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

#82
Never the gear. Players are holding me back as I live in a place with scarce great players and I always like to play with people better than me. You know, “Lift you up” instead of dragging you down. My two Smith 6 strings though do make it easier to play really really well. Though my Schector Studio 4 is a hell of a good bass for the Jack.
 
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#84
Element Zero said:
Within a few months after I bought my first boutique bass, my “proficiency” went through the roof. My desire to “get better” skyrocketed because I wanted to play more and BE more. So in essence, yes. The better gear made me a better player.

Will a Fodera or MTD or ZON make someone who just “kinda likes to mess around on bass” better simply because it’s good gear? Not a chance. But if they already have a good amount of talent spending 20 years on an old Ibanez and saving all they can for nearly a decade and FINALLY plopping down the cash for their dream (now sold) Pedulla Pentabuzz in doing so reinvigorating their love of playing music… chances are they’re gonna get better…

Wait… was this just theoretical?
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Wait. All those years yearning for a Pedulla. Get one and sell it? For? ?? And does the new bass inspire more quality playing?
 
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#85
Of course it's down to you. It's down to you if a flash bass matters enough. It's down to you if you want to practice on that bass everyday. It's down to you if the action is too high and it bothers you. It's all down to you but if good gear helps you to focus then it's good gear you need.
 
#86
Not a chance.
C731449F-BD83-4D0F-ADCA-709B4EC1D95A.jpeg

Decent chance I’m holding my gear back though!
 
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#87
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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I'm sure someone has said this already, but my gear doesn't hold me back, because I've got too much gear. :D

This is always a double-edged sword in the arts. Today you can get a high-quality instrument or artistic tool at a very affordable price, and it doesn't take much to hit diminishing returns.

It's also easy to get fixated on brands. I mean... Our entire society is trying to get everyone to spend as much money as they can, on stuff they don't need. No wonder I have so many basses. :D

That said, a bad instrument or tool will certainly impede your work. If your amp keeps cutting out, or your bass' intonation is off, or if you can't hear yourself properly on stage, then you've got a problem.

So yeah, you can gig with that Squier, as long as it is properly set up, and sounds good.
 
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#92
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for responding. I've been driving all day and just checked TB now. Honestly, I'm a little surprised as I haven't had anything that I've posted takeoff like this before. Anyway, I will make a point to answer anyone who asked me something directly very soon. I also appreciate everyone's takes on this topic. Again, thanks for indulging my post, and please do check out Blue Monday whenever it returns to Jackson, MS.
 
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#93
Nope. I have not even begun to approach the limits of the Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray. It's not you, Stingy, it's me! And even my Rumble 100 V3 is enough (even though I'm building a cab...but more on that later).

I'll note that I just watched two videos of Nate Navarro. On one, he plays a cheap Harley Benton, on the other, he plays a very pricey Warwick. He sounds freaking badass no matter what he plays. Yep....it's me.
 
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#99
BSatt said:
JWilson, I have this issue and its bugging me. 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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Even though this is a vexing situation, you have reached a real epiphany that not a lot of people grasp.

There are guys with a big rack of everything from Hofners to Steinbergers, and use quite a few different tones for different musical situations. But most of us are still looking to sound like our best selves with a given bass, or just a few.

I'm utterly convinced this tone we're after is a) like snowflakes, alike but individually different among us like our idea of a perfect steak, and b) comes from somewhere in our minds, maybe even our DNA.

If you think about this, last time (or EVERY time) you got a new bass or amp, were you looking for a completely new, bright shiny tone? OR . . . . . were you still chasing (and hoping you found it THIS time) that sound in the back of your mind.

For most of us, the latter is the truth instead of the former.

After a while (or a long while . . . .) it dawns on you that YOU sound like YOU, regardless, and I sound like ME, no matter what comes or goes. And sure, you sound better on a Subway or Genzler stack than a Bronco 40, but damn, that ME tone just follows me around. Same with basses unless you bought something way off menu, and give it a while, you'll get it . . . . to sound like you. The wheel is often modified or given a new finish, but the wheel is rarely re-invented. This why there's way more Jazz Basses than Atlansias.

It's complex, subjective, and very personal as to why we like this bass better than that bass. I would not even begin to tell you what to do about your custom, aside from I never get in a big hurry to buy, much less sell one. That way, if I've given quite a while to roll around in my mind, eventually a clear answer will emerge.

That's what I would advise here.

PS: Something that is way, way overlooked.

Alembic often points out that a lot of so-called 'boutique' basses sound unnervingly alike, after you consider the tone away from the woodworking/finishing skills. This is because few make their own pickups, tone networks, to the extent Alembic makes everything on their basses save for the tuning keys. MOST everyone else is buying the same brands of good pickups, Schaller or Gotoh hardware, and so forth, and a lot of the same woods are used. This is probably what you're hearing.

Take a Pedulla MVP and a Spector: Both virtually all maple with similar electronics. Hmmmm . . . . Take some of the German Warwicks with their heavy African wood construction, and play it head to head with some of the 90's Ibanez Soundgears that used those same woods and similar electronics. . . . . and for Gosh Sakes, just look at all the alder/ash/maple Fender clones from who knows how many sources. The individual makers put their spin on these for sure, and their owners will kick and rail against this idea, but in a blindfold test, some but not many could tell you which is which.
 
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