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I hate when this happens

#21
Sorry, but as am 18 year old player, I'm finding this all a little offensive. There is nothing wrong with playing Victor Wooten or spending more than 20 minutes in a shop without buying anything.

I dont try to intimidate anyone, nor am I indulging in "wankery". I only play what I write, what I've learnt and what i enjoy. Surely I have the right to test an amp/bass/effects box with what I play?

I cant afford equipment easily with my very limited "income", so I agonize over every decision and resolve this by spending extremely long times in music shops. I'm currently trying to find new pickups for my bass, and with the limited supplies in my country this has taken at least few months. Surely I should be able to spend as long as I need in a shop to make the best choice for me? As it has been said, it is my money.

I'd be in a band if I didn't get rejected solely on the basis of being "too young" In fact I tend to feel uncomfortable in stores because I know people think like you guys. So I play very quietly, and I tend to only go in when no one is inside.

Sorry about the rant, I've just read this sort of stuff many times over from TB members. Don't be so quick to judge. Just enjoy the music...
 
#23
Altemo said:
Sorry, but as am 18 year old player, I'm finding this all a little offensive. There is nothing wrong with playing Victor Wooten or spending more than 20 minutes in a shop without buying anything.

I dont try to intimidate anyone, nor am I indulging in "wankery". I only play what I write, what I've learnt and what i enjoy. Surely I have the right to test an amp/bass/effects box with what I play?

I cant afford equipment easily with my very limited "income", so I agonize over every decision and resolve this by spending extremely long times in music shops. I'm currently trying to find new pickups for my bass, and with the limited supplies in my country this has taken at least few months. Surely I should be able to spend as long as I need in a shop to make the best choice for me? As it has been said, it is my money.

I'd be in a band if I didn't get rejected solely on the basis of being "too young" In fact I tend to feel uncomfortable in stores because I know people think like you guys. So I play very quietly, and I tend to only go in when no one is inside.

Sorry about the rant, I've just read this sort of stuff many times over from TB members. Don't be so quick to judge. Just enjoy the music...
Click to expand...

I'd so most of us who rant about this topic would not have problem with you. Most of get really annoyed at the kid who is there to show off. The one who has some great "chops" and/or memorized some really complicated lines and plays them loud enough to monopolize the entire store. They are the ones that are there just to impress the other people in the store. They are normally buddies with the employees and have never played in a band, but will show up every saturday and stay for 3 or 4 hours and as soon as some other guy demos a amp or bass, they run over and plug in so they can "show up" the guy who there to actually buy something.
 
#25
slyderhodge said:
I'd so most of us who rant about this topic would not have problem with you. Most of get really annoyed at the kid who is there to show off. The one who has some great "chops" and/or memorized some really complicated lines and plays them loud enough to monopolize the entire store. They are the ones that are there just to impress the other people in the store. They are normally buddies with the employees and have never played in a band, but will show up every saturday and stay for 3 or 4 hours and as soon as some other guy demos a amp or bass, they run over and plug in so they can "show up" the guy who there to actually buy something.
Click to expand...

+1000000000000000000000
 
#29
1. douchbaggery
The act of having a popped collar, sunglasses when there is no sun, wearing an armbad while not participating in any athletic competetion, the overall act of being a douche Bag!!!!
The Douchbaggery of those douchbags was douch baggle!!!!
douch bag douch doucher douchenzie douch douchly

2. douchbaggery
The factory where douchbags are made
 
#30
Altemo said:
Sorry about the rant, I've just read this sort of stuff many times over from TB members. Don't be so quick to judge. Just enjoy the music...
Click to expand...

No need to be sorry, I didn't mean to paint all youth with the same brush. My observation is only that of someone is the type that likes to try to impress people, (whatever their age might be) they tend to be younger and haven't learned the hard lesson yet that no one else gives a rats arse. :)
 
#35
username1 said:
+1
If you feel uncomfortable just make the salesman play the bass so you can be free to tweek the settings while he is playing.
Click to expand...

