Why are people afraid to use their gear?

[Fynn]

If you look up the list of of the 10 best selling albums in history and you'll notice that most if not all of them used a meat and potatoes bass setup. If simplicity is good enough for them....

I only know that all my favorite musicians use alot of effects, and tweak all their settings very often.
And for all of them, I knew them way before I even got into gear myself, so I don't think I was drawn in by nice gear.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I'm afraid to use anything but my gear. People are weird

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I probably should fiddle with my amp EQ more. Typically, I plug in and adjust it so it sounds good in the room, then leave it. If I want a different bass sound, I change basses.

Should I mess with EQing that make one bass sound like as many other flavors as possible? Maybe.

I typically just think of my amp as a conduit to get the sound that I think is inherent to the bass out into the space.

 

[BassBrass]

Yeah, what about that Tatum guy that just sat down at any old piano that was there? What was WRONG with him? Why didn't he use more stuff?

Art Tatum is a strange example for minimalism. Very strange. He used every musical devise possible, evenything but the kitchen sink. I'm pretty sure he also needed pianos to be in tune and able to withstand his onslaught or else they would fall apart! Doug Wimbish has nothing on Tatum's use of devices. He used devices no one had seen when he started recording in 1933. (he used all 88 keys) That's why he had an audience.

 

[DrBnz]

I use my gear constantly. Its other people who can't use my gear.

 

[brianrost]

I'm not even sure what "afraid" is supposed to mean in this thread.

 

[turf3]

I only know that all my favorite musicians use alot of effects, and tweak all their settings very often.
And for all of them, I knew them way before I even got into gear myself, so I don't think I was drawn in by nice gear.

Well, most of MY favorite musicians use minimal effects. Many of them play instruments where there ARE no effects.

 

[turf3]

As Thoreau once wrote, "Simplify, simplify, simplify." Although if he'd been serious, he'd have left the last two out.

One of the big reasons I bought the amp I primarily use now is that it can be used on the double bass and the bass guitar without a preamp for the DB. I bought a whole amp to do away with a preamp. Yep.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

30 years of gigging, very little ear protection. What sounds good in my man cave disappears in the Gold Room at the Lamplighter Lounge.
I start each gigging evening close to flat. Flat on the amp, flat on the bass. No effects.
As ear fatigue sets in, I make adjustments. By the end of the night I just want to hear everything cut through everything else.
By the 4th set I could be playing a Glarry through a Peavey TKO and it would probably sound similar to my 3 grand half stack and whatever booteek bass I'm playing that night.

 

[Dust2Dust]

Too many knobs make me paranoid

 

[Ostie]

And some folks loves ham hocks and some folks loves pork chops and some folks loves vegetable soup...

The great philosopher Sly Stone said it best: “Different strokes for different folks!”

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I know it's a bit of a clickbaity title, but that's what came to mind.

I've read quite a few comments on TB, where people will say that they use only a bass and an amp for gigs, and even home usage. Furthermore, I've read plenty of people say that they don't adjust their EQ, don't buy any effects, basically don't do anything but use their fingers, maybe bass, maybe a slight amp adjustment.
Now I was wondering, why?

I get that people like a simple solution, where they just plug in, turn on the amp, and they're off to the races. But at the same time, many spend quite a lot of time trying to find the right bass and the right amp.
Why would you try to find the perfect amp, instead of adjusting the EQ on your current one, until you like it?
I've heard people say that adjusting EQ too much will cause it to sound unnatural, or that when you have to do that you should better just get a different bass / amp altogether.
I don't quite understand where this came from, because I would assume that when you get a nice piece of gear with a couple of knobs, you would assume that all of them are usable to their extremes. I know that that's not always the case, but I believe alot of gear nowadays is designed to still be usable at their most extreme settings. And even if not, they usually have quite a bit of adjustability.
Why would you not want to take advantage of that?
When I look at all the outboard gear, and more commonly nowadays, plugins that producers use, I feel like I should not ever shy away from trying to make the most of the gear that I have.

This isn't really meant as a critique of the people that use such minimalistic setups, but I would like to know if someone could explain it a bit further to me.
I can tell you, I'm not content with the notion that too much EQ makes it sound unnatural. To me an amplified bass signal already sounds completely unnatural, compared to the electric bass played acoustically, or compared to any other acoustic instrument.

A lot of judgement there about other peoples decisions and taste. While I offer not judgements on your decisions and taste, I don’t offer them to anybody else either.

 

[logdrum]

More like an exception than the rule. Those with 100s of basses will take a while for the rotation to come full circle. With 7 takes me 2 months. Amps - well I hardly gig my one tube bass amp. But turn it on every couple of weeks

 

[Rabidhamster]

I know it's a bit of a clickbaity title, but that's what came to mind.

I've read quite a few comments on TB, where people will say that they use only a bass and an amp for gigs, and even home usage. Furthermore, I've read plenty of people say that they don't adjust their EQ, don't buy any effects, basically don't do anything but use their fingers, maybe bass, maybe a slight amp adjustment.
Now I was wondering, why?

