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what does the term "Pro Gear" mean to you?

agomes

agomes

Apr 25, 2010
39
1
Chico Ca
#1
I searched the threads, but didn't find much, sorry if im repeating...

In regards to responding to Bass player adds on Craigslist, at what level does gear become suitable to be called "Pro Gear"

Is this totally subjective or is there a general consensus on a quality cuttof for pro-gear?

Obviously a 25watt practice amp and bass with two strings is short of pro, but would a band scoff at a Squier bass or a Peavey or crate head?


I have a decent bass, (Schecter, neck thru, EMGhz) and a Peavey Mark III thru fender 410 and SWR SOB 15", and I am a bit hesitant on responding to these "Must Have Pro Gear" adds. Are these guys just looking for something powerful enough to fit in the mix, or are they looking for tricked out ricks thru orange and mesa stacks?

thanks!
 
#4
Its purely subjective, and even then it still doesnt mean much. If I had to define pro gear it would be gear that gets the job done(whatever that may be). If any band passes on you based soley on your gear, then you shouldnt want to play with them anyway.
 
#5
Unfortunately most guitards are not aware that "pro" in bass terms isn't always Fender and Ampeg.

That said - a lot of gear that has previously been thought of as "beginner" has come a long way. Many people who play Sadowskys and Laklands and blahblahblah on this board also acknowledge that for the price, a Squier sounds pretty great and would be more than adequate for 95% of players.

Peavey is definitely pro gear, and although Crate has a poor reputation, I wouldn't judge until hearing someones set up.
 
#8
as in all things, itll mean different things to different people..

to some, your gear is totally fine, others would scoff unless youre running an SVT into an 810, or running a full Aguilar setup.

but to me, it means that it has the power and dependability to hang with the band situation you are in. Also, "pro gear" to me denotes 'pro attitude' that you CARE about the quality of your gear, you care about the quality of your tone and that you listen to what you play and how it fits with your other musicians tones. It also means that you care about your music and have respect for what you do...

you dont have to spend $3000 for that.
 
#9
I went to a show at a local club one night and saw this great band where the bass player was playing a clapped out low-end Ibanez through a combo that looked like he picked it up from Daddy's Junky Music for $50. This guy's whole setup probably cost less that $400 but he was sick and it sounded great.

The next band came up and the bass player had an Ampeg tube head of some kind with a fridge and, although he was decent too, the other guy just seemed so much more impressive for having made his cheap setup sound so good.

If you can sound good and play well it shouldn't matter too much unless there is an image component to what "pro" means.
 
#11
MRDOOM said:
Its purely subjective, and even then it still doesnt mean much. If I had to define pro gear it would be gear that gets the job done(whatever that may be). If any band passes on you based soley on your gear, then you shouldnt want to play with them anyway.
Click to expand...

I slightly disagree with this, but think we are probably on the same page, overall.

You can be the best player in the world, but a crate 25 watt amp isn't going allow your playing to be heard over a drummer. It's not wrong to want a player's gear to keep up with the rest of the band.
 
#13
Would gear I built myself qualify as "Pro Gear"? HMMM....
I have watched one of the best local players I have ever heard blow the "pro gear" guys away with a Squier jazz bass, a ratty looking bassman 135, and an old ampeg 215 thats covered in duct tape.
Its all in who's plucking the strings, the gear is only as good as the player...........
 
#14
The term 'professional' would infer equipment with which one could make a living from, so to me that would mean gear that is well maintained/setup well, is dependable, reliable and consistently sounds great in every setting. Brand and cost has little bearing. Well, cost does to a certain extent - more expensive gear tends to be better built, ergo more reliable. But almost any bass or amp can be fettled to perform better.

As to where the line is - when something is deemed as being pro, that's up to you. If you feel you can gig weekly in all genres with just one bass and one amp without fear of failure, consistently great tone and not struggling to be heard, then I would say it's pro. If you don't trust your gear to handle the rigours of session playing and need a backup of everything, inc backup backups, then maybe it's not pro. (yes I know pros carry backups, but that's not my point)

Sadly however, if you were to make a living from playing bass, you would arguable have more success getting jobs with mainstream, high quality branded equipment such as Fender, Lakland, Ampeg, Trace Elliot etc rather than budget or even mega-expensive boutique.
 
#15
I think if someone who's making a living off the gear they use, their gear must be pro. In general, there would be a certain price which things become pro, but as always, it really depends on what sound you want. You might need a cheap, lo-fi sound.
 
#17
Yes, though the term "Pro gear" is subjective, in practical, realistic, and general terms it means:
1. Your rig is in excellent working condition and does not have chronic breakdown issues.
2. The sound your rig produces is consistent with what would be expected of a professional working musician, for the type of music and ENVIRONMENT you are playing.
This basically means, for example, that if you are expected to have a clear and clean sounding rig, you do not show up with a muddy rig that distorts and is underpowered.
If you are auditioning for a top symphony orchestra, you typically would not show up with a $500, plywood bass.
The brand is irrelevant. Ampeg, Aguilar, ...yes, we all know what the big boys use but a great player does not HAVE to have that brand unless the band insists upon it.
I'd also like to add, that as a pro player, I get many compliments on my tone. I am told that I am often preferred over other bass players, in part, because I have a better tone than an amateur or even other pros that I'm replacing. Tone counts and certain equipment will help you achieve a PRO level tone.
I'd also like to mention that a keyboard player who has subbed in my Top 40 band is put at the bottom of the list because he shows up with a lousy, Casio keyboard with the cheesiest sounds. His tones are embarrassing at times and we only use this guy when no one else is available. Tone counts and certain equipment will deliver that tone but a specific brand is not necessarily needed unless you are trying to impress a producer or artist who is hung up on brand names.
 
#18
ga_edwards said:
The term 'professional' would infer equipment with which one could make a living from, so to me that would mean gear that is well maintained/setup well, is dependable, reliable and consistently sounds great in every setting. Brand and cost has little bearing. Well, cost does to a certain extent - more expensive gear tends to be better built, ergo more reliable. But almost any bass or amp can be fettled to perform better.

As to where the line is - when something is deemed as being pro, that's up to you. If you feel you can gig weekly in all genres with just one bass and one amp without fear of failure, consistently great tone and not struggling to be heard, then I would say it's pro. If you don't trust your gear to handle the rigours of session playing and need a backup of everything, inc backup backups, then maybe it's not pro. (yes I know pros carry backups, but that's not my point)

Sadly however, if you were to make a living from playing bass, you would arguable have more success getting jobs with mainstream, high quality branded equipment such as Fender, Lakland, Ampeg, Trace Elliot etc rather than budget or even mega-expensive boutique.
Click to expand...


Couldn't have said it any better.
Some tools are meant to be used all day, every day and some are just fine for weekend projects.
Can you get away with using cheap tools in most situations? I think you often can but, it doesn't look good to prospective employers and you're probably taking a risk.
If you're your own boss, do whatever you want but, almost everyone judges based on appearances in this business. It's worth considering this if you want to make it your business.
 
#19
I agree with funkythumb, especially the first assertion- your gear is well maintained and in excellent working condition. Having spares/backups to get through a gig (even if the plan is just SansAmp and monitors) is also a pro consideration. Then the second part also makes sense- it must produce the quality and quantity of sound required by the gig. So for your rig, unless the drummer is insanely loud, I'd say it's pro if you've maintained it well and it's operating at peak efficiency.
 

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