Again...
Gosh dern 1 pursentur base playrs, playn them fancy smancy bases!
JK...like what you like. I will do the same.
+1
(Is it still cool to +1 stuff?)
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I think I stop believing in expensive basses!
- Thread starter FunkyMan
- Start date
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+1
(Is it still cool to +1 stuff?)
I used to be one that thought that at the end of the day, we bassists cared about / noticed the differences in tone from one instrument to the next A LOT more than our intended audiences, whether live or recorded.
I still believe that when it comes to CARING about our tone, but I think audiences NOTICE more than we think. It's just that they don't CARE as long as the result is good. And remember, they are not typically in a position to compare. At the end of the day, the audience wants to hear good music performed well by a band that fits together well.
As I type this, my son is downstairs practicing. Between his 2 basses and my 6, he has a variety of basses to choose from ranging from a $200 Squier VM fretless to a Roscoe LG-3005 fretless or Marchlewski custom 5 (I don't let him touch the Alembics yet). I can tell from where I sit directly upstairs that he is playing one of my two Music Man Sabres. Just from tone. I also recall from conversations with him that as much as he enjoys his Squier fretless, he likes his Franken-P better because it feels better in his hands and the Sabres even more because "they're just freakin' awesome" (his words). On a more adult level, I can definitely tell which of my basses my band prefers to hear.
Fact of the matter is, lower end basses like the Squier VM have come a lonnnng way from the no-name crap I learned on decades ago and might even be as good as the more mainstream stuff from back in that day. But higher end instruments have also improved significantly over the years.
You can hear differences in tone from brand to brand, even if you cannot identify one brand over another in a blind taste test. You can feel differences in neck profile and finish and fret setting and finish. You can note differences in how much tone can be adjusted with a minor tweak of a knob or switch.
For some people those differences matter. For others, not so much. If fit and finish of necks and frets on Squiers and SX basses is good enough for you, cool! They are usually actually pretty decent. If not, step up to a Fender or Yamaha or Ibanez or whatever because they typically do that stuff better. Repeat this exercise until you arrive at the one that works for YOU.
If the tone and adjustability of the Squier, SX or other lower end brand works for you and your audiences, cool! They are actually pretty decent. If not, step up to a Fender, Yamaha or Ibanez or whatever because they typically do that stuff better. Repeat this exercise until you arrive at the one that works for YOU. (anybody noticing a trend here?)
But what about the Ken Smith / Sadowsky / MTD / Lakland stuff? Or <gasp> Roscoe and Alembic and Fodera? I think this is where Mikebass was coming from. Once you hit a certain price point, paying more $$ is more likely to get you DIFFERENT, not proportionately BETTER. In my o-p-i-n-i-o-n, they are much more about what is possible than they are about how do I make that 1-4-5 / 2-5-1 progression blow the panties off that hot barmaid. For the audience that's listening to you, you PROBABLY can / would satisfy them with just about any serviceable bass you chose to use that night. The rest is about putting you in the right frame of mind to do what you do the best that you can do it.
I still believe that when it comes to CARING about our tone, but I think audiences NOTICE more than we think. It's just that they don't CARE as long as the result is good. And remember, they are not typically in a position to compare. At the end of the day, the audience wants to hear good music performed well by a band that fits together well.
As I type this, my son is downstairs practicing. Between his 2 basses and my 6, he has a variety of basses to choose from ranging from a $200 Squier VM fretless to a Roscoe LG-3005 fretless or Marchlewski custom 5 (I don't let him touch the Alembics yet). I can tell from where I sit directly upstairs that he is playing one of my two Music Man Sabres. Just from tone. I also recall from conversations with him that as much as he enjoys his Squier fretless, he likes his Franken-P better because it feels better in his hands and the Sabres even more because "they're just freakin' awesome" (his words). On a more adult level, I can definitely tell which of my basses my band prefers to hear.
Fact of the matter is, lower end basses like the Squier VM have come a lonnnng way from the no-name crap I learned on decades ago and might even be as good as the more mainstream stuff from back in that day. But higher end instruments have also improved significantly over the years.
