Does a great BASS make a great BASS player

[Fynn]

Certain basses make it easier to play certain things. But that's technique talk. Music and creativity is a bit more complicated than just technique. I do think that there are certain basses, that make me play better, because I'm more easily able to do what I'm thinking of. But that doesn't really make me a better player in general, it just allows me to not put too much effort into what I want to achieve.
There is people that say you should play high action, and thick necks, and use thick strings and so on, because the struggle supposedly makes you play better. Then there are people that say you should do whatever it takes to make it as easy as possible to achieve what you want to achieve. I'm more in the latter camp tbh.

This reminds me of that gig Les Claypool played with Primus recently. Les has been playing 32" scale, lightweight, thin neck, thin gauge string, basses for over 30 years, but that one gig they didn't have any of their own gear, so Les had to play an american Fender P bass. Feels like the polar opposite of one of his Pachyderm basses, but still he was able to perform a great show, without any big hiccups or anything like that.
So I'm also quite sure, that with enough motivation and will power, you can really achieve whatever you want musically.

 

[J Wilson]

Will an Italian* suit make you a better human being?

(*let's say Neapolitan-tailored, like Isaia, Kiton et.al., for the sake of discussion)

Let me get a closet full of Armani suits, shirts, and accessories, and I'll get back to you.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

My #1 stage Bass is a customized 1995/96
PeAvEy FoUnDaTiOn 5 , I got it for 150.00
My overall favorite is my Black Ibanez bTb 846v custom shop, it's a monster

Hate to admit this, my regular gig bass is a pre-Covid sterling ray4. I want to replace it but I am afraid that what I get will not be as good.

 

[klyph]

Will an Italian* suit make you a better human being?

No, but it might give you a better chance of making additional, little human beings, unlike a boutique bass.

 

[J Wilson]

I've owned everything from Alembics to Squiers.

While I'd say I probably sounded like a better me on the Alembics, the real truth for me personally?

I only need a solidly built bass that gets and stays in tune, is quiet electronically and will accept and keep a setup that feels right to me. That way it gets out of my way and let's me play with no concerns that the instrument is off a little or has issues I have to play around.

Of course it needs to look right, be comfortable on the strap, and not just Stoopid heavy.

I've found meeting these conditions is possible at a wide range of MSRP 's.

 

[Relayer71]

Will a better car make you a better driver?.. It my stay on the road better but you are still steering. A high end bass may intonate better and have better tone but you are still the one playing it...

I have been grabbing my $299 Squier P Bass lately heading out to gigs.. It just works for me. Just like my Kia Forte!

If you're a profession racer, probably!

Otherwise, not comparable. Driving isn't something one spends a lifetime trying to improve at or learning new things on. It's not a tool for expression. You don't go, "You know what? I'm going to do that drive back to the Walmart again. I know I can do it better! .

Or, "I need to stop driving like so and so, and come up with my own style of driving".

 

[Fynn]

Hate to admit this, my regular gig bass is a pre-Covid sterling ray4. I want to replace it but I am afraid that what I get will not be as good.

The guitarist I used to play top 40 gigs with, has a couple really fancy guitars which he always worried about bringing to the gigs we played. With hundreds of drunk people in the room, he was always really wary of the environment. After one of the gigs he asked me if I had any cheaper instruments at home. I usually brought my Fender parts P bass, which isn't exactly botique, but it also holds some sentimental value to me of course. It got me thinking and then we talked about buying cheap instruments just as work horses for those gigs. I never did it, because shortly after I stopped playing with them, but I still feel like that it's worth thinking about.

 

[pfschim]

This one is really obvious: of course not!
80% of the tone is in the fingers.

hmm, are you sure it's not 75%
toan iz in da figaz!

 

[kmon]

I’ve been heavily inspired by Paul McCartney lately. Been learning a bunch of Beatles stuff, so I picked up a wonderful Ric and am about to slap some Optima flats on it. I’ve been hacking my way through some Rush lately and my Geddy Jazz has been fun for that.

My point is that a particular instrument can add to the experience and maybe inspire. Sure. Maybe I play slightly more, I’m not sure.

