Actually, no. There are plenty of good setup guides available, and lots of advice over in our Hardware, Setup & Repair forum.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/all-basic-setup-questions-answered-here-125382/
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Does having a better, high-end bass improve your playing?
- Thread starter cahir231
- Start date
Actually, no. There are plenty of good setup guides available, and lots of advice over in our Hardware, Setup & Repair forum.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f18/all-basic-setup-questions-answered-here-125382/
In this case, I'd say no, you're not nuts and the bass is very likely a limitation for what you want to do. Besides that, you're not the first one who's had trouble getting a decent sound out of a Fender Jazz bass anyway - you really have to be an athlete to get them to really respond to start with, no matter how good you are (i.e. Jaco or Geddy Lee, both of whose arms and hands are stronger than a mountain gorilla's).
So I agree that you're already in a bit of an uphill battle with the bass you have. As for how much further you have to go in terms of cost and quality; that's pretty much an individual thing that depends on your current skill level and economic leverage, etc.
What you may find is there's a particular level of quality and cost above which any difference starts to level off. I.e. in my case, it's about $1300 - any more than that and I sound and play the same. That's good, because I'm not richer than about $1300 anyway
. But on my Carvin BB70F, I play and sound as good as I'll ever be able to play and sound, no matter how much more expensive the bass is. You could put a Fodera Anthony Jackson in my hands for over 20 large, and I won't sound or play any better than on my Bunny 6 string. And in fact I may sound worse for fit reasons.
Again, that's an individual thing for you and probably something you'll have to research for yourself. Try various different instruments and see which ones fit you the best and sound the way you want. Also, be mindful of the cost, how many of your kids will you have to sell to a South Pacific drug lord to buy the thing, etc. All that will go into the equation...
my .02,
LS
I'd imagine that having a higher end instrument makes you feel better about yourself when playing and gives you a confidence boost, thus making you more comfortable and play better.
listen to Mark King, buy a good instrument, if it doesn't work out, always able to get your money back.
Spend the money on Setup.... if the guy says "I do guitars" find someone that says "I won't do guitars" When playing aroudn with fantastic gear, this is the biggest common thread to the stunning basses
When you hear super hot and super fast players there is a bit of bass quality and thousands of hours on the bass.
When you hear super hot and super fast players there is a bit of bass quality and thousands of hours on the bass.
Correction.. if buying a Status, Jaydee, Alembic, or Fender (Mark owsn all of these)...
Buy it used and let the original owner take the depreciation hit.
High end basses don't make you play better, rather limit you less. The meticulous fingerboard planing (and fretjob) often allow for lower action than most stock instruments. Improved ergonomics can make playing for long periods of time much more comfortable.
IMHO and IME a "better" (high end) bass is a bass that poses less limitations (in tone, ergonomics and playability), thus allowing more range of the player's abilities to be applied on the instrument's range.
I was very fortunate that I started out on a custom Hamer 5str Chapparal bass (US made), only to realize, few years later, how great that bass is (it's still with me).
If a bass poses less limitations and the player has the inspiration and determination to advance/improve, the end result will be a better executioned bassline (thus "showing" a "better" player)
I was very fortunate that I started out on a custom Hamer 5str Chapparal bass (US made), only to realize, few years later, how great that bass is (it's still with me).
If a bass poses less limitations and the player has the inspiration and determination to advance/improve, the end result will be a better executioned bassline (thus "showing" a "better" player)
Sure having an expensive bass will make you play better, because you will pick it up more often to play it, therefore you practice more.
Remember, the more you pay for your bass, the better you'll play. Same goes for your bass head and speakers.
signed,
your musical instrument manufacturer
p.s.
make us happy: keep on buyin'!
signed,
your musical instrument manufacturer
p.s.
make us happy: keep on buyin'!
it seams to me that you are comiting a serius amount of time in playing bass so why not pick up a beter one ? theres loads of diferent pickup configurations neck profile neck radius and sting spacing options out there and most players seam to develop a taste for one of each so go out and try as many instruments as you can if one blows you away and you can aford it why not pull the triger? also on the whole slap thing my expiriance with it is that while practicing unpluged or at realy low volumes you might be geting weird overtones that you might not be able to hear also my unpluged slaping left me with a bit of a hevy thumb atack and left hand so i sugest practice slaping only while amped and with a bit of volume !
In my experience, high end basses tend to be much more sensitive as instruments. They respond to and transmit every nuance, and so allow a very wide range of expression.
