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Is it really your gear that's holding you back?

#27
BSatt said:
I went with a boutique builder and waited/paid-for a custom build. The bass looks fantastic and I am very pleased with it. However, my much cheaper Warmoth Frankenstein-bass feels almost as good and sounds same/similar/better depending on situation. And with both basses, it still sounds like me. So, my delimma is...do I sell the expensive bass and just play the Warmoth? It is frustrating and I'm kicking myself for not knowing this before I went through the process of getting the new bass.
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the arc of my snobbery culminated in not wanting/playing anything but "custom-built" by the mid-90s...a luthier's dream/nightmare :D but that was years ago --- things have changed. today: my parts "cheapies" outplay any axes that i've previously owned, i.e., any of my expensive, 'proud', "snob" basses of the past. (TBH: my preferences have changed/evolved.)
i think your "custom build" has served you well: we want what we want..... until we know better --- about what we need! ;)

Is it really your gear that's holding you back?
lucky me = axes/rigs have never held me back! :smug:
unlucky me = it was always practice! :wideyed:

:laugh:
 
#28
mattj1stc said:
I sometimes see threads about the relationship between gear and a player's technical abilities. It's usually posed as a a GAS driven thought that goes something like "I think I be able to play better if I could replace my current, cheap gear by buying my more expensive dream gear." There are even threads where people will question whether a Squier is a good enough bass to gig with. Well, I have an unfortunate answer - the problem is not your gear, it's you. Please don't take offense - this applies to me too.

How do I know this?

Even better, their bass player was amazing. He was truly inventive and pushed the boundaries of what you'd normally call the blues. Best of all, he played a Squier (with a wonky output jack) through a small Hartke amp. He was more than twice the player that I am, and his gear costs about half what mine does.

Short answer, if he's killing it on budget gear, then it's probably not your gear that's holding you back.
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Well now. This explodes a whole lot of presumptions. LOL Yes, a Squier can be equal to your Fender. Maybe even “blow it out of the water!” Yes, it can play great and sound great. No, you don’t need to spend thousands on gear to sound great. Yes, you need to practice your azz off to sound great.
 
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#30
It's funny I am having this exact same conversation with my boss at the moment about bikes. He has "all the gear and no idea", spent £6k on a bike, carbon everything, power pedals, best shoes, top of the range Garmin etc.. I smoke him on every. single. ride, all on my "cheap" £700 bike.

There is no substitute for hard work with anything rewarding in life, and there are things in life that money just cant buy. It takes some people a while to understand that, but we all get there eventually
 
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#32
Pings Bass said:
I love seeing pro-level players on student-level gear. I also love pro-level gear and understand the benefits of not fighting your instrument.:thumbsup:
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There is truth to this. Many an aspiring young player has been put off by instruments that are essentially unplayable. So there should always be an investment in playable gear that sounds good.

Fortunately, that investment is small nowadays. The $200 bass today, if well chosen, is far better than the $100 bass from Sears Catalog in 1969…. and accounting for inflation, is act far less expensive.
 
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#33
when i quit gigging in 2019, i sold all of my "professional" gear, figuring i didn't have a need for it anymore... but i soon found myself wanting to play around the house, and wanting to do some local patio / garage gigs with friends and family.. so...

i bought a squier vm shorty jaguar, and a cheap sterling ray4 from the pawnshop, along with a 100 watt acoustic brand amp, and a few ehx stompers.

nothing "professional" but i'm still able to do everything i've done for the last 40+ years without any additional effort.

right now, i own more gear than i ever have in the past, and still haven't spent more than what i paid for my fender standard jazz back in '79.
 
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#36
coyote1 said:
The $200 bass today, if well chosen, is far better than the $100 bass from Sears Catalog in 1969…. and accounting for inflation, is act far less expensive.
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Yeah I've got a couple sub-$200 basses that are pretty good. They stay home, but I'd gig with them in a pinch. As long as a bass is playable and has a clean, usable signal, the rest is in the fingers.
 
#37
mattj1stc said:
I sometimes see threads about the relationship between gear and a player's technical abilities. It's usually posed as a a GAS driven thought that goes something like "I think I be able to play better if I could replace my current, cheap gear by buying my more expensive dream gear." There are even threads where people will question whether a Squier is a good enough bass to gig with. Well, I have an unfortunate answer - the problem is not your gear, it's you. Please don't take offense - this applies to me too.

How do I know this?

Well, we're taking our first vacation since the pandemic and we found ourselves passing through Jackson, MS tonight. Luckily, we were able to find out about Hal and Mal's, where on Monday's, they have a special Blues night. It's sponsored by the Central Mississippi Blues Society and it's called Blue Monday.

CMBS Blue Monday (centralmississippibluessociety.com)

We were especially lucky because they only recently resumed this weekly event, and sadly, because Covid is spiking again, tonight was the last one that they'll have for a while. Still, I highly recommend checking this recurring event out when it starts up again if you are in Jackson.

Anyway, it's been a long time since I've seen live music, and this was a real treat. Wonderful musicians playing in a relaxed setting to an appreciative audience - really jazz caliber musicians working within the blues framework. Even better, their bass player was amazing. He was truly inventive and pushed the boundaries of what you'd normally call the blues. Best of all, he played a Squier (with a wonky output jack) through a small Hartke amp. He was more than twice the player that I am, and his gear costs about half what mine does.

Short answer, if he's killing it on budget gear, then it's probably not your gear that's holding you back.

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this again? of course you can play well on crap. BUT WHY?! there are literally instruments that play like butter and sound amazing but sure stick with the low end beater if that is what you like. and yes i play a lot better on a better instrument. most will. but maybe not at first. everyone says my bass is super hard to play because its so easy. and then they fall in love
 
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#38
I always love to see a real seasoned musician playing cheap bass. It always puts things into perspective. But, I have bought expensive keepers and a few cheap basses. I always found a fit and finish on my expensive basses to be a big enough reason to play them. I enjoy going back-and-forth between the different instruments.
 
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