What does it mean to have "Pro gear"?

[smogg]

You must in fact have your own gear. If your gear is not in good working order then it's not pro gear. If you need to borrow a string or a battery from a potential new band mate to proceed with an audition then your gear is not in good working order (see above). I've seen this happen more than once. It's not a fun time.


edit for spelling

 

[Baker69]

I must confess that I have used that wording in adverts back in the 70’s & 80’s when I was looking for bands.

At that time and at the type of venues I played at and in the early 70’s it was very rare to even see a bass player with a Fender, it was pretty much all low end gear. Back line stuff too there seemed to be a vast void between what people were using then and what was at the time considered to be top end gear, as has been said that void no longer exists.

To have ‘pro gear’ back then would express that you were a serious musician and to which effect would give you an edge when it came to auditions.

Having said that I don’t think I ever got the job due to what gear I had and it was down to playing ability!

 

[Savage_Dreams]

It means the people that you are going to go play with are gear snobs.

or they just want the right people applying.

it means they dont want someone showing for a loud rock band with a 15 watt practice amp.

Theres appropriate gear for every gig. I dont mean specific brands per se. you cant show up for a metal audition with an acoustic bass. the jazz combo probably isnt going to want the guy that shows up with a clangy distorted fuzz setup. Ive seen guys onstage that cant keep their strap attached, to me that falls under not pro. if your instrument is so cheap it doesnt stay in tune thats not very professional.

 

[Hummergeist]

Stuff that’s not falling apart and is reliable.

Yeah to me that's it. Reliable, and can be heard in a typical live/studio situation.

 

[NewKid1011]

"Unprofessional, that's what you are;
Unprofessional, no tux no car..."

Your bass rig’s always breaking down
And we look like a bunch of clowns
Never before has someone been more…

 

[slowjam98]

The most “pro” gigs I did always came with a pro backline. So, I think it means you should be able to not own your own gear.

 

[Nedmundo]

You must in fact have your own gear. If your gear is not in good working order then it's not pro gear. If you need to borrow a string or a battery from a potential new band mate to proceed with an audition then your gear is not in good working order (see above). I've seen this happen more than once. It's not a fun time.

Great point. Sufficient gear for the job includes extra strings, batteries, picks (if needed), straps, cables, and tuners. Years ago I played in bands with younger guys, who were generally great dudes and fantastic musicians, but I got tired of supplying batteries, straps, cables, picks, etc. because they "forgot." I always did though, because I wanted the gigs to go well.

In the second band like this, the guitarists didn't have great instruments, so they went out of tune frequently. And yet they didn't have pedal tuners. (This was before clip-ons.) It was brutal. Before our first gig, the keyboardist and I ordered them to buy tuners, and said otherwise we wouldn't play the show. They bought tuners, and all our gigs went relatively smoothly from there.

When classifieds say "pro gear," I think they're referring to instruments and amps, but for gigs it goes beyond that IMO.

 

[vvvmmm]

I'm surprised no English muso has yet advised that "pro gear" means yer sharps are nearly new.

 

[Jack Butler]

It can mean different things to different people, but personally any band that said "must have pro gear" in their ad would definitely make me think twice. I have no patience for gear snobs at all. Now it could just mean they've had issues with people with unreliable equipment, which is understandable. I gigged the heck out of a stock Squier CV for a number of years, so to me it's pro level. I good friend of mine makes his living from music, and even works at a music store part time, and he doesn't own an instrument over $500. You can bet they are all reliable as heck though.

 

[Stan_da_man]

mY gEaR iS pRo So I mUsT bE gOoD

 

[tbz]

Sounds like a band that just had to fire a bassist that played a poorly intonated, and untuneable bass, through a failing 80s 100 watt SS head, into a cab literally pulled from a dumpster.

Side note it’s weird how badly triggered this concept makes some folks here.

If you can rock a squire through a 15 year old 100 watt combo then I’m happy for you. No reason to get upset over a band specifically asking for a bassist with reliable gear, when they’ve obviously been burned by one of our fellow low end brethren.

 

[Eric Swaim]

If you have owned it, you know the difference.

 

[Astre]

I see this phrase a lot in "bassist wanted" ads, and I know what I think that means, but I'm curious how others interpret it.

What is proffesional gear to you?

Absolutely nothing. This phrase is complete bull.

Jaco Pastorius' famous bass of doom was bought for $60.
Geddy Lee's Number One jazz bass was bought for $200.

It's not the gear, it's what you do with it.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

I see this phrase a lot in "bassist wanted" ads, and I know what I think that means, but I'm curious how others interpret it.

What is professional gear to you?

If I’m writing the ad, it means please have gear that is reliable, sounds good, and can cover the needs of the gig.

 

[vvvmmm]

One good thing such an ad hopefully does is discourage the inexperienced and insecure from a likely waste of time audition.

I mean, if as the person wanting to try out you can play, you are likely confident enough to to ignore that requirement for one reason or another.

Also, it's a simple threshold question and if I ask it and you are offended, you already failed.

 

[twinjet]

I see this phrase a lot in "bassist wanted" ads, and I know what I think that means, but I'm curious how others interpret it.

What is proffesional gear to you?

Something that sounds good, can meet performance power demands and is reliable. I was rehearsing with a band and the practice room had an old Peavey that sounded pretty good when it worked. It would cut out completely during songs and nothing I did would fix it. This caused contention between the band leader and I, since he thought I had no other speaker cabs. I ended up driving home to get my reliable GK MB210-II and returned with the peace of mind knowing that the rest of rehearsal would be great. It was.

 

[Analogeezer]

Amateurs use duct tape.

Pros use gaff tape.

Yes an another way to tell amateurs is when you mention gaff tape, they give you a blank stare that says "I have no idea what that is".

Analogeezer

 

[vvvmmm]

Pretty sure gaff tape was developed for the movie/TV industry? As used by gaffers? Supposed to be easier to remove and less/no residue ...

I keep all that stuff with my channel-locks, Windex and WD-40.

 

[micguy]

Pretty sure gaff tape was developed for the movie/TV industry
Supposed to be easier to remove and less/no residue ...

Anyone who has used gaff tape can confirm it absolutely doesn’t leave residue like duct tape.

 

[slagbass]

Absolutely nothing. This phrase is complete bull.

Jaco Pastorius' famous bass of doom was bought for $60.
Geddy Lee's Number One jazz bass was bought for $200.

It's not the gear, it's what you do with it.

Well.... a '62 Jazz and a '72 Jazz would count as pro gear in pretty much anybody's books. Although I agree that how much you paid for that gear is irrelevant.