Super Rant... Am I alone?

[Stranger Danger]

Okay, so this is something that frustrates me to no end! I've jammed with a few guys, not recently but I've really been wanting to start a band. I always get shot down when I mention I have a SQUIER vintage mod, or CV. Seriously? What the ****. Some of the squiers are just as good if not a little better sounding than some of the upper end fenders(opinions from multiple musicians in my area). I often go on Craigslist and see "MUST HAVE PROFESSIONAL GEAR, IF YOU PLAY A SQUIER DON'T CONTACT US". So, I've been playing for 6 years, and tend to enjoy jamming with others. Anyway, my little cousin who (is now 10) was 8 years old....he was inspired by my bass playing and had his parents buy him his first electric guitar. Now, they got him a Kawasaki(walmart brand with cheap little amp) He loved and it and I think he could have been GREAT. So, he has it outside and he's playing with it and one of these neighbor kids(around 12) bragged about how his parents just bought him a new MIM Fender Strat, and told my cousin to "BUY A REAL GUITAR".....My cousin was torn in half, ran in the house crying and put down his guitar, and refuses to play, this rotten spoiled kid destroyed his ambition and self esteem. It is now 2 years later, and I can't convince him and comfort him to get back into playing no matter how hard I try. Now of course, I had access to a Rickenbacker 4001(this was my buddy's bass, and he let me borrow it from time to time) I should have grabbed it and rubbed it in the MIM kid's face and said BUY A REAL GUITAR. But of course, I'm not evil and cruel like that. Having professional gear, doesn't mean you're a professional musician or even a good player. So, I love jamming with people. You play a Squier? Sweet me too! American Fender? Nice! Ibanez, gibson, yamaha. shecter? Awesome! I don't see why the logo on the headstock determines eligibility to play with someone. As long as you sound good(even if you don't) it's all about having fun, and learning. I could just go on an on... Does this upset some of you folks as much as it does me? How many of you own and play american made gear and wouldn't mind a Squier CV or VM(bass or guitar) in your band? I have no ground rules, I'll play with anyone who plays anything.

I hate to be logical about the whole thing but why don't you just save up some money and buy a USA Fender. You can get a good used one for about $750. It's not as if they are telling you to go kill yourself. If you want to play in a band and that is the request then just do it. Life ain't easy and the world ain't fair.

 

[Stranger Danger]

And you might find as a special added bonus that they were right and the USA fender is a lot better than the Chinese knock off.

 

[Stranger Danger]

If I was auditioning for guitarists and a guy came in with an ugly pointy cheap guitar and a solid state amp, I'd probably rule him out too.

 

[Dojix]

If I was auditioning for guitarists and a guy came in with an ugly pointy cheap guitar and a solid state amp, I'd probably rule him out too.

Firstly, they judge on the company, not the look of it. If it looked like crap, most people would rule him off instantly, but that's not the case we're discussing here. The case is that it makes you close-minded if you don't at least listen to the guitarist play just because of the brand on his headstock. He may have figured out some killer tone with that instrument, and that's what makes the musician uniquely themselves, and not just another carbon-copy with typical equipment and no skill. I'd rather someone with defining qualities to their playing, like a thought out sound, over a well-funded person with great equipment who can't do a thing. Taking it at face value in that situation won't work to your advantage.

 

[SteveV74]

There are plenty of very well paid professional musicians out there who use Squier.sometimes people just need a high-5, in the face, with whatever bass you can afford.........they all work very well for this purpose.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Firstly, they judge on the company, not the look of it. If it looked like crap, most people would rule him off instantly, but that's not the case we're discussing here. The case is that it makes you close-minded if you don't at least listen to the guitarist play just because of the brand on his headstock. He may have figured out some killer tone with that instrument, and that's what makes the musician uniquely themselves, and not just another carbon-copy with typical equipment and no skill. I'd rather someone with defining qualities to their playing, like a thought out sound, over a well-funded person with great equipment who can't do a thing. Taking it at face value in that situation won't work to your advantage.

That's illogical. You're assuming that the person with good quality gear can't play is just as bad as assuming that the guy with the intro level stuff can't play. What I can however determine from looking at someone's gear is their level of commitment to what they are doing. But ymmv, I'm not looking to play with kids. I'm almost 40 and looking to play with grown ups. It's different with kids.

 

[Stranger Danger]

There are plenty of very well paid professional musicians out there who use Squier.sometimes people just need a high-5, in the face, with whatever bass you can afford.........they all work very well for this purpose.

Snooks Eaglin was my favorite Squier player. Can you point me in the direction of some other great pros playing Squiers?

