does a better bass make a better player?

[BruceForrest]

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!

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Roy, but like I told 1958Bassman, I'm neither a craftsperson nor a bussinessperson.

Bruce

 

[BruceForrest]

I do appreciate you proving my point to a tee.
...

Having been to more than a few archery tournaments and having spent much of my youth at a local archery range, I stand by my statement. This is the part where ya tell me you go to them all the time. If you wanna place bets on who puts one in the x at 30+ yards, I'm betting on these guys to a Native American warrior who makes his own arrows.

....

You've made some worthy points. I took archery in college, but never got into competition. I liked field archery most of all, but just for fun.
I shot bare bow with a simple recurve.

I'm sure the pros you describe would be better at hitting a distant, stationary target, but the Native American warrior would do a MUCH better job of hunting and warfare.

Not the same game at all.

Bruce

 

[BruceForrest]

This is the best use of a $250 bass you will ever hear....



That, ladies and gentlemen, is a Torch.

I really like the way he goes from a very complex line to a simple, one-note line in a blink. Good player.

Bruce

 

[awilkie84]

"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.

I think you're confusing "better" wIth "favored".
The bass that brings out the best in me is a 96 Fender P-bass. My Spector Rebop would be considered a much better bass, in most eyes.

 

[spade2you]

You've made some worthy points. I took archery in college, but never got into competition. I liked field archery most of all, but just for fun.
I shot bare bow with a simple recurve.

I'm sure the pros you describe would be better at hitting a distant, stationary target, but the Native American warrior would do a MUCH better job of hunting and warfare.

Not the same game at all.

Bruce

I think you underestimate competition archers. They may switch out the bows I showed earlier, but it's roughly the same thing and these same tournament archers tend to make exceptional hunters.

You may have played around with a recuve a bit, but even as a hobby archer, I eventually put a 3x scope on my bow and the accuracy was pretty darn amazing. I got it sighted in and wanted to see how tight of a group I could get. All shots were tightly grouped in the 10 ring with either my 3rd or 4th shot being a Robin Hood.

You can argue all ya want, but I spent many years around these folks and even dabbled with the higher end components.

 

[BruceForrest]

I think you underestimate competition archers. They may switch out the bows I showed earlier, but it's roughly the same thing and these same tournament archers tend to make exceptional hunters.

You may have played around with a recuve a bit, but even as a hobby archer, I eventually put a 3x scope on my bow and the accuracy was pretty darn amazing. I got it sighted in and wanted to see how tight of a group I could get. All shots were tightly grouped in the 10 ring with either my 3rd or 4th shot being a Robin Hood.

You can argue all ya want, but I spent many years around these folks and even dabbled with the higher end components.

The discussion need proceed no further. The situation is very clear. I'm a bass player and you are an archer.

We can each attend to our own areas of expertise.

Bruce

 

[spade2you]

The discussion need proceed no further. The situation is very clear. I'm a bass player and you are an archer.

We can each attend to our own areas of expertise.

Bruce

I'm not a bass player?

I'm amused how much musicians refuse to admit that gear can matter. Even though Lance Armstrong's book was called It's Not About the Bike, he was very much about every little detail.

I never even claimed to be much of an archer, but I spent enough time around guys who were really serious about it and winning competitions.

 

[BruceForrest]

I'm not a bass player?

I'm amused how much musicians refuse to admit that gear can matter. Even though Lance Armstrong's book was called It's Not About the Bike, he was very much about every little detail.

I never even claimed to be much of an archer, but I spent enough time around guys who were really serious about it and winning competitions.

I should have put a smiley there. It WAS meant as a joke.

I know a lot of bass players. The best ones rarely change instruments, and don't have anything that cost more than 1000 new.

The worst ones are always changing equipment. When they should be practicing, they are searching ebay and craigslist and sending emails and making phone calls and packaging stuff and stalking the local music stores.

But most importantly, they have to work all the time to pay for their parade of new toys, and because they don't practice nearly enough (if at all) they aren't working as bass players.

I played a 70's P-Bass for over 20 years. Stock with the bridge and pup covers removed (and that finger rest for playing with your thumb).
If someone hadn't stolen it, I'd have played it until I died.

If someone gave me a boutique bass, I'd sell it and take a nice
vacation. I have an Ibby 35" BTB set up by a pro. There isn't a better
bass anywhere on the planet.

Bruce

 

[JimmyM]

I'm not a bass player?

I'm amused how much musicians refuse to admit that gear can matter. Even though Lance Armstrong's book was called It's Not About the Bike, he was very much about every little detail.

I never even claimed to be much of an archer, but I spent enough time around guys who were really serious about it and winning competitions.

Lance Armstrong wasn't about the bike...he was about the performance enhancing drugs...BANG ZOOM!!!

 

[Rev J]

No more than a better car makes a better driver. That said a better instrument can make you a better player for two reasons.

1) If the instrument is good then you'll want to play it more making you a better player.

2) If the instrument looks good it will draw attention to you making you want to play better and not make an ass of yourself.

Stay Brown,
Rev J

 

[iriegnome]

Yes and no. I think you are only as good as the time you put in. Better instrument, more time. I don't think it is really more complicated than that. However, that is not to say that just because you have a lesser priced or lesser quality instrument, that bass can't sing. Nothing you can do for your bass is worth as much as a good set up and most basses can play as sweet as any other with a great set up.