You can hear differences in tone from brand to brand, even if you cannot identify one brand over another in a blind taste test. You can feel differences in neck profile and finish and fret setting and finish. You can note differences in how much tone can be adjusted with a minor tweak of a knob or switch.
For some people those differences matter. For others, not so much. If fit and finish of necks and frets on Squiers and SX basses is good enough for you, cool! They are usually actually pretty decent. If not, step up to a Fender or Yamaha or Ibanez or whatever because they typically do that stuff better. Repeat this exercise until you arrive at the one that works for YOU.
If the tone and adjustability of the Squier, SX or other lower end brand works for you and your audiences, cool! They are actually pretty decent. If not, step up to a Fender, Yamaha or Ibanez or whatever because they typically do that stuff better. Repeat this exercise until you arrive at the one that works for YOU. (anybody noticing a trend here?)
But what about the Ken Smith / Sadowsky / MTD / Lakland stuff? Or <gasp> Roscoe and Alembic and Fodera? I think this is where Mikebass was coming from. Once you hit a certain price point, paying more $$ is more likely to get you DIFFERENT, not proportionately BETTER. In my o-p-i-n-i-o-n, they are much more about what is possible than they are about how do I make that 1-4-5 / 2-5-1 progression blow the panties off that hot barmaid. For the audience that's listening to you, you PROBABLY can / would satisfy them with just about any serviceable bass you chose to use that night. The rest is about putting you in the right frame of mind to do what you do the best that you can do it.
Just Thumpin'
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- Mar 7, 2008
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Everybody's entitled to an opinion. The questions that I asked in my response were to see if there is anything that I can learn from this person or that they might learn from me. We believe that what we are doing here in Brooklyn is both pretty unique and special. That said, some people don't dig it and that's okay...I always want to know why AND also to make certain that their judgement was based on something real and/or representative.
Interestingly, of the 20 or 30 times I have answered a similar post, only one time did the OP either respond and/or give any specifics which I think speaks volumes...
J
Interestingly, of the 20 or 30 times I have answered a similar post, only one time did the OP either respond and/or give any specifics which I think speaks volumes...
J
Why do people with $5,000 dollar basses feel like they have to justify their decision to people that don't get it?
That's the crazy part.
I'm not sure that many of us feel the need to justify that. I paid what I paid for my basses ($200 to more than $5,000) because they were what I wanted. End of story. I tend to point out in these types of threads that when you spend more for a bass, you do get more. How much value the "more" provides varies from person to person. That's why for some people, boutiques make no sense. For others, they're a bargain. Both are right within their own definitions of value.
I read your post above and felt that you had the best input on this entire thread. I don't think owning a $5,OOO bass is crazy.
I think caring about what other people think of my equipment is crazy, imo.
Perhaps I'm a narcissist or stupid confident (perhaps unjustifiably so) but I'll buy what I want because I want it.
It's hard for me to understand why everyone doesn't feel that way........
You're the man, love your viewpoint.
Sorry I just stumbled upon this thread.
30 pages later and I could have added so much fun to it.
Some critical ideas have popped up, Scarlett Johansson for one.
I married the girl next door, while not a boutique model, she's every bit as nice as the Scarlett model
(some folks on this thread have seen her and I'm sure they would agree).
I can't afford to hire little people to carry my basses, but the fellow on the corner with the brown paper bag was glad to help for a few bucks.
Seriously though it all boils down to making magic-for yourself and for your audience.
Really nobody should care what you use to make magic only that it gets made...
Like so many other things in life...
If you make magic with a Fodera "Peace be upon you".
If you make magic with a Squire "Peace be upon you".
30 pages later and I could have added so much fun to it.
Some critical ideas have popped up, Scarlett Johansson for one.
I married the girl next door, while not a boutique model, she's every bit as nice as the Scarlett model
(some folks on this thread have seen her and I'm sure they would agree).
I can't afford to hire little people to carry my basses, but the fellow on the corner with the brown paper bag was glad to help for a few bucks.
Seriously though it all boils down to making magic-for yourself and for your audience.
