Gear snobs.

[Turbo Sparky]

Have her intonate with her middle finger straight-up.
...well not exactly, but you get the point.
Stiff upper lip!

 

[dBChad]

Jimi Hendrix played pawn shop instruments until he made it.

When I turned 8, my mom took me to a pawn shop and bought an obscure brand Indonesian made acoustic with near Dobro high action. That thing sounded pretty good with a fresh set of strings on it, and that's what I learned on. A few years later, I saved up enough to buy a second hand electric. Having learned on an old beater with terrible action had made my had so strong, that playing a well set-up electric allowed me to play with the speed and stamina of all the guys I looked up to musically. I kept the acoustic for practice, because it kept my hands strong.

Even now my main bass is a used Peavey Grind I picked up used on the cheap. I've played in 3 groups everything from jazz, classic rock, country, and top 40. Most people I meet don't know enough about bass to realize I have a budget bass; they know I can lock in with the drummer and follow a song, which keeps me getting invited back. Playing a budget instrument at first could very well make you a better player if you have a good attitude about it.

 

[pie_man_25]

I've got an old flatback double bass, all solid, with no label from any maker whatsoever. It's got cracks everywhere and the neck is slowly coming out of the dovetail. It's okay, what matters is how you play it. Can't do that either, though

 

[Wisebass]

Hi Mike

How do you deal with gear snobs.

There will always be someone, who has a better "toy" than I have.

There will also always be someone, who has better chops.

And there always will be someone, who has both (better chops and better "toys")


Am I jealous when somebody plays better? I am. That makes me me practice.

Good musicians inspire me!


Do I like nice toys? Yes I do. Even when they don 't make me a better player.

(yes I am a gear head but I am no snob!)

I love to play bass. I am passionate about it. I try to become as good as I can, no matter which bass I play.


I also go fishing! When I take my nephew fishing, we will use a willow stick, a line, a hook

and grasshoppers, we catch in the garden. (btw this is the part he loves most )

And we will catch fish!

When I go alone…

Gear snobs man, my ten thousand dollar bass means I’m better than you.

Tell your daughter to be passionate about music not about gear!

And tell her from me: Go and catch that big fish!



may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

 

[cnltb]

Kids will be kids.
Measuring ones own against that of others is only natural.
it'll pass.

Problems arrive as soon as parents feel offended because they are reminded that they may not have as much money as the parents of others do. By extension they may think that they are seen as lesser providers for their families( or as someone who has made the 'wrong' choices in life etc) etc. and there it goes ...all common sense jumps right out of the window.

 

[4001]

WTH dude? You don't like reading?

Talk about missing the point.

I read it.. I understand his point...
I'm not talking about kids....

 

[Bander]

How do you deal with gear snobs.

My daughter went to an orchestra camp this week.

You may be dealing with music snobs, much worse than gear snobs.

 

[nilorius]

There is no way between how good a musician plays his instrument and how much it is worth. You can make miracles on a cheap instrumunt, also on expensive one. It's all on your own.

 

[JRA]

How do you deal with gear snobs.

you posted a thread on TB: you're dealing with them right now!

Tell your daughter to be passionate about music not about gear!

good luck with fatherhood, OP!

 

[Bander]

I was in Honor Orchestras, State Honor Bands and all kinds of competitions during my high school years playing clarinet. Never once did myself or anyone else that I ever witnessed gave 2 craps about the brand of instrument anyone else played.

I never even knew of gear snobbery until I joined TB and it’s not even something I’ve even read. Though I’ve read it plenty going the other way.

I have to challenge this. I even recall, a Grenadillo Buffet was much coveted over in the clarinet section, while us saxophonists all drooled for a Selmer. And we were just in the lowly school band, not an orchestra. It wasn't snobbery, just good old fashioned lust. I played a lowly Vito...but I now own a 60's Mark VI, YEA!!!

 

[Ric5]

How do you deal with gear snobs.

My daughter went to an orchestra camp this week. It’s at a large well known university. She has a student cello. A lot of people showed up with their Sadowsky cellos and the such. Being teenagers you can imagine the snobbery.

I feel bad for her,but told her to show them how it’s done. Be humble ,but lay down the chops. She’s good enough to make every honors orchestra she tries out for and plays with the junior philharmonic ,which is part of the local professional philharmonic orchestra.

Gear snobs man, my ten thousand dollar bass means I’m better than you.


I’m working on getting her a good cello, but man if you think bass gear is expensive....

Gear Snobs … I pity the Fools

 

[two fingers]

How do you deal with gear snobs.

My daughter went to an orchestra camp this week. It’s at a large well known university. She has a student cello. A lot of people showed up with their Sadowsky cellos and the such. Being teenagers you can imagine the snobbery.

I feel bad for her,but told her to show them how it’s done. Be humble ,but lay down the chops. She’s good enough to make every honors orchestra she tries out for and plays with the junior philharmonic ,which is part of the local professional philharmonic orchestra.

Gear snobs man, my ten thousand dollar bass means I’m better than you.


I’m working on getting her a good cello, but man if you think bass gear is expensive....

I think you are on the right track. Tell her to smile and play circles around them.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

She could always say “hey, only an idiot brings their real instrument to camp”. Yes, I’m kidding. People are flawed and we prove it every day.

