Does a High Quality Bass Improve Our Playing?

[Cheranguista]

I just got a new bass; a five string active bass and is a $300; for me is my second expensive instrument ( i am a cheap musician wannabe). So comparing it with my oher 2 basses: Dean passive and Ibanez Mikro P passive basses; it feels so good en the hands. I am use to play my basses a little hard so now with this bass I got to be more gentle and precise to get a great sound, and i love it for that. So to me it motivates me to play better when i get a new instrument.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Does a High Quality Bass Improve Our Playing?

Yes, it can. However, you have to be up to the challenge of improving your playing, to meet it's capabilities.

 

[logdrum]

2 words: Diminishing Returns

 

[Tom Bomb]

When you're talking genuine quality, it's a lay down misére. If you play your cards right, you can't lose.

 

[Marctbass]

...The thing that I've found with basses over 2k (for me that's my Bongo HS 5 and Yamaha Nathan East) is that they provide so much clarity that you can really hear your mistakes. This made clean up any slop in my playing and I believe makes me sound better live.

Second that! Just bought a high-end bass and my playing has improved quite a bit as a result. Suddenly, I can hear everything, and have tightened up as a result.

 

[DavC]

Does a High Quality Bass Improve Our Playing?

NO ... but ,... the guilt from overspending has made me practice a bit more ..!!

basically i want decent quality instrument that does the job .! i've been thru my 'showing off what i can afford' stage ..

as i've aged , i've learned to mod and work on things to make them sound/feel the way i want ... when it feels good , my playing improves .!

 

[Wanker_Joe]

The thing that I've found with basses over 2k (for me that's my Bongo HS 5 and Yamaha Nathan East) is that they provide so much clarity that you can really hear your mistakes. This made clean up any slop in my playing and I believe makes me sound better live.

When I got my Warwick SSII the first thing I noticed was how unbelievably sloppy my technique was. I certainly didn't sound that way with my entry-level Yamaha BB. But on the Warwick I sounded terrible. Totally made me clean up my technique.
Additionally, I've found on my higher quality basses that they don't get in the way of me playing what I want to play. It's definitely noticeable when I play a low quality instrument now, not just setup issues, but they often balance weirdly and typically don't feel "right" when I play them. It's like I have to fight the instrument itself before I can express myself the way I want to.

Note: I'm purposefully using the work "quality" here. I'm not trying to tie this to price. I've played some cheaper instruments that I would absolutely qualify as high quality, and expensive instruments that I would absolutely qualify as low quality.

 

[LoTone]

Always, that is why I have 16 basses!

Seriously though over the years, I have come to conclusion that the quality of my tone is affected mostly by:

1. The cabinet
2. The head
3. The pickups
4. The strings
5. Then, the plank of wood that I hold in my hands.

 

[woodyng2]

A good setup on any quality level bass does the most to aid improvement in your playing,imho.

 

[chris_b]

When I bought my first HQ bass, a US Lakland 55-94, I could hear all sorts of "issues". Stuff that I kinda knew I was getting away with for years. The results of corners being cut and laziness suddenly laid bare.

That had to be tidied up which lead to me focusing on improving my technique. It happened all over again when I bought my Thunderfunk and Berg cabs. Another level of clarity and definition required another technique upgrade. Just little stuff but 15 years later I'm certainly a much better player than I was when I bought that Lakland.

 

[fretno]

I would say yes/no but ... I personally like high quality parts & pieces . I like to feel them and look at them and listen to them , so for me it adds some fun and sensory stimulation . often the folks in the audience don't care or notice a 100 dollar instrument or a 10k instrument .So it's not for them .

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Better instruments help you play better. It's crazy that student instruments are often harder to play.

 

[mrcbass]

In my opinion, no, at least not directly. As long as a bass is properly set up and functioning properly, the resulting sound is all about the player: a pro can take a junker and make it run circles around a schlub with the best bass in the world. Yeah there are some tonal differences between different models and qualities, but that doesn't make you a better player - it just gives you different tonal options.

That being said, there is a school of thought that indicates that you may play better because you spend more time playing on something you love, therefore, you just get more work in - but it really has little to do with the bass itself - if you spent that much time on your current bass, you'll get better as well.

 

[red_rhino]

Does a High Quality Bass Improve Our Playing?

No, but at least your playing won't be limited by a low quality instrument.

(OTOH, you also won't have many excuses for your sucky playing. )

 

[tekhedd]

So much of it is subjective, because you can't do a double-blind test, not really.

But we're talking electric bassis here. It's a chunk of wood with a neck and some elctronics. The only difference is that sometimes cheap basses don't intonate well, and sometimes you can't set the action as low. Otherwise it's all pickups, strings, and fingers, man, and of course paint. When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you play better.

Buy them for looks. Nothing else really matters.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Yeah it's just wood metal and plastic.
I'd rather have well assembled wood metal and plastic made from quality wood metal and plastic.
To each their own I guess.

 

[1bassplayinfool]

 

[Greyvagabond]

A gold-eared bassist would be hard pressed to tell the difference between woods, but solo, I think I could probably tell the difference between a Squire and a $2,000 American Fender. trying to cop the same general tone/vibe. In a band, the difference is obviously less noticeable, but I've switched between my main bass (MOJ ESP P/J clone) and a backup bass (Squire VM P bass) and noticed that the nicer ESP "fits" in the mix better.

But about 99% of the difference comes down to a few harder to quantify issues. First, I'd say consistency of sound is much better in more expensive basses; cheaper basses might have dead spots, or loud spots, or weird frequency bumps. Second, more expensive basses stay in tune longer and their necks stay true longer; tone/volume pots stay less scratchy, there is less hum, etc, so from gig to gig, song to song, note to note, every sounds smooth and even and "high quality." Lastly, a more expensive bass tends to just "feel" better to me, which makes my playing easier; I'm worried about the dynamics in the bridge and nailing that fill, not fighting the bass's weird neck shape or rough frets. So yes, I might "sound" better, but that's only because I'm not a good enough musician to fight the bass and sound good at the same time!

That said, I have 0 problems gigging and playing with a $200-300 bass, though under that amount I'd probably have some issues. The difference between a $1,000 and a $2,000 bass, though, is likely minimal; other than the "cool!" factor of the look/wood, or very nice 3-band active electronics, I'd say there is nearly zero sonic difference between the two.

 

[rmayer]

I think to a point a more expensive bass will help you play better (nicer setup, custom neck specs), or at least be more comfortable on the bass. That might lead to playing it more, which might lead to improving your skills.
As for quality and price being a factor for better instruments, a question for the OP. You started out with a Squier pack amp and now play a Mesa Prodigy through a Bergantino 410, Definitely a few steps up in price and quality. Which amp do you think sounds better, and makes you a better bassist?

 

[Acoustic356]

We do a bass hang at the local Banjo Center. We usually do it after playing at church and before we go out to lunch. We will usually bring I the high end bass we played that day, Fodera, Mike Lull, Sadowsky, Scott Ambush, MTD, May.... whatever we have chosen to play for the day.

We let some of the other bassists play our basses. When the go back to the gear hanging on the wall, they can actually understand the difference.

There is something about wood that has been allowed to dry naturally and not artificially kiln dried. There is something about tap testing the body and neck woods prior to build in order to get a desired resonance. There is something in having a brass bridge and a brass nut. Pre-amps and pickups make a huge difference.

That is before you get to the aesthetics. This fit, finish, balance, fret dressing...

With that being said, I also enjoy my Mexi Fender Precision with a 70’s jazz neck, EMGs, and Kick Ass II bridge so I am not a gear snob.