Pros using a cheap POS?

[Greenman72]

I was goofing off, admiring Esh basses (of which I am a big fan), and saw a picture of Hiisi, from Lordi. He's also an Esh user.
But he hasn't always used an Esh. Check out his picture.

Is this guy, a professional musician, really rocking a Yamaha TRBX304 on stage? Isn't that the beginner-est of beginner instruments?

 

[onda'bass]

so what, I had a beater bass for playing out. Not taking my $$ ones to a dive bar.

 

[Geri O]

Shields up….

 

[chris_b]

It doesn't matter what bass you use if you are plugged in to big pedal board.

The sound of the bass becomes more important when no pedals are involved. At that point better sounding basses are noticeable.

 

[ardgedee]

Is this guy, a professional musician, really rocking a Yamaha TRBX304 on stage? Isn't that the beginner-est of beginner instruments?

If amateurs can make music with it, so can professionals. Jack White has had a pretty successful career playing department store guitars.

 

[kodiakblair]

A couple of years back Generation Sex were doing the big European festivals, crowds of 60,000 to 80,000 people.

Tony James did those gigs with a Gear 4 Music Chicago bass, retail price £120 including gig bag.

 

[brianrost]

I don’t know if people think of Danelectros as cheap POS, but they certainly were cheap. Lots of pros used them in the 60s when they were much cheaper than Fenders.

I remember being surprised to see photos of Cream in the studio recording Disraeli Gears where Jack Bruce was playing a Longhorn. Pete Townsend used a Longhorn when credited as “Bijou Drains” played bass on the Thunderclap Newman’s “Something In The Air”. Jesse Colin Young with the Youngbloods used a Dano, as did Joey Spampinato of NRBQ. The Dano 6 strings were commonly used in recording studios, Carol Kaye has mentioned that it was expected in LA guitarists would have one and in Nashville they were doubled with string bass for the “tic tac” sound. All the electric sitars heard on records from the 60s and 70 were the two models of the Coral Sitar made by Danelectro.

 

[BGroovy]

Not sure what you mean by POS, that’s pretty polarizing, but if you mean inexpensive - Laura Lee of Khruangbin touted with an SX for years.

Have seen plenty of bass players with Squiers on stage.

 

[bobfarabaugh]

My gear outshines my ability 100 to 1.
It’s not the bass. I am proof of that.

 

[backin82]

If it stays in tune, has decent-ish strings, and reliably produces bass frequencies, it'll work. I've played $100 Squiers on stage many times, though I still prefer my Lakland.

 

[Lo-E]

With modern manufacturing technology it’s almost impossible to buy a bad guitar today.

Some are better than others, some MUCH better, but even the least expensive instrument is likely to be pretty playable nowadays.

 

[Geri O]

With modern manufacturing technology it’s almost impossible to buy a bad guitar today.

Some are better than others, some MUCH better, but even the least expensive instrument is likely to be pretty playable nowadays.

As my $300 6-string Squier attests to, no doubt.

A $100 Audere preamp and a $200 soft case was a big help......

 

[ElectricBass72]

so what, I had a beater bass for playing out. Not taking my $$ ones to a dive bar.

This. If I ever gigged again.... I'd take my Ibanez Talman and Sterling Stingray 5. Hell to the no..... on my Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray 5, Spector Euro 4, Rickenbacker 4003, Fender/G&L/Sire P's and J's, Ibanez SRs and Fender Duff P/J.

 

[DWBass]

I could give 2 rat patooties about what gear people use! As long as it sounds good and gets the job done!

 

[DWA2469]

If I can't gig with any instrument I own, I do not need it! That is just the way I see them! They are tools to me!

 

[dabbler]

A little off base but a few years back, I and a co-worker were at a work-related conference that was also attended by Skunk Baxter. We had lunch with him and he shared that a buddy of his was playing in town that night and he was going to go pick up a guitar and sit in on a few numbers. My co-worker quickly offered to lend him one of his guitars to use. Skunk thanked him for the offer, but stated he was just going to go pick something up at a pawn shop (I kid you not) and give it away after the show.

I didn't go hear him play that night, but that conversation left an indelible impression on me. Some time after that, I ran across a you-tube of Skunk making the point that you don't have to have an expensive guitar to make good music.

 

[humbuckaroo]

It's a Yamaha, which starts at a baseline of pretty good, even at low prices.

No one's taking their expensive gear on tour.

 

[lowendblues]

Cheap basses are not what they used to be.

A lot of inexpensive basses can be very comfortable to play, and sound great with a little setup knowledge.

 

[DRay521]

I used to think boutique gear was inherently better than the rest. Then my band at the time, with me playing a boutique bass, opened for a blues trio whose bassist had a Squier 5-string Jazz. I looked down my nose at it quietly, and then the guy played…Killer playing, killer tone, absolutely smoked it. I learned a great lesson that night. I still have a few upscale instruments that are excellent, but I get just as much joy playing my Epiphone and Ibanez basses live. It’s not about the gear, it’s about how we play it.

 

[ezstep]

I see more and more Strat knock-offs and Les Paul knock-offs onstage with artists making (IMHO) pretty good music. I see quite a few Squiers and Yamahas onstage as well. I never really cared what a person played. I had two basses well over $2500, and I think, maybe, they have been used on less than a half dozen gigs total.

This is a prime example of why we keep preaching to "listen with your ears, not your eyes."