 

[spade2you]

Lance Armstrong wasn't about the bike...he was about the performance enhancing drugs...BANG ZOOM!!!

That, too.

 

[nostatic]

I know a lot of bass players. The best ones rarely change instruments, and don't have anything that cost more than 1000 new.

That isn't the case with a lot of the ones I know, at least the part about priced below $1K

If someone gave me a boutique bass, I'd sell it and take a nice
vacation. I have an Ibby 35" BTB set up by a pro. There isn't a better
bass anywhere on the planet.

Bruce

Better for you, perhaps, but not universally better. And maybe you haven't played the right "boutique" yet. Never say never (yes, that is ironic).

 

[SteveC]

I don't know the answer, but I think lately I've receded more compliments while using my Geddy than my "better" basses. Maybe those people prefer that tone over my usual "Bart/Bart" type bass I played for years. Maybe I'm playing differently for whatever reason. Probably a combination of both.

I suppose my Geddy is probably a "better" bass so it's not a fair comparison. I have tried to like a Squier before and had no luck. I have also had a Sadowsky and while a nice bass, I don't think it made me a better player than the Geddy does.

 

[NoiseNinja]

As many already stated a better bass (meaning a bass that fits your hands, playing style e.t.c) will make you a better player. In my case the better bass is an Ibanez Mikro, so it don't necessarily have to be a more expensive bass.

 

[awilkie84]

That isn't the case with a lot of the ones I know, at least the part about priced below $1K



Better for you, perhaps, but not universally better. And maybe you haven't played the right "boutique" yet. Never say never (yes, that is ironic).

Personally, I don't believe that ANY player needs to go Boutique to find one that is "their" bass, as far as playability & sound goes. With so many different options out there, I'm sure there's something in every price range for everyone. This is especially true when blind tests are added to the mix.

 

[Roy Vogt]

I know it's a loaded question and justification for GAS.

Here's the situation. I bought a bass to get started late last fall and have been learning as I go.
I ventured into a music store recently and just happened to play a Yamaha BB424 and the feel of it was a revelation.
That 1st I needed my bass setup 'cause it felt nothing like that for action ease of effort and just how smooth it played. I couldn't keep my fingers from moving across that fretboard.
So I had my bass setup to get it as good as it will go and it's better, but not as smooth or consistent as the Yamaha.

So do I get a better bass as I'm learning or wait till my playing skills justifies a better bass?

Obviously the idea has been set, it's just a do it now or do it later question.

Just a reminder of the OP's post. The Yamaha he's considering is a nice bass and probably a modest upgrade. I teach a lot of beginners and one of the locations sells a lot of RBX 170s as beginner basses. They sound ok and can be adjusted to be fairly playable. I would say almost 80% of my students upgrade to a modestly better bass at about the time frame of the OP. I find it motivates them to commit to the instrument and practice more so I see no harm at all if you can afford the upgrade.

 

[nostatic]

Personally, I don't believe that ANY player needs to go Boutique to find one that is "their" bass, as far as playability & sound goes. With so many different options out there, I'm sure there's something in every price range for everyone. This is especially true when blind tests are added to the mix.

If that works for you, run with it. I have yet to find a sub-$1K instrument that either:

a) gives me the same vibe as my Rob Allen - or
b) gives me an E-C 26-fret 5-string with insane playability

The whole "blind test" thing is silly. It is a false sense of "science" (usually implemented by those not trained in either the hard or soft sciences). Making music is a mix of art and science, and humans cannot be removed from the loop. As such, personal bias cannot be eliminated, nor should it be. I frankly don't care about *any* blind listening tests. I have to play the instrument, so what I feel and how I feel about the instrument is an important factor. The sound can be manipulated in a number of ways after the fact. The way the instrument felt to me in the moment cannot. So most (all?) these "experiments" pointed to here on TB are imho deeply flawed and do not mean or prove what people seem to think they do.

 

[BruceForrest]

Just a reminder of the OP's post. The Yamaha he's considering is a nice bass and probably a modest upgrade. I teach a lot of beginners and one of the locations sells a lot of RBX 170s as beginner basses. They sound ok and cam be adjusted to be fairly playable. I would say almost 80% of my students upgrade to a modestly better bass at about the time frame of the OP. I find it motivates them to commit to the instrument and practice more so I see no harm at all if you can afford the upgrade.

Everyone should upgrade until they have a good instrument. But that can be a used one for $500 (in my case an Ibby BTB670 in perfect condition) that's set up by a pro.

Upgrading is something that no bass player should have to do more than once. And maybe never if they consulted a pro before buying their first axe
and had the bucks.

The search for the "perfect bass" is like the search for the "perfect woman". They are a good way to stay both amateur and lonely.

Bruce

 

[spade2you]

Everyone should upgrade until they have a good instrument. But that can be a used one for $500 (in my case an Ibby BTB670 in perfect condition) that's set up by a pro.

Upgrading is something that no bass player should have to do more than once. And maybe never if they consulted a pro before buying their first axe
and had the bucks.

The search for the "perfect bass" is like the search for the "perfect woman". They are a good way to stay both amateur and lonely.

Bruce

You'll find eleventy perfect basses before you find a perfect woman.