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Has Talkbass changed your mind about anything?

Ephminus

Ephminus

Nov 6, 2008
517
88
#1
I have to give credit to Talkbass and some of it's members for helping me see the light regarding certain basses and other gear.

I have always had a certain dislike towards certain gear with no real reason aside from just thinking something looks ugly or having heard from other sources that a piece of gear was cheap and crappy. All of this without trying things for myself or giving it a chance.

Here are some of the things that I have changed my mind about.

#1. Cheap basses.
I had never even considered trying a cheap off brand bass before coming to talkbass. If it was't a name brand bass then just forget it. I am currently narrowing down my choice of an SX bass due to all the great comments I have read about them. Plus I was shocked to discover that Squier can make some really nice basses. Growing up we used to joke about people that owned Squiers...well, now the joke is on us.

#2. Fender Jazz's and Ibanez ATK's
I always thought these were awful looking basses. Then I came here and I kept seeing more and more positive comments about them. I had a chance to play them in the store and instantly got hooked. Now I have a folder filled with pictures of Jazz basses and ATK's. Although I made the major mistake of selling my ATK, I will undoubtedly get another one in the near future.

3. "Relic" basses.
At first I thought this was a rediculous idea. I thought, "Who in their right mind would spend money on a brand new beat up bass?" Then I read some of the threads regarding the topic and my feelings on the matter began to sway. Although the amount of money being charged for some "relic" basses seems a little absurd, there seems to be some affordable options becoming available. In theory, how great would it be to get a brand new "broken in" bass that is still under warranty. In my opinion it's a win/win situation.

4. Passive pickups.
For years I muttered obcenities towards passive pickups, especially single coil passive pickups. I thought, "How lame?" Buzzing, interference, etc. Why would anyone want to play anything other then an active pickup or at least have an active preamp. Then I was reintroduced to passive pickups thanks to trying out the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz bass which in turn lead to me getting a Fender Jazz bass. Now I love the passive pickup vibe, just so much of a warm tone then all of my Active EMG's. Don't get me wrong though, I still love my EMG's but they are a completely different animal.


Of course there are certain things that I still don't understand or just plain dislike such as Warwick basses and 5-string basses. Then again who knows, maybe a year from now I'll be picking up a brand new 5-string Warwick? Anything is possible here at Talkbass.
 
#4
Cheap basses like SX (bought one from a board member)
Rediscovering flat wound strings (am using them again after 30 years)
Trace Elliot amps - never owned one until recently

Might even venture into hi-tech cabinets and those tiny little amps you guys like
 
#10
Yup...defintely changed my mind about setting up my own basses. I used to be paranoid about setups but talkbass has shown me how to do it myself and do it well. I am also heavily reliant on tb ers opinions about and experiences with gear.
 
#12
It hasn't changed the gear that I'm interested it, but it certainly makes it more available :p My only issue is the classic "grass-is-always-greener" affliction. Before I joined TB, I was completely in love with my MIM Jazz, Crate BT100, and 37 effects pedals. I would occasionally think, "Gee, I wish I could afford a Warwick" not on the basis that a hero played one, or they were popular (in fact, none of my heros at the time played one), but I just thought they were intrinsically interesting. But for the most part, I was totally content with my gear.

Another, somewhat immature, change that came about was a change in my personal outlook toward equipment. For example, I used to think, "This bass is awesome because it's mine, it's got it's own aura, it's unique to me, and it has served me like a noble companion", but now the thought goes, "This bass is not awesome, because there's another one out there that's better and would garner more interest from myself and others if I owned it".

Now that I've caught myself thinking this way, I can do my best to eradicate it. For example, just less than a month ago I got a great deal on a simply stunning, mint '96 Warwick Thumb NT4. A mere two weeks after buying it, another came up at $300 cheaper and six years older. I started to beat myself up about it, but came to my senses realizing how ridiculous it was. Neither bass is intrinsically better than the other, in fact, mine is better because it's mine, it has an aura, it's unique to me, and it will serve me like a noble companion. :D
 
#18
Ephminus said:
I have to give credit to Talkbass and some of it's members for helping me see the light regarding certain basses and other gear.

I have always had a certain dislike towards certain gear with no real reason aside from just thinking something looks ugly or having heard from other sources that a piece of gear was cheap and crappy. All of this without trying things for myself or giving it a chance.

Here are some of the things that I have changed my mind about.

#1. Cheap basses.
I had never even considered trying a cheap off brand bass before coming to talkbass. If it was't a name brand bass then just forget it. I am currently narrowing down my choice of an SX bass due to all the great comments I have read about them. Plus I was shocked to discover that Squier can make some really nice basses. Growing up we used to joke about people that owned Squiers...well, now the joke is on us.

#2. Fender Jazz's and Ibanez ATK's
I always thought these were awful looking basses. Then I came here and I kept seeing more and more positive comments about them. I had a chance to play them in the store and instantly got hooked. Now I have a folder filled with pictures of Jazz basses and ATK's. Although I made the major mistake of selling my ATK, I will undoubtedly get another one in the near future.

3. "Relic" basses.
At first I thought this was a rediculous idea. I thought, "Who in their right mind would spend money on a brand new beat up bass?" Then I read some of the threads regarding the topic and my feelings on the matter began to sway. Although the amount of money being charged for some "relic" basses seems a little absurd, there seems to be some affordable options becoming available. In theory, how great would it be to get a brand new "broken in" bass that is still under warranty. In my opinion it's a win/win situation.

4. Passive pickups.
For years I muttered obcenities towards passive pickups, especially single coil passive pickups. I thought, "How lame?" Buzzing, interference, etc. Why would anyone want to play anything other then an active pickup or at least have an active preamp. Then I was reintroduced to passive pickups thanks to trying out the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz bass which in turn lead to me getting a Fender Jazz bass. Now I love the passive pickup vibe, just so much of a warm tone then all of my Active EMG's. Don't get me wrong though, I still love my EMG's but they are a completely different animal.


Of course there are certain things that I still don't understand or just plain dislike such as Warwick basses and 5-string basses. Then again who knows, maybe a year from now I'll be picking up a brand new 5-string Warwick? Anything is possible here at Talkbass.
Click to expand...

One thing you have to keep in mind, with the SX's and Squiers and the like, is that the technology and quality of these cheaper products have really been stepped up in the past few years. It didn't used to be possible to make a decent piece of gear for that kind of money years back, now pretty much everything is built to tolerance with CNC machines and other high quality equipment.
 
#20
TB taught me how to set up my own basses. TB taught me that even a broken bass is not a gamble and my now repaired $50 Yammy RBX200 is proof of that. Before TB I wouldn't have touched it with a ten foot pole. TB members have shown me not to be intimated by the wiring and all that goes with it.

Before I use to hate Fender and Anything Fender bass shaped. Now I love Fender and the Jazz is one of my favorite body shapes.

TB has shown me lots of different brands and a lot of whats out there and for all sorts of scratch limits. ^_^

The list goes on....
 

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