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Possible to have bass too good for skill level?

M

MMailloux843

Jan 7, 2010
28
0
#1
Hello all, new member here. I've learned so much here in the past months, and I'm on the quest to purchase a new bass. I recently bought a Schecter Custom 5, but am not as happy with it as I thought I would be..

Now my question is, it it possible that you can have a bass that is too "good" for your skill level? I started playing for real a few months ago. I'm not great by any means, but I absolutely love playing, and I know Im going to stick with it for my whole life. I've been looking at Fender MIA P and Jazz basses, and I'm wondering if these are just too good of basses to fit my skill level. I plan on having one of these forever hopefully, so I know it would be an investment on my part, but I'm wondering if I'm just going overboard trying to have a fantastic instrument at this point in my playing career.

Also, general P vs. J thread if ya would like. Having a substantial amount of trouble trying to make up my mind between the two! :p
 
#5
MMailloux843 said:
Now my question is, it it possible that you can have a bass that is too "good" for your skill level? I started playing for real a few months ago. I'm not great by any means, but I absolutely love playing, and I know Im going to stick with it for my whole life.
Click to expand...

Absolutely not. The only way to equate this in reality, is like this:

Wallet = Bass

Can you afford it? Then there you have it....
 
#7
I think you can ABSOLUTELY buy a bass too nice for your level of skill...

I think if you buy a Fodera when you're just starting out on bass, the brilliance of such an instrument (the tone from the PU's, the tone the nice expensive wood provides, etc) will only magnify how horrible you sound IMO.

I dunno, just my opinion.

Talking about Fenders though? I think it's a more neutral instrument suitable for beginners to experienced players. But my idea that the nice expensive pickup sensitivity will make you work to correct your technique and ear training still holds true.
 
#8
Ha, well anything that will help to make a better player is good in my book! I agree with the neutrality of the Fenders though. I've played a few in my time and of the instruments I've had the chance to play, they are the ones that just feel right to me.

Thanks for all the replies guys!
 
#9
I may get flamed (or +1'd) for this, but I personally find that getting a really nice bass, something that really makes you feel comfortable and enjoy playing, will help take your playing to the next level.

If you love your instrument and love playing it, you will be more inspired to play and perhaps try new adventurous things you wouldn't have attempted on a less inspiring instrument.

If you can afford it, go for it.
But since you are relatively noobish, it might behoove you to look for a used one; that way if it isn't exactly the bass you want, you won't lose any significant amount of money in reselling it later.
 
#10
The ability to hear and see mistakes is the first step to correcting them, so I see a high quality instrument as a helper to learning quickly.

natw42 said:
I may get flamed (or +1'd) for this, but I personally find that getting a really nice bass, something that really makes you feel comfortable and enjoy playing, will help take your playing to the next level.

If you love your instrument and love playing it, you will be more inspired to play and perhaps try new adventurous things you wouldn't have attempted on a less inspiring instrument.
Click to expand...

+1
 
#11
Damn nat, inspiring to say the least. It's a community like this that makes me love the bass so much more.

The only thing is, I have to buy it with a credit card for this whole no interest deal going on. I wish I could grab a used one that's been played by others and such, but I think it will be real cool to break one in on my own :)
 
#12
MMailloux843 said:
Damn nat, inspiring to say the least. It's a community like this that makes me love the bass so much more.

The only thing is, I have to buy it with a credit card for this whole no interest deal going on. I wish I could grab a used one that's been played by others and such, but I think it will be real cool to break one in on my own :)
Click to expand...

If that's Musicians Friend, it's not much of a deal. The interest rate of 22.9% is owed from the time of purchase unless the full balance is paid off before a specific date. Then there are the penalties. That's a pretty expensive deal.
 
#14
No, its not possible to have too nice a bass for skill level. Far too many want peeps to have a substandard mediocre to poor qaulity bass for begginers. The stand should be get as nice a bass as you can for yourself irregardless of wether begginer or not, irregardless of skill level. Bass and guitars dont hav e to be expensive to be super nice for a peep. Some prefer unpainted necks for example, normally not found on higher priced models.
 
#15
Other than pissing off jealous bassists with a higher skill level than you who think you don't deserve a better bass because they can't afford one, you are free to own whatever bass you choose. It's your money and your quest. I don't think getting a pricier bass for a beginner is necessarily the way to go, however, as it often takes some experience and time invested to discover your preferences. I'd avoid the "elitist" mentality of the perceived value of a boutique instrument, for example, and get a good, solid meat-and-potatoes instrument. A basic P or J will never go out of style, will generally hold it's value if you want to sell/trade up later, and is a great starting point or long term instrument.
 
#16
natw42 said:
I may get flamed (or +1'd) for this, but I personally find that getting a really nice bass, something that really makes you feel comfortable and enjoy playing, will help take your playing to the next level.

If you love your instrument and love playing it, you will be more inspired to play and perhaps try new adventurous things you wouldn't have attempted on a less inspiring instrument.

If you can afford it, go for it.
But since you are relatively noobish, it might behoove you to look for a used one; that way if it isn't exactly the bass you want, you won't lose any significant amount of money in reselling it later.
Click to expand...

+1.

I am also very new, playing just over a year, and I am very much noticing the difference between my new (to me) MTD KZ 5 and the squier affinity pbass I started on. Now back to practice...
 
#19
natw42 said:
I may get flamed (or +1'd) for this, but I personally find that getting a really nice bass, something that really makes you feel comfortable and enjoy playing, will help take your playing to the next level.

If you love your instrument and love playing it, you will be more inspired to play and perhaps try new adventurous things you wouldn't have attempted on a less inspiring instrument.

If you can afford it, go for it.
But since you are relatively noobish, it might behoove you to look for a used one; that way if it isn't exactly the bass you want, you won't lose any significant amount of money in reselling it later.
Click to expand...

This was my experience. I had already been playing for 10 years when I got my bass from Jimmy Coppolo. It was by far the nicest instrument I had ever laid my hands on, and suddenly I was able to play things I never thought I'd be able to. The instrument helped to shape what I would consider to be my current sound. I do think, however, that had I gone shopping with the amount of money that I spent on this bass when I was inexperienced, I may have made the wrong choice.
 
#20
IMO, the opposite is usually the problem...newbies buying a cheap base that isn't or cannot be properly set-up. Some guys don't want to spend $50 or so for a professional set up when they only paid $200 or less on their bass. If the bass is hard to play or has a lot of fret buzz, intonation problems, or worse, most newbies will get discouraged and quit.
I wouldn't recommend that someone go out a buy a $1000 bass to start out on, but a nice new or used bass can be had for $300, maybe less. I would highly recommend a pro set-up unless the dealer was really into basses (most are not). Get the best quality bass that you can afford and that fits your style and sound that you are looking for. I would rather buy a mid-range quality bass and then make improvements to it as my skills progress. Most manufacturers cut corners on hardware and electronics, which are easy to upgrade as you see fit down the road.
 

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