This 100%. This is my teenage bass guitar sound reinforcement in a nutshell.
And also when my Mark IV head kept blowing fuses I “solved” it with a paper clip in the cartridge, that lasted at least 3 years for me. Hey, I said teenage.
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How were you using gear WRONG as a noob?
- Thread starter Texican
- Start date
And also when my Mark IV head kept blowing fuses I “solved” it with a paper clip in the cartridge, that lasted at least 3 years for me. Hey, I said teenage.
Oh, I've have to add - using an instrument cable as a speaker cable.
using instrument cable for a speaker cable
I didn’t learn what a gain knob did until some 10 years of playing. I knew gain is the thing on guitar amps that make them have distortion, but every time I used one on a bass amp it just got loud and caused feedback. I had no idea what it actually did.
Likewise, I had no idea what a pre-amp was, or why it’s a thing. My amps were combos, I just plug in and turn it on. Why would I need an amp before my amp? Bass should be plug and play, get these knobs out of my face!
Mind you, all of this was during the time of google. It just never crossed my mind to look it up. Stupid.
These days, I’ve figured out what’s what, but mostly only really understood once I started playing guitar where, IMO, these things matter much more.
reflecting a bit on this, I do wonder if these things were more intuitive to folks who grew up in the era of hi-fi stereos and other tube appliances. I remember one of my bass lessons my teacher was telling me to try using the pan knob to isolate the bass track. When I told him I have no idea what that is, he was bewildered. He asked what our home stereo looked like, I said we didn’t have one, and that shook the guy even more. I had a clock radio with a CD player. The most advanced stereo system we had was the one in my dad’s ‘97 suburban lol.
Likewise, I had no idea what a pre-amp was, or why it’s a thing. My amps were combos, I just plug in and turn it on. Why would I need an amp before my amp? Bass should be plug and play, get these knobs out of my face!
Mind you, all of this was during the time of google. It just never crossed my mind to look it up. Stupid.
These days, I’ve figured out what’s what, but mostly only really understood once I started playing guitar where, IMO, these things matter much more.
reflecting a bit on this, I do wonder if these things were more intuitive to folks who grew up in the era of hi-fi stereos and other tube appliances. I remember one of my bass lessons my teacher was telling me to try using the pan knob to isolate the bass track. When I told him I have no idea what that is, he was bewildered. He asked what our home stereo looked like, I said we didn’t have one, and that shook the guy even more. I had a clock radio with a CD player. The most advanced stereo system we had was the one in my dad’s ‘97 suburban lol.
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I think I’d been playing for about 15 years before I realized how important it is to get your instrument setup.
Growing up in the grunge area it was uncool to focus on “nerdy” details like that. Because uh, rock and roll, or something.
Growing up in the grunge area it was uncool to focus on “nerdy” details like that. Because uh, rock and roll, or something.
Smiley face EQ.
Not learning a thing about setups for so many years and how easy they are to do (I thought it was all good and done at the factory).
Not learning a thing about setups for so many years and how easy they are to do (I thought it was all good and done at the factory).
I had a Concert bass I still remember the tone I could get out of that amp and I liked the Distortion it had. I never had a problem but years ago I was not aware of impedance but fortunately I never had any issues. I had an old early 60's Jazz Bass that played great and then the neck started to bow. I didnt realize what a truss rod was and It could be adjusted so I got rid of the bass.
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I stacked a Peavey TKO atop my Eden D410T and then my Peavey Session Bass on top of that... well... the Peavey came tumbling... pushed all the knobs through the face plate while smashing them.
Not Amp related by my first show ever we were playing with much older guys in a bar we shouldn't have been in. I broke my low E (we tuned drop C) only time I've broken a bass string mind you. The bass player of the other band gave me a new one and in my embarrassment and inexperience I cut it too short... so I worked around that string because it would only tune up to F above low E. Talk about looking (and sounding) dumb.
Yep...
Not Amp related by my first show ever we were playing with much older guys in a bar we shouldn't have been in. I broke my low E (we tuned drop C) only time I've broken a bass string mind you. The bass player of the other band gave me a new one and in my embarrassment and inexperience I cut it too short... so I worked around that string because it would only tune up to F above low E. Talk about looking (and sounding) dumb.
Yep...
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Not bass but when I started drumming as a kid, my Dad gave me his old kit, but forgot to give me a bass drum pedal… I taught myself to play along to songs, and somehow made it work playing the floor tom as the kick drum parts. I genuinely believed the bass drum was just there to hold the other drums up, and somewhere to put the bands logo!
I got totally found out at a first band rehearsal when the guitarist turned around and said “what are you doing? Why aren’t you playing the bass drum?” - yeah that was awkward.
I got totally found out at a first band rehearsal when the guitarist turned around and said “what are you doing? Why aren’t you playing the bass drum?” - yeah that was awkward.
Having no understanding of how to EQ and distortion/overdrive.
I was that kid that EQ'd all bass and low mids and cut mids/treble and couldn't figure out why I wasn't loud enough, yet my speakers were still struggling....
I also I could never figure out why my Behringer head didn't sound like an SVT with overdrive....with no mids....
I was that kid that EQ'd all bass and low mids and cut mids/treble and couldn't figure out why I wasn't loud enough, yet my speakers were still struggling....
I also I could never figure out why my Behringer head didn't sound like an SVT with overdrive....with no mids....
When I listen to the recordings of our old rehearsals, I hear I had no idea about how to use a compressor 
When I started playing guitar (not bass) I thought every song required an overdriven Crate amplifier with a chorus pedal (yes, it was the early 80s)
My first five+ years of playing I had my bass hanging the same way I saw everyone else play theirs. Then last week I read something about "sit down with your bass, tighten the strap, stand up, play". I tried it and it worked for me. Fretting fingers were finding notes I kept missing before. The angle of my hand felt much better. And it only took five years to figure out how to hold the thing.
I once thought it a good idea in my 20s to service a tube amp myself. Can't remember which brand but I got a jolt from a 450V capacitor that made my toes tingle.