This is a double edged sword - good technique is rewarded with expressive, inspiring, beautiful tone. But every clank and buzz of poor technique stands out like a sore thumb.
I think this is why there's a lot of people who find "boutique" basses to be utterly useless. To some, a "good" bass is one that you can bang any which way you want and it still sounds pretty good. Nothing wrong with that viewpoint, either.
What it comes down to is the fact that descriptive terms like "good" and "better" are entirely subjective - what's "good" or "better" for a guy playing gospel is probably completely different from a guy playing hardcore punk. Whereas terms like "high-end" and "boutique" are pretty much entirely based on objective characteristics, obviously build quality, but mostly price.
To the question posed, I think a high end bass will improve your playing, because it will magnify any signs of poor technique and force you to correct bad habits. But depending on your style of music, that may not be a needed or even wanted thing.
This is a double edged sword - good technique is rewarded with expressive, inspiring, beautiful tone. But every clank and buzz of poor technique stands out like a sore thumb.
I think this is why there's a lot of people who find "boutique" basses to be utterly useless. To some, a "good" bass is one that you can bang any which way you want and it still sounds pretty good. Nothing wrong with that viewpoint, either.
What it comes down to is the fact that descriptive terms like "good" and "better" are entirely subjective - what's "good" or "better" for a guy playing gospel is probably completely different from a guy playing hardcore punk. Whereas terms like "high-end" and "boutique" are pretty much entirely based on objective characteristics, obviously build quality, but mostly price.
To the question posed, I think a high end bass will improve your playing, because it will magnify any signs of poor technique and force you to correct bad habits. But depending on your style of music, that may not be a needed or even wanted thing.
Well, I've got a Squier Affinity Jazz 5 string and I've got to say that even after owning this bass for nearly three years now, I really like nearly everything about it. I don't find the pickups to be substandard at all & they give me a full modern tone. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned strings yet. Strings can have a huge influence on sound and you might need new or a different brand of strings. I do second the suggestion that your amp could be the problem here, and I also think it is pretty important to practice using an amp instead of unplugged. I'd also have someone double check your set-up, you might be missing something there.
K, I'm going to say one more sacrilegious thing and then stop. We have to also remember there's nothing cosmic about the bass guitar. In the end, all it is is a couple of pieces of wood with strings on it. The pickups are ultimately just magnets with some copper wire spun around them and dropped in some holes in the piece of wood.
It's like archery - ultimately a bow is a stick with a string on it and there's not much more you can do to make it accurately propel an arrow.
By the same token, while you can do a lot to make it _worse_ (i.e. jazz bass, rick 4000 series, etc), there's a hard upper limit on how much you can "improve" a stick of wood with strings on it for the purposes of making musical notes - once you get past a certain point you've done all you can do to it for that purpose.
That's just a reminder for the guys who want to hock the kids and grandma for one of these things. It may be really pretty and well sanded and finished, but remember the plank of wood thing....
LS
Ever have a shirt or pair of jeans that just fit perfectly that you wore them constantly until they fell apart?
Instruments should be the same way.
I played a big expensive Warwick for years, then picked up a squire as a main bass because it fit me, In play better on it than anything else.
Instruments should be the same way.
I played a big expensive Warwick for years, then picked up a squire as a main bass because it fit me, In play better on it than anything else.
As already posted, it's all about what inspires you and makes you want to play bass. A good setup is incredibly important, and will make you happier to play your instrument. I am inspired playing my Modulus, and inspired to a similar degree (but in a different way) playing my Squier VM.
For harmonics on an electric bass, you have to emphasis the bridge pickup otherwise it sound very very thin and not loud.
and well ... you seem to be very aware that you can make a entry level bass sound decend by working on it... I think the same logic of quality instrument is the same.
and well ... you seem to be very aware that you can make a entry level bass sound decend by working on it... I think the same logic of quality instrument is the same.
No, but a well made bass which is ergonomically made and has a killer tone makes you want to play even more, therefore making one want to practice more.
An uncomfortable bass turns beginners off (as well as anyone else) of playing since many cheaper basses, which are not set up well, which makes playing a chore. There are exceptions such as Squire and SX which are very good despite thier price, and are fun to play too.
As usual, try them all out before buying.
An uncomfortable bass turns beginners off (as well as anyone else) of playing since many cheaper basses, which are not set up well, which makes playing a chore. There are exceptions such as Squire and SX which are very good despite thier price, and are fun to play too.
As usual, try them all out before buying.
