SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
I'm surprised this thread hasn't been banned yet? how dare you make such a controversial statement sir.
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Great Playing, Cheap Bass
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
Little off topic what technique is he using to get that punchy semi muted pluck? Very percussive!
Great share! love my Ibanez.
Great share! love my Ibanez.
.... 
Hey Doc !
I love those Ibanez SR 300 basses. I used to own one. It has every feature a high end bass has and if it's set up correctly, then it doesn't need any upgrades. I think overall the Ibanez SR line is on fire. Simply INCREDIBLE basses. The SR 600, SR 4000, and SR 5000 are all models I owned and totally loved them. There are a few others that I owned too, but can't remember.
I love those Ibanez SR 300 basses. I used to own one. It has every feature a high end bass has and if it's set up correctly, then it doesn't need any upgrades. I think overall the Ibanez SR line is on fire. Simply INCREDIBLE basses. The SR 600, SR 4000, and SR 5000 are all models I owned and totally loved them. There are a few others that I owned too, but can't remember.
I kinda like...no love my Yamaha TRBX 304 and 305. I am actually thinking about most everything else but my Iby fretless
I disagree. Obviously one needs to learn how to play, and only putting in the work will accomplish that, but a better instrument typical allows more facility, and usually more inspiration, and a great player on a great bass will usually sound better than the same player on a cheaply made bass IMO
There's definitely two sides. Sure you SHOULD be able to shred on any decently playable bass put in front of you but nice gear is nice gear for a reason. Like, I owned a squier jazz that was a 30 year old plank that buzzed like a hornet's nest for a few years and it took me getting to an age where my dad let me even TOUCH his Carvin for me to really fall in love with bass.
+1 that setup makes a huge difference. For a guitar example, I did a conversion on a Squier tele from lefty to righty (the order got screwed up and by the time somebody realized it, the return window was long past) and made sure to set it up as well as I could. When the guitar players played it, they were all amazed that it was a Squier because it played so well...that is until they switched to the bridge pickup and realized how crappy that pickup sounds.
That said, the argument that gear makes little to no difference is misguided and too simplistic. Sure, a great player sounds good on any bass but they sound better on a better-crafted one (notice I didn't say more expensive). A crappy player will be a crappy player on any instrument.
I have taught music lessons for over a decade and have seen my share of players who were frustrated by substandard equipment. I have also seen my share of kids that were given a Gibson anniversary guitar and made it sound crappy because they don't practice. Also, many of us have experienced the "magic" of a new instrument. We have hit a plateau and with the arrival of a new instrument we get better. Magic? Nope. We get that new toy and all we want to do is play with it. Through that extra practice we get better.
The better instrument is not the magic potion that will make us sound good. It is also not an evil because "Jaco only needed 4". It is a tool that is used by its owner and a better crafted tool will always work better than the poorly crafted one...even if the wielder is incompetent.
That said, the argument that gear makes little to no difference is misguided and too simplistic. Sure, a great player sounds good on any bass but they sound better on a better-crafted one (notice I didn't say more expensive). A crappy player will be a crappy player on any instrument.
I have taught music lessons for over a decade and have seen my share of players who were frustrated by substandard equipment. I have also seen my share of kids that were given a Gibson anniversary guitar and made it sound crappy because they don't practice. Also, many of us have experienced the "magic" of a new instrument. We have hit a plateau and with the arrival of a new instrument we get better. Magic? Nope. We get that new toy and all we want to do is play with it. Through that extra practice we get better.
The better instrument is not the magic potion that will make us sound good. It is also not an evil because "Jaco only needed 4". It is a tool that is used by its owner and a better crafted tool will always work better than the poorly crafted one...even if the wielder is incompetent.
The "cheap" basses of today are light years ahead of the cheap plywood basses, that were around for me back in the early 1980's in the UK. The exception being the Squier JV which then none of us knew just how good it was for £199 sometimes with an amp thrown in. The expensive basses now allow the bassist playing them to sound better maybe better woods, pickups etc, but it does not make them a better bassist for owning it .
One thing I really love about this Forum is that there is no real snobbery or looking or talking down, to members no matter if they own an SX or a Ritter it's all bout the love of the bass guitar.
I own an old plywood Harmony P bass that has an amazingly comfortable neck on it. I replaced the corroded electronics and some of the hardware and ended up with a great bass. I bought another, slightly newer harmony pbass hoping for the same luck. I'm still trying to get that one into playable shape. One thing I have noticed with cheap basses is a lack of quality control. Obviously quality control costs money, maybe that is one of the big factors in keeping costs down. I have noticed that the lower end Ibby's have better consistency between basses, better fretwork, etc., but other brands have yet to figure this out. My $.02
Tools definitely don't make the carpenter, but terrible tools can certainly also affect the work. Luckily, a great bass is much more affordable than some might think.
