How were you using gear WRONG as a noob?

[eddiemac]

I had a Sunn Sonic 1 head in 1968, and discovered what looked like a 1/4" phone jack between the two power tubes. Using a mirror, I saw a screw slot at the bottom of the hole, so I used a screwdriver to turn it to see what it did. This led to taking it back to the dealer to have him bring the bias back up to spec. If it ain't broke don't fix it., but I still make the same noob mistake in other areas of my life from time to time.

 

[Bob_Ross]

In my very first rock band circa 1974 everyone had tiny, pathetically under-powered amps, little cheap crappy combos that could barely keep up with an unmic'd drumkit.
So we all got Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 "power boosters" -- 'cuz hey, it'll boost the power, right? -- and then were shocked when none of our amps were any louder, they just sounded even crappier!

 

[Cave Puppy]

Recent story - last couple of years. I have an Ibanez Promethean P3110 combo (awesome amp) that have the treble and bass controls swapped. It's usually LOW - MID - HIGH (in that order) on every other amp I have, but on the Ibby it's HIGH - MID - LOW. I needed more lows and kept cranking up the highs. My friend in the audience was like, damn, dude, you sound like an ice pick! I was so angry I was going to sell the amp ASAP. I realized my mistake the next day. I learned a lesson and still have the amp.

 

[isaac42]

Brought a Musicman 5 (worked all summer for this setup) and my 1000-watt Carvin Rig w/a 410 and a 115 underneath, to a regional show-choir competition, where the only other bass player was rocking a small crate practice amp, which was MORE than was needed for that tiny high school stage. Max Headroom Von Schleppen MacBackenCracken was my stage name back then.

Yeah, it was more than you needed, but the beauty of volume controls is that they can be turned down as well as up!

 

[NoSlapForYou]

I'm sure I still am. Not like "potentially breaking my gear" wrong. But more like "not getting the optimal results out of it" wrong. I learn new things all the time.

 

[bigtone23]

I'm sure I still am. Not like "potentially breaking my gear" wrong. But more like "not getting the optimal results out of it" wrong. I learn new things all the time.

Yep, experience is the best teacher. It's a fun ride, learning what works best for situations. Sometimes, something doesn't make logical sense, but it does in terms of how you sit in a mix/gain structure/room dynamics/EQ/etc... It can be challenging, wearing all those hats. The engineering side of music can be bizarre, but the musical/emotional side isn't, and vice versa.

My DIY spirit drives me. I have found that the more you know about the nuts and bolts of your gear, the better off you are. Knowing the EQ center frequencies of the amp &/or bass, if the amp or preamp is 'flat' or 'colored' in it's voicing, speaker sensitivity, cab impedance, how frequencies project, etc... It's all geeky stuff, but knowing it can speed up any fixes as the issues come up.

 

[NoSlapForYou]

Yep, experience is the best teacher. It's a fun ride, learning what works best for situations. Sometimes, something doesn't make logical sense, but it does in terms of how you sit in a mix/gain structure/room dynamics/EQ/etc... It can be challenging, wearing all those hats. The engineering side of music can be bizarre, but the musical/emotional side isn't, and vice versa.

My DIY spirit drives me. I have found that the more you know about the nuts and bolts of your gear, the better off you are. Knowing the EQ center frequencies of the amp &/or bass, if the amp or preamp is 'flat' or 'colored' in it's voicing, speaker sensitivity, cab impedance, how frequencies project, etc... It's all geeky stuff, but knowing it can speed up any fixes as the issues come up.

I started recording and mixing my own music a couple years ago. During that period, I've watched hundreds of hours of tutorials. While most of them weren't specifically about bass, they taught me a lot of things I can apply to bass. For example, I now understand much better what frequencies to boost and cut to get make my bass both audible and sitting in the mix well. I've gotten much better at picking out frequencies by ear. I also understand gain structuring and signal chains a lot better.