Yall may flame me because you think I'm hating on Squiers but I'm not. I'm trying simply to help the OP understand that the world works this way sometimes. It's the same outside of music. Why does someone get the girl over you or the job? Presentation is 90% and preparation is 10%. After you get the gig then it's up to you to keep it. But if I was in a situation where my choice of instrument was keeping me from doing what I wanted, then I'd fix that and not cry about it.

 

[mikeyjm2]

How many of you own and play american made gear and wouldn't mind a Squier CV or VM(bass or guitar) in your band?

I have multiple American made Fenders and have no problem with Squires. If it's played well and sounds good then let's jam!

Have a homebrewed P bass project on the go now using a Squire body. So when I'm through I'm going to refuse to play it because it's not an American made Fender? Nope! Gonna play it until it can't be played any more.
Don't worry about instrument snobbery. Just play and be happy.

 

[Fiset]

Okay, I've seen a ton of these sorts of threads lately. Here's my (probably less popular) opinion on the subject:

We live in a world with brands. Like it or not people associate certain brands in certain ways. When you walk into any situation where you are meeting people for the first time, those people are going to make immediate judgements based on the information they have at that moment. When I walk into a job interview I'm going to first be judged on my appearance. Thats just a fact. If I walk in wearing a cheap, ill-fitting suit I'm leaving myself open to being judged in a potentially negative light before I say a single word. Oh sure...in a perfect world nobody would ever think to judge another by something as superficial as a suit. But if we lived in that world, we wouldn't have any need for really nice suits in the first place.

So for me it gets down to what i'm trying to achieve. In any given situation, am I interested in first impressions? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. When auditioning for a band or going to a job interview (which are the same thing as far as I'm concerned) I'm usually going to arm myself with the tools which will help me achieve MY goals. I've got a no-name bass that I purchased years ago. It looks and plays great. But I can tell you honestly that I would never bring it to an audition. Yes yes, I should be able to overcome any questions by showing my potential bandmates how well I can play that bass but I'd rather not give myself hurdles to overcome at the very outset. I'd rather bring my name brand bass to the audition, spend zero time answering questions about my gear, get the gig and THEN show up with my no-name bass later on.....after I've established my creditability.

I have nothing against Squier's. Never played one I fell in love with but thats neither here nor there. When I decided I wanted to be a gigging musician I made a decision to arm myself with what I considered to be industry standard gear precisely so I wouldn't lose out on any opportunity because of gear. I'm not interested in trying to change people's perceptions of gear, I'm interested in getting gigs and playing with as many talented musicians as my schedule allows. Thats MY primary goal. So I made some sacrifices to spend a little more on the tools to help achieve that goal.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Okay, I've seen a ton of these sorts of threads lately. Here's my (probably less popular) opinion on the subject:

We live in a world with brands. Like it or not people associate certain brands in certain ways. When you walk into any situation where you are meeting people for the first time, those people are going to make immediate judgements based on the information they have at that moment. When I walk into a job interview I'm going to first be judged on my appearance. Thats just a fact. If I walk in wearing a cheap, ill-fitting suit I'm leaving myself open to being judged in a potentially negative light before I say a single word. Oh sure...in a perfect world nobody would ever think to judge another by something as superficial as a suit. But if we lived in that world, we wouldn't have any need for really nice suits in the first place.

So for me it gets down to what i'm trying to achieve. In any given situation, am I interested in first impressions? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. When auditioning for a band or going to a job interview (which are the same thing as far as I'm concerned) I'm usually going to arm myself with the tools which will help me achieve MY goals. I've got a no-name bass that I purchased years ago. It looks and plays great. But I can tell you honestly that I would never bring it to an audition. Yes yes, I should be able to overcome any questions by showing my potential bandmates how well I can play that bass but I'd rather not give myself hurdles to overcome at the very outset. I'd rather bring my name brand bass to the audition, spend zero time answering questions about my gear, get the gig and THEN show up with my no-name bass later on.....after I've established my creditability.

I have nothing against Squier's. Never played one I fell in love with but thats neither here nor there. When I decided I wanted to be a gigging musician I made a decision to arm myself with what I considered to be industry standard gear precisely so I wouldn't lose out on any opportunity because of gear. I'm not interested in trying to change people's perceptions of gear, I'm interested in getting gigs and playing with as many talented musicians as my schedule allows. Thats MY primary goal. So I made some sacrifices to spend a little more on the tools to help achieve that goal.

Amen!