 

[fhm555]

The single greatest importance is talent & ability, not a label. I go on a limb and imagine that your daughter executed a better pure audition than the others who were more focused on pointing their cello in the proper lights hoping the judge(s) can see what they're playing.

The real question here though is how many judges are gear snobs?
Seriously though, as someone who came up on others worn out castoffs, it gave me a much higher appreciation for better equipment when i could finally afford it. It also tempered my desire to have gear just because it was expensive. The most i’ve ever spent for a bass was seven hundred fifty 1990 dollars for a new Jazz Plus.

 

[Alfonso Alba]

I was a trumpet player when I was a kid. I took private lessons from a great teacher. At one lesson, I was lamenting my old, used horn. He said "Let me see that." He put his mouthpiece in it and proceeding to play the crap out of it. Then he said "Here you go" and handed me his awesome Benge or whatever professional-level horn. I put my mouthpiece in it and sounded pretty much the same as I did on my old horn. I never complained about my horn again, nor was I ever impressed with guys who had high-dollar horns after that.

So, the problem was the mouth piece, right?

 

[TheReceder]

I own some good basses, nothing Boutique, but I've got a ric, EBMM HH Vintage Jazz, but Because of flack I'd recived for not buy a "Back up Bass" I went from a single bass to a herd. The first back up was a peavey foundation. Because it was that good, I started grabbing more peaveys. Pretty much every foundation that came up for sale locally.

Because they play so well, and I don't really worry about them getting banged up, I like to bring them to a lot of gigs... I get the "oh... you brought a peavey" all thime from a couple guys in the band... what torques me a littlee is I've got a top of the line Cirrus that I picked up that probably sold for a little over 2 grand new... The drummer looks all intrigued about a different bass, then looks at the headstock... oh... it just another peavey...

I ignore it, and play through it.

Congrats on your daughter.. I think you're teaching her a valuable life lesson. You should be very proud, and if you didn't sound like you were bragging a little... I'd say you're not being enough of a dad.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

My ex-band members used to complain when I showed up w/ my squire p bass. A simple short two-word-sentence that I can't type here used to shut 'em up.

 

[96Brigadier]

How do you deal with gear snobs.

My daughter went to an orchestra camp this week. It’s at a large well known university. She has a student cello. A lot of people showed up with their Sadowsky cellos and the such. Being teenagers you can imagine the snobbery.

I feel bad for her,but told her to show them how it’s done. Be humble ,but lay down the chops. She’s good enough to make every honors orchestra she tries out for and plays with the junior philharmonic ,which is part of the local professional philharmonic orchestra.

Gear snobs man, my ten thousand dollar bass means I’m better than you.


I’m working on getting her a good cello, but man if you think bass gear is expensive....

Love your attitude... hard for a teenager when image can be so important to them, but you're so right around being humble and laying down the chops. I feel like that's a great life lesson that can be used in most circumstances.

In terms of how to handle gear snobs... don't know that there is a better way other than what you already said. Trying to keep up with the joneses is a fruitless endeavor, focus on being the best you can be with the tools at your disposal. Nothing wrong with a student cello at this point in her life.

My oldest daughter is going into grade 10, she's likely going to be playing upright bass in band this coming year. She'll be getting a student bass for sure.

 

[acleex38]

This is my primary fretted bass (full disclosure: only until the new one shows up early next year). I judge people based on their reaction to "Richard the Test Bass."

 

[Nevada Pete]

Mike - Most rich people think it is pointless to be rich unless you can show it off. Take a Rolex watch for example. They certainly do not keep better time than a Timex. But rich people wear them to show that they have so much money that they can buy a $5000 watch just to keep time, even though they have a cell phone in their pocket. You just gotta learn to feel sorry for the snobs. If money is what is important to them they they will lead a miserable life trying to be better and richer than everyone else.

I don't know about most rich people, but I've traveled in wealthy circles (I myself am not wealthy) and found many of the well healed people I've known were quite the opposite. From their outward appearance, you would never guess they had money. Lots of money. Some of them made an art form out of "not being wealthy". I eventually came to understand that for them, it has its advantages. Makes it easier for them to go about their business in this world without calling undue attention to themselves, and attracting predators. In the extreme example, wear a $5000 Rolex here on the Vegas Strip if you don't know the ropes, and you're likely to get trick rolled! Being wealthy can be a burden in many ways in this respect (something I don't have to worry about!). But I think it's hard to accurately stereotype what most rich people think. I think like poor people, some of them are okay. Some, not so much.

Talk about showing off, though, when I played professionally we definitely showed off on stage with our many expensive musical instruments at the ready, big Fender Amps, clothes, foot wear, etc. Everybody did. To the extent that they could, anyway. Along with the music which is always primary, of course, it was a way of saying: Hay, we are very successful doing this! Look at all this s%#t we got! Why not? I don't remember anybody ever putting anybody down. But when we showed up, we looked like we were the most successful group on the show and sounded like it too. Usually. What's wrong with that? It wasn't uncommon for us to invite certain headliners we opened for to use our PA if it outclassed theirs (which it often did) to make for a better show. That's showing off, yes, but it got us a lot of gigs too. I say in show business, if you got it, flaunt it! That's what your there for! Yes? (Now I'm nostalgic. Dang.)