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Excellent players who play a cheap basses

#23
Mo'Phat said:
Tony Kanal from No Doubt plays old '80's era Yamaha BB series basses...I got my BB2000 for $200, and it's one of my favorite basses ever.
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Except the BB series was a pretty expensive "high end" bass when sold new. They were really hot in the early 80s and NOT cheap.

The fact that used ones go for peanuts today just means they are a great deal for the buyer, not that it's a cheapo bass.

I even remember when you could buy StingRays used for less than an Ibanez SoundGear (not any more!!!).
 
#24
Reggie Wooten plays a white knockoff Strat through a 1x10 Peavey speaker he rests on a chair during concerts with Vic and JD Blair. Yep, it's in the fingers!

I guess it's like anything else - find something that works for you, stick with what works for you!

Lonnybass
 
#26
I do remember when used Stingrays were cheap. I bought one in 1986 with a natural finish and a maple fingerboard for $250! If my leg bent the other way, I would kick myself every time I think about the fact I traded it in on some weak Ibanez five string that i couldn't even play because the strings were so close. :bawl: :spit:
 
#27
I grew up working in various blues and R&B clubs in northern NJ (you know, the "bad" places your mother told you to stay away from). A lot of the bands that played in these places were financially poor but incredibly talented. Some of the bass players had incredibly bad, no-name basses that they just played the s*** out of!!! None of them was famous, but they were some of the best musicians I ever heard!!

As much as I fall prey to the spell of some of these fantasic basses we see posted here at TB, I'll always remember that the talent is in the player, not the bass .....
 
#30
corinpills said:
Joey Spampinato from NRBQ is one of the most amazing players ever (gigging continuously since 1969 will do that) and he used cheapo Jerry Jones Danelectro copies.
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Actually, while still inexpensive, the Jerry Jones copies are more expensive even though they are better contructed than the original Danelectros, and much better than the cheap "new Dannies" made in the '90,s.

The old Danelectro and Silvertone basses didn't have trussrods or adjustable bridge saddles. The Jerry Jones basses have those as well as much better fretwork.

Of course Joey was playing Dannies before there was such a thing as a Jerry Jones bass.

I split my playing time between a Fender-style bass and a Jerry Jones Longhorn. The Fender-style was built by a well known NYC luthier and sounds great, but when I'm trying to get a certain kind of sound, I much prefer the Jerry Jones.

I also have a late 1950's Danelectro that was never an expensive instrument but whose sound might be even more appealing to me than the JJ copy. The problem was that the inferior hardware of the old Dannie caused intontation problems. The bass was great unless you played the A string above the 5th fret, then the intonation was out.

If I rearranged my playing to compensate for this, nobody would be the wiser. Unfortunately, that was too limiting and I bought the JJ so my playing would be less like traversing an obstacle course.

I think that the main thing that fancy gear can give a player is increased ease in playing and in obtaining "their sound". When I'm playing through "bad" gear often I can still get my sound but my hands will ache afterwards from the effort. This happens when I'm playing a good bass through a bad amp, which tells me that the pain caused by having to adjust my technique to compensate for the sound, not because the instrument has become harder to play.

Some instruments' "problems" might not bother the player at all, even if they're very knowledgeable. For example: a slightly warped neck might prevent a bass from having a low action but if the player always keeps a high action the bass, they might never even be aware of the warp.

Sorry if this was too off-topic! :hiding:
 
#32
Jester said:
I haven't seen the video you mentioned but Laboriel has a signature Tyler that's a little funky looking. Now I see him playing a TRB5P II, and he is an endorser for that bass.
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Yeah, the bass he uses is a red PJ 4 string with EMGs and a white headstock. He also has a really "blinged" white BB series with gold hardware that he busts out at the end of the video. I think the instructional video must be at least 15 years old
 
#33
Mo'Phat said:
Tony Kanal from No Doubt plays old '80's era Yamaha BB series basses...I got my BB2000 for $200, and it's one of my favorite basses ever.
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I have a BB3000S, and there's nothing crappy about it, it's awsome, better than many new basses costing three times as much. Along with my MIM P bass (upgraded with Basslines QP, Hipshots, Badass 2 etc), I have two basses I love, neither of 'em were expensive.
 
#34
russjm said:
I have a BB3000S, and there's nothing crappy about it, it's awsome, better than many new basses costing three times as much. Along with my MIM P bass (upgraded with Basslines QP, Hipshots, Badass 2 etc), I have two basses I love, neither of 'em were expensive.
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You lucky dog, a BB3000s, i just bought a bb1000s but its very good in its own aspect. These are great great deals. Why buy a Van Halen Signature yamaha when you can get the original for cheaper?
 
#36
russjm said:
You're right, why pay a fortune for a new bass, when there's tons of amazing used guitars out there going for peanuts. My BB is my number one, and honestly I can't fault it, there's a pic on the "post your favourite bass" thread, standing next to my P bass.

I must admit, I love the chilli inlays on the MA.
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Yeah, and Robbie Takic from the Goo Goo Dolls plays many different BB's. I love some of those sounds and tones he can get from those basses. Thinking about it, most of them look pretty cool too.
 
#38
I had mention this a couple of months ago on a thread sorta like this one,but any way,my dad bought me a Jazz copy (w/case mind you) super ash body(it weighed a ton !) maple neck/maple fret board from all places Sears & Roebuck catalog division ! for $179.00 and it was a helluva bass.I played all thru high school even when I got the real thing.
 
#40
OpaqueBass said:
Am I mistaken, or have I seen him with a Warrior recently as well?
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John hasn't, that I've ever seen. They Played with Saliva, Shinedown and Breaking Point, I was back stage with Greg from Breaking Point and saw John. He didn't have anything else but the GMP and its the same one he's had for atleast 3 years.
I did see a Picture of him at the Warrior Gallery, but I don't think he owns one and if he does I've never seen it out in the open.
 

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