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Janky-A Rigs of Doom

#621
To all Janky lovers, I've noticed something kind of sad. There are a group of snobs on TB who won't view or comment on anything that costs less than $1,000, isn't a boo-teek amp or bass guitar. I pride myself on buying used equipment and making it playable and at times totally professionally capable for stage use.

It bothers me that although everyone throws around the term brothers in bass blah blah blah, what about those of us who present our inexpensive little jewels in our own eyes? Sorry it isn't a Sadowsky or Smoking Glass or whatever, "brothers." But it plays well, has a lot of mojo, and makes me happy!

Have any of you notice this, Janky people? Am I paranoid or what....?
 
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#622
alaskaleftybass said:
To all Janky lovers, I've noticed something kind of sad. There are a group of snobs on TB who won't view or comment on anything that costs less than $1,000, isn't a boo-teek amp or bass guitar. I pride myself on buying used equipment and making it playable and at times totally professionally capable for stage use.

It bothers me that although everyone throws around the term brothers in bass blah blah blah, what about those of us who present our inexpensive little jewels in our own eyes? Sorry it isn't a Sadowsky or Smoking Glass or whatever, "brothers." But it plays well, has a lot of mojo, and makes me happy!

Have any of you notice this, Janky people? Am I paranoid or what....?
Click to expand...
Hey, whatever sounds good is fine by me.
Janky, stanky, wanky, danky, ganky...
 
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#625
Janksta...heh. ALB, I think what you're noticing falls under general human behavior. Some people relate to stuff that costs more and like to see themslves as having discerning tastes, and others relate to stuff that had humble beginnings but gets the job done, because it feels resourceful to roll that way (or maybe just feels like, "It's all I could afford, but it got me playing...").

I've seen this kind of divide show up on other enthusiast sites, too, not just TB. At least on TB there are enough of us that the jankstas can nerd off on their janksta rigs in good company, rather than feel isolated and misunderstood. This 8-year-old thread is kind of amazing to me in that way.
 
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#627
mexicanyella said:
Janksta...heh. ALB, I think what you're noticing falls under general human behavior. Some people relate to stuff that costs more and like to see themslves as having discerning tastes, and others relate to stuff that had humble beginnings but gets the job done, because it feels resourceful to roll that way (or maybe just feels like, "It's all I could afford, but it got me playing...").

I've seen this kind of divide show up on other enthusiast sites, too, not just TB. At least on TB there are enough of us that the jankstas can nerd off on their janksta rigs in good company, rather than feel isolated and misunderstood. This 8-year-old thread is kind of amazing to me in that way.
Click to expand...

Agreed, and I hope there's not someone in Markbass or Gen-Benz threads bemoaning my snobbishness because I've never commented on those amps. The truth is, I'm just not interested in talking about them. Am I miffed that there might be TB'ers uninterested in janky rigs? Not a whit.

Don't let it bug ya Lefty, it's just human nature.
 
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#633
I still say some of these janksta rigs out there could probably bring a world of hurt down upon some boutique stuff. Rigs which defy common sense and logic vs. the world. Love it!

On a side note, my band played a venue a few months back which by looking at it, appeared to have the absolute jankiest FOH system ever pieced together. It was nasty! A mix of 70's folded horns, Lord know what mains, and monitors with bodily fluids permanently attached to the speaker grilles. I'm talking barfville! BUT, the sound was insanely killer. I've been playing shows for quite some time and my bass has never, ever sounded that in your face, clear, punchy...pure awesome! The entire band mix was perfect. I will never judge a FOH system (any musical equipment for that matter) by looks alone ever again. I learned my lesson that night.
 
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#634
That's funny...I remember playing a now-defunct club on Laclede's Landing in St. Louis waaaay back in my first band, as part of a many-bands barely-paid kind of show, and thinking the mix of FOH gear (big folded-horn bass scoops included) looked pretty janktacular, but the mix in the room sounded really good.

Memories...actually, come to think of it, I remember one of the many bands on the bill that night had a KILLER bass sound, which was coming from an old SVT head on top of a stacked-sideways pair of 1 x 15 PA cabs. No idea if the horns were disconnected or working, but it was tight, punchy and came across really well...from some random white pickguardless bass with P/J pickups.

Back then I lived in guitar land and barely knew enough about bass to identify what an SVT head was, but that was one of the first times a bass sound really made me sit up and take notice.
 
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#635
Alamo Amp.png



My 1st Bass Amp in the 60s
Alamo3.jpg
 
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#637
alaskaleftybass said:
To all Janky lovers, I've noticed something kind of sad. There are a group of snobs on TB who won't view or comment on anything that costs less than $1,000, isn't a boo-teek amp or bass guitar. I pride myself on buying used equipment and making it playable and at times totally professionally capable for stage use.

It bothers me that although everyone throws around the term brothers in bass blah blah blah, what about those of us who present our inexpensive little jewels in our own eyes? Sorry it isn't a Sadowsky or Smoking Glass or whatever, "brothers." But it plays well, has a lot of mojo, and makes me happy!

Have any of you notice this, Janky people? Am I paranoid or what....?
Click to expand...

Whatever you do, DON'T TELL THOSE SNOBS ABOUT THIS THREAD. This is like the most fun thread on TB.
 
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#639
Five String said:
Was that a bass amp?
Click to expand...
Well back then there were just amps. It was used for bass, I guess since it had a 10" in it (later they came out with a 15"). Wish I still had it. It was a 50s model built in San Antonio Texas. They were really I think a Steel guitar amp. That was back in start of Jr. High Days, early 60s. Got it the summer I went from 6th grade to 7th grade. Came from a Pawn Shop, along with an old Supro Guitar, that I kept only 4 strings on and played bass on it. When you have 4 guitarists and one drummer in the garage, somebody has to cover the bass part. Guess I was just lucky.
 
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