+1

When shopping for an amp and/or cab, take a "Beater Bass" of yours that you don't mind letting someone else touch that has a sound you like. First, show interest in a bass and ask to play it. If the salesperson does a 20 second solo, ask to hear it in the amp you're interested in. After another 20 seconds of the same riff, hand him/her your bass because you know the tone of it. Now, ask the salesperson to play a basic three-chord blues progression, no open strings, and paying attention to dynamics. This leaves you free to hear if the amp and/or cab can obtain the tone you're after. Make sure to hide a recorder in your case to post the possibly hilarious result!

X8
 
#36
I've really never been troubled by other customers in a music store, except when there was a whole group with girlfriends in tow monopolizing the audition room.

I've recently been put off by the sales crew.

I went to one store to get strings and ask about amps. I told him what I wanted -- he says he doesn't stock any flat wounds, and that I should use nickel and turn down the tone knob. :eyebrow: For amps, he said Peavey has all I'd ever need. :hmm: (since when was need part of GAS?)

The other store in my town we were asking about strings for my son, that he'd like to try Slinkys. Apparently they don't carry them, but the guy makes a face and says Ernie Ball make crappy strings.

When I go to a store, I want to feel safe and respected. Other patrons, as above in this thread, are part of that, for sure. But the sales help, too.
 
#38
When I bought my first bass the Precision was twelve years old. Bass players, at that time, had no history to lean back on. No amps capable of reproducing bass at any decent levels. No education was available for the instrument. We all had to forge our own paths and discover what the Electric Bass could do. We learned from what we discovered ourselves or could steal from our peers. it was indeed a magical time.

Today the electric bass is a well established and recognized voice. Young players have so much history to follow and music schools no longer scoff at the thought of using the bass in an ensemble. It's only obvious that the younger guys have better abilities at a lesser age. In my case I joined a swing band that has an eighteen year old bass player as well. At first I was amazed at his talent and abilities after six years on the bass. Now, as we became good friends, I realized that we have different skills. His technical abilities leave mine behind but sometimes his "feel" is different than mine.

May I humbly suggest that instead of feeling dissed at the young guys we all say "way to go" and encourage the next generation of players to have the vision to take our instrument to even greater heights than we could achieve.

Peace...
paul
 
#39
mulchor said:
I've recently been put off by the sales crew.

I went to one store to get strings and ask about amps. I told him what I wanted -- he says he doesn't stock any flat wounds, and that I should use nickel and turn down the tone knob. :eyebrow: For amps, he said Peavey has all I'd ever need. :hmm: (since when was need part of GAS?)

The other store in my town we were asking about strings for my son, that he'd like to try Slinkys. Apparently they don't carry them, but the guy makes a face and says Ernie Ball make crappy strings.
Click to expand...

I've just gotten to the point after playing for over 30 years that I don't care about a salesperson's opinion, and I don't care about how fast some kid can slap and pop.

There are infinitely better resources for information on every imaginable kind of equipment on the internet. The sales people are either clueless, or else they will tell you that the brand they have available is the best thing on the planet and your favorite brand is worthless. This is because they are, first and foremost, sales people. They want to close the sale and get their commission.

And when it comes to "shredding" in GC, I did that when I was 20 and learned to note-for-note Al DiMeola and John McLaughlin. I'd play those solos in my dorm room, and I'd play 'em at GC... but never in a band because nobody wanted to hear that crap!

When I switched primarily to bass I had to develop an entirely new technique, and made a conscious effort not to try to be Stanley Clarke. I listened to a lot of Neil Young and The Eagles and copied that style. I was in two bands within a couple of months!!

I can funk 'n' groove a lot harder now than I could way back then. But I'll tell ya what... it's still the basic, traditional fingerstyle "root-5-root-5" stuff that earns me the most money. If you can do that with consistent metronome sense and a sweet tone, you can play in a band that actually gets paid. Which to me is way more satisfying (musically and financially) than sitting at home trying to learn "School Days" note for note.
 

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