bass builder? You know people would snap them up faster than you could build them, so everyone wins.

Unless you don't want to.
 
#106
In my experience, there comes a.point where your skill surpasses your current equipment. (unless you're like Les Claypool, and conned your mother into buying a Carl Thompson while you were in high school.) And you can find that a better instrument that's easier to play can bring out your playing a lot. And that can be encouraging, leading you to practice more, so I guess indirectly, a better bass can make you a better player

Just my 2 cents.
 
#107
BruceForrest said:
Very true.

That's because solid-body-electric-bass-guitars are very simple instruments. They are actually over-priced. Give me wholesale prices and a simple factory, and I could make an excellent bass for less than $500.

It would only come in one version (no choices of different colors and stuff like that, and there'd be no inlays on the fingerboard) but it would play and sound as good as any bass in existence.

And all that petty cosmetic stuff is how the big companies justify the prices they charge.

You don't see a lot of violins being offered in a hundred different color
schemes....And one acoustic guitar looks pretty much like another...

Bruce
Click to expand...

That does sound like a second career that's needing to be explored. I second the idea of finding an investor and doing this. Every successful product meets a perceived need in a new way.
I'd do this!
 
#108
The right bass will make you a better player, not a "better" bass. In other words, a bass with the right neck profile and weight that is set up to your tastes will make you play better. A more expensive bass that does not suit you will probably make you play worse.
Click to expand...

I agree, and I should have clarified my own point a little more. By better, I didn't necessarily mean more or most expensive, but my experience has shown that some instruments are easy to work with and set-up, while badly designed, and usually far cheaper instruments are not. The bass has to suit you in terms of size,weight,and balance, and be easy to achieve your desired setup on. I've luckily never had a difficult bass, but a few really cheap guitars years ago got used for parts as they were almost impossible to do anything with, as guitars.
 
#109
The short answer is yes .. but you need to define better.. and as many have said no bass will make a player who practices twice a month sound like the guy who practices two hours a day. Playability is a factor in motivating you to increase your skills.. and once you reach that level you can go back to that poorer made bass and do things on it that you couldn't do before in some cases. I have played inexpensive basses that played very well.. but I have also played cheap basses that were not made or set up well at all and after a while made playing a little frustrating.. I think it does reach a point where a bass is a bass in terms of the player and after that it all comes down to personal preference..
 
#113
these threads have a life of their own after a while

one point is starting out with not a lot of experience or knowledge I went 9 months befoe I had my instrument setup profesiionally. I knew it wasn't great, but it seemed ok, until I played something that was setup properly.


I think your sense grow more alert as time goes on to what works for you and what doesn't. People in any field with a lot of experience and knowldege tend to have stronger opinions about equipment and tools of their trade than those starting out.
and yes, by better I mean better fit and ease of playing more than more expensive
(and I do buy my running shoes from a running store and have orthotics replaced everfy 4-5 years)

truth be told it may be another year or two before I'd appreciate the difference between teh Yamaha I'm looking at and a more expensive instrument
 
#114
Threads like this one always leads to the "you can do the same thing on a Squier as you can on a handmade instrument". I always go with this formula;

I do not take the advice and/or opinion of another bassist on the playability of an instrument (this includes sound, tone etc.....) all of this is subjective. There are too many unknowns: What style does that person emulate? What is their learned ability and how far do they want to go with it? What is pleasing to their ear?

Go to a store, pick up the instrument and play it. If it works for you go with it if not...don't and move on to something else. An expensive instrument doesn't necessarily mean that it fits and accommodates YOUR playing style, which only you can judge. Now having said that I was eying an Alembic Mark King Deluxe, on top of looking spectacular my thought was "How does it play" I went to the store and played it. It is one of the best instrument I had ever played (I have consistently played for 35 years) and I bought it because it showcased all my different styles in a "larger than life" fashion. And, to stay with the thread subject line, it did improve my playing because it was crystal clear with it's tone that I could fully hear what I was doing.
 
#115
Cookye said:
Threads like this one always leads to the "you can do the same thing on a Squier as you can on a handmade instrument". I always go with this formula;

I do not take the advice and/or opinion of another bassist on the playability of an instrument (this includes sound, tone etc.....) all of this is subjective. There are too many unknowns: What style does that person emulate? What is their learned ability and how far do they want to go with it? What is pleasing to their ear?