I get that people like a simple solution, where they just plug in, turn on the amp, and they're off to the races. But at the same time, many spend quite a lot of time trying to find the right bass and the right amp.
Why would you try to find the perfect amp, instead of adjusting the EQ on your current one, until you like it?
I've heard people say that adjusting EQ too much will cause it to sound unnatural, or that when you have to do that you should better just get a different bass / amp altogether.
I don't quite understand where this came from, because I would assume that when you get a nice piece of gear with a couple of knobs, you would assume that all of them are usable to their extremes. I know that that's not always the case, but I believe alot of gear nowadays is designed to still be usable at their most extreme settings. And even if not, they usually have quite a bit of adjustability.
Why would you not want to take advantage of that?
When I look at all the outboard gear, and more commonly nowadays, plugins that producers use, I feel like I should not ever shy away from trying to make the most of the gear that I have.

This isn't really meant as a critique of the people that use such minimalistic setups, but I would like to know if someone could explain it a bit further to me.
I can tell you, I'm not content with the notion that too much EQ makes it sound unnatural. To me an amplified bass signal already sounds completely unnatural, compared to the electric bass played acoustically, or compared to any other acoustic instrument.

“If you twiddle your knobs more than twice you’re playing with them.” Used to be posted up in the TalkBass bathrooms but it got vandalized so many times it’s been removed now.

 

[arbiterusa]

when you cook do you open your spice cabinet and empty it all into the pan? they should all work together at extremes, right?

I always use 10% less than the lethal amount of salt in my food. Yet people complain about it constantly.

 

[Hounddog409]

Yeah, what about that Tatum guy that just sat down at any old piano that was there? What was WRONG with him? Why didn't he use more stuff?

You know, maybe people adjust the instrument/amp (for electric bass, the amp is part of the instrument) till they get the sound they want, and then just leave it there. Did that ever occur to you?

Yeah, cant remember any concert where the bass player was fidling with anything during the show, after sound check.

Once you have the sound you want, there is no reason to keep fiddling.

 

[J-Mags]

I've found that it's easier to project with a straight ahead sound. I don't veer too far from a flat EQ setting, although I'll adjust a bit here and there. I can easily play a gig without any pedals. I generally use small effects board with an always-on compressor set to minimal compression to even things out a bit, a Vintage Mictrotubes overdrive also set low and mostly clean for a bit of focus and heft, a high pass filter to make my amp sound louder and punchier, and a flanger to annoy my bandmates. I'd be surprised if an audience could tell the difference if I left all my pedals at home.

It's not a religion for me. My bandmates put the kibosh on my more psychedelic tendencies or I'd still use a fuzz, an envelope filter and a tap tempo analog delay with an oscillation switch. But there is something to be said for keeping it simple. It makes performing less complicated.

I guess what I was trying to say is that a bit of anxiety and persnicketiness keeps me using just a bit more gear than I need, but that's still not all that much.

 

[Swings]

I know it's a bit of a clickbaity title, but that's what came to mind.

I've read quite a few comments on TB, where people will say that they use only a bass and an amp for gigs, and even home usage. Furthermore, I've read plenty of people say that they don't adjust their EQ, don't buy any effects, basically don't do anything but use their fingers, maybe bass, maybe a slight amp adjustment.
Now I was wondering, why?

I get that people like a simple solution, where they just plug in, turn on the amp, and they're off to the races. But at the same time, many spend quite a lot of time trying to find the right bass and the right amp.
Why would you try to find the perfect amp, instead of adjusting the EQ on your current one, until you like it?
I've heard people say that adjusting EQ too much will cause it to sound unnatural, or that when you have to do that you should better just get a different bass / amp altogether.
I don't quite understand where this came from, because I would assume that when you get a nice piece of gear with a couple of knobs, you would assume that all of them are usable to their extremes. I know that that's not always the case, but I believe alot of gear nowadays is designed to still be usable at their most extreme settings. And even if not, they usually have quite a bit of adjustability.
Why would you not want to take advantage of that?
When I look at all the outboard gear, and more commonly nowadays, plugins that producers use, I feel like I should not ever shy away from trying to make the most of the gear that I have.

This isn't really meant as a critique of the people that use such minimalistic setups, but I would like to know if someone could explain it a bit further to me.
I can tell you, I'm not content with the notion that too much EQ makes it sound unnatural. To me an amplified bass signal already sounds completely unnatural, compared to the electric bass played acoustically, or compared to any other acoustic instrument.

personally I believe that “discipline” and “mastery” contribute to this.

Mastery and discipline entail practicing and sounding good consistently, no matter what magic you have at your disposal. Even sounding awesome un-amplified.

The adage “a poor workman blames his tools” comes to mind.

Perhaps it’s also a sadomasochistic trait of delayed gratification but enough with stupidity.

Some people like to work up to a standard of playing before they add the “garnish”. That’s a tried and tested method.

The only experiences i have had which went against that mindset were when better/bigger/more expensive gear proved to assist me getting better AND revive my urge to keep improving. I’m far too easygoing and lack the discipline that most people on here have though.

 

[retslock]

I get the sound I want from a very basic instrument. The second pickup and the preamp just happened to come with the bass but I don’t need them so I don’t use them. That’s all there is to it. No fear, just choice.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

You know why the electric bassist in 1953 playing a 51P through a Bassman combo didn't fiddle?
Cause there was really nothing to fiddle with.
But I guarantee he was thinking "gee I wish I could be heard through this 26 watt amp. The guitarist cuts right through the mix!!!!".
The more headroom and knobs I have the more likely I can find a pleasing sound that cuts through.