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It's not about the gear...

#21
our guitarist has been burning through amps trying to find "his sound" for the entire year and a half I've been in the band. he's had all kinds of tube combos (Peavey, Fender, Vox, Blackstar, Egnater, etc.) and is always wheeling and dealing trades on craigslist.

over Christmas, he picked up a $ 49.00 solid state DeArmond combo. brought it to our gig last night on a whim, because we had stairs to climb and he didn't feel like bringing the heavy stuff. it was the best he's ever sounded, in my opinion. that little 15 watter was LOUD and clear, and we weren't running through any PA either.
 
#22
I agree that budget/entry level gear is a ton better now that it was 40 years ago. I always reference Ed Friedlands shootout comparison of Squier CV basses vs his own Fender equivalents. His video is about 3 years old now but it illustrates just how close a budget bass can sound to its more expensive counterpart. In fact, I can't make out any real difference between the two 50's Precision basses that he demos...go figure.
 
#23
^^
I think the overarching lesson is that the extra money you pay for any given instrument/rig is for aesthetics more than sound. It is entirely possible to have two basses and rigs that sound exactly the same, yet one can be much better made and thus more satisfying to play, thereby justifying the extra expense.

There are competing issues of absolute performance vs. perceived quality, which usually but don't necessarily correlate. Since nothing is going to be perfect, it's really as much about how much you can overlook as well as what you like.

Some people don't want to compromise a thing, not even some prestige. IMHO, that's a lonely, expensive road.
 
#26
BulbousMoses said:
I agree that budget/entry level gear is a ton better now that it was 40 years ago. I always reference Ed Friedlands shootout comparison of Squier CV basses vs his own Fender equivalents. His video is about 3 years old now but it illustrates just how close a budget bass can sound to its more expensive counterpart. In fact, I can't make out any real difference between the two 50's Precision basses that he demos...go figure.
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I love that video, Ed practically sold me my Squier CV Jazz himself!

And yes, the basses are nearly indistinguishable in the video, so imagine how that would sound in a live mix - identical.
 
#27
Having the latest and greatest can be fun to have and having good gear by all means does help with the overall tone and sound, however I do wholehearted believe that if the player has little to no technique then it really does not matter. I have seen musicians with some of the "crappiest gear" sound really awesome and rock it and then some with thousands of dollars spent on their gear and sound like they never picked up a instrument before now.

A great player can sound good on and with just about anything.
 
#28
It's not about the gear. But it is about what you want to play and feel good playing.

I have decided that I want a pair of Roscoe 5 strings - fretted and fretless. I can/could get by with my Geddy Lee and sound great but I decided I wanted to take the plunge. I have played a ton of basses from almost every price point.

They won't necessarily make me a better player, but they won't hurt, either.
 
#31
We have formal QA and QC programs that were not available back inn the black and white days where things were good or junk.
When I started it was Gibson for "good" Fender was for fence palings and eeverything else was junk.
60's Fenders were rare because they were all still in use and musicians tended to only have 1 bass. Having 2 was rare.
Modern Squiers are terrific compared to the lucky dip Fenders used to be.
 
#32
I think the reason to get "better", or more expensive gear, is not to achieve a "better" sound. I think that it is to emulate the sound that is in your head. I have a sounds in my head that I want to hear, I will keep trading gear, buying new gear and trying different settings and techniques until I find it (unless I die first).
Will the sound quality be any better if i just use a squire? Maybe not to someone else, but if im not hearing what I want then it isnt a good enough bass. (I've actually never played a squire).
It isnt about making a "better" product as far as what listeners hear. Its about finding that tone that is in your head that will inspire you to play better.
IMO
 
#35
A great player can make a run of the mill bass sound great. The best bass in the world will not make a mediocre player sound great.
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That's a key right there, isn't it?

Plus, budget equipment is much better now as well.

I can remember even twenty years ago how bad some of it was.

My lead guitarist, in my first band, had a knockoff semi-hollow electric. No truss rod, so the neck was the size of a Louisville slugger to compensate. The action was terrible, intonation a joke to try to set, and the pickups were horrid. It definitely fell into the almost unplayable category.

Another friend of mine, a couple years after, bought a cheap guitar from the Sears catalog. At the time, I thought the above guitar was the biggest POS I had ever seen. This one beat it.

Again, the neck was over large, action was horrible and barely adjustable, no intonation adjustment at all. The tuners were so badly installed, it was hard to tune, for fear of breaking them. And the pickups were, again, horrid sounding.

I spent the day reworking it for him. After, it could be tuned, the action was okay, and it was at least playable. But it still sounded like ****. No helping that.

Contrast that to the Squiers I've owned recently, and while not perfect, they are decent, playable instruments for the money, don't sound too bad, and have some good potential to be better, if a little modding is your thing.
 
#36
faulknersj said:
A great player can make a run of the mill bass sound great. The best bass in the world will not make a mediocre player sound great.
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I agree,,, i said as much in another thread,,, it wasnt as accepted as it was here ,,,,,,,thank you thank you thank you.

A good bass player can make a bad bass sound good,, a good bass will not help a bad bass player sound better.
 
#37
Yep, as with most things in life it usually comes down to the indian and not the arrow. I play golf with a buddy who uses 15 year old decent, but not high end golf clubs. Many a times we get paired up or golf with the guy who has the latest/greatest $1000 set of irons but can't break 100 to save his life and gets mad about it. Watching my buddy shoot in the 70s or 80s with his dinosaur clubs always makes me smile.

Bass-wise, I think it's important to have good, dependable gear that sounds good and doesn't inhibit your ability. I think I am a good player, but I am also smart enough to realize that I'm not going to play any better on a $3000 bass versus my trustworthy MIM Fender Jazz. It's all about personal choice in the end.
 
#38
dukeisdog said:
I agree, but I always feel more comfortable on stage playing through nice good sounding gear.
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Yep. I don't buy nice gear to impress others. I buy thing I like. Played last night and loud beefy tone just wrapped around me like a blanket. I could not have done that with a cheap bass and a DI box. But if you rock the heck out of a cheap bass and a DI box, good for you! I mean that. It's about whatever you like.
 
#39
rockamimjazz said:
Bass-wise, I think it's important to have good, dependable gear that sounds good and doesn't inhibit your ability. I think I am a good player, but I am also smart enough to realize that I'm not going to play any better on a $3000 bass versus my trustworthy MIM Fender Jazz. It's all about personal choice in the end.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. It's also about what you can afford, really. Some folks have great jobs with lots of disposable income while others have trouble scraping together enough scratch for a Squier Affinity P bass. Either way, if you dedicate yourself to practicing, you'll rock that Affinity P tons more than the dude with the Sadowsky who picks it up 3 times a year.
 
#40
Good gear isn't always a question of more money. The right instrument for the individual may not be the most expensive or the newest. I play Japanese basses from the 1980's. I rarely spend more than $1,000 for a bass. I keep them properly set up and clean and I am regularly complimented on my tone and when other bass players pick up one of my basses they invariably love the feel and tone.
 

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