 

[mikeyjm2]

So for me it gets down to what i'm trying to achieve. In any given situation, am I interested in first impressions? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. When auditioning for a band or going to a job interview (which are the same thing as far as I'm concerned) I'm usually going to arm myself with the tools which will help me achieve MY goals.

All good points you make. If I'm honest here, I would say that my soon to be frankenbass will not be what I would take to an audition. But I will play it with the band I'm already a part of. They already know my abilities.

 

[brianrost]

I've been working with a bandleader who plays Squiers for almost ten years.

He even pays me in real USA money

No issues here...

 

[Donavan12]

I hate to be logical about the whole thing but why don't you just save up some money and buy a USA Fender. You can get a good used one for about $750. It's not as if they are telling you to go kill yourself. If you want to play in a band and that is the request then just do it. Life ain't easy and the world ain't fair.

I would actually invest in a Ric before buying an MIA fender. I'm happy with my Squiers and MIM Fenders. This is just my personal preference.

 

[Eidolon0274]

Your cousin had bigger problems if that's all it takes to break his spirit. You're not alone in this though, there is a stigma about low end instruments, its not "fair" but it makes sense.

 

[Feral Feline]

Both my Jaguars say "Fender" on the headstock, just not on the front.

If any clods ever moan about my Squier Jags not having "Fender" on the headstock, I'll shove in their faces the backside of the headstock that says:

"Designed and backed by FENDER".

Check the back of your Squier's headstock and I bet it says "Fender" somewhere.


My pet peeve is when people type sentence after sentence without any paragraph breaks: wall-of-text-syndrome.

OP, keep working on your cousin, he'll come 'round ... especially in high-school when girls start to take notice of his fingery skillssss — And throw in a paragraph break or two...

 

[Donavan12]

Your cousin had bigger problems if that's all it takes to break his spirit. You're not alone in this though, there is a stigma about low end instruments, its not "fair" but it makes sense.

Well as I mentioned, he's over it. It took 2 years for him to pick it up. Hell get into Squiers later

 

[obimark]

There are plenty of very well paid professional musicians out there who use Squier.sometimes people just need a high-5, in the face, with whatever bass you can afford.........they all work very well for this purpose.

Right on!! Like your avatar as well.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

They want you to show up with pro gear because it's a filter that will weed out a lot of scrubs that can't play well. If you're taking the low end seriously, you'll have pro gear. They say "Fender" because it cuts out the guys with 7 string coffee table basses that just want to solo over everything. Everyone wants justification that their Squier is just as good as a Fodera, but it's not. And everyone with a Fodera isn't a lawyer that only plays in his music room. Maybe it's the hipster retro revival thing, but cheap basses are usually not as good as more expensive basses. Period. Squiers are nice instruments and you get a lot of bang for your buck. Be happy. Enjoy it. But I really don't get this need for everyone to think that Squiers are just as good as American Fenders. My Scion tC isn't as good as a Ferrari. I understand that and accept it.

 

[Donavan12]

They want you to show up with pro gear because it's a filter that will weed out a lot of scrubs that can't play well. If you're taking the low end seriously, you'll have pro gear. They say "Fender" because it cuts out the guys with 7 string coffee table basses that just want to solo over everything. Everyone wants justification that their Squier is just as good as a Fodera, but it's not. And everyone with a Fodera isn't a lawyer that only plays in his music room. Maybe it's the hipster retro revival thing, but cheap basses are usually not as good as more expensive basses. Period. Squiers are nice instruments and you get a lot of bang for your buck. Be happy. Enjoy it. But I really don't get this need for everyone to think that Squiers are just as good as American Fenders. My Scion tC isn't as good as a Ferrari. I understand that and accept it.

Honestly people ask why I don't just invest....I don't have a job and haven't in a while I'm actually in a huge struggle with my life at the moment. ..It's really complicated to explain and I wouldn't expect people to understand with my impairments and what not going on. I play what I play. MY squier classic vibe sounds as good and plays as good as an MIA fender to me. I've played a mix of everything and have a pretty good experience with different brands and styles.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Honestly people ask why I don't just invest....I don't have a job and haven't in a while I'm actually in a huge struggle with my life at the moment. ..It's really complicated to explain and I wouldn't expect people to understand with my impairments and what not going on. I play what I play. MY squier classic vibe sounds as good and plays as good as an MIA fender to me. I've played a mix of everything and have a pretty good experience with different brands and styles.

I'm sorry for your situation, but if you're not investing it the gear, it really doesn't look good to bandleaders that don't know you from the next guy. You're fughting an uphill battle. I'd suggest starting your own band where you can get around the de facto "rules" of the biz. I'm not trying to be mean, just realistic.