Help me dispel the myths...

[nostatic]

It kept burning my hands! Perhaps it was too hot.

oh, you must have been using active butter instead of passive. No wonder. Common noob mistake...call me when you can handle a real vintage churn

 

[kcole4001]

Yeah, I forgot to replace the battery!

 

[Hamerguy]

uh... did really click on this thread?

 

[LCMBassist]

Most of us have a lot of experience behind us, both playing and buying, and some of us have less. It can sometimes be frustrating and overwhelming listening to all the myths that are perpetuated by one source or another. I want to help those who may have a little less experience than others (I even have a lot I could learn). I have bought and even passed up a lot of gear that I would really enjoy based on myths that I have heard. Some of these myths are...

Short scale basses are only for students.

Neck thru basses are better than bolt on.

You need a 5 or 6 string bass to be a serious player.

Active electronics always sound better than passive.

What are some of the myths that you have heard? Please help educate me and others.

neck thru and active electronics DO sound better though

 

[Diogenes]

neck thru and active electronics DO sound better though

I used to balk at that comment until one evening when I had a heated debate with another bassist about this at a local pub. He said that I obviously have bad or untrained ears and therefore I couldn't detect the intricate tonal qualities that his trained ears could pick up on. So I knocked him out with the hammer I usually carry around, took him home, chained him in the basement and proceeded to cut his ears off ("clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am... stuck in the middle with you"). I then superglued them over my ears and compared an active neck-through bass with a passive bolt-on and damn if I didn't feel silly and like a complete wierdo for disagreeing. The actives really DID sound better through his ears.

 

[MrGotBass]

The length of your strap is inversely proportional to how good you are as a player.

I hate that one! If I can sound good while playing by my knees, then gosh darn it I'll play by my knees!

 

[Luke.Walton]

Oh thank goodness someone's already said it.
I was auditioning bassists for a big band I was leading back in the 90's, and this guy shows up and pulls out a FOUR STRING.
I asked him if he thought this audition was a joke. He asked me what I was talking about so I pissed in his case for sassing me. He didn't get the job of course.
Some people can be so unprofessional.

Uhhh Luckie...he was being sarcastic...

 

[FunkMetalBass]

sometimes i can't tell if you're trolling or not.

Sometimes I can't either. I was proving a point through a combination hyperbole and sarcasm. Once again, it seems to be lost on a few. The message behind my rather large post is this:

It doesn't matter.
It really doesn't matter.

People will believe what they want and will continue to say all of these things because it's what works for them. I like 35"+ scale 6-string active basses with thru-neck construction, so there's a bit of truth in my statement. My situation is not all situations, and there are guys out there who absolutely tear it up on 3-string 31" scale basses with all-passive electronics and a bolt-on neck with two missing bolts.

 

[GassieBall]

Oh, thank goodness you were using hyperbole and sarcasm, because if you weren't...

To recapitulate your message in the words of Queen:

Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me

Any way the wind blows...

 

[FunkMetalBass]

I have no idea how long my neck is. I just play the thing haha. I was just making a point. I will have to measure it.

I was just upset about the comments that were made unless they were a joke.

To help settle this debate, Warwick necks have 34" (or smaller) scales, with only one (or maybe two now with the introduction of a few models) exception - The Vampyre Dark Lord

 

[Luckie]

Uhhh Luckie...he was being sarcastic...

And so was I.
You really think I pissed in someone's case?

 

[spade2you]

Back to the OP: I don't think the myths will ever been dispelled. Why? Because musicians (and people) enjoy myths. Opinions and personal feelings, often with minimal basis, tend to win over facts. Factor in the dogmatic nature of a lot of musicians and it's easy to see that most statements by musicians are often myths and not about to change.

 

[mjpjazz]

the biggest myth is that any of this crap matters. What matters is HOW you play, not WHAT you play, it will always be so, and anyone who disagrees is an idiot.

x2....except the idiot part

 

[FromTheBassMent]

This may seem a bit rash, but there is way too much diversity among bassists these days, and conflicting views lead to arguments that have no justification and are based on "preference."

Quite possibly the funniest single sentence I've ever read on TB! Made my day!!

 

[Rano Bass]

Mith #1- Less is more
I dont think Jamerson, Jaco, Rocco, Miller, Macca, Wooten, Flea, Patitucci, Clarke, Sheehan, Harris, Geddy, Pino, etc. ever believed that.
IMO of course

 

[Evil Undead]

Myths? No. Those are Truths.

Short scales (anything less than 35" scales) are amateur basses and only for students with small hands. String tension is higher with longer scale lengths, and good string tension is necessary for any professional.

Neck-thru is simply a better-construction method and a more sound design. Bolt-on necks should be reserved for short-scales (aka student instruments). There's no use in making amateur basses with better quality. When the bassist is good enough, he should upgrade to a pro instrument.

5-strings are the old 4-strings, and 6-string are the new 5-strings. What that means is that 4-strings are obsolete and 5-strings are the new standard for students and amateur-grade instruments. Pro bassists should not, under any circumstance play fewer than 6-string basses.

Active electronics are ALWAYS better than passive electronics. Firstly, active electronics can cop that "vintage, passive feel" that some of the older generations prefer (even though they are no longer acceptable in today's music). Active electronics are a must for pro instruments (again, passive should be left for the not-so-professionals) because all situations a pro bassist will encounter require on-the-fly EQ changes to suit the house mix and overall band sound.

This is the biggest load of tripe I've ever heard!

 

[FunkMetalBass]

This is the biggest load of tripe I've ever heard!

If by "tripe" you mean "truth"...




I just realized that there was a HUGE pronoun/antecedent error in my post.

Firstly, active electronics can cop that "vintage, passive feel" that some of the older generations prefer (even though they are no longer acceptable in today's music)

The word "they" in this case, was actually referring to the vintage, passive tones. I mistakenly wrote "feel", so "they" seems to refer to the older generations.

I do apologize if anyone took offense to that part specifically - it was never intended to disrespect the older generations. Original post will be edited.

 

[mongo2]

If by "tripe" you mean "truth"...

.

 

[Dan Mee]

Short scale basses are only for students.

Paul McCartney plays a short scale, nuff said.

Neck thru basses are better than bolt on.

Played both, they have slight differences but neither is better, just different.

You need a 5 or 6 string bass to be a serious player.

Having a 5er/6er as well as a 4 will no doubt make you more versatile, but not necessarily more serious, after all the 5/6ers are essentially modified 4 strings.

Active electronics always sound better than passive.

Haven't done enough comparison, but again, like the neck thru debate, each has it's pros/cons, so I would say equal.

 

[standupright]

Sometimes I can't either. I was proving a point through a combination hyperbole and sarcasm. Once again, it seems to be lost on a few. The message behind my rather large post is this:

It doesn't matter.
It really doesn't matter.

People will believe what they want and will continue to say all of these things because it's what works for them. I like 35"+ scale 6-string active basses with thru-neck construction, so there's a bit of truth in my statement. My situation is not all situations, and there are guys out there who absolutely tear it up on 3-string 31" scale basses with all-passive electronics and a bolt-on neck with two missing bolts.