Go to a store, pick up the instrument and play it. If it works for you go with it if not...don't and move on to something else. An expensive instrument doesn't necessarily mean that it fit and accommodate YOUR playing style, which only you can judge. Now having said that I was eying an Alembic Mark King Deluxe, on top of looking spectacular my thought was "How does it play" I went to the store and played it. It is one of the best instrument I had ever played (I have consistently played for 35 years) and I bought it because it showcased all my different styles in a "larger than life" fashion. And, to stay with the thread subject line, it did improve my playing because it was crystal clear with it's tone that I could fully hear what I was doing.
Click to expand...

I think it also matter what type of music you are playing. I remember years ago (the 80's) I was tooling around on a friend's Fender Bronco bass (at the time considered a student model) and playing through one of those ampeg combo tube amps...the bass sounded awesome! So I borrowed it...then I tried to play some Weather Report with it...not so good. I have always felt that if you are playing simple music, or loud rock music....a BETTER bass probably does not matter, but if you are playing styles where hi-fidelity sound is needed, a bass that has crystal clear tone, where all the notes are the same volume string to string, where the sustain is perfect and the quality of the neck and fretboard allows near-perfect action...that's the kind of bass you would use, and is what most pros playing those styles use. After all, if the tool does not matter one bit, then you would see all these pros using cheap basses. Even I would, because why risk an expensive "better" bass at the airports or bus stations or whatever on tour, if you didn't really need one? In my opinion, they use the better instruments because those instruments are actually doing something for them.
 
#116
Dr. Cheese said:
The right bass will make you a better player, not a "better" bass. In other words, a bass with the right neck profile and weight that is set up to your tastes will make you play better. A more expensive bass that does not suit you will probably make you play worse.
Click to expand...

I totally agree... I'm a better player with my cheap Squier Jaguar SS than with any other bass I ever owned or tried, and I only paid 200$ for it.... it still amaze me.
 
#117
Does a better instrument make you a better player?

Yes.

If you look at this strictly on a does it work and do everything you need it to do. The answer is Yes

The question that always come up with this type of thread is:
Very functional Squier vs. Sadowsky
I the hands of most weekend hobbyist players, is hard to determine. However, the Hobbyist player who wants and is willing to pay for the Sadowsky is certainly more invested and possibly more inspired to learn the instrument. (Ability not withstanding)

That said, if someone has a fully functional instrument and is invested in learning there craft and inspired to be the best musician they can. The artist always matters more than the paintbrush.

What inspires you?
Is it the great sounding bass that sounds so much nicer than that you paid for it? or the beautiful 5A Top and feel that just makes you want to play nothing else?
The answer is yes.
 
#118
"Does a better bass make a better player?"-Quote

Yes it does, in most cases. I compare a nice bass to having clean underwear, and bed sheets. If you feel better with what you have, your're gonna play better. Just like you feel better in clean underwear, or sleeping on clean sheets. I'm just glad I don't change either like I do my basses. Same basses for over 15 years now.:hiding:
 
#119
1958Bassman said:
If you can make a bass that would play and sound as good as any in existence, why don't you find a venture capitalist and go into business as a bass builder? You know people would snap them up faster than you could build them, so everyone wins.

Unless you don't want to.
Click to expand...

I could find the financing, but it's just not my thing. I'm a player and a teacher, not a craftsperson. I suppose I could just run the shop, but business isn 't my thing either. And I'd much rather see the profits from an operation like that go to the workers.

Bruce
 
#120
Yes it's not about cost!! That seems to bring a defensive posture to all these discussions.

Wow! I was 15 once and couldn't afford a good instrument. As my skills increased I appreciate what better instruments can do.

I could as a young adult, budget so I could buy what I needed.
Some folks go to tremendous lengths to buy that good instrument. They know it's important to them.

As an adult I still have to balance all the plates.

I have a great G&L L-1000 that could be my island player. It was free and I restored it just shy of $300. It is a much better bass then many new instruments. To me.

Again. It's not about cost.
 

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