I also know that great does not equal expensive. Great means it feels and sounds good.

Last thing, it’s easy to fool yourself into thinking that constant shopping is somehow integral to your goal of getting better. It’s not, it’s just more fun than struggling through the practice that actually creates results.

 

[wiscoaster]

....
A great BASS will not make a great BASS player
A great BASS player can make a just okay BASS play and sound like a great BASS.
agree ?
Disagree ?

Agree. Absolutely. No question. And applies to most any situation where the result is not solely due to the tool, but to the craftsman wielding the tool.

 

[beatdatthang]

No. I see tons of “great” bass players gigging Squiers and low-end model Ibanez basses all the time. The bassist makes the instrument, not the other way around. The bass can inspire you or certain ergonomics can make playing easier on you, but the inverse is also true. The nicest quality bass can end up as nothing more than wall art if you don’t like playing it.

 

[faulknersj]

No.

A great player makes a great player.

I hear guys all the time on Squires who run circles around me and sound way better than I do on any expensive bass I have lol!

 

[Killing Floor]

I think most people know tone is 85% pedals and 15% technique. There’s sure to be at least one untrained bassist who will reply that it takes practice. But it doesn’t. Pedals make perfect. That’s why Jaco is as so well regarded in the bass community, he used a Rat, Digitech delay, several choruses, MXR looper and more.

You can spend all you want on a coffee table bass, you won’t sound like Jaco without the right pedals.

you know it’s true

 

[EliasA]

There are two things that make you want to play a bass: Tone and Feel. Feel is what makes a bass great. Tone is your technique, plucking position, and strings. But the thing that makes me fall in love with a bass is resonance. When I can play it and feel the vibrations before the wave of amp-driven air hits, it's a keeper. If the feel isn't perfect, just set it up and oil/refinish the neck.

 

[chris_b]

A great bass will make the player happy and that will make him play better, and that makes playing the best bass you can find the best plan.

 

[antfarm]

Once you find the one great bass you can fully commit to, you can finally stop wasting your time searching for the perfect bass online and instead work on becoming a better player.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

No! Next!

 

[EliasA]

stop wasting your time searching for the perfect bass online and instead work on

looking for the perfect amp. (that's where I am at rn)

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

I have a pro bassist friend. He is great. He owns foderas, warrior, a couple of customs. I was at one of his shows, we were talking during the break. We walked on stage, he handed me his bass and said “I paid $120 for it!” It sounded really good, he did have a new set of pickups put in. plus he does not use any pedals.

he did have a new set of pickups put in <- This
and
he does not use any pedals <- This

Good pickups make a big difference. I have a Harley Benton PJ with Seumour Duncan Quarter Pounders that cost more than the bass.
There is no real need for pedals for a bassist. Flame me if you will, but I've been playing for 60 years and I've tried several pedals. I've never seen any value in any of them.

 

[GIBrat51]

I've known too many intermediate Bass players that bought a really expensive great Bass .
and many great BASS players that bought a decent Bass for a few hundred dollars that played and sounds like a expensive one.
A great BASS will not make a great BASS player
A great BASS player can make a just okay BASS play and sound like a great BASS.

agree ?
Disagree ?

Well...
Based on personal experience, I'd have to say... no, a great bass will not make one a great player. But, "Hope springs Eternal in the human breast", so people are always willing to try. However...
In my experience? A great bass can:
- Make you want to practice, and get better. I have a lot of basses; so many that I have to rotate them out of... storage, for want of a better term... a few at a time, for a month of playing. Some are really great basses; some are "very good", and some are just "good". I'm always more reluctant to put a great one back in it's case when it's time is up, to make way for a different bass. And, I look forward just a little more, when it's time for a bass I consider a great one, to come out to play...
- Make you very aware of how bad your technique is, and embarrass you into improving. All the "great" basses I own, do this; especially My Alembic Epic. It is utterly intolerant of mistakes, and every time I make one? It's glaringly obvious; that bass just loves to rub my nose in it...
So, I'd have to say: NO. A great bass will not make you a great player. But, it will encourage, and sometimes embarrass you, into making yourself a great bass player - or, at least a better one...