Sure did. I was just sort of suprised how effortlessly he made the switch look. He's played Jazz basses before, but those have thin necks too. For me some of the Primus stuff is horribly difficult to play on thicker necks (at least when you play it the way he does). And he just effortlessly plays that stuff on a P neck.
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Does a great BASS make a great BASS player
- Thread starter MiracleFEATHRS
- Start date
The big thing you're missing out on with cheap basses is the varity. Every now and then you get a bass with specs that are just heavenly. But that's difficult to find among the cheaper basses, because the manufacturers of those tend to hang onto the original designs that are most popular.
That's why I think the only real way to really get your dream bass when you're on a budget, is to build one yourself. The tools might be an investment, but once you have them, every new instrument is essentially just a bit of material cost and opportunity cost. And opportunity cost starts to seem very affordable, when the alternative is to work for extra money so you could afford that dream bass from someone else.
A great bass is the last little bit. Any bass can be great if it inspires you and gets the sound in your head.
An expensive, pro-quality bass won't make you a better bassist (practice will), but Victor Wooten did say that a good instrument is an investment in yourself.
Plus, people are judgy. You see a musician with an expensive instrument, you expect them to be good. You see a musician with a flashy looking instrument, you expect them to be charismatic on stage.
Plus, people are judgy. You see a musician with an expensive instrument, you expect them to be good. You see a musician with a flashy looking instrument, you expect them to be charismatic on stage.
Why does anyone care about what anyone else is playing? Different people can afford different basses, different people play at a different skill level. At the end of the day, it should be about the individual….”are you enjoying what you are doing and are you having fun”. It’s not a competition.
If you’re a great player, build up those learning, help them to continue to grow, encourage them. Definitely don’t rip them if they are playing a nice bass.
I want to commit to one bass. I spend too much time a/b’ing basses/switching basses. I love my G&L L-1000 and think it would be the perfect number one for me. My Sadowsky and Serek think otherwise. The saga continues
Nope. A good player can (usually) make it work on something cheap and still sound great. A better instrument MAY help you to play better but it's not going to magically infuse you with talent. As has been said, an instrument - regardless of price - will inspire. An expensive instrument is also not necessarily good as a given - it has to work for the player. There are many basses that would not work for me at any price. Way, way too many variables at play here.
For example, if we see a great of bass like Charles Berthoud who has small hands, we realize that he could not shred on anything with a baseball bat neck, even a 5K FCS. (He could obviously still play any song most of us can play)
not about bass, but...
when we'd go to music stores, i could always find my husband because not only do i recognize his guitar style, but i recognize the tone he dials in. cheap, expensive or in between bass or gear, he always sounds like him. i expect the same is true of me.
that being said, some basses are just easier to play, making it easier to do what you are trying to do, but they're not always the most expensive basses.
when we'd go to music stores, i could always find my husband because not only do i recognize his guitar style, but i recognize the tone he dials in. cheap, expensive or in between bass or gear, he always sounds like him. i expect the same is true of me.
that being said, some basses are just easier to play, making it easier to do what you are trying to do, but they're not always the most expensive basses.