Really nobody should care what you use to make magic only that it gets made...
Like so many other things in life...
If you make magic with a Fodera "Peace be upon you".
If you make magic with a Squire "Peace be upon you".
Thanks for the compliments........but I really responded to say that I L-O-V-E your signature.
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde
That pretty much sums it up. An admitted closed mind, combined with the fact that one feels the need to criticize another's choice in bass (solely based on price or brand) speaks volumes.
Enjoy your basses and have a good gig wherever, be it stage or couch.
MikeBass
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MVPBASS said:
No man, I just realized a long time ago that the large price tag and name DOES NOT automatically mean it's any better than a $1200 bass.
I like what I like for various reasons. But none attributed to the price or name associated with it.
I love Sadowsky's because of the neck profile, build quality and their sound. And its relatively unique to them.
Same with other basses I play and own.
For me it boils down to what I want, more than what the audience notices... I'm not having to deal with a 150$ piece of junk anymore, so it's more about how easy is it to get the sound I want from my 3K bass as opposed to getting it from my 900$ bass.Plus, there just isn't anything that compares to a high end insturment for feel, finish and playing enjoyment.( I would love to try out a fodera, but there aren't any within 500 miles of me...)
It's a conspiracy by the man to keep boutique basses out of the hands of the masses!!!
But seriously....Bass Northwest is out of range? I don't know Washington State geography, but I thought Spokane and Seattle were closer than 500 miles.
******just checked a map....pretty good haul, there******
MikeBass
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Maybe thats where my disconnect comes in. But I have played a few of the Squire basses that to be honest, could have been 3 or 4 times the price by the way they played and sounded.
There is a pro level player here on TB that uses Carvin and not Fodera.
And by all rights he could use what ever he wants. But he doesn't.
And how many will say a Carvin doesn't stack up to a Fodera?
I'm sure he feels as strongly about his Carvin as he does about any of his basses.
And I can't tell you how many times I've read interviews where it's run of the mill Fenders or the like, that are used on tour and in the studio.
Not uber expensive boutique basses.
I'm all for getting what you want and loving it beyond all doubts cast upon it by others.
MikeBass
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Why not? Because it's a Fodera?? That's kind of a laughable statement.
Fodera like anyone else is not beyond criticism. By any means.
Nor is Sadowsky, MLP, PRS, Warwick, F-Bass, Spector and countless other high end basses.
By contrast, my Garrison was pretty much the best bass I ever owned or played.
Roy Vogt
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I'm not sure if I'm that person, but I have used Carvins for 20 years and they've been great touring and recording basses. I love playing Vic's Fodera-he's got it set up for flying and it sounds great. Truthfully, I'm just happy using what I have. It's important to remember that great sounds can come from Danelectro basses with masonite bodies and lipstick tube pickups and alder bodied P basses as well as Foderas, Alembics, Modulus and the rest. IME, fit and finish closes the deal as well, and I play what I play because it works for me.
MikeBass
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This is a key point. I recall when Vic's basses were temporarily lost in transit and Jason pinged the TB community to see if there was anyone with a Fodera local to a show Vic had that night (was in Europe somewhere). Some naysayers started in with, "if he's so good he should be able to play the gig on a Squier." But that shows a total non-understanding of the relationship between artist and instrument. Vic "flies" like very few others. And he has tone and playability expectations that need to be met if he's going to perform at his (stratospheric) level.
I certainly am nowhere near that altitude. And I can cover my gigs with most any 4-string put in my hands. But I have grown to expect certain things out of my instrument. So I'm going to have a much more enjoyable experience with a Fodera or Rob Allen in my hands, and hopefully that will translate to the audience.
My instrument is more than a hunk of wood and metal *to me*, and people who made it are more *to me* than just a logo. I have a relationship with my bass, and will the builder as well. I happily pay for the privilege because it provides value *to me*. I can't speak for anyone else's take on that - people should follow their own path and I'm not going to look down on anyone for what they do or don't play. One thing I learned from Vic - you can learn something from EVERYONE if you're open to it.
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