Does a good instrument make you better player?

[Demon]

Its just different to slap on a fretless, not neccesarily worse. It can be hard to get sound of it tho.

 

[Juniorkimbrough]

to some extent, yes.......but for the most part, no

 

[bassplayer2106]

A decent instrument can usually be set up better than a cheaper instrument, if it's set up right and has good strings etc, and you're playing through a half decent rig, and get a sound that you like then you're going to feel better about your playing. Also a well set up instrument is going to enable you to play better.

 

[Mastacow]

Yes. In the case of string instruments, the better the instrument, the better the sound. If you have a 10000 dollar bass and a 5000 amp head along with a 2000 dollar cabinet, you can't possibly sound bad. But if we are talking about wind instrument like sax, you can have a very well-built sax and still sound like crap due to horrible embrochure (however you spell that).

I bet I could make it sound bad.

 

[nad]

does a ferrari make a bad driver a good driver?

Ding ding ding! Answering a question with a question is the right answer in this case.

Can you play better on a better instrument? Yes. Will you? Maybe not.

 

[Nils]

Can you play better on a better instrument? Yes. Will you? Maybe not.

Oh! Fancy way of explaining:

does a ferrari make a bad driver a good driver?

So this topic can now be closed.

And on the slap on fretless topic, if you have round wounds on you fretless it doesn't differ too much from a fretted in my limited experience.

 

[albass111]

Can you play better on a better instrument? Yes. Will you? Maybe not.

I agree most with this explanation. I am more dexterous on my Sterling than on any other bass. Its spacing and the thin neck allow me to pull off licks on that bass that I can't perform on others (yet). That's why I practice chops on a P Bass and transfer that to my Jazzes. I know that any lick I can pull on the Precision, I can play on any of my other basses.

 

[arbarnhart]

No one can sound good on a really bad bass, but you will hit the point of diminishing returns pretty quickly. In other words, once you have a good sounding servicable bass with good action, proper inonation that stays in tune, you won't play much (if any) differently with an upgrade. OTOH, diminished returns are still returns.

 

[getBAK]

Interesting dialog here...
Its just odd, I spent all that time trying to cram a fretless into everything I did. thinking that my skills just weren't physically there. That a lot of "lesser" players were outgunning me. Now I have the ATK and its turns out that I had the skills, just the wrong tool

 

[Obese Chess]

In my experience, every new bass I get would give me an extra reason to practice. And better basses are harder to put down.

Amen

And it seems that WORSE basses make people play better - if you can play "Tommy the Cat" or "Donna Lee" on a rusty upbowed Squier, you can sure as heck play it on a $1000000000000 Alembic.

 

[X Wolf]

I would say yes a better instrument helps you play better, but a great instrument will not necessarily make you a great player.

George

 

[west*coast*bass]

No, a newb even with a fodera is still a newb...
So having a better bass makes becoming a better bass player an easier and more enjoyable job.

But a newbie with a Fodera might be more inclined to practice a hell of lot more than if he was playing something of lesser quality.

 

[Jugghaid]

But a newbie with a Fodera might be more inclined to practice a hell of lot more than if he was playing something of lesser quality.

True. Plus it's easier to learn and perfect your technique on a really well built and set up instrument than a 2x4 with strings.

 

[Human Bass]

I can play better on my humble ibanez gsr200 with its fast neck than i can on any chunky neck warwick.

 

[GaryBusey'sNose]

If you think an ATK is an awesome slapper, you're in for a whole world of amazement the next time you pick up ANY other nice fretted bass. The ATK is a great bass, but it's not known for it's slappalicious pomposity.

 

[Jazzin']

It can make you sound better tone-wise, but not play better.

 

[AmazingGracePlayer]

Are you kidding me? You better believe a high end bass/amp/cab can sound bad. If the player is terrible and/or he does not know how to dial in the equipment with a good tone, then it can surely sound bad, no matter how good the equipment is. I have heard plenty of high end equipment sound bad.

Ok, fine, then have a non-pro use a pro gear and equipment already set-up and in tune and all that.

 

[ehque]

I'm not familiar with his work, but obviously some guys can and do slap on a fretless. However, for most people it is not the preferred method. Take other high profile slappers and see just how many use a fretless. You'll find a few, but not many, at least for the majority of their work.

by your reasoning, fretless basses should not be used at all. obviously some guys can and do play a fretless. However, for most people it is not the preferred method. Take other high profile bassists and see just how many use a fretless. You'll find a few, but not many, at least for the majority of their work.

 

[momma'sboy]

i think if you have better equipment, you get a better chance of being a better musician.. and just like what other say that you'll get another reason why you have to play

 

[tadawson]

While good gear certainly won't make you a better player, bad gear can certainly hold you back . . . . . . if you spend all your time fighting the instrument, not much learning can be going on